Harvesting Steam:
Taklamakan Desert Development
Urban Scale
Schematic Design
Studio Thomas Tsang / 2019
The interest of this project lies in the potentials of harvesting steam.
Architecture is constantly under the weather. My take on “architecture under the weather” is twofolds: that architecture is shaped by humidity in the region and that architecture is defined by political context. The topic of my project is Harvesting Steam: construction methodology for the fast-paced Taklamakan desert development.
![]()
Final Presentation
Architecture is constantly under the weather. My take on “architecture under the weather” is twofolds: that architecture is shaped by humidity in the region and that architecture is defined by political context. The topic of my project is Harvesting Steam: construction methodology for the fast-paced Taklamakan desert development.
Final Presentation
Weather Machine
Collecting Humidity
The first attempt, Phase One, was to articulate the monolithic form that plastic deformation generates. The deformation occurring in plastic chambers when high pressure steam contacts the polycarbonate membrane provided fundaments for the later part of this project. The project has now been developed into a construction methodology, where underground water boiled to harvest steam can be used to inflate and to find the stretched form. The form is, as artifacts indicate, are unique.
Drawing Weather
Casting Steam
Weather Acrobatics
Modelling Taklamakan Steam Construction
The second attempt takes place in Taklamakan desert located in Northwestern China. A construction methodology, where underground
water boiled to harvest steam can be used to inflate and to find the stretched form, is developed.
The form of the inflated membranes follow the logic behind the artifacts investigated. Through an ensemble of artefacts, this project imagines a heterogeneous architecture that establishes a sensual dialogue between form and space, fiction and reality, users and material. Hene three stages constitute this project: artefacts, representation, and architecture.
The form of the inflated membranes follow the logic behind the artifacts investigated. Through an ensemble of artefacts, this project imagines a heterogeneous architecture that establishes a sensual dialogue between form and space, fiction and reality, users and material. Hene three stages constitute this project: artefacts, representation, and architecture.