The Water Cycle

An Exhibition Site With a Museum and Pavilions for the Demonstration of Water Harvesting Techniques

Christoph Schickermüller

Betreuung:
Univ.-Prof. B.Sc.(Hons). CEng MCIBSE Brian Cody
Institut für Gebäude und Energie
2022
Link zur Diplomarbeit

While to many people in the world water seems like an infinite source, around one third of the world’s population is already living with water scarcity. Even though there is a lot of water on earth – around 71% of the Earth’s surface – only around 1% of it is freshwater and, unfortunately, very unevenly distributed. This project is situated in Long Beach, adjacent to the Los Angeles River and close to the Pacific Ocean. The goals of this project are harvesting water, informing and educating people about the issues concerning water and utilizing nature for its natural processes. Hence, the concept of a demonstration site consisting of a museum, a visitor center, six technological pavilions and a public park with certain native, salt, and drought-proof vegetation, which also serves as green infrastructure. The almost triangular site is planned car-free, with three access axes leading towards a center, around which six pavilions with the purpose of harvesting water are organized. The trails as well as the buildings are designed radially, with the museum floating above visitors’ heads – it’s form and location metaphorically expressing the natural water cycle between air and earth. On the inside the museum is shaped like a landscape with ramps and rivers connecting the exhibition spaces. There are a few overlapping areas between the museum and the pavilions which offer interesting views and connections between theory and practice.