Architectural (Directed) Research - Salt Matter Flow

2024

Collaboration: Shengxuan Yu and Peiyu Luo

Instructors: Britt Eversole, Julie Larsen

During the winter precipitation weathers primarily in Northeastern America, about 1500 to 3200 metric tons of road deicing salt is applied to outdoor roads and surfaces every year, without any amount of them being recycled. This project studies the substance flow of salt in the continental scale of context, and explores the possibilities to provide solutions to the emergent problem of salinization caused by salt overdosing. With focusing on both visual qualities of design interpretations and research rigorousness of environmental dilemma, the research first studies the salt materiality, and traces the salt global footprint, then imagined a design direction towards responding to salt accumulation.