eco[sublime]
Grimsel Hydroelectric Dam
A Strategy for Ecological Urbanism
w/ Max-Emanuel Mantel
Graduate Design Award Nominee, UIUC SoA
Ryerson Traveling Award (Honorable Mention), UIUC SoA
Featured in Exhibition, "Manufacturing Landscapes," Chicago, IL (May 2012)
The Swiss Government is interested in raising the height of the hydroelectric dams in Grimsel, Switzerland by 23m (75.46ft) in order to impound a greater mass of water and increase the power-generating capacity of the facility. The effort meets resistance from the Swiss Green Party who argues that raising the water level will destroy hundreds of thousands of square meters of vegetative ecologies bordering the artificial lake.
This proposal leverages the idea of integrating architectural infrastructure with existing ecologies of the Grimsel Region. The building acts both as a container for program (a hotel and research center), as well as an artificial substrate to support ecologies displaced by risen lake water. The circular module intentionally exaggerates interstitial void spaces which are harnessed as spaces for ecological incorporation (through the impregnation of ecological substrates), areas of increased mass to resist the lake impounded behind, and building system chases. Over time the reorganization of ecologies on the site will interact unpredictably with the building structure, changing its appearance and altering the architectural expression and experience for visitors and residents. The unusual formal arrangement offers people a new way to experience the ecologies of the Grimsel Pass while offering opportunities for architectural and natural phenomena to blend in new ways, reflecting the profound sublime qualities of massive infrastructure and indeed the Swiss landscape itself.
This proposal leverages the idea of integrating architectural infrastructure with existing ecologies of the Grimsel Region. The building acts both as a container for program (a hotel and research center), as well as an artificial substrate to support ecologies displaced by risen lake water. The circular module intentionally exaggerates interstitial void spaces which are harnessed as spaces for ecological incorporation (through the impregnation of ecological substrates), areas of increased mass to resist the lake impounded behind, and building system chases. Over time the reorganization of ecologies on the site will interact unpredictably with the building structure, changing its appearance and altering the architectural expression and experience for visitors and residents. The unusual formal arrangement offers people a new way to experience the ecologies of the Grimsel Pass while offering opportunities for architectural and natural phenomena to blend in new ways, reflecting the profound sublime qualities of massive infrastructure and indeed the Swiss landscape itself.
Grimselsee, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
Site Model
CNC-Milled Styrofoam
Concrete
Acrylic
3d-printed starch insert model
Construction Section
Original Size - 36" x 96"
Original Scale - 1:50
11h57m45s
