Floating Infocenter : Alternate solutions for sustainable infrastructure

Abstract: Architect Fredrik Svedbrant is trying to build a floating island in Stockholm. To advertise and inform the public of this, the authors of this thesis have been tasked to design an infocenter which is to capture the spirit of the island while also trying to keep economics and sustainability in mind. Preferably the infocenter is also to be built on a raft and should be able to house a small business such as a café. The resulting two story structure is based on a 40 ft high cube shipping container (12x2.4x2.9meters), the upper level consists of a wooden deck accessed by an exterior staircase as well as a friggebod which can be used for various purposes. The structure is surrounded by a 12x17 meterswooden deck resting on three air-filled pontoons with a lifting capacity of 13.6 thousand kilograms each which is dimensioned to carry 20 to 30 visitors and all of the equipment needed for the structure to function as a café or similar business. The infocenter is equipped with a toilet and septic tank as well as solar panels and an inverter to supply most of the electricity used. The container is reinforced with wooden beams for structural security and is secured to the raft, built on a steel frame, using Twistlock attachments. The totalcost of the project is estimated to be around 1.2 million SEK, and would result in 87.4 tons of CO2equivalent emissions. When the infocenter has served its purpose in Stockholm, it can hopefullybe shipped down to Ganvie, a town in Benin, western Africa, built largely on water that is regularly plagued by floodings. There, the ambition is for the structure to act as a women's health clinic, providing mainly information or some resources but potentially also limited aid to women and helping destigmatize menstruation and sexual health. The majority of the budget would be spent on the raft, meaning that if there is a lack of funding the infocenter can be built on land. The steel frame of the raft is also the biggest source of emissionsin the project, meaning that securing recycled materials would result in the biggest improvementin terms of sustainability.