The world’s polar ice caps are experiencing an accelerated rise in their average annual temperature. The Northern and Southern ice shelves are becoming thinner causing the ice to fracture, split and melt into the ocean. This in return effects the far reaching global climate change. Rising temperatures and melting conditions have already begun to affect native people, wildlife and ecological habitats. Vital, long term propositions must be created, however these leading initiatives need to be accompanied by a more immediate solution to help stop more immediate dangers as well as the depletion of the polar ice caps. Rebuilding our protective Northern and Southern arctic layers should become a primary objective. We must begin to help cool the earths surface once again by reducing heat gain in our vulnerable arctic regions. With the increase of methane gases comes a larger depletion of our protective ozone, with the most destructive consequences over the earths ice shelves. Through the creation of a prompt respite to the melting ice, we can again begin to further repress imminent breakdown of polar surfaces.
The architectural concept begins to provide a system of rejuvenation for the polar ice fields through the recycling of our vast aquatic resources. The systems harvest the abundant supply of sea water, in return processing a regenerated ice field condition which helps begin to thicken and rebuild this earth’s protective film. At the same time these large structures begin to alleviate the ice fields from direct ultra violet exposure, absorbing these harmful rays and in return producing usable thermal energy.
The Polar Umbrella’s buoyant super-structure becomes a statement for the prevention of future depletion of our protective arctic region. Through its desalinization and power facilities, this arctic skyscraper becomes a floating metropolis equipped with NOAA research laboratories, renewable power stations, dormitory-style housing units, eco-tourist attractions, an ecological habitat for wildlife and a commitment to the immediate response of our depleting polar ice shelves. The vast abundance of salt water is used to produce a renewable source of electricity through the osmotic power facility housed within the core. The structures immense canopy allows for the reduction of heat gain upon the arctic surface while also retaining solar energy within its umbrella membrane. The umbrella’s thermal skin condition boasts a series of modules which are composed of a polyethylene piping system that pumps the key waste by product, brackish water, from the umbrella’s direct exposure to the prevalent sun light while at the same time providing heat reduction through it’s vast surface to the arctic ice below. The Polar Umbrella becomes a invaluable resource to the arctic shelves through its regeneration of the ice caps via harvest chambers which freeze the dredged arctic ocean water, then returning the frozen by product to the thickening ice caps around the structures base.
