The dynamic storage design will need to account for 6 aspects:
+ the collection (material properties)
+ information technologies (organization and management)
+ robots/machines (support agents)
+ humans (users, workers, others)
+ built space & furnishings (real estate, floor plan, physical infrastructure)
+ physical and digital interfaces (between stuff, humans, machines)

Students will create:
+ A set of layered drawings/explorations that represent conceptual, spatial,  temporal systems
+ A schematic model of the spatial arrangement/built form
+ 3 perspectives (e.g., from a robot, human worker, human user)

The institution of seed vaults is one attempt at preparing for widespread food shortage, which is one worst case scenario likely to come about as a result of global climate change. Seeds chosen for storage are typically those that can sustain human life (e.g., wheat, legumes, various food crop seeds). While addressing an important issue, these structures are largely designed for humans, undermining the importance of seeds within broader ecological systems.

Climate change disturbs interdependent relationships in nature comprised of plants, animals, and even weather systems. Seeds are an integral part of sustaining these systems; the plants that grow from them provide food and shelter for various species. At the same time, seeds also rely on these systems for their own survival.

In order to grow in population and over large distances, seeds require natural and biological mechanisms to ‘move.’ For example, seeds can travel via wind, from continent to continent over ocean currents, and via animals, who disperse seeds by ingestion and via their migratory paths.

Dispersal Vector Agents imagines a scenario where these mechanisms are eradicated or at-risk as a result of climate change. This project reconsiders seeds as active, living organisms. In this structure, the organization, storage, and movement of seeds is facilitated by a system that utilizes robot agents to deliver seeds based on need.

On Selecting Seeds

Seeds are one kind of object that already exist in single-object collections, for example, in seed vaults. While these facilities sometimes exist for historical and cultural preservation, the institution of seed vaults is typically in preparation for widespread food shortage, which is one worst case scenario likely to come about as a result of global climate change. Seeds chosen for storage are typically those that can sustain human life (e.g., wheat, legumes, various food crop seeds).

These facilities are limited both in terms of who can access the seeds, as well as when access is allowed. Because they exist as a form of preparation for drastic events, such as extreme climate changes and other apocalyptic scenarios, these spaces are also not very active. So, while seed vaults exist to address an important issue, these structures are largely designed for humans, and undermines the importance of seeds within broader ecological systems.

Seed Choice & Storage

Most seeds that are stored today typically fall into one category - those that can be stored for long periods of time, with predictable and controllable storage conditions (low moisture and low temperature). This initially ruled out a lot of seeds - exotic plants, fruits (in the picture above, this refers to seeds in the recalcitrant categories), but I ultimately decided to ignore the practicality in seed storage in this project for a number of reasons: first, this enabled me to imagine scenarios where seeds outside of food could be included, along with seeds that aren’t as western-centric (e.g., tropical fruits). The main reason for this choice, however, is that the structure of my facility ended up focusing on a very specific characteristic of seeds - their dispersal mechanisms.

Seeds have a number of methods for dispersing in the wild, which not only helps their population growth and spread over larger areas, but also encourages plant biodiversity. Some types of seed ‘dispersal vectors’ include:

• hydrochory (movement by water)
• ballistic (internal forces cause the seeds to explode, for example, out of pods)
• anemochory (movement via wind)
• zoochory (dispersal by animals, through ingestion or external methods like burrs sticking to fur) - this category can be further broken down by species (e.g., myrmecochory (ants), ornithochory (birds).

 

In thinking about these dispersal mechanisms, I was able to view seeds as live, active entities rather than dormant objects sitting in containers, and helped me see the importance of seeds within ecosystems, a larger chain of events, and their symbiotic relationships with other natural species. Seeds grow plants that may become food sources for animals or forms of shelter. Animals then aid in spreading seeds in order to promote population growth within diverse types of environments. Seeds also rely on the natural elements of wind and water to travel larger distances, which then helps sustain populations of diverse species. These connections then informed the structure of my facility.

System Design

Taking seed dispersal mechanisms as the focus of this work, I imagined that this facility would be a very active space in contrast to the current nature of seed vaults. In thinking about extreme consequences of climate change, including the damage caused to ecosystems, I imagine a reality where society loses the ability to track and predict natural patterns - weather, species migration based on seasons, etc. This led me to imagine how a facility like this would operate based on need. To briefly summarize how the facility would operate: it runs on a three-part system that manages seed storage, missions, and robot agents. The following agent views were generated around several scenarios that depict the specific needs being addressed (in the form of missions).   

Agent Views