Description
The history of architecture shows that it has the capacity to occupy the water, and even to float. From the Japanese Metabolists of the mid-twentieth century, to contemporary projects exploring the future of building in the sinking Netherlands, a rich discourse exists surrounding the relationship between architecture and water. This project investigates the concept of floating architecture, with an emphasis on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis as the site. It is anchored on the idea that the water is a public space just as much as the parks that surround it. Minneapolis is a city of lakes with a deeply-rooted history and culture surrounding the water. Here, I focus specifically on the pavilion and how it could be designed and constructed on the water rather than on the shore. Despite the intensive use of lakes in Minneapolis, no floating architecture exists there. Therefore, this thesis proposes an intervention that would bring the pavilion onto the water. I look at how a floating pavilion can be programmed to serve the water-centered recreational culture of large lakes. The critical point of analysis for this new design on this particular site is the annual freeze-thaw zone between seasons. Then, I examine the environmental and technical implications that accompany a structure built on the water. I will use my proposed intervention to analyze these factors and determine how they can best be applied to my design in a way that is both technically sound and environmentally focused during all four seasons.
Afloat! The Architectures of the Freeze-Thaw
The history of architecture shows that it has the capacity to occupy the water, and even to float. From the Japanese Metabolists of the mid-twentieth century, to contemporary projects exploring the future of building in the sinking Netherlands, a rich discourse exists surrounding the relationship between architecture and water. This project investigates the concept of floating architecture, with an emphasis on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis as the site. It is anchored on the idea that the water is a public space just as much as the parks that surround it. Minneapolis is a city of lakes with a deeply-rooted history and culture surrounding the water. Here, I focus specifically on the pavilion and how it could be designed and constructed on the water rather than on the shore. Despite the intensive use of lakes in Minneapolis, no floating architecture exists there. Therefore, this thesis proposes an intervention that would bring the pavilion onto the water. I look at how a floating pavilion can be programmed to serve the water-centered recreational culture of large lakes. The critical point of analysis for this new design on this particular site is the annual freeze-thaw zone between seasons. Then, I examine the environmental and technical implications that accompany a structure built on the water. I will use my proposed intervention to analyze these factors and determine how they can best be applied to my design in a way that is both technically sound and environmentally focused during all four seasons.