PACK UPANDPlug IN:When oil has

peaked and electric cars become ubiqui-tous, a charging infra-structure for them will come along for the ride. Of-ten this will be little more than a plug at home or in parking lots outside places of work and consumption. But what about in the wilderness where there are no plugs?

Rather than forgo distant and re-mote travels, they should now be undertaken with less guilt! This thesis proposes a model for self supporting stations serving tourists and adventur-ers needing a plug and waiting on a charge. Located in the Taiga near the James Bay, where substantial portions of Quebec’s, and even Bos-ton’s power originate, it is a mirage of the city living under and feeding off of the transmission lines powering dis-tant metropolises.

CAr ChArgINg AwAy From home . . . AND ANythINg else

W

sItethe

The map at left attempts to illus-trate three places

at three scales in one graphic: the contient, the region, and the site. At the continental scale are four major cities, the trace of a trans-mission line, the nodes where high voltage transmission lines cross roads (see opposite for simplifi-cation and image below for con-text), and an outline. Inset within the outline are three local maps: the site, and two of the locales at the ends of the transmission line—Radisson and Boston—are inset within the line cut corridor. Far right opposite is an exploded de-tail of this map, showing site and regional references.

The line cut suggests distant loca-tions: it is a corridor of projection.

450

kV

HVDC

James

Bay

Road

735

kV

AC

Trans

Tiaga

Road

TRANS TIAGA JUNCTIONCharging Station

MAX CAPACITIES: charging cars: 80 beds: 40 dinning chairs: 125 cinema seats: 200 tatooing stations: 6

450

kV

HVDC

James

Bay

Road

735

kV

AC

Next

Station: 544

km

Next

Station:

55

km

MATAGAMIcharging station

750 km to Montrealvia Val d’Or

NEMASCAcharging station

850 km to Quebecvia Chibougamo

u

TTR km 141charging station

525 km to Caniapiscau

RADISSON

MONTREAL

RADISSON

QUEBEC

BOSTON

Detail of main map, oppo-site left. The large blue dot is the site. Major locations are

shown in relation to each other, the 450 kV DC transmission line be-tween Radisson and Boston, and a network of potential other sites (red dots) where high voltage transmis-sion lines intersect the road network.

Detail at the local and regional level. The site and its immediate context are in the exploded map. The

regional elements oper-ate at the continen-tal scale of this map. These include the network of reservoirs supplying power to the major cities shown on the main map, the three primary roads in the James

Bay Region, and the regional settlements.

Cut DeveloPmeNt

A patch of forest in the Tiaga . . .

Transmission lines fill cuts in the forest, ignoring all but the

most intraversible geographical features as they cut the shortest paths between points of generation and points of distribution.

These cuts are ideal sites for charging stations. They are already cleared, and the lines themselves suggest distant travel and remote locations as they slice through the landscape and disappear over the horizon. Site exerpt

from map on previous pages.

1

. . . is clear cut in a linear swath . . . 2

. . . through which transmission lines run.3

sIlhouette geNerAtIoNLine cuts in the wilderness are broad due to free land and a high threat of forest fire.

The diagrams below show the potential evolution of a charging station within the space of a wilderness line cut. Its breadth is filled to create a structure that must be engaged. The orthogonality is a counterpoint to the rolling landscape. This struc-ture is then further developed by the transmission lines passing through and over it.

The lines and their cut define an area . . . 4

. . . which is eroded by their electromagnetic field . . . 5

. . . and cut into by each cable.6

In unsettled places without electrical distri-bution grids, charging stations will not only be capable of charging cars with power they source or produce themselves. They must also be capable of occupying travelers while they wait for their cars to charge, their batteries to be swapped, or while they sim-ply take a break from the very long road.

These stations will be des-inations unto themselves.

ProjeCtthe

Top image is a peeled section, with elevation in winter on left, melting to summer, then peel-ing to reveal different aspects of the interior. The red lines in the plan and section correlate, and indicate where the cuts are taken.

For this station—located over 500 km from civilization for travelers driving North—cars drive into pods and are literally plugged into a grid to charge. Power is sourced through induction: the building steals its power from the lines above. Formally it evokes turbine halls and citiy skylines, while the program is a projection of the metropolises the lines power so far away. It is a hub of culture in the wild and a destination on its own. One can select a pod for a quick charge, spending a day, or even a night or few.

CoNCePtuAl seCtIoN Cut

BuIlDINg elemeNts

INDuCtIoN CoIl: copper coils that wrap the exterior struc-ture of the building. Serves the dual purpose of taking power from the electromagnetic fields of the transmission lines while also protecting the occupants from those fields.

Cores AND gANtry CrANes: the central core houses a wide ramp around a void, providing venues for art. The smaller core makes art of the build-ing’s electrical system. The gantry cranes move the pods throughout the structure.

ProgrAm PoDs: all program—from charing rooms to stairs—exists within mobile pods, which are plugged into a central structural and service spine. Thus the building is almost completely re-configurable.

DevICes

exterIor struCture: contains two layers to support the charging coil on the exterior and the gantry cranes on the interior.

roADwAy CoNDuIts: pro-vide points of entry into, and passage through the structure. It is here that vehicles needing a charge will drive into an open charging pod and be picked up by the gan-try crane and plugged into the armature.

PoD ArmAture: the structural and service spine running down the center of the building. All pods plug into and cantilever off of it. They mate with receptacles which provide them with power, heat, and water, while removing waste. It also supports half the load of the gantry cranes. It is structurally robust to resist the strong moment of the cantilevered pods.

struCtures

stAtIoN From ABove

DrAwINgs oF seleCt PoDs

lArge ChArgINg PoD wIth Berths

two story stAIr PoD

Section through four bay pod and pod armature. The pod walls are large trusses to sup-port their extreme cantilever.

movIe theAtre PoD

PoD struCture AND mAtINg

PoD vArIAtIoNs

ChArgINgshoPtheAtrestuDIostAIrs

FooDsPAINFo

seCtIoN reNDerINg oF lArge ChArgINg PoD

CollAge oF PoD AND gANtry CrANe

reNDerINg oF vIew From gANtry CrANe

reNDerINg oF southerN APProACh

sIte overvIews

Rendered Overview Physical Model Overview

Physical Model Overview Physical Model Overview

Physical model made of poplar and plexi-glas. Poplar site was milled on a three axis CNC router; building was laser cut.

reNDerINg oF vIew From CeNtrAl Core DowN ArmAture CorrIDor

reNDerINg From toP oF CeNtrAl Core lookINg DowN

ABstrACt reNDerINg oF CeNtrAl Core, lookINg uP