"Landboxes" is a modular, water-based infrastructure for coastal development that reduces social pressure and ecological impacts while lowering operational costs. It is a faster and more secure land reclamation system.
This project arises from the need to provide sustainable growth for our society. Up to 2050, over 2 billion people will live within 100km of the coast, setting an immense pressure over coastal cities, its inhabitants, and ecosystems for urban growth. About 60million inhabitants will live in reclaimed land. Landboxes distinguishes from its competitors by looking at solutions that will make our cities socially and ecologically more inclusive, while allowing an organic growth. To achieve this, Landboxes focuses on the development of modular construction systems that are more resource-efficient, faster to absorb population growth, and flexible to adapt to its required needs.
TYPE
Construction
LOCATION
Global
IMPACT
2.03 billion people
MARKET SIZE
$7.2 trillion
Summary
"Landboxes" is a modular, cast-in-situ, water-based construction system designed to plug in on coastal developments. It aims to address urban pressures and environmental concerns while cutting operational costs. “Landboxes” bring novel land reclamation techniques that enable land formations to emerge faster, more economically, and more in tune with the environment. Land reclamation is the process of creating new territory by filling submerged zones, usually in the area of coasts, riverbanks, or wetlands. Current land reclamation techniques use dredging and landfilling, which change the shape of coastlines, properties of wetlands, and composition of marine environments. "Landboxes" offer a new urban solution with composite caisson technology, a construction method increasingly used in ports. Combining large-scale water-based additive manufacturing, and a set of prefabricated structural parts, "Landboxes" reclaims land respecting the natural cycles of the proposed area.
The Unit as a Computer The utilization of caisson technology in Landboxes allows it to hold a framework for the fluctuating built environment, providing urban planners, architects, and builders with a structure to adapt to the evolving city.
This framework facilitates the integration of various networks, including water management, logistics, utilities, and data centers. Moreover, it enables the seamless integration of new networks introduced by innovators. The grid within Landboxes functions as a standardized layout for each integration's size and direction, streamlining workflows across disciplines. The end result is a land reclamation system that operates like the motherboard of a computer.
CFD Analysis Form finding contributes to obtain the best module for land reclamation in uncertain sea conditions. "Landboxes" analyzes fluid simulations, structural strength, and growth scalability and finds that the hexagon shape is the optimal shape because it evenly distributes forces from sea currents, has strong structural performance in all directions, and is scalable and extendable in six different directions.
The CFD analysis studies the impact of sea dynamics on the hexagonal "Landbox" surface, identifying areas prone to erosion and turbulence. Special treatments or attachments can prevent issues with increased surface velocity. When used in groups, the analysis shows a significant increase in surface velocity by over 20%.
