TAMING THE RAGING SEA : EAST COAST DESALINATION SPA, TURNING A TREAT INTO A RESOURCE

Abstract

With the ever increasing the level of carbon dioxide in our planet’s atmosphere since the industrial revolution and subsequent human activities, there has been an constant increase in the average global surface temperature, of 16oC since the 1990s1, which has inevitably lead to a corresponding increase in global sea level at a rate of 3.26mm per year2(Appendix I). As it stands today, carbon dioxide level is at an all time high of 388ppm and still increasing at a level 2-3ppm per year3 (Appendix I). Even if we were to stop all carbon dioxide emission today, sea level will still continue to rise due to the lag effect carbon dioxide levels has on rise in sea level (Appendix I). Rise is sea level is and will continue to be an evitable and imminent treat to our survival. As such, taking the projection of 88cm rise in sea level by 2100 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC’s 4th Assessment Report released in 2007(Appendix I) as an target, my thesis seeks to question the architectural potential of marine defense structure and to attempt their amalgamation with architecture, redefining the role of future sea-defense structures as multi-programmatic spaces for the island state of Singapore.