Tidal House in San Francisco by Terry.Terry Architecture

Article source: v2com

As part of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia, the Collateral Event “Time Space Existence” at Palazzo Mora – This project explores an architecture that embraces environmental changes and proposes a structure that will ebb and flow with the tides, that will respond to predicted environmental changes, and that creates a community to exist in harmony with the sea and our coastal landscape in perpetuity.

view from above, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

• Architects: Terry.Terry Architecture
• Project: Tidal House
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Software used: Archicad 19

detail of swim platform and connection to the outdoors, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

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. 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.

dwellings in a cluster over a flooded valley, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

view of dwellings and dock, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

The San Francisco Bay Area is geologically young. Twenty thousand years ago, the Bay did not exist. A warming event that lasted ten thousand years caused ice sheets to melt. Valleys filled with water, hills submerged, and land was lost to the watery bounds of the Bay. Today, a more rapid climate disruption brings various natural disasters with an increased frequency worldwide, and coastal regions like the Bay Area are highly susceptible to the effects. Rising tides are alarming. Nature’s dynamic forces cause erosion, tides rise as much as several centimeters per year, and coastal populations are increasing.

main common space and connection to decks, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

detail of upper floor deck, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

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. Depth of water will vary along the dock, and each structure will be subject to unique conditions related to its position along the dock. The density of each community will vary through time, as each structure will relocate in response to its unique environmental conditions.

tidal house at dusk, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

detail of dining kitchen area, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

This case study explores a simple dwelling within a small neighborhood. 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.

On Exhibit 28 May through 27 November 2016.

site plan, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

image of exhibition , Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

About Terry.Terry Architecture

Terry.Terry Architecture focuses on its ability to combine innovative architectural theory and practice.  The partners, Alexander and Ivan Terry, each have over twenty years of experience, offering both design concepts and professional production services in architecture.

The partnership has experience with a wide variety of projects, including the design of single family and multi – family housing, retail, and office space; tenant improvement; and urban design.  They have extensive, unique experience with building construction and fabrication that has enabled them to acquire and refine a first-hand knowledge of the relationship between concept, construction and project realization.

detail of model at exhibition, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

The partnership has explored other design concepts in urban design in collaborative efforts with other design professionals.  In an attempt to improve the built environment, it has engaged in investigations of several concepts in future infrastructures that integrate architecture and planning.

Terry.Terry Architecture aspires to improve the quality of life through design excellence– thus exploring design challenges at all levels, from furniture design to urban design with a focus on innovation in response to changing conditions.

section 1, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

section 2, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

first floor plan, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

second floor plan, Image Courtesy © Terry.Terry Architecture

Tags: San Francisco, USA

Categories: ArchiCAD, House

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