Immersing Architecture: The Futures of Undersea Development Chad Henderson May 2009 Submitted towards the fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Architecture Degree School of Architecture University of Hawaii Doctorate Project Committee David Rockwood, Chairperson Jim Dator John Wiltshire TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue .................................................................................................................................... 4 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 7 2 Develop Underwater? ....................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Climate Change ..................................................................................................... 10 2.2 The Splendor of Submergence .............................................................................. 12 2.3 The Human Experience ......................................................................................... 13 3 Habitats Underwater ...................................................................................................... 16 3.1 The Beginning ....................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Early Tests ............................................................................................................. 19 4 Current Endeavors .......................................................................................................... 22 4.1 Aquarius ................................................................................................................ 23 4.2 Biosub ................................................................................................................... 24 4.3 Red Sea Star .......................................................................................................... 25 4.4 Ithaa ...................................................................................................................... 28 4.5 Huvafen Fushi ....................................................................................................... 30 4.6 Jules’ Undersea Lodge ........................................................................................... 31 5 Immersed in Opportunity ............................................................................................... 34 5.1 Poseidon ............................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Hydropolis ............................................................................................................. 37 II . Habitat design ................................................................................................................... 40 1 Habitat Programming ...................................................................................................... 41 2 An Undersea Landscape .................................................................................................. 43 2.1 Undersea structures and Urban Planning ............................................................. 44 2.1.1 Ecology ............................................................................................................. 44 2.2 Connections .......................................................................................................... 46 3 Structure ......................................................................................................................... 47 3.1.2 Foundations on the Sea Floor........................................................................... 48 3.1.3 Sealing the Environment .................................................................................. 50 4 Materials ......................................................................................................................... 52 4.1 Steel ...................................................................................................................... 53 4.2 Concrete ................................................................................................................ 54 4.2.4 Ferrocement ..................................................................................................... 55 4.2.5 Fiber Reinforced Concrete ................................................................................ 57 2 4.2.6 Applied Coatings ............................................................................................... 59 4.3 Composites ........................................................................................................... 60 4.4 Acrylic .................................................................................................................... 61 5 Systems ........................................................................................................................... 63 5.1 Life Safety Systems ............................................................................................... 64 5.2 Atmospheric Comfort Undersea ........................................................................... 65 5.3 Lighting Undersea ................................................................................................. 66 6 Ancillary Technologies .................................................................................................... 68 6.1 Electricity .............................................................................................................. 69 6.1.7 Wind ................................................................................................................. 69 6.1.8 Wave Energy..................................................................................................... 70 6.1.9 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion .................................................................. 72 6.1.10 Closed Cycle ................................................................................................. 72 6.1.11 Open Cycle ................................................................................................... 73 6.1.12 Hybrid Cycle ................................................................................................. 73 6.1.13 Locations for OTEC energy ........................................................................... 74 6.1.14 Problems with OTEC .................................................................................... 74 6.2 Hydrogen .............................................................................................................. 75 7 Fathoming Delight ........................................................................................................... 78 III Alternative Future ............................................................................................................. 84 1 The “Futures Image” ....................................................................................................... 85 1.1 The year 2060: ...................................................................................................... 86 2 The Design Process ......................................................................................................... 92 2.1 Existing Buildings .................................................................................................. 93 2.2 The Levee .............................................................................................................. 95 2.3 The Lagoon ........................................................................................................... 97 3 The Proposal ................................................................................................................... 99 3.1 The Form ............................................................................................................. 100 3.2 Interior Spaces .................................................................................................... 105 3.3 The Complex ....................................................................................................... 112 4 Final Thoughts ............................................................................................................... 118 5 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 120 6 Image Credits ................................................................................................................ 123 3 PROLOGUE Throughout time, mankind has fulfilled an instinctual obligation to explore the environment in which he finds himself. Scaling mountains, exploring caves, and surveying valleys appear to be a visceral act of the human condition. But until recent history, the ocean realm was precluded from these investigations. The thick medium caused eyes to burn and respiration to cease. The rippled surface was an impenetrable barrier to the mysteries below, passable only by clumsily splashing across the surface. Because of this, folklore engulfed imaginations and told of monsters that inhabit the curious depths beyond our sight. Prologue 4 “With the rise of civilization, the search for new wealth and the elevation of national pride drove explorers to risk their lives and benefactors to empty their coffers in the quest for discovery. All of these factors — survival, inspiration, wealth, and national pride — provide the fundamental justification