A Scaffolding for The Third Paradise: IN SALO

Savannah College of Art and Design

Project idea

Mankind once existed in harmony with nature, doing onto it what he expected in return. Then man decided that nature was an entity to be controlled, the lesser occupant of the planet. Man began flattening forests for the benefit of creating paper, burning coal for the development of energy, eradicating entire species for the luxury of food and even sport, all while ignoring the degradation of the planet around him. For a while the planet carried on, appearing to be unaffected, showing little to no signs of harm. But, as time continued, the damages festered, and the planet began to show her true devastation. The coal began to disappear, forests became barren deserts and relentlessly, the ice caps began to melt, dumping unfathomable amounts of water into the oceans simultaneously increasing the tides.

Some may say, “What does this have to do with mankind?” Well, when one natural resource, like coal, no longer exists, man will move on to the next, and the next, and the next, until the planet has no more natural resources to provide. The forests will continue to become barren deserts until there are no more plants to produce oxygen. The oceans will rise around us, unrelentingly displacing vast amounts of the global population. With 40% of the world’s population living within 100 kilometers from the coast, livelihoods will be lost and lands eradicated.

This project does not aim to save the planet from man’s blissful ignorance but to accept the fate we have created for ourselves, and all who we share this planet with, and move forward. In an attempt to turn a negative into a positive, this project will investigate the population displacement by the sea and the reterritorialization in the sea. The way in which architecture can aid in retaining a land and its’ people when the land exists no more.

Project description

When the tides encroach upon their lands indefinitely, where will these people go? Some will opt to migrate away from their homelands, to higher ground. This migration will not only sever the physical ties they have developed with their homelands but the emotional and cultural ties as well. Others, on the contrary, may not be so accepting of this fate. What if there was a way to reterritorialize these populations without severing their ties to their homelands. A way for the waters and the populations to rise symbiotically. A way for them to continue their lives, as is, within the very entity that displaced them, In Salo.

When it’s all said and done and the tides are steady, the coastal populations of the world will still have their homelands. They will look beyond their isles ‘In Salo’ and see the oceans stretch far. They will understand the mistakes that their ancestors made and vow to let history never repeat itself. They will know that they have persevered, and although the sands of their ancestral lands are gone, they are at home.

Technical information

The technical information is visualized within the project images.

Co-authors

Individual Thesis Project By: Lynae Brooks
Thesis Committee:
Scott Singeisen
Sam Olin
Scott Boylston