Cloud Keepers
Atmosphere and Agency
Supervisor - Mr. Tsuto Sakamoto
The progress of humanity as a species as always been at the expense of many of the non-human entities in the natural environment. Common practices of enforcing policies, which demarcates wildlife reserves, creates the illusion of government interests in natural conservation, and further strengthens its grip on agrilogistical projects. As such, the thesis questions Singaporeís ideal and normalized methods of natural conservation.
The project envisions a data centre built upon a mudflat ecology to serve the growing needs of server farms in the digital industry. The server blocks were arranged with the help of computational fluid dynamics, such that an artificial delta would be created to slow down the rate of erosion. Seawater spray cooling technology were used instead of conventional cooling towers to allow a small percentage of salt to return to the sea. Thus increasing the salinity of the sea and alleviating the issues of seasonal algae blooms while promoting the growth in the natural environment.
The result is an architectural ground of coexistence, a new form of assemblage, where the definition of what's "artificial" and "natural" is obscured. The humming of the servers, drowned by the buzzing of insects and clicking of molluscs. Rows of server lights that blink together with the glowworms and fireflies. A canopy that rains salt 24/7. Coexistence also suggest new lifestyles, physical transformations, and abnormal working habits of the inhabitants that have adapted to these speculative environments. The Keepers of the Cloud.
Comments