> FINALIST

> Life of light: generate electricity with natural disasters

> City: Marin

> Issue: Flooding

Team Members:

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Wang Xiaoyue

Liu Fang

Marin city is part of a fragile coastal community where ecological issues, aging infrastructure and poverty overlap. Every year, natural destructive processes such as hurricane, flood and mountain fire cause frequent power shut off, creating intolerable hardship for the residents.

This project aims to provide a more visible and sustainable force in urban design as natural disasters are inevitable. We implement a new topographic framework focused on manipulate the terrain to create varied altitude. We also introduce a uniquely micro-topography system with resilient infrastructure that can generate energy utilizing the wind and hydrology power from natural disasters.

We created the terrain along the northwest/southeast axis by cutting and filling the earth. The berm will be functioned as the main traffic infrastructure and residence area alongside. Meanwhile the underground electric cable and basement could be raised to a new level that are above the potential rising Groundwater level.

The micro topography is designed according to the seasonal wind and water flow direction where the wind and hydropower integrated generation devices are installed. They will use wind energy and the kinetic energy of water for power generation and storage. Every time a power outage comes along with the natural disaster, the backup power bank came into function to ensure a smooth supply for the resident to maintain a normal life.

This project provides a lens through which to explore emerging and future landscape infrastructure issues and to present opportunities for adaptation and resilience facing port cities and coastal communities. We hope this new type of urban cluster innovation developed and modified can be repeated to fulfill sustainable energy needs as well as so to break the monopoly of mono linear landscape along coastal area