HYDROCITY

A matrix of the current think tanks in London and the think tanks I am proposing. The project’s concepts are concerned with a new form of water governance in London deployed through an urbanism territorialization ['hydro-urbanism'] utilizing the tactics of landscape urbanism, architecture and infrastructure. The project critiques current political planning policy, political interaction between the government and resource corporation, and the architectural manifestation of these current spaces. The think tank becomes an alternative approach to politicalization of water resource management and design. London becomes the activated field condition allowing new urban fabric to emerge. New tensions are spatially created: generic + specific, public + private, urbanistically + architecturally.

According to Latour the ongoing relational realities of the world are forged by clash and accommodation at indefinite levels. “Resistance is as vital as making way when affecting and being affected are rendered as interdependent requirements for any actor involved in any association made, that is, when agency becomes a public affair of all things rather that being privatized beforehand as sovereign [human or divine] cause.” Bruno Latour “Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory” Oxford University press, 2005

Walheim suggests a shift regarding a shift, regarding landscape urbanism as a movement that “has come to stand for a profound critique of the perceived failures of urban design to effectively respond to the spatial decentralization, neoliberal economic shifts and environmental toxicity in cities. Equally it has come to promise an alternative to the reactionary cultural politics of traditional urban form, simultaneously offering a future for urbanism in which environmental health, social welfare, and cultural aspiration are no longer mutually exclusive.” Charles Waldheim “Design Agency Territory: Provisional Notes on Planning and the Emergence of Landscape” New Geographies 0, 2008

A few more maps from the London Metropolitan Archives.

Grey Water Discharge Mains Network mains from pumping points out of London into the sea. The reason Charing Cross is denoted, is that this was the first location in London’s history of water infrastructural development, where major works existed. Specifically pumping structures [fresh water] and a water treatment facility [sewage]. It is still the place of grey water extraction.

To recap the irony:

Water Boundary Map [Natural Watershed + Infrastructure Service Zones] Map describes natural water zones, a water typography landscape [Solid Line], compared with the infrastructural landscape [Thick Dotted Line], and the political boundaries of London [Thin Dotted Line].

I did some exploration of the embankment today as wall and as container of both the river Thames but also the social flow of people along the river walkway.

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The most interesting feedback from discussing my thesis, has been from people that do not formally practice in architecture, for example a medical doctor, environmental activist, political lobbyist, and a park janitor. As my time is so very limited, I am only briefly mentioning who I spoke with and a few conclusions on how this information impacts design, I hope to post the interviews at a later date.

Thames Water
Thames Water is the operator and manager for London’s water and its infrastructure. I will be candid, I had to be extremely pushy in order to gain any access to someone in the company. Thames Water promotes its image as a very public one, but it is a utility company, so the public are not meant to access its beauracratic structure only its services and bill collection.

I spoke with two people at Thames Water, including the few plant and infrastructure operators. Becky Johnston is the Chief Press Manager for Thames Water. She manages any form of press release to the public. Liz Short is the Chief Community and Education Manager for Thames Water. Her role is to deal with people like me in the community. She manages community concerns from politicians, not from the public directly. Both describe the public relations of Thames Water as crucial for the purpose of image like any company. But both acknowledge water is a particular issue for the city and the need to maintain positivity about it is important, sometimes regardless of failures. So in this, I see deception, they see general public citizen upkeep. Despite this they are quite open about issues such as poor infrastructure, 1/3 of water supplied daily is lost through leaking pipes! But this is turned into a positive campaign to fix the cities infrastructural issues.

I visited a few of their infrastructure projects and spoke with engineers. Incredibly fascinating to discuss with their intense passion for maintaining a functioning infrastructure with highest logistical efficiency. It was motivating to see how much these people enjoy what they do and really care if something does not work. When designing infrastructure one forgets about the people that are so needed to manage it. In visiting Abbey mills Pumping Station for example, I was able to learn everything that is programmatically infrastructurally needed for my project, something I could not do without visiting. In discussing my thesis with Chief Engineer Nigel Rudback, he smiled but also was able to engage in a discussion about practically designing infrastructurally differently to operate as a more public and resilient function within the urban fabric.

CIWEM [The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management]
CIWEM is an organization dedicated to the public care if issues of water and the environment, specifically how these are managed resources. In a sense it is a lobbying group. I spoke with Joanna Cooper who works with political partnerships in the government to create public awareness and influence the political management of water supply for London Metropolitan region.

Water UK
I discovered  Water UK by reccomendation of someone at CIWEM. Water UK represents all UK water and wastewater service suppliers at national and European level. They provide a framework for the water industry to engage with government, regulators, stakeholder organisations and the public. I sat down with Sarah Mukherjee, the Director of Environment to discuss their role in managing or influencing water policy. The organization has taken on a role of collective facilitator between everyone involved in water supply, and they have been recognized as such. The day I was meeting with Sarah for example, they were involved in a large council meeting with the City of London concerning new infrastructure planning in the Thames Estuary. Not quite a think tank, or lobbyist, but very much a political body.

Tower Bridge Authority
There is a small building standing alone next to Tower Bridge. It’s sense is ‘everything was demolished except me’. I was curious so I went and knocked on the door. It is the home office of the Tower Bridge Authority. The gentleman I spoke with declined to offer his name publicly, but offered insight into the bridge’s mechanical infrastructure which includes a large 20metre engine room for lifting the drawbidges. He also showed me sections through the site which when coupled with the maps I found at London Metrpolitan Archives confirms a Water Supply Main under the site.

Potter Fields
At 4am on Thursday, I went to my site to spend a full day of observation and drawing. In doing this I met Ian Moulds, the Potter’s Field Park Manager/Janitor as he describes himself. Potter’s Fields in the name of my thesis site. We talked a lot about security, something I do not think much about. As the City Hall is there where the mayor resides, and Tower Bridge is one of the most important bridges, security and safety is crucial. In talking about my interests with the site, he was interested in how the idea of Think Tank governance would critique the intensification or dismantling of security planning strategies in relation to the built landscape. As the site is so highly public, how could new built fabric [architecture/infrastructure/landscape] become public unlike the surrounding buildings which are not accessible by the public. He described his vision of ‘a visitor centre with a much more diverse terrain allowing different functions that would balance the corporate mentality of the surrounding.’

Today I made a visit to the Guildhall Library and the London Metropolitan Archives. These are public libraries containing the history of London shown through graphic and written material. An amazing resource for public people.

I was specifically searching through the massive archive for maps of the water supply infrastructure piping mains, districting of interest. Certain documents that I was not able to access during my research phase I have now been able to access. Due to the special archiving of these maps, obtaining reproduction is lightly hard to say the least. I include a few images of the maps I find most provacative.

1  Available Water Source Supply from Wales Network water lines from extraction points in wales to London.

2 Metropolitan Board of Works – Water Board Early map of water districts showing the position and names of water pumping stations as well as water supply districts.

3 Political and Physical  Mapping of  Water Districts by Jurisdiction and Infrastructure This represents a territorial conglomeration of boundaries that are based on water resource.

4 Metropolitan Board of Works – Water Board Diagram Diagram of London’s water supply system. The map presents the depth of each water main as well.

 
5 Metropolitan Board of Works – Water Board Diagram Closeup of map [4]. We see a water main running through where the present day site of my thesis project is.
 
Not only do these maps provide insight into the infrastructural network, but begin to confirm and set up a set of protocols for my project in terms of the political and physical hydro-territory that I am proposing in London. Unfortunately I do not have more time to write about what is in these maps, but a few things briefly: the ‘districting’ of water began in the 1860′s soon after the Metropolitan Board of Works was established to manage resources and infrastructure for the city. The MBW formed water councils which turned into public utility companies. Thus London was divided into different territories based on three criteria: the public company, where the water was being extracted, and the infrastructure in place that existed. I think these maps that show this are exciting because it is a different spatialization of the city and its water functions than a normal map. yet when compared to a political map, we begin to understand the arbitrary nature with which both are created at certain points.

Over the next week I am visiting London for several reasons. Firstly, my site. Secondly, to visit several water infrastructure projects prominent in my thesis research. Thirdly, to interview a number of people associated with Thames Water [Corporation], the Greater London Authority [Government], the Environmental Agency, and designers associated with london, infrastructure, hydrology, and/or public awareness.

A few points I want to briefly mention in my trip so far. When taking this photo I took from the plane in Syracuse, New York when taking off Wednesday evening, I understood the genetic construct of the city in a new way. From the air it looks quite connected, but on the ground it feels dispersed and separated. What is interesting is the connective fabric between communities is not cared for or planned in a socially explorative manner. At least not in the same way that has been impressed on me by London’s connective fabric. Near my site visit the first night as I was walking, I notice that usually derelict spaces have something. Whether it is coloured lights in a dark tunnel under the massive 21 lane rail infrastructure or newly pedestrian corridors cutting through empty parking lots demarcated by paving difference, these design features for me, create a connective public-ness.

What is striking on this particular visit to London is the DNA of the urban fabric. It is intimate. This concept is a driving force in most European cities, but in English culture it is particularly prominent due to densities and proximities. Every bit of space is utilized and designed. I have noticed this intimacy affects the utilization of infrastructure differently. The planning of infrastructure in London compared to Syracuse for example, is the complete understanding that it needs to be integrated into the city, into our daily lives. Of course not all of it, but rail for example which can have devastating affects on dividing communities. These zones or landscapes within London become activated. The photo above was taken from Tower Bridge [a draw-bridge], and beneath the bridge is a pedestrian tunnel with glass walls displaying information about the pumps and engines used to open and close the bridge [need to get a pic]. This is an interesting example of display to the public, and this is a good example of where my project takes this idea further. Coupling infrastructure + architecture people can actually experience the infrastructure not just see it behind glass walls. Instead of infrastructure serving the architecture, they can both serve each other spatially.

These two pictures describe the context. To the west of the site which is a new development titled More London. A very modern and contemporary mixed-use fabric. What is most interesting to me about this side of the site is the landscape which introduces alot of water feature’s and the ground plane slopes to meet the different gradings of exiting surround streets, but polished and quite corporate. To the east is a medieval fabric which became factory buildings in the industrial era for the spice trade, becoming a large spice market in London. This area contains a rich context of literary writing including Dickens Oliver Twist.

A couple of blocks away is a new tower by Renzo Piano ‘The Shard’, which will be the tallest tower in london when completed. An astonishing

Architecture for The End of the World, an underground blog about the Architectural Association run by Aram Mooradian, a current student at the AA, has realeased a large number of posts about the student decision to reject the reappoinment of Dean Brett Steele contract conditions. The specifics outline a statement by the student representatives: “Following a lengthy discussion on the topics concerning the signing of Brett Steele’s new contract, the overwhelming majority of the 102 members of the student body present at the meeting voted this afternoon that the current contract as it stands is not a valid representation of the contract with which Brett Steele was re-elected last year, and as a result the student body does not recognise it.”

For those who may not know, the AA is governed by the students. Everything is transparent and open for discussion. All goes through the student body, unlike our school, where the bureaucracies are quite untransparent to the student body. Faculty, the Dean, and all other decisions concerning the school is voted on by the student body. A very different mode of operation than other schools.

In short, Brett Steele as Dean has taken on more responsibilities and duties than previously held by a Dean. Generally the Dean is to manage the school day to day, but not involve themselves in the actual governance of the school, just to promote the well being of the school. Because the Dean has taken on more roles in the school, Steele has involved himself in the governing of the AA. This is very interesting due to its nature of student governance and decision making for such a accreditable institution. I think this is quite relevant to our thesis experiments.  In lieu of the crisis city collaborative experiment attempt and wanting to find a more student driven approach to our conclusion within the Syracuse School of Architecture, this news of the AA is only most intriguing.

‘Vacant NL’ was an exhibition at the Venice Biennale Dutch Pavilion 2010. The premise is interesting which you can read here but as we move into serious modes of model making for the semester, I find the large model and sub-models built to be quite inspiring. All made of blue foam. The model is suspended above the visitor, so you actually experience it from below when in the space and from above when entering the space. I would like to deploy this concept in model making for thesis. A model that does not just sit on the floor. The idea of suspending objects is fascinating as well, such as the Highline model [last picture below]. Creating a 3D exploded axon sectional model. Hopefully these models are inspiring for you as well.

Places been in 2010 [red].  Places going in 2011 [blue].  Best New Year to the world.

2010 led me from the nether regions of Denmark to hot sands of Cairo.  From Firenze to New York. From the subway to the car to the train to the plane to the woods.  2011 will be a creative year taking me to the smogged back alleys of Beijing to the snow capped Cascades in Seattle. From my Thesis project in Syracuse to my site in London.  Through all of these travels I reflect on the extensive infrastructures allowing me to access cultures, languages and design.  It is simultaneously exhilarating and yet slightly halting to wonder how future infrastructures will operate in accordance with environmental, political and social changes on our planet.  What ever the outcome, I am sure it is to be interesting and liquifying.  Cheers!