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Smart Grid: Architecture in an Autonomous Landscape

Part 2 Project 2020
Riane Samir
 Queen's University Belfast | UK
Situated in the Lake District, Cumbria, Smart Grid imagines the future of the Lake District by unlocking new forms of mobility, resource flows and material circularity. In a world, threatened by continual global crisis, we continue to function in the most unsus­tainable ways. The way in which we attain everyday commodities such as electricity, water and food was developed at a time when technological capabilities were limited. Infrastructure was created to support these systems, causing technological lock-in.

The thesis seeks to re-imagine infrastructure provision and the spatial consequences on homes and villages. A fleet of autonomous vehicles create a new, invisible connec­tive tissue that can move people and commodities. The new system transfers energy, fresh water and food to and between properties in a smarter way. Vehicles also extract unwanted by-products, such as unused food, grey water and waste, that can be brought back to distribution hubs for recycling or treatment.

Inside the home, the occupant can enjoy unaltered heritage without the need for any further modifications enabled by a tensegrity structure of 'mined' electrical poles and pylons, wrapped in an ETFE skin that can collect rainwater, produce solar power and connect with the vehicles.



Riane Samir
Tutor(s)
Sean Cullen
Greg Keeffe
2020
The Lake District is: Polluted, Congested and Inaccessible. In 2019 83% of the 20 million visitors to world heritage site arrived by car.
Functionality of the Lake District: Dominated by romanticised perceptions of Wordsworth and Ruskin, the Lake District, like any large city is a highly technological system that has been shaped and consumed by mass, seasonal tourism.
Mobility in the Smart Grid: People will travel collectively, roads will never be congested, carbon will be net-zero, commodities will be shared.
Rethinking the Infrastructural Landscape: Following the ban of the personal vehicle and extraction of 20th century infrastructure, the Lake District will become a self-sufficient.
Functionality of the Town: Once a burden to the town, the gyratory system will play an important role in the coordination of the just in time system.
A New Connective Tissue: Using theories inspired by Reyner Banham, the autonomous vehicle will transport commodities and connect to a skin containing services that will connect heritage.
Future of Existing Architecture: Heritage will be preserved, protected and enjoyed without the need for any further modifications enabled by a skin constructed using recycled infrastructure.
Living in the Smart Grid: The system will create new living conditions and provide and experience for both tourists and residents of the Lake District.
Infrastructure in a World Heritage Site: Infrastructure will be incorporated intelligently, removing the visual burden and adding value to the world heritage image the Lake District is supposed to reflect.
Smart Grid: Architecture in an Autonomous Landscape
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