Master's Thesis
HIGH-TECTONIC CITY
This dissertation examines resilient urban development for a high-density area on Tokyo Bay facing pluvial and fluvial flooding. It proposes an integrated hydrological system operating from the bay scale to the local scale.
At the bay scale, fluid-dynamic testing and channeling strategies direct and dissipate wave energy before water reaches the urban fabric. At the local scale on Tsukishima Island, a soft-landscape system of mounds and creeks strengthens resilience to storm surges and heavy rainfall.
The work develops five connected subsystems: offshore water-dissipation structures, modified water-channel networks, topographic adjustments for inland flood resilience, density and program distribution, and architectural morphology. Bay-scale strategies shape local-scale topography and urban form, while architectural configurations emerge from both spatial logic and cluster morphology.
Although explored separately, these subsystems function as an adaptive, integrated hydrological network. The resulting spatial structure, from creek lows to elevated land, creates dynamic public and green spaces essential in a dense urban context. The approach is designed to be applicable to other cities facing similar water-related challenges.
CFD Analysis
Architectural Phasing
Sea Level Rise
HIGH-TECTONIC CITY
Architectural Association School of Architecture
Master of Architecture, Emergent Technologies and Design
Co-Founder
Dr. Michael Weinstock
Course Director
Dr. Elif Erdine
Team Members
Berin Nur Kocabas
Debolina Ray
Zhang Yi