FRACKING HABITATS
Team members: Alexander Argyris, Brian Sweeney, Zach Mcclurg
Advisor: Jeff Kipnis
South-Eastern Ohio has been over-fracked and the land is experiencing constant seismic activity as well as the release of harmful gases. While the area is no longer safe to live on, elevated communities have been developed around towers built upon old fracking wells. These communities (of around 100 people each) are inhabited by people willing to withstand the harmful conditions and give up living on the ground in order to help restore the land condition. Due to the geothermal energy collected from the old fracking wells, these communities produce more energy than they consume. In addition the community focuses on sequestering carbon through the use of algae reservoirs and pumping the carbon back down the tower into the earth. These communities are self-sufficient with members working within the community to keep it running.
The tower is organized into four series of interconnected communities consisting of a residential platform, circulation space, and community area. These connected communities are rotated 90 degrees around the tower, ensuring equal sunlight to each village.
The tower orientation is positioned to make the most of the natural daylight for the sustainable farms on the tower. The sustainable farms face south to allow for as much exposure to the sun as possible for the crops and ensure a regular growing season.
