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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

05/06/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Entrance perspective

Interior perspective (1st floor Playfield)

Shading study (2nd floor playfield, summer solstice)

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

04/06/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Drawing video

Drawing detail

Short axonometric section

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

04/06/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Long section

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

01/06/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Axo section (short)

Outside perspective

Hydro Playfield (1st floor)

Hydro Playfield (2nd floor)

View from gallery (entrance)

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

31/05/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Process

Drawing detail

Final plan

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THE FLUXIVE CANOPY

26/05/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Section through the triadic column and fluxive canopy through three stages of oscillation.

Triadic column: a triple-layered column that ‘opens’ intraversible structural territories to the occupant by creating lines of sight through the column; a structural experiment with three different materials (concrete, glulam, FRP)

Fluxive canopy: a self-righting canopy that oscillates in the wind; the inverted mechanism of an umbrella facilitates the ‘opening’ and ‘closing’ of the canopy (a safety measure for extreme storm events, where wind speeds exceed the maximum wind velocity in the prevailing wind direction)

Fluxive canopy: ‘open’ (lowest wind loads, maximum shading)

Fluxive canopy: ‘closed’ (highest wind loads, minimal shading)

Fluxive canopy: extreme positions (45 degrees left and right of vertical equilibrium)

Mapping invisible flows

The beginnings of a section

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

25/05/21

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Final plan

(First image shows previous iteration of internal spaces)

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

23/05/2021

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Final plan (WIP)

Towards a sustainable hydro future: a research and education centre on the Thames floodplain for discovering and innovating new uses for water in the coming century

Mapping the flow of water and wind in the building’s material and structural composition

Questioning the meaning of existing territories: what is a column to a building, and what is a building to its environment?

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THE HYDRO PLAYFIELD

19/01/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

A pumped-storage hydropower station and hydroeducation facility designed to showcase and extrapolate site-wide erosion and sedimentation processes.

The design of flow paths through the building is based on anatomical studies of the pinball ‘playfield’.

LVL-01 plan

LVL-02 plan

Integrated plan

Constraints mapping and initial draft of plan

Pinball playfield diagrams (building reference)

For:

School children

Tourists

Includes:

Integrated water storage ‘vessels’ (the overflow amphitheater)

Erosion and sedimentation playfields

Gravitational vortex generators

Roofscape designed for rainwater collection

Wetland water filtration for use in the building

Studios, laboratories, restaurants...

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INVISIBLE BORDERS

14/12/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Rewriting the Magna Carta: the demarcation of land by unseen and ambiguous borders in flux.

An array of topographic markers of varying heights along the wind velocity boundaries

The height and placement of the markers corresponds to the wind velocity profile

The density of markers at any point along the curve indicates the rate of change of the ground elevation at that point (i.e. dense markers = steep slope)

Mapping wind velocity boundaries on site

Topographic markers: mapping wind velocity boundaries on site

Topographic markers (schematic overview): mapping wind velocity boundaries on site

Topographic markers (perspective): mapping wind velocity boundaries on site

Some of the markers will become wind turbines; others may become supports for waterways and walkways.

Some markers may not be used at all.

Colour-coded by wind velocity.

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FLUID DYNAMICS

12/12/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

RhinoCFD simulation: wind velocity profiles on site at different elevations above the site datum (ASD).

Wind turbines will be placed along the wind velocity boundaries (varying heights)

Simulation for extreme case: maximum prevailing wind velocity (south-westerly direction)

Mapping wind velocity boundaries on site

Wind velocity profiles at varying elevations above the site datum (wider context)

Wind velocity profiles at varying elevations above the site datum (wider context)

Wind velocity isocurve (constant wind velocity surface)

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UPHILL SYSTEMS

02/12/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

First draft: a two-step wind-powered chain pump system designed to transport water up the hill.

White = mobile components (rotating)

Light gray = static components

A purely mechanical system that visualises the generation and transfer of energy through a series of cogs and wheels

A quasi-perpetual motion machine (so long as the wind lasts...)

Sectional perspective (chain pump wheel)

Isometric of central rigging (junction where the wind turbine and the two chain pump systems meet)

Isometric of central rigging

Plan of central rigging

System overview (plan, isometric)

System overview (SW and SE elevation)

Next steps

Building and down pipe design (i.e. we got the water up the hill, where does it go next?)

Component sizing

Proper drawings (exploded axo)

Animation

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SKETCHES

24/11/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Trying to lay out vessels in sequence. Turbines, wheels, pumps, towers, pipes...

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THE HYDROELECTRIC FAIRGROUND

24/11/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Inspiration and precedents for an on-site water transportation system.

An inter-connected, sculptural system of wind-powered cogs, spokes, wheels, and channels.

A pumped-storage system:

Wind energy transports water up to a holding bay

Water is released from the holding bay through a series of turbines to generate energy during peak consumption times

Fracture (2007) https://youtu.be/Y-v6E9H6nh0

Ancient water wheel

Turbine-powered chain pump

Thai wind-powered pump

Wind-powered chain pump

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HYPER HYDROLOGY [2.0]

22/11/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Topographic metamorphosis: time steps in the hyper-evolution of the natural wetland through accelerated hydraulic processes

A new typology of wetland: the ‘constructed natural wetland’

Diagramming the location and active duration of hydraulic devices (erosion and sedimentation)

Time-lapse of site transformation from construction to occupation

Next steps

Design!

How long will construction phase take?

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HYPER HYDROLOGY

22/11/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

1. Erosional causeways

Construction phase: transports water (mechanism for erosion)

Occupation phase: transports people

Different types of opening along the causeways designed to produce different outflow characteristics (and thus different states of erosion, varying ground states)

Openings along the highest causeway also transport water to the fragmented lower levels

Causeways separate and re-coincide according to function

Creating complete groundscapes from half-architectures

2. Anti-erosion perma-scaffolding

A lightweight membrane/frame covering the earthen embankment dam that prevents hydraulic erosion (dissipates force of water?)

Construction Phase 1: earthen dam eroded to desired height (using erosional causeways)

Construction Phase 2: pipes tunneled through earthen dam to accommodate design outflow levels

Construction Phase 3: perma-scaffolding installed to prevent further erosion of earthen dam

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SKETCHES

20/11/2020

Site 1: Magna Carta Island

Massing (plan)

Stepped vortexes

Outflow structure