by Shih Ting Huang, M.Arch 2021
The arctic ice will melt in the future due to changing weather. The thesis proposal is to take advantage of the newly opened shipping lanes and occupy the arctic frontier. There is the potential to form a network of shipping routes that will connect to different continents making arctic travel much easier. It will still be possible to be a pioneer on the planet earth with 7 billion people. To do so, architecture plays an important role in supporting pioneers in the arctic. This project explores possible pioneer development in the part of the world that is previously uninhabitable.
Aligned along these new shipping routes, the design concept will establish multiple hubs for ‘climate-change pioneers’ who take advantage of these new settlement opportunities. Future scenarios will include adventure traveling, international tax-free trading, scientific research, hitchhiking, or nomadic living experience for this proposal. The arctic Pioneertown will start at a smaller scale. Eventually, the arctic Pioneertown will grow over the years to form an archipelago larger scale of settlements. In the future, the Arctic Pioneertown will be one of the dream places to live due to the changing climate and it is going to form its own self-sustaining system and provide a tranquil living environment.