Seeking to explore power as crucial factor in the design of the built environment, we will look at energy systems and related objects, from sites of generation to spaces of consumption, from distribution networks to control rooms.
Tutors: Filip Geerts and Sanne van den Breemer
Director of Studies: Salomon Frausto
Contributors: Santiago Ardila, Juan Benavides, Daniella Camarena, Stef Dingen, Marco Fusco, Jack Garay Arauzo, Theodora Gelali, Shaiwanti Gupta, Hao Hsu, Marianthi Papangelopoulou, Felipe Quintero, Gent Shehu, Siyuan Wang
@theberlage.nl
National Route 409
Idealization of a system, Consumption, Metropolitan, Tokyo Bay, Transportation, Infrastructure, Diagram
The Tokyo Bay Aqua-line is a fifteen kilometer long line that connects Kizarazu City with Kawasaki City. It is a fragment of a longer line, the National Route 409, that begins in Narita, Chiba. Although it is inevitable to think about curves when it comes to design highways, the straight line remains in essence, as the most efficient way of connecting two points. It requires less materials to make, it is fast, and efficient. However, the more sophisticated these infrastructures are, at some point they become not simple hardware.
The Aqua-line spans under the water at a depth of approximately 40 meters. The journey—while it can begin on either side—one could say it begins on the Kisarazu side at the Umihotaru Bridge which counter balances depth by going 40 meters above sea level to slowly descends into its opposite underwater. The line itself creates its own clearance from the water. The line continues underwater for ten kilometers and right at the center of it, visible from above—but invisible from below—stands the Kaze-no-to—or Kawasaki artificial island—a magnificent piece of infrastructure, a ventilation station for the tunnel. Such a large tunnel needs air circulation and this island plays a major role in it. The straight line provides the shorter connection. Independent of congestion topics, the Aqua-line from Kawasaki to Kisarazu requires a travel time of one-third that needed to use the conventional route along the semi-circular Tokyo Bay Ring Road. 1
1. Chen, Eisma, Hotta, Walker. Engineered Coasts (Springer Science & Business Media, 2002), 94.
See Photos: Tokyo Bay Aqua-line in Tokyo
Idealization of a system, Consumption, Metropolitan, Tokyo Bay, Transportation, Infrastructure, Diagram
The Tokyo Bay Aqua-line is a fifteen kilometer long line that connects Kizarazu City with Kawasaki City. It is a fragment of a longer line, the National Route 409, that begins in Narita, Chiba. Although it is inevitable to think about curves when it comes to design highways, the straight line remains in essence, as the most efficient way of connecting two points. It requires less materials to make, it is fast, and efficient. However, the more sophisticated these infrastructures are, at some point they become not simple hardware.
The Aqua-line spans under the water at a depth of approximately 40 meters. The journey—while it can begin on either side—one could say it begins on the Kisarazu side at the Umihotaru Bridge which counter balances depth by going 40 meters above sea level to slowly descends into its opposite underwater. The line itself creates its own clearance from the water. The line continues underwater for ten kilometers and right at the center of it, visible from above—but invisible from below—stands the Kaze-no-to—or Kawasaki artificial island—a magnificent piece of infrastructure, a ventilation station for the tunnel. Such a large tunnel needs air circulation and this island plays a major role in it. The straight line provides the shorter connection. Independent of congestion topics, the Aqua-line from Kawasaki to Kisarazu requires a travel time of one-third that needed to use the conventional route along the semi-circular Tokyo Bay Ring Road. 1
1. Chen, Eisma, Hotta, Walker. Engineered Coasts (Springer Science & Business Media, 2002), 94.
See Photos: Tokyo Bay Aqua-line in Tokyo