Jiawen Li
The Immersion houses 2020-2050
(concept)
Can a space improve people’s attitude towards a critical topic?
This project <The Erosion Houses 2020-2050> aims to strengthen people’s understanding of the global sea level rising crisis. Physical demonstrations are considered a stronger way than two dimensional information.
As a result, the original toilet block in Shoreham-by-sea is converted into an apparent residential dwelling space, and a duplicate version is added nearer the sea to be eroded. Sea damaged domestic elements are represented in the two open houses. This creates a journey of contrasts—— firstly by experiencing a preview of the crisis and secondly by witnessing the after-submerged interior.
RCA MA Graduation Project
Architectural renewal
Shoreham-by-sea, UK
July 2022
#erosion
#climate chage
#parallel space
#sea-level-rising
Attention! Drowned homes! Since the sea level rising crisis is no longer news to us, we always take it for granted when we see the warnings. The Sea Level crisis must be demonstrated! Two mirrored houses are designed at the seaside to provide visitors with a visceral impression of sea damage.
According to the data from NASA, the sea level has risen 102mm since 1993, with the best estimate of the rate of global-average rise over the last decade being 3.6 mm per year (0.14 inches per year).
Our site is a 30m*5.4m square toilet block in Shoreham-by-sea, and it is 127 metres away from where the lowest tide sits. All the places marked red will be submerged under the sea by 2050, according to Sea level rise and coastal flood risk maps -- a global screening tool by Climate Central (2022).
We can usually see people's behaviour through the handmade ceramic tiles, the used RCA design studio's floor, and handwritings. So when I look back to the site, I found pebbles! You can see how SEA EROSION behaves by looking at them closely. And these yellow pieces are experiments on interior elements done by the tumbling machine. They proved that physical demonstrations are considered a much stronger way than 2D graphics.
In the project, I'd like the space to talk about the issue by itself by demonstrating the crisis. So in order to show the difference between the block before and after being eroded, a duplicate version of the toilet block is added nearer the sea to be eroded. This creates a journey of contrasts—— firstly by experiencing a preview of the crisis (in the House-2020) and secondly by witnessing the after-submerged interior (in the House-2050).
In the aspect of the interior, both houses are converted into an apparent residential dwelling space. Because in the duplicated house, sea-damaged domestic elements will create feelings of fear over feelings of familiarity.
Concrete, metal, iron rods, and fogged glass are used as the main materials. All the domestic elements are cast with concrete so that they can show how the sea changes gradually without being destroyed immediately just like timber structures.
