In a world where architecture is the main contributor to global warming, responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions, Diploma 18 continues its agenda following the five ‘pillars’ of Jeremy Rifkin’s Third Industrial Revolution and expanding the role of the architect into that of an activist.
Through a series of events, projects, meetings and excursions Diploma 18 sought to increase awareness and gain knowledge while working across various scales, from molecular to infrastructural, attempting to raise a green consciousness in architecture. These endeavours included: a retrofitting project of the AA buildings using the facades to project animations that envisioned a Third Industrial Revolution building; a collaboration with artist Pep Bou, using soap bubbles to engage with membranes at a particle scale; and a trip that took us along the River Ganges where we analysed various UN-listed Global Warming Scenarios that we were able to discuss during meetings with the Indian Ministry of Earth Science, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF. Collectively, these experiences led to the following design thesis proposals:
– Ganga Jal / Ganda Jal – Distributed iron fertilisation cleaning the polluted waters of spiritual India
– A New Civilisation for Global Warming Refugees, a proposal for those displaced by the sinking Ganges delta
– Democratic Energy Devices – self-generated electricity as ‘power to the people’ to fight against child poverty
– T.e.r.r.a. – Bionic energy crops transforming rural landscapes into self-sufficient environments
– Air Wells – Water harvesting using spider silk to
supplement the seasonal River Ganges
– Strategic Integration of Hydrogel with Land and Ecosystem Management – Rebuilding forests and biodiversity using the water availabile from the monsoon
– Living Lab – Testing thermo-electric UV-protective technologies to prevent the disappearance of glaciers
– A Methane Land Art Installation – Flames in the landscape of melting permafrost
– Anthropology of Live Slaughter – a speculation on beef production exposing the meat industry
Supported by
Nora Graw
Konrad Hofmann
Workshops with
Pep Bou
Mara Sylvester
Nicola Combe (Buro Happold)
Mark Dawson (Buro Happold)
Alasdair Young (Buro Happold)
Ben Morris (Vector Foiltec)
Thanks to
Jeremy Rifkin (The Foundation of Economic Trends)
Thomas Koetz (EU)
Joan Fericgla (BAF)
Victor Llanos (Cloud 9)
Marga Ruiz (Cloud 9)
Marta Arranz (Cloud 9)
Mila Moskalenko (Cloud 9)
Mireia Pallarés (Cloud 9)
Victor Molina Alegre (Cloud 9)
Action Plan in India
Gregor Von Medeazza (Unicef)
Aidan Cronin (Unicef)
SN Srinavas (UNDP)
Murali Kallur (RarePlanet)
Faiyaz A Kushdsar
Guest Critics
Alisa Andrasek
Javier Castañón
Mike Cook
Xavier de Kestelier
Catherine Greig
Ben Morris
Marco Poletto
Nazaneen Shafaie
Thedore Spyropoulos
Brett Steele
Charles Walker
Alasdair Young