social energy memorial: rebuild physical and psychological community

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Rebuild Physical and Psychological CommunitySocial Energy Memorial

Social Energy Memorial

Rebuilding Physical and Psychological Community

by

Michael Louison

Thesis presented to theFaculty of the Department of Architecture

College of Architecture and the Built EnvironmentPhiladelphia University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE

Thesis Research FacultyThesis Studio Instructor

Susan I. Frostén

Academic AdvisorKihong Ku

Professional AdvisorThomas Kirchner

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 2012

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Thesis

In order to rebuild a physical and psychological community in Northern Japan the stigma regarding nuclear energy must be confronted by engaging people through education surrounding energy consumption and production.

Abstract

When uprooted from place as a result of disaster or trauma the victim is introduced to the flux of migration and inherits the role of the refugee. This displacement elicits many psychological issues as well as the dispersal of populace due to the absence of a stable built environment.

Architecture can only sanction the process of recovery. Furthermore, intervention of the architect can articulate the recovery process in a route towards an improved, rebuilt environment. Additionally, the involvement of the architecture is expected to address the latest physical and social issues triggered by the destruction.

A course towards a more energy-healthy built environment will be tested through the establishment of a self-supported program implemented with the exploration of energy efficient technologies, social conditions and environmental context.

1

Context

Position Paper

Thesis Objectives

Investigative Methods

Site Analysis and Documentation

Program Study

Works Cited and Credits

Case Studies

Appendex

Process Documentation

Final Design Documentation

Analysis of Completed Project

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13

17

25

33

37

41

51

69

99

113

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Position Paper

Position

Natural Disasters are often one of the most unexpected occurrences as well as the most destructive to a society’s people. There have been many in the past that have wiped out buildings, towns and cities. The main focus of research is the Tohoku Earthquake in March of 2011 that was followed by a tsunami and nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Power Plant. The challenge with any disaster, both natural and unnatural, is that of affectively rebuilding and rejuvenating the impacted area. Each disaster has its unique effects on a society and the rebuilding strategies that are implemented vary depending on the society’s goals and conditions. Most efforts to restore life to an effected society are similar in trying to spark economic regrowth and reconnect a fractured community. In order to rebuild a physical and psychological community in Northern Japan economy needs to regenerate through establishment of industry and the nuclear stigma must be confronted by engaging people through education surrounding energy consumption and production.

The events following a natural disaster that has destroyed the built environment of an area include the migration of refugees. The refugee is a migrant body moving in the network of other refugees in search of the most appropriate and convenient place where they can find relief. The disaster event sparks a collective displacement of people who are to journey away from their

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home to find another place of refuge. While this is a collective event, “Refugees continue to be viewed as individuals out of place and in crisis.”1 The paths of refugees will vary and will heavily depend on many factors including location in relation to relatives and friends nearby, working state of transportation methods in the area, the nearest crisis-modified shelter in the affected area, and where and how relief support is being provided. The location in which they find themselves settling is now serving as a temporary shelter under the category of immediate responses, not a long-term resolution. This sudden shift in population starts to cause the problem of dwelling densities and the infrastructure begs to be rebalanced. The condition of community is dispersed and physically disconnected. At the same time, groups of people are brought together in different concentrated locations, creating a sort of temporary micro-community.

There are two realms of community that exist in any society, the physical components of a community and the psychological aspects of a community. The first is a bit simpler and above the surface. The physical components of a community are all the tangible parts that make up the built and unbuilt environment of an area. These include homes, shops, hospitals, schools, municipal buildings, recreational facilities, restaurants and infrastructure like trains, roads, etc. In a post-traumatic society these sort of things need to be rebuilt so that a community can function again within it. It takes some economic rebuilding and rejuvenation of industries to really spark this development.The other realm is that of the psychological condition of a community. This is a bit harder to describe or quantify, as it manifests itself in the everyday lives of the people. One way to discuss this might be the relationship you have

1 Malkki, L. (1995) ‘Refugees and Exile: from refugee studies to national order of things’, Annual Review of

Anthropology 24: 495-523.

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with your neighbors, your favorite place to hang out after school, what house you grew up in, where you worked growing up, where you worked as you were getting older, or the place you always used to eat at for dinner each week. There is a deep origin of ones idea of place that is heavily based on relationships with others and one’s surroundings. Over time a sort of memory force maintains an attachment to places and make them sentimental. This attachment is part of one’s psychological investment in a developed community.

When separated from ones community due to a natural or unnatural cause there is a significant impact on psychological stability. Time and place are interrupted and one’s path is shifted toward a place of exile. One’s ultimate goal when taken away from home is to return to it. According to Paul White in his literature from Writing Across Worlds, “The experience of return never effects a simple recovery of origins. Rather, the experience of exile not only calls into question cultural authenticity, but also disrupts linear narratives of time and place, since each and every place, time and event is reconstituted in a relation in which none is given ontological priority.”2 Part one’s psychological agenda of returning home after having to leave it is to surround oneself with those intangible attachments and memories of place and time but one of the struggles is that the collection of those things is no longer their, so there is no community to return to. The psychological aspect of community must be rebuilt piece by piece.

On March 11th 2011 an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 shook the earth, centered in the Pacific Ocean just East of Sendai, Japan. This caused tsunamis to ravage the eastern coasts of Northern Japan and in turn cause

2 White, P. (1995) ‘Geography, Literature and Migration’, n R. King, J. Connell and P White (eds) Writing Across

Worlds: literature and migration, London: Routledge, pp. 1-19.

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the nuclear crisis that Northern Japan still finds itself in today. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered from multiple explosions causing meltdowns and release of nuclear radiation into the environment. The Japanese government recommended evacuating the areas falling within the range of 19 miles from the nuclear plant, while the U.S. government recommended a 50-mile evacuation zone. From Fukushima Prefecture alone, over 60,000 residents evacuated.3 The victims of 3/11 are now refugees staying either in temporary shelters and housing or with friends and family waiting to return to their hometowns. Many of them don’t have a physical house to go back to but feel a longing to return to their community and live their again. In many cases, for those whose homes remained standing, an elderly family member still resides so there is a need to stay in that location for them. For one case, a man named Dai Saito reveals that only he and hi two children evacuated after the crisis while his wife stayed home to nurse his mother in Minamisouma. Eventually his whole family made it to Tokyo where they now live. He states that most of his friends had not left his hometown, the two biggest factors being job and family.4

Another psychological stigma that becomes apparent with many victims including Dai Saito is the now skewed view on the government and the changed perspective on the use of nuclear energy and its risk.5 It appears that the whole nuclear crisis sparked a large anti nuclear debate, with no surprise. People all over the world are questioning

3 “Voices of Fukushima’s Evacuees - Graphic - NYTimes.com.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia.

14 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/06/world/asia/Voices-of-Fukushima-Evacuees.

html?ref=asia>.4 “BBC News - Japan Quake Evacuees: Starting Again.” BBC - Homepage. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

world-asia-pacific-14802398>.5 “BBC News - Japan Quake Evacuees: Starting Again.” BBC - Homepage. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

world-asia-pacific-14802398>.6 Caldicott, Helen. “After Fukushima: Enough Is Enough.” The New York Times. 2 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://

www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/opinion/magazine-global-agenda-enough-is-enough.html?pagewanted=1&sq=anti%20nuclear%20

debate&st=cse&scp=8>.

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why we don’t reduce our nuclear energy production and live safer lives. Helen Caldicott in her article, After Fukushima: Enough is Enough, from The New York Times even suggests, “Millions of jobs can be created by replacing nuclear power with nationally integrated, renewable energy systems.”6 This brings up a relevant discussionas to how much renewable energy Japan is taking advantage of. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Japan consumed a total of 3 percent hydroelectric power and about 1 percent other renewable sources in the year 2008.7 On top of that Japan has a pretty low level of energy security and domestic production. According the World Nuclear Association, Japan must import 84 percent of its energy requirements.8 It is clear that Japan is in need of a new energy plan. Originally the Japanese government wanted to increase the country’s reliance on nuclear energy in order to reduce its green house gas emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol in March 2002. A 10-year plan was submitted to the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) to increase nuclear power generation by 30 percent that was later endorsed by the cabinet.9 This idea has been viewed in a new light since the nuclear crisis from 3/11. The people want to see alternative plans that do not rely on nuclear energy. This power, when unable to be controlled, was the very reason why thousands of people cannot return to their own homes even if they are still intact. If Japan can head in a new direction in terms of energy, the people will be in favor.

7 “Japan - Analysis.” U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.

cfm?fips=JA>.8 “Nuclear Power in Japan | Japanese Nuclear Energy.” World Nuclear Association | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource.

Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=344>.9 “Nuclear Power in Japan | Japanese Nuclear Energy.” World Nuclear Association | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource.

Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=344>.10

“American Solar Energy Society.” American Solar Energy Society: The Solar Nonprofit Advancing Education, Research, Advocacy,

News and Insight Since 1954. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content>.

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A policy that the Japanese people seem to be in favor of is the 3E’s, Japan’s energy policy. Japan plans to increase their use of renewables from less than 10 percent usage in 2010 to more than 20 percent usage by the year 2030.10 This is only part of this energy policy. The 3E’s essentially include three basic ideas, Energy Security and Independence, Economic Development, and Environment. According to the American Solar Energy Society, Japan imports nearly 95 percent of its primary energy.11 The first of three E’s in this policy essentially places Japan’s emphasis on transitioning to more stable and more domestic energy sources. The second section outlines that Reliable, stable and cheap energy is at the heart of a vibrant industrialized economy and that the energy technology is ideally developed domestically and can also be profitably exported. Environment is the third portion of this policy, giving it more consideration and, under obligation by the Kyoto Protocol, reducing Japan’s CO2 emissions.12

From this policy, it is clear that Japan is beginning to head in a better direction when it comes to energy. The question is how this new energy outlook will find its way into the post-traumatic lives of the 3/11 refugees. The integration of this policy into post-crisis rebuild is going to heavily impact the psychological mindset of people moving forward. The nuclear energy crisis was one of the largest parts of the 3/11 disasters that will continue to affect thousands of people for years to come. Therefore it is the integration of new energy technology that will lift northern Japan while education about energy awareness is key to incorporating this new movement into everyone’s lives.

The physical components of the post-3/11 will be rebuilt while economy grows and relief efforts are put into effect. The psychological conditions of the community affect

11 “American Solar Energy Society.” American Solar Energy Society: The Solar Nonprofit Advancing Education, Research, Advocacy,

News and Insight Since 1954. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content>.12

“American Solar Energy Society.” American Solar Energy Society: The Solar Nonprofit Advancing Education, Research, Advocacy,

News and Insight Since 1954. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content>.

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by the crisis will linger on and continue to feel the disaster’s impact. From this disaster however, comes a new perspective on energy. The integration of new energy technologies and development into the post-3/11 communities will improve the psychological drive of the victims. The actions taken now in the efforts to rebuild can drastically improve the lives of the victims. By establishing an industry of energy science technology development and engaging the people in the research and educating them, the nuclear stigma can be confronted and the physical and psychological components of the impacted community may be rebuilt.

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Thesis Objectives

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Initial Objectives

The purpose of this exploration is to foster an appropriate rebuild of Northern Japan and restoration of infrastructure. The necessary direction of Northern Japan is towards a decreased dependence on nuclear forms of energy to live. The built manifestation as a result of my study will serve as a precedent for other development in the region. The scope of this test cannot reach as far as replacing nuclear sources of power but may act as a demonstration against such heavy usage. I will display healthy energy consumption and rely on less harmful and dangerous forms of energy production.

The implementation of a manufacturing scheme for renewable and efficient energy research and production addresses the social and political issues of the nuclear controversy and engages the effected population. The idea that the citizens from the effected area will participate in this systematic process of manufacturing and rebuilding both validates the redevelopment of community and supports economic regrowth. The end goal of this project is to establish educational elements into society. Siting an appropriate location for a research and manufacturing facility for renewable energy technologies allows that facility to produce and support small scale educational outlets in the form of small recognizable stations that people can interact with and learn from. This project can raise awareness in society by providing learning experiences in areas where they are placed. They have a psychological impact on the people of the community they exist in that can be adapted based on the identity of the area.

Revised Objectives

In light of the disasters of 3/11, Japan is focusing its attention towards energy security, economic development, and environmental cooperation. The goal for this project is to align with these concepts through a culturally mindful construct. This sociocultural intervention is an interactive outlet for harvesting energy from the human activity of the urban setting. The installation harvests energy from the urban dwellers of Tokyo and uses that energy to self-activate. The project concept addresses the risks of using non-renewable, unstable energy sources and points in the direction of using new energy technology. The installation is a vehicle for showcasing innovation in energy technology with a main objective of displaying how new energy technology can be integrated into the existing urban fabric.

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Investigative Methods

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Physical

Psychological18

Outcome

Effect

Impact

Feedback

User Interaction

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Big Red Button: MEANS OF INTERACTION AND IMPACT 毎日こんやくして！

Big Red Button: MEANS OF INTERACTION AND IMPACT

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Big Red Button: PIEZOELECTRIC FLOORING

Investigation

Human-based Energy Harvesting

Interaction + Feedback Increase Amount of Users

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Approach

1) Approach

2) Loading

3) Release

Force

Loading

Release Point

Piezoelectricity: Plucking

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Piezoelectricity: Impact

Piezoelectricity is essentially an electric charge created from applying mechanical stress to certain solid materials, such as tourmaline, quartz, and topaz. One method I studied involved plucking a piezoelectric bimorph (green) to create a charge from expanding and contracting the crystal on release. Another impact-based piezoelectric component, which can be used in flooring, has been chosen for the project

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Site Analysis

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Tokyo

FukushimaMinamisoma

Sendai

Earthquake_occurred east of Sendai, Magnitude 9.0

Tsunami_impacted along the east coast

Nuclear Power Plant_Fukushima Daiichi released amounts of radiation

Japan

UPROOTED ness migration refuge

drifting tem

porary

displace

ment

movemoving

moved

shelterres

ourcesrela

tionship

s

instability

3/1

1

80km (50mi) U.S. Recommended Evacuation Zone

Relief Shelters

Google

20km (12mi) Evacuation Zone(Japanese Government)

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Documentation

2727277277777722

Shinjuku Station: East Entrance736,715

daily users

TOKYO

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Site Conceptualization

2929

JREXIT

30

Shinjuku Station

7:00am

Hourly Activity | 7:00am-2:00am

12:00pm

17:00pm

22:00pm

8:00am

13:00pm

18:00pm

23:00pm

9:00am

14:00pm

19:00pm

0:00am

10:00am

15:00pm

20:00pm

1:00am

11:00am

16:00pm

21:00pm

2:00am

313333133313313313333131

Gather Space

Crosswalk Waiting

Passive User Path

Active User Path

Train Station Exit

Site User Analysis

33

Program Study

34

Outcome

Effect

Impact

Feedback

User Interaction

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Physical

Thesis: In order to rebuild a physical and psychological community in Northern Japan the stigma regarding nuclear energy must be confronted by engaging people through education surrounding energy consumption and production.

Psychological

Performance Objectives

_Harvest and store energy (using piezoelectric technology) based on human interaction and earthquake activity_Store energy and redistribute to means of rebuilding northern Japan_Intertwine with the exisiting urban context without interrupting the flow of activity

_Intervene in common pedestrian movement_Engage user and encourage interaction _Educate user on harnessing energy production technology_Address Fukushima 3/11 and effects of using nuclear energy

Intervention of social-interactive energy harvest outlet into an active urban node.

Shinjuku Station

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Works Cited and Credits

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Works Cited

“American Solar Energy Society.” American Solar Energy Society: The Solar Nonprofit Advancing Education, Research, Advocacy, News and Insight Since 1954. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content>. “BBC News - Japan Quake Evacuees: Starting Again.” BBC - Homepage. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14802398>.Caldicott, Helen. “After Fukushima: Enough Is Enough.” The New York Times 2 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02 opinion/ magazine-global-agenda-enough-is-enough.html?pagewanted =1&sq=anti%20nuclear%20debate&st=cse&scp=8>.“Japan - Analysis.” U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=JA>. Malkki, L. (1995) ‘Refugees and Exile: from refugee studies to national order of things’, Annual Review of Anthropology 24: 495-523.“Nuclear Power in Japan | Japanese Nuclear Energy.” World Nuclear As sociation | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=344>.“Voices of Fukushima’s Evacuees - Graphic - NYTimes.com.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/06/world/asia/ Voices-of-Fukushima-Evacuees.html?ref=asia>.White, P. (1995) ‘Geography, Literature and Migration’, n R. King, J. `Connell and P White (eds) Writing Across Worlds: literature and migration, London: Routledge, pp. 1-19.

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Works Consulted

Special thanks to Katie Renner for assissting in project production

Asensio, Paco, and Belén Garcia. Earthquake Architecture: New Construction Techniques for Earthquake Prevention. New York, NY: LOFT and HBI, 2000.Cairns, Stephen. Drifting: Architecture and Migrancy. London: Routledge, 2004.Charleson, Andrew W. Seismic Design for Architects: Outwitting the Quake. Amsterdam: Elsevier Architectural, 2008.Coaldrake, William Howard. Architecture and Authority in Japan. London: Routledge, 1996.Harries, Karsten. The Ethical Function of Architecture. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1998.Markus, Thomas A., and Deborah Cameron. The Words between the Spaces: Buildings and Language. London: Routledge, 2002.Mitchell, William J. Placing Words: Symbols, Space, and the City. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2005.Seidensticker, Edward. Tokyo Rising: the City since the Great Earthquake. New York: Knopf, 1990.Vesely, Dalibor. Architecture in the Age of Divided Representation: the Question of Creativity in the Shadow of Production. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2004.Wigley, Mark. The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida’s Haunt. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1993.Xing, Rihan, ed. Dream Architecture Today’s Designs for Tomorrow. Stuttgart: Ed. Menges, 2010.

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Case Studies

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BEACONS FOR THE BRAVEMemorial for Portland’s Fallen Firefighters - [Whelton Architecture]

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=4286

June 26, 2011 will mark 100 years to the day when Portland Fire Chief David Campbell perished while battling the infamous Union Oil Fire. It will also be the day, if everything is on schedule, for the inauguration of a memorial to Campbell and the 35 other Portland fire fighters who have died in the line of duty. The memorial, which will overlook the Willamette River at the eastern end of the Hawthorne Bridge, was designed by local firm Whelton Architecture.

The firm’s design consists of 36 tall, thin metal lanterns arranged in parallel lines. One for each of the firefighters who have died protecting the city since 1881. Principal Aaron Whelton said he steered away from contemplative elements like water or stone, focusing instead on interactivity.

“You can read the lanterns individually,” Whelton said. “As you move further out into the city, they will merge into a line of light, and may come together to symbolize a collective identity.” Throughout the year, each memorial lantern will dim or brighten to correspond to the month when each fire fighter died.

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Stainless steel, aluminum and bronze are being considered for the final cladding of the 50-foot-tall, sleek lanterns. The light source is still being determined, though Whelton said LEDs are a strong option. The ground cover will have varying textures of stone. Lines of light granite will be set in and polished to read as an extension of the benches in the landscape. Willow trees already on the site will create a western enclosure.

Placing the memorial elements overhead, Whelton will create an open field. He said his initial inspiration was the Camposanto Monumental, a holy field next to the leaning tower of Pisa. Keeping the site open, he noted, will allow room for contemplative and reflective spaces.

The Campbell Memorial Association, a non-profit named for chief Campbell, and the Portland State University School of Architecture organized the competition. The estimated construction budget is $2.4 million, which will be raised through private donations.

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DUNE 4.0 / 4.1 / 4.2Interactive Landscape that interacts with Human Behavior - [Studio Roosegaarde]

DUNE is a public interactive landscape that interacts with human behavior. This hybrid of nature and technology is composed of large amounts of fibers that brighten according to the sounds and motion of passing visitors.

Our most recent version is filled with hundreds of interactive lights and sounds. DUNE investigates nature in a futuristic relation with urban space by means of looking, walking and interacting.

DUNE 4.1 is a public, interactive landscape placed in the Maastunnel as in-situ commission for Rotterdam City of Architecture 2007.

DUNE 4.2 is a new, permanent interactive landscape situated alongside the Maas River in Rotterdam, NL. This sixty-meter-long public artwork utilizes fewer than 60 watts of energy as it intuitively interacts with its visitors; a quality that renders the installation both sustainable and progressive in its construction. Within this setting, Rotterdam citizens are able to enjoy a daily “walk of light”.

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Japanese Memorialize

484848484

Japanese Memorialize

51

Appendex

52

Migration

53

Migration

5444

Migrate + Return

56

Visual Outlines

58

Visual Outline10.4.11

3 / 1

1

Eart

hqua

ke

+ Ts

unam

i

+ UPROOTED ness refuge

culture +++ regrowth

rebuilding

urban acupuncture

Architecture for place

infrastructure social cohesion

structure

Rebuild

displacement

shelter

resources

Visual Outline

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Energy Source

Looking Ahead_While renewable energy sources are not capable of replacing nuclear energy

sources, Japan still aims to increase the usage of renewable energy from the current less than 10% to more than 20% by year 2020

2008 Japan’s Energy Consumption (EIA):

Fukushima Daiichi NuclearPower Plant _ nuclear

29,891 GW-h29,891,000,000 KW-h

[865 acres]34.7 GW-h per acre

25 GW-h25,000,000 KW-h

10,000,000-25,000,000 KW-h

[140 acres].17 GW-h per acre

Wind Farms | Turbines 10-25 GW-h _ wind

Nellis Solar Plant _ solar

Annual Generation Annual Generation per Acre

Oil – 46%

Coal - 21%

Natural Gas - 17%

Nuclear - 11%Hydro - 3%

Other Renewable - 1%

American Solar Energy Association: ‘Solar Today’

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Core Literature Review

uprooted

disaster | cause core literature

Shigeru_Ban

Seismic_Design_or_Architects

Coupling

Architecture_In_The_Age_of_Divided_Representation

The_Words_Between_the_Spaces

Placing_Words

Architecture_and_Authority_in_Japan

Drifting:_Architecture_and_Migrancy

Pamphlet_Architecture_23-Move:

Forced_Migration_and_Mental_Health:

Refugees_and_Exile:

Streets_for_People

The_Ethical_Function_of_Architecture

The_Architecture_of_Deconstruction

Building_Community:

Refugee_Resettlement:_Models_in_Action

Spaces_and_Events

migrating

placedcommunity

belonging

settlement

stability

protection

architecture-for-migrants

architecture-by-migrants

ethnopolis

moved

expat-town

moved on

structure/building

translation

drifting

culture

place/space

FORCED

IMMEDIATELY

TEMPORARILY

VOLUNTARY

GRADUALLY

PERMINENTLY

Methods for Re-establishing a sense of place for uprooted refugees includes cultural identity and collaborative community design.

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Program Process

Regional Welfare SupportChild Care ServicesElderly AssistanceDisability Services/Support

IND

UST

RYSE

RVIC

ES+

Local IndustryManufacturingCommerce

Using methods of economics & psychological support, community can be rejuvenated and quality of life may be restored.

Mission:How does the Japanese Society address the return to the Fukushima region against the economic devestation stigma of the Radiation in the atmosphere?

Problem:

A combined proposal of an electronic manufacturing plant and support center will restore Economy and Trust in the displaced victims of 3/11

Strategy:

Fukushima Prefecture:30% of Industry = Electronics Manufacturing

Data from:http://wwwcms.pref.fukushima.jpWorld Bank, World Development Indicators

Electronics Manufacturing FacilityTechnology - Communication - Transparency - History

Employment: (2008) Japan:Male

PopulationFemale

Population

59% 77%

35% 17%

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Process Documentation

70

Methods for User Interaction

72

Intervention of Path

73

Earthquake Energy Harvesting

!!

!

!

!

!

74

Close Phase

Close Phase

Close Phase

Close Phase

FarPhase

FarPhase

FarPhase

FarPhase

INTIMAT

E DISTA

NCE

0”

6”-8”

1.5’-2.5’

2.5’-4’

4’-7’

7’-12’

12’-25’

25’<

DISTANCES THE HIDDEN DIMENSIONby Edward T. Hall

“[Man’s] perception of space is dynamic because it is related to action--what can be done in a cartain space-rather than what is seen by passive viewing” (p.115)

PERSO

NAL

DISTA

NCE

SOCIAL DISTA

NCE

PUBL

IC D

ISTA

NCE

“[Man’s] perception of space isdynamic because it is related toaction--what can be done in acertain space--rather than whatis seen by passive viewing”(Hall 115).

“Sense of Occasion”The Japanese instinctively adoptthe behavior suited to the timeand the place.(Situational Fluctuation)-On thefurface level, does not infer alack of moral integrity, does notbear on ethics.

User Proximities

75

Unconsciousness | ConsciousnessAwareness of one’s senses, surroundings, thoughts. [Psychological]

[Physical]The deliberateness of one’s change in behavior or participation.

Passive | Active

User Types

76

_Path-Oriented_Profane to Sacred_Allows for existing circulation

Torii Gate

81

Torii Gate: Translation

83

Diagram: Users + Interaction

86

Conscious | Passive

Conscious

Conscious | Active

ActivePassive

‘Gather’ Type

reflectremember contemplate

lamentmeditate

User Types

87

Conscious | Passive

Conscious

Conscious | Active

‘Path’ Type

ActivePassive

realize interpret notice reveal realize investigatechallenge

88

Layered Separation

9494949494494949949494494994499999999

96

Site Planning

9797

Energy HarvestPassive UserActive User

User Participation: Active | Passive

99

Final Design

108101010101010100000101010101010101010100101010101110101011010101000100010101000100001000010001001101101 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

109

User Activation

113

Analysis

Analysis and Critque

As a result of much research and investigation surrounding project goals, program objectives, technology utilized, site limitations and opportunities, user conditions, spatial qualities, cultural values, social issues, and various other design factors the final iteration of the Social Energy Memorial realized many successful qualities. Within one of the most diverse and active urban environments in the world, the integration of the project into the chosen site was thought to have been executed appropriately. The consideration of the coexisting user types on the chosen site in Shinjuku in regards to the program was thoughtfully incorporated into the overall scheme of the inner workings of the memorial.In revisiting the final design, further exploration in some areas of the project would prove to be beneficial in developing the proposal. A study of materiality, although considered toward the end of the design process, could afford a more articulated form and a carefully curated environment. While some of the decisions on materiality were made based on user interaction and quality of occupying the spaces, consideration of the user perspective of the emergent condition of topography and space holds potential. The tectonic activity that was meant to be captured can profit from a more pure transition of surface materiality and a more thoughtful incorporation of material context.

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With regards to the integrated technology, the execution of the final iteration inherently activates stronger at night than it does throughout the day. The intent is to create a fixture that embeds into the ground and both amplifies and reflects the light source to strengthen the reading from the user perspective. While the lights are integrated consistently and thoughtfully, other types of light sources and lighting types can be tested to obtain a better impact of the user perception.The interpretation of the physical memorial is intended to rather open-ended, leaving the visitor to decode the meaning based upon their own perspective. It can represent many things from the impact of the earthquakes epicenter to the core of a nuclear energy sources. The important idea that remains is that of a collaborative social energy contribution, viewing the project as both a culmination of the energy produced on site by the users and a remembrance of the past events of 3/11. Ultimately, this Social Energy Memorial houses many different conditions for the different coexisting users and showcases how innovative energy technology can be integrated into the urban fabric of Tokyo. While the memorial provides a place for the Japanese people to remember the events of the past, it points in a new direction and encourages them to realize the possibilities of social energy in the future.

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Thesis

In order to rebuild a physical and psychological community in Northern Japan the stigma regarding nuclear energy must be confronted by engaging people through education surrounding energy consumption and production.

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Social Energy Memorial

Rebuilding Physical and Psychology

by

Michael Louison

Thesis Studio InstructorSusan I. Frostén

Academic AdvisorKihong Ku

Professional AdvisorThomas Kirchner