February 2014 /// The Sinking Floor

The Sinking Floor ///

Sea levels are rising globally, both incrementally and in bursts. The areas most vulnerable to flooding are also some of the most densely populated in the world. As oceans rise, building owners will not willingly abandon their valuable waterfront properties. In the absence of large municipal solutions, such as levees and sea walls, how might an individual property be retrofitted for continued use? When the ground floor is surrounded by seawater, how is it kept dry and occupiable? How is the experience and utility of a space enhanced by being plunged underwater? What happens when a floor sinks?

Participants are asked to design a retrofit for a single building where the sea level has risen above the ground floor. Sub-missions may be technical, conceptual, practical, and/or artistic.

JURORS ///

Sarah Z Salem

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

B.Arch, Temple University

M Cohen And Sons

Nathan Scrivo

Seattle, Washington, United States

B.Arch, Temple University

Civil Engineer Corps, United States Navy

Alex Willms

Toronto, Canada

Candidate for B.Arch, University of Waterloo

ENTRIES ///

RESULTS ///

Philipp Hoppe

Cologne, Germany

MADV (Manuel Dantas Vilaça & Laura Dietsch)

Berlin, Germany

Edoardo Milli

London, United Kingdom

Ambarus Razvan-Marian

Husi, Vaslui County, Romania

Mafalda Carmona

Sesimbra, Setúbal, Portugal

Max Bontoft

London, England

PANA (Ana Menino-Silva & Paul van den Bergh)

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

ENTRIES

Africa

Asia

Europe

N. America

S. America

Oceana

Philipp Hoppe

Cologne, Germany

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The most beautiful 'Keep Water Out' solution. Genius name and graphic clarity. Describes how circulation occurs below the water which is left out of many other entries."

"The concept is simple. It accounts for shifting tides and movement of units that requires fluidity. The image gives a clear understanding of the possibilities."

"This entry recognizes that it is problematic to enclose individual buildings with sea walls. When the enclosures are connected, however, they behave like islands unified in an archipelago, and a community of sorts is built. The author has considered a range of scales and has chosen a representation that is just diagrammatic enough to explain the concept in one drawing."

MADV (Manuel Dantas Vilaça & Laura Dietsch)

Berlin, Germany

JURY COMMENTS ///

"I enjoy the definitive stance which this entry takes: Architecture and Water Do Not Mix. As well as the idea of architecture becoming modular and mobile even when it may not have been originally designed to be that way - Retro-Mobile Architecture. Clean graphics for a nice proposal."

"This entry responds to the brief indirectly. It suggests that in the event of rising seas, some buildings will be simply impossible or impractical to retrofit. Here an iconic building is removed from its original location. The house itself is preserved but its relationship to site is lost; a sacrifice is made. Of course, disassembly for transport would be more practical, but this illustration is poetic and the idea is poignant (and a little bit cheeky in its rejection of the brief)."

Edoardo Milli

London, United Kingdom

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry talks about the experience of water and embracing the changes, being adaptable. I can imagine myself swimming above this glass canopy, or underneath drinking a Corona. I wish this entry had a title, or a catchphrase."

Ambarus Razvan-Marian

Husi, Vaslui County, Romania

Mafalda Carmona

Sesimbra, Setúbal, Portugal

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry declares: We would rather build an underwater backyard and periscope chimney than give up our burger-flipping lifestyles. Maybe it's not as ridiculous as it seems at first. After all, if we built suburbia in the first place, why wouldn't we be crazy enough to do something like this?"

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The complexity and texture reveal a world where reality is upside down. The image is intriguing while not alienating. With familiar challenges but realized in a post modern world."

Max Bontoft

London, England

PANA (Ana Menino-Silva & Paul van den Bergh)

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry declares: We would rather build an underwater backyard and periscope chimney than give up our burger-flipping lifestyles. Maybe it's not as ridiculous as it seems at first. After all, if we built suburbia in the first place, why wouldn't we be crazy enough to do something like this?"

EDITOR'S CHOICE ///

Editor's Choice is given periodically to an entry that deserves recognition, but that was not voted on by the jury.