With 70.8% of the Earth’s surface area covered in water, and human population ever increasing, there seem to be two options: up, or over. Up into towers. Over the water.
Courtesy of Daniel Gillen
The AA Visiting School Workshop in Shanghai, directed by Tom Verebes and instructed by tutors Daniel Gillen and Soomeen Hahm, looked at how this population increase affected the city and what the possibilities were for a new ‘City on the Sea’, perhaps using water’s interesting properties of surface tension and the resulting anomaly that is a ‘meniscus’ as inspiration.
Courtesy of Daniel Gillen
Mostly working in section, the international students investigated possibilities for architectural responses, both in concert and in defiance of water table fluctuations. Does the surface need to be either a base or a roof? Could it be merely one of the ‘floors’ in a structure which bridges both worlds?
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Grasshopper was used to mathematically analyze and generate designs, taking into account such aquatic properties as erosion, dissolution, and fluid paths.
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Matt Davis is a Virginia Tech graduate and one of the founding editors behind Arch2O. Launching the platform in mid‑2012 alongside fellow Hokies, he helped shape its identity as an international hub for design innovation and critical dialogue . With a foundation in architectural education and a passion for uncovering unconventional design approaches, Matt has contributed significantly—both editorially and strategically—to Arch2O’s growth, ensuring that emerging architects, academics, and creatives have a space to question, explore, and elevate the built environment.