ECHOES OF THE OCEAN

In my exploration of architectural criticism, I have focused on how social institutions and their architectures have failed to address the global health issue of microplastics. My building, located in the Great Pacific Gyre – the site of the largest collection of plastics and microplastics on the planet – is a reflection and a critique of these institutions’ effectiveness, as the typical architecture for these climate action talks (read: sites of global summits and accords) often operate far from the problems they aim to solve and are constrained by the geopolitical regulations of the nation-state. The site for my project is intentionally chosen to highlight these shortcomings. I could not limit my focus to a single institution since the challenge of microplastics requires a collaborative approach among various organizations, as shown in my research. This led to the development of a community that promotes awareness and research on microplastics—a utopian vision, intentionally isolated from any specific country and nation. This raises valid technical and physical questions, such as whether the building can address plastic pollution through remediation and reprocessing (ie, recycling). The answer is no; the building’s primary function is not to process microplastics, which will persist until we halt plastic production. Instead, I believe that fostering awareness is more crucial than implementing small-scale recycling technologies. Having defined the program and its intentions, I also examined the architectural precedents that guided my design, specifically the works of Peter Cook, Kikutake, and Paolo Soleri. These architects inspire creativity through utopian visions that explore architectural possibilities. My project reflects this spirit; I investigated many design concepts, drawing from the Metabolism Movement’s principles of modularity, organic growth, and nature integration. In my final design, I developed modular-shapes based on the pentagon—allowing for infinite horizontal growth and vertical expansion in the ocean. I also conducted practical experiments with buoyancy using wax, aligning with the Metabolist belief that architectural innovation stems from experimentation. This experimentation demonstrated that just as a boat remains afloat due to the buoyant force of displaced water, my building can similarly be designed to float.