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Innovation Vessel & Intrusion Floodgate Barrier System, Mekong Delta, South Vietnam

Part 2 Project 2011
Jordan Cathcart
University of Huddersfield | UK
‘The Mekong delta is among the regions of the globe most under threat from climate change. Rising sea level and temperature and saltwater encroachment are altering the delta eco-system. Economic and demographic pressures, spread of farmland and degradation of the mangroves is further reducing local biodiversity and exacerbating the processes already underway’.

PAP “Impact in the Mekong Delta”

Introducing a series of saline water intrusion barriers in the lower basin of the Mekong can help limit the intrusion of salt water into agricultural areas and the upper waters of the Mekong delta.

Economic Growth + Increased Energy Usage + Poor Infrastructure = Daily Blackouts
Saline Barrier + Innovation Vessels + Research = New Technologies + New-Beginning
Innovation Vessels + Education of Locals = Micro Climatic Response

From Macro to Micro the project will be concentrating on the ‘Molecular-Biology Vessel’, initial studies looked at the ‘Hybridization of Nature and Science’, where vessels can become living organisms along a closed loop system.

Mimic Nature = An Abundance of Resources With No Waste

The Nambib desert beetle has the ability to harvest fresh water, crawling to the top of the dunes during the night and performing a handstand. The matte black shell radiates heat to the sky becoming slightly cooler than its surroundings. Moist air blows from the sea, small droplets of water form over the shell. Sunrise the beetle tips its shell forward to drink the water. This influenced the process of the Vessel’s:
Process.
1. Sea Mist Cools The Interior
2. Filtering Salt = Fresh Water Feeds Vessel
3. Filtrated Salt Processed = Compressed Into Lightweight Composite Blocks

The mother vessels themselves are wrapped in a fabric skin, which induces the growth of algae colonies. In time becoming a living organism, which reacts to the environment. The algae grown on the fabric skin is harvested to create bio-fuel to power the Mother Vessels.

Like it or not, the building is the superficial element: the vessel. The vessel is a vital part of the overall system but it is not the final product. It is merely the beginning. The building is the facilitator.

Jordan Cathcart

Tutor(s)
Mr Gerard Bareham
2011
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