Seawell
This is a conceptual design of a desalination plant on the southern coast of the northern island of Malta. Malta, a country comprised of many islands, lacks bodies of freshwater. A large majority of the country’s water comes from underground springs that are prone to depletion. Excessive extraction of these underground springs could leave the island without any freshwater. In addition to water scarcity, Malta’s coastline is made up of tall, rocky cliffs, which are not ideal for transporting water or for the traditional horizontal layout of desalination plants.
This small scale plant would serve as an example that desalination plants can be built vertically and at a larger scale to ultimately provide the entire island with freshwater. This smaller-scale plant also includes a cantilevered restaurant supported by the water generated by the plant, demonstrating that desalination plants can support public functions while creating a desire for people to visit. The building purposely reveals the functions of desalination and makes it part of the experience for visitors going to the restaurant. Revealing these functions of the building allows for visitors to understand the desalination process.
Water + Malta
Malta’s lack of fresh water has been an issue for centuries. Aqueducts were built to transport water from fresh water springs to the capital city Valletta during the 16th century. Figure A. shows that an aqueduct is a mass that is lifted to support a function without impeding on the space below. This allows the public to walk through but also understand how it works.
Building Mass
Water Diagrams
In order to create a space where visitors can learn about desalination, it is important to maximize circulation and water overlap. This is highlighted in a series of diagrams in which the movement of water and people are diagrammed and combined. This combined diagram creates moments where the building exhibits its building systems to visitors to enhance their understanding of the process.
Floor Plans + Circulation Paths
Both floor plans of the plant with public circulation paths highlighted. The cones on the path represent what visitors see when they enter the plant. The design attempts to show visitors the process of desalination so those elements were intentionally placed in circulation paths.
Structural Axon
A separation of elements to reveal and highlight members.