2017 Galleries
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Galleries // 2017 Spark:Space // Tidal House
Tidal House
Winner - Silver
Competition: Spark:Space
Designer: Alex Terry - Principal
Design Type: Spaces - Water Dwelling
Company / Organization / School: Terry Terry Architecture
Website: http://terryandterryarchitecture.com
Team Members: Ivan Terry, Naomi Hansen
Today, a more rapid climate disruption brings various natural disasters with an increased frequency worldwide, and coastal regions like the San Francisco Bay Area are highly susceptible to the effects. Borrowing and shrinking the scale of the technology of mobile offshore drilling units and exploratory platforms, the structures are designed to relocate as necessary. Legs are deployed to or retracted from the bottom of the Bay using a rack and pinion gear system or hydraulics (both currently undergoing research). Each leg operates independently from the others as a leveling device, and people can set the structures as close to the surface of the water as desired or as needed when anchoring. The aerodynamic spherical roof withstands great winds and provides ample surface area for integrated electricity-generating photovoltaics. Tidal House community is built around a floating dock that weaves the structures together and connects them to the shore. The structures are laced to the dock with adjustable gangways, and each structure has a retractable platform that allows people to reach the water and provides boat mooring. The design concept can adapt to different lifestyles, programs, and can evolve to accommodate a wide range of communities. The challenge for the architecture is to be able to adapt when space and time change.
