2521 Boat House
Jan 2023 - May 2023
Sarasota, Fl, USA
Narrative:
This decade, Florida is facing one of the most significant environmental problems: rising sea levels. This ecological situation not only forces us to rethink the future of architectural designs but also challenges us to explore how architecture needs to be perceived through the spectrum of time. As the environmental condition of the region will be significantly different in each decade in the future due to rising sea levels and flooding of the land, the structure's functionality will need to change and adapt to the condition rather than being demolished. Therefore, this prompt is used as a guide to this project to create a boat house for the local Sarasota college while considering the possibilities of the future and the impact of the natural environment.
Tackling the problem, I was particularly interested in the local natural habitat as Sarasota not only holds human communities but also has a wide variety of wild species, from birds to fish and sea animals. Therefore, research is carried out to see the location of different animal species and human local activities, where there is an overlap where human territories directly correspond to the animal territories.
As a result, I wanted to dedicate this project as a method of creating a structure that, through time, gives its functionality to nature, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that holds all kinds of species that human have interrupted their habitat. A conceptual model is made that summarizes this project, where there are two systems; the upper system is tectonics, which acts as trees for the bird species, where they can nest. The object underneath is a small-scale coral reef inspired by the local Sarasota artificial reef system to support fish and larger marine species like manatees and dolphins.
Sarasota Animal Territory Mapping
Sarasota Human Territory Mapping
Site Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Section Present
Section 150 Years Later
Section 500 Years Later
Short Section
The Section
The section is the most storytelling aspect of the project, where activity through time is highly depicted. In the present day, the boathouse will act as something that purely functions and follows the standard architectural conventions with programs like storage, resting, shower, café, etc. The tectonic portion is now dedicated to birds with nowhere to nest, where humans and birds use this structure simultaneously. After 150 years, as the sea level rises, the structure's first floor will be flooded, and fish will already occupy the first floor. Human activity will all move to the second floor, and the structure will act as an in-sea resting point for water activities. Five hundred years later, the entire structure will be flooded; hence, a self-sustaining ecosystem will be created where bird habitat will be established on the upper portion, and the lower portion will act as an artificial reef that marine species occupy. Hence, the birds could feed on the fish.
The stepping system also acts as a benchmark that notifies people of the rise in water levels during the period.
Caption: Today
Caption: Human is too accustomed to occupying other's territory
Caption: Building countless infrastructures without the permission of nature
Caption: Until one day
Caption: 150 years later
Caption: 500 Years Later Nature will take it back
Concept Model
