Anthropocene
Humans have the number one impact on the earth in today's day and age and have been the dominant influence on our climate and the environment. A word to describe all of this is Anthropocene. A lot of major issues that are being faced today in the design world, due to the Anthropocene, are pollution, rising water levels, and waste. All of these aspects are forcing designers to rethink their way of building with a greater eco-friendly mindset. A key element that will assist in this process is our ongoing advances in technology, which are allowing for more eco-friendly infrastructure to be developed.
The “Post Anthropocene” series is one good representation of how all of this can come into play. This series is composed of architectural futuristic societies that feature urbanization and technology in architecture. This series is composed of five different projects. Each project is based in a different city and a major problem that is currently associated with it and how they propose to fix it. In New York, with global warming continuously growing, it is expected that water levels are going to continue to increase. This series proposed “a floating ‘ark’…with a green core that expands outwards, accommodating residents... on the lower level to maintain the ark’s fundamental consumption, including vegetable plantation, slaughterhouse, incineration, and power plant”. This idea would create optimal eco-friendly living conditions on areas of land that would no longer be able to be used. In Beijing, their smog issue has now become a global concern. What has been proposed here are ‘smog free towers’ large air filtration systems powered by solar panels. These filtration systems would bring all of the polluted air in and put it through a series of chemical treatments that will produce breathable oxygen. In Manila, a garbage-recycling furniture factory, which would sort through the mounds of trash that are created on a daily basis and transform it into affordable eco-friendly furniture.
The Hyperloop is another great representation. The Hyperloop is set to become the first international form of electromagnetic and electrodynamic transportation. When this happens the Anthropocene of the earth will be changed forever. The Hyperloop will be able to transport people and goods in never before seen levitating pods at speeds up to 750 mph. It is estimated to reduce the amount of fossil fuel emissions from flying alone by almost 60 percent There are currently 15 proposed routes for the U.S. and a dozen more international routes. As far as the Anthropocene is concerned, The Hyperloop is being designed to run solely on renewable electricity. There will be solar panels installed along the tube of the track and batteries will be strategically placed throughout for when the panels aren’t getting any sun at night. The most essential aspect of the design process is to produce more energy than needed so the Hyperloop system can deposit electricity back into nearby networks.
In terms of constructing the Hyperloop, in rural areas, the Hyperloop will be constructed way above power lines and highways so as to not interfere with pre-existing conditions and so wildlife will be able to freely roam below. In more urban areas, the Hyperloop will be constructed in highway medians and in underground tunnels and using existing infrastructure in order to limit the amount of demolition needed. Extra noise pollution will not be a concern in either environment: it causes little to no noise, just a slight whooshing sound.
The idea found throughout this paper would be able to greatly improve the Anthropocene. New and innovative technology that is being brought into the light on a day to day basis makes all of these ideas, which may seem very far fetched and unrealistic, a near-futuristic reality.
Works Cited
“The Anthropocene-Fallacy: Learning from Wrong Ideas by Henrique Schneider.” The Market For Ideas, www.themarketforideas.com/the-anthropocene-fallacy-learning-from-wrong-ideas-a518/.
Bauer, Meredith Ruthland. “What Will Hyperloop Mean for Climate, Ecosystems, and Resources?” Greenbiz, 8 Jan. 2019, www.greenbiz.com/article/what-will-hyperloop-mean-climate-ecosystems-and-resources.
“JOA's 'Post Anthropocene' Series Envisions Architecture for Future Societies.” Designboom, 29 May 2020, www.designboom.com/architecture/joa-post-anthropocene-series-envisions-architectural-types-future-societies-05-13-2020/.
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