Plug-In Cities Pavilion: Anthology 2020
Project Brief
Water levels are rising. Metro Manila faces perhaps one of the greatest threats to its existence, in the form of rising flood levels due to climate change. Studies report that by 2050, there is a distinct possibility that the megalopolis will be submerged. What would happen if a scenario such as that were to come and pass? How would our architecture evolve in such a future? How would our cities change?
By extracting various influences and trends found in the Philippines, interesting characteristics are derived.
First, the organic and democratized nature of urban expansion, where sprawl happens due to individual responses to socio-economic and geographical conditions.
Second is an obsession with verticality, in which vertical living is seen as a solution to urban density.
A Modular Future
How does a truly organic city function? The future city is an organism that expands and contracts, growing alongside the population. As the needs of the population slowly morph through time, spaces will expand and contract within the space frame. Innovations in technology will make this possible using industrial drone technology, which will lead to decentralizations and evolutions of existing typologies. Traditionally monolithic typologies can now be branched out to adapt to the shifting needs of the people. The modular nature of the urban environment can lead to interesting solutions regarding hyperdensity, as cities can evolve into a series of self-sustaining, localized yet symbiotic entities.
The future is in your hands.
How will this hypothetical city evolve through community design? What are trends that can be derived from this? Will individualistic design lead to utopia or dystopia? Only time will tell.
