The Bangkok-based Architecture firm S+PBA has been invited to attend the exhibition Water- Curse or Blessing!? organized by Aedes East – International Forum for Contemporary Architecture n.p.o. as part of the Asia Pacific Weeks 2011. The event will take place at Aedes Gallery in Berlin from the 9th to 21st September 2011.

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

As a possible response to the problem of the rising sea levels and the rapid sinking of the capital city of Bangkok, S+PBA will present its more recent project A Post Diluvian Future, a prototype community that takes its inspiration from Thailand's centuries old traditions of floodconscious aquatecture and turn it into a contemporary sustainable and visually stunning Wetropolis.

A Post Diluvian Future is a project by Architects Songsuda Adhibai, Ponlawat Buasri and Taylor Lowe from S+PBA.

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

While most of the world follows the standard from dust to dust, ashes to ashes cycle, Bangkok prefers something wetter: from water to water. Almost 300 years after rising from the marshy banks of the Chao Phraya, it appears Bangkok will return to its watery origins. A recent UN study estimates that much of the metropolitan area will need to be abandoned by the middle of the century. Bangkok's population is growing by approximately 100,000 residents per year, just as the city itself is shrinking below sea level 4" per year. While most cities in this position could simply increase urban density by building up, this would only hasten Bangkok's subterranean slide. It is the blinding growth of Bangkok's built environment combined with the over-exhausted aquifers 2 m below the city surface that is causing the city's physical depression. We are left then with a Post-Diluvian dilemma currently facing many world cities: do we sink or swim, flee or float?

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

With the city sinking 10 cm below a sea level that is rising by 40 cm annually, the safest place to create new architecture is above water. As it happens, Bangkok is surrounded by fields of water; brackish, polluted water remaining from an oversaturated shrimp farming industry whose very growth precipitated its own demise. Erstwhile shrimp farmers, who can no longer sustain shrimp life in their polluted plots, are currently selling their water-fields to developers who bury the water in housing racts, or to the government, who hopes to restore the once thriving mangrove ecosystem. While the government's aspirations would yield considerable environmental benefits to the metropolis, they cannot compete with the prices developers would pay for the equivalent water field. Developers, though paying the shrimp farmers slightly more, constitute an entirely negative environmental force by encouraging urban spread and commuting, by stifling the possibility for open space, and by simply burying brown-field environments with expensive flood-susceptible, cold weather foreign architecture.

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

Each party is thus engaged in a win-lose proposition: suburbs will impair government mangroves, water will submerge suburbs, and shrimp farmers will lose their livelihood. City dwellers, developers, shrimp farmers and the environment all lose more than they gain. This negative economy of loss occurs because Bangkok is still laboring under a very antediluvian mindset where flooding is considered a crisis and not a constant. Bangkok has always been flooded and the latest apocalyptic predictions only suggest that flooding will return with increased consistency. Once the city is submarine, can we even call this phenomenon flooding? Flooding implies a passing phase rather than a fixed environment, and yet, at the current juncture, water is much more predictable than land. In order to initiate a Post-Diluvian perspective that designs for water we must abandon the Metropolis in favor of the Wetropolis, and Architecture in favor of Aquatecture. Towards a Post Diluvian Future will propose a Post-Diluvian prototype community that transforms principles from Thailand’s centuries old traditions of flood-conscious aquatecture into a contemporary, sustainable and visually stunning Wetropolis. We will examine the entirely supra-marine stilt home community of Koh Pan Yii that hovers above the Andaman sea in Southern Thailand, successfully sustaining all of the typical functions of an urban community—schools, public spaces, hospitals, utilities, industry. However, unlike Koh Pan Yii, we will provide a design solution that minimizes its foot print on the water, thereby enabling the continued cultivation of mangrove forests that will supply the community with carbon dioxide mitigating flora, with a natural effluent filtration system, with some of the only green open space in Bangkok and with moderate local shrimp farming.

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

Our goal is not to replace the Metropolis with the Wetropolis, but to exceed it. We will design a community prototype elevated above the acres of underutilized shrimp farms that aligns the interests of shrimp farmers, urbanites, developers and the government by simultaneously sustaining mangrove restoration, modest shrimp farming, and a growing population in a sinking city that can thrive unaffected by the impending floods.

Blessing or Curse? Flooding, according to our community vision, will constitute a cathartic ablution, not a cataclysmic obliteration, of Bangkok. Water, detoxifying water, will wash away the 20th century' s misguided substitutions of aircon for context, roads for canals, indoors for outdoors, anesthetic environments for aesthetic environments.

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

A Post-Diluvian Future, render courtesy S+PBA

We believe that environmental sustainability, economic concerns, and quality design are not mutually exclusive. A symbiotic relationship exists between them, which results in new discoveries and spatial qualities that nurture people. The Interpretive Center is designed to tread lightly on the earth and meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Brooks + Scarpa architects

Designed by LA-based architect firm Brooks + Scarpa architects, the Vasquez Rocks Nature and Interpetive Center is a vital gateway to a unique asset in the Los Angeles County Parks system. The high-desert site is one of the most significant natural areas in the region; its sculptural rock formations have inspired generations of visitors and provided the backdrop to dozens of Hollywood movies and television shows. Its location along the Pacific Crest Trail affords hikers on a 2,650-mile walk from Mexico to Canada an unforgettable point of reference.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center, render courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center, render courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

The Nature and Interpretive Center, in our view, must address the theme of environmental stewardship, conservation, the visual drama of its surroundings and the cinematic imagery these surroundings have inspired. Through carefully integrated exhibits and design moments, a narrative unfolds, in synch with the folded plates of the sculptural form. The visitor immediately grasps the significance of the surrounding landscape when first confronted with a form that so clearly echoes that landscape. Her interest and understanding is deepened upon entering, as the significance of the geological and climatic processes that gave rise to the Rocks is communicated through a series of panels, mechanical interactive exhibits, and several A/V programs, and emphasized by the steep pitch of the surrounding structure.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Solar diagram, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

As much as the shape is intended to communicate drama and intrigue, it is also a pragmatic resolution of site conditions that optimizes building performance and minimizes the need for energy consumption. The orientation of the building protects occupants from the scorching summer sun and admits the low winter sun; it is also oriented to capture prevailing breezes, cooling the building as wind passes over it. The angled roofs not only generate visual interest; they channel water into a storage tank. The overhang along the northeast and southwest edges frames the view of the surrounding landscape while sheltering the interior from solar rays. The expressiveness of the building's form and the allusions of its materiality are intended to reinforce, rather than disguise, the sustainable strategies at work.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Site section, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Site elevation, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

In essence, the new Vasquez Rocks Nature and Interpretive Center communicates the feeling that it is at one with its environment, treading lightly upon the land but leaving a significant cognitive impact upon the visitor. It is at once visually arresting and subtly integrated – it's as if it has been there as long as the rocks themselves.

Passive sustainability occurs through careful massing, glazing location, natural daylight, and increased insulation in walls and roofing. Large overhangs provide welcoming transition zones and prevent direct solar heat gain. Large areas of glazing provide a connection to outdoors, ample daylight and minimize the need for electrical power. Occupancy controls automatically turn off power when space is not being used, and when daylight is sufficient.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center, render courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

The orientation of the building follows an east-west axis for greater solar control. The quality of the interior environment is increased by providing occupants with control over thermal environments and by utilizing natural ventilation wherever possible. Operable skylights, windows and louvers induce airflow through the space. Space conditioning through a water source heat pump will only be provided when outside conditions dictate that the system should be activated. The entire building is connected to a photovoltaic array, which will generate a portion of the power load. The shape of the building is directly related to the prevailing wind direction at the site, and maximizes natural cross ventilation.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center, render courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

We believe that environmental sustainability, economic concerns, and quality design are not mutually exclusive. A symbiotic relationship exists between them, which results in new discoveries and spatial qualities that nurture people. The Interpretive Center is designed to tread lightly on the earth and meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Solar insolation for this location is shown on the world map and the monthly graph. The total solar energy in hours, received each day, during the worst lowest-insolated month of the year is approximately 5 hours per day. For the specific location of Vasquez Rocks, the sun will provide about 6 kWhr/sq meter/day of energy from the sun. The adjacent graph is a breakdown of energy per month in kWhr per square meter. The photovoltaic solar panel array above water tank will be designed to provide approximately 3kW of electrical generation, or 13% of total building load.

Wind direction for this location is from the northeast/east 50% of the time and from the southwest/west 27% of the time. Winds are gusty and speed varies widely, . The average speed for 2009 was about 4 mph, with a high of 34 mph and a low of 1 mph. The building shape takes advantage of the prevailing wind direction by placing the operable windows in the most favorable location to induce natural cross ventilation.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Water conservation diagram, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

Water conservation is very important for this site, and the greater region of Southern California. Strategies to minimize water usage include ultra-low flow or no-flow fixtures, stormwater containment systems and careful site grading and filtering of runoff from vehicles. Landscaping will require no new permanent irrigation.

Rainfall for the area is seasonal and typically occurs in the winter months. The average yearly rainfall varies from 5"-17" and in 2009, the yearly total was 10". In lieu of providing a potable water hose bibbb for the building, a rain barrel will collect approximately 2,500 gallons of roof rain water for general site use. The remainder of roof storm water will be captured and directed to a sub- grade retention (drywell) system.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Sustainable system diagram, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

Temperatures for the site vary widely, from a high of over more than 100 degrees to a low below freezing. Average temperatures are in the 60- degree range. The building envelope will be designed to obviate these temperature swings and provide a comfortable interior environment. Both roof and wall will be designed for superior thermal values, and a high efficiency water source heat pump system will provide space heating and cooling when natural ventilation is not sufficient.

Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center - Floor plan, drawing courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

+ About Brooks + Scarpa

Brooks + Scarpa (formerly Pugh + Scarpa) is an architecture firm that is led by Angela Brooks, AIA and Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA. The firm has received more than 50 major design awards, including 16 National AIA Awards, 2005 Record Houses, 2003 Record Interiors, 2003 Rudy Bruner Prize, four AIA COTE "Top Ten Green Building" Awards and was a finalist for the World Habitat Award, one of ten firms selected worldwide. Their work has been exhibited widely including the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, Polk Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans. Their work has been featured in NEWSWEEK, on the Oprah Winfrey Show and in over 400 journals. In 2009 Interior Design Magazine honored Brooks + Scarpa with their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010 Brooks + Scarpa (formerly Pugh + Scarpa) received the National and California Council AIA Firm Award.

http://www.brooksscarpa.com/

+ All image and drawings courtesy Brooks + Scarpa architects

+ Other projects by Brooks + Scarpa architects on +MOOD

Step Up on Fifth | Brooks + Scarpa Architects

Cherokee Mixed-Use Lofts | Brooks + Scarpa Architects