I start this concept by imagining life in the future in 2121. If it was 2121, when humans still existed and chose to live in reality, AR wearable facilities and holographic emitters might replace the status of current smart phones. On the other hand, climate and population in 2121 might not be as good as 100 years before; however, many people are working on new energy and looking for new materials nowadays. These facts make me speculate that people of the future will use materials in laboratory to build more sustainable living places, and decreasing population lead to urban decline, many towns turn to ruins and forests.
Then I start the story by imagining a hypothetical family unit. There are two adults doing field research on botany in an abandoned site. They choose to make their home near the ruins of one conservatory, they own a child study in a boarding school, and a dog as an assistant to guard against wild animals. In 2121, telecommuting will become more common, especially for recluses and researchers. These two adults will use their devices to communicate remotely with colleagues and the child. Besides, the advance of information transmission equipment makes individuals paying more attention to the distance so that the living room will shrink and blend with the kitchen in this context.
In consideration of the stability of the structure, I decided to make the building plan circular. Circles have no direction, so that this architecture can collect solar energy and water from all around. This plan is arranging in order from public to private. At its centre is a functional space with a thick solid wall. The bathroom, machine room and storage is located here. The water around the centre is used for cooling and noise reduction in addition to decoration.
In terms of materials, I chose carbon steel fibre skeleton and Polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. Carbon steel fibre is light and robust, and the membrane surface will adjust insulation performance by inflating and deflating. For equipment, storage batteries, power generation units, equipment rooms, and rainwater treatment will be installed to save energy and ensure emergency needs. These designs aim for a more extreme future climate. In addition to being placed in forests, this structure can also appear above water in coastal cities and flood-prone areas if its foundation becomes a floating object.
Therefore, I ended up naming this project ‘bothy, No.2121 Conservatory Park’. A bothy is an essential home, especially one for housing farm labourers or mountain refuges. I expect this bothy can give future humans a place to go back, no matter what environment they live.