Breathing with Water; Rebuilding Coastal Connections in Busan

Abstract

What does it mean to live on the edge? Every year, sea level is rising and massive storms are hitting the peninsula of South Korea. With each catastrophic typhoon comes significant social damage due to relocations and loss of life. To these disastrous events, the city seems to have only one response: tetrapods and sea walls. This defensive approach has blinded the public from the severity of the looming climate crisis and kept them ignorant of more productive ways to manage the shoreline. This thesis explores an alternative narrative for this coast. Working within a 75 year timeline, I propose a range of systems that can rebuild the connection between the water and the public, a link severed by the city’s defensive approach. Using the existing design language of tetrapods and the local culture of sea women, I write a tailored design story for this site: Gwangalli Beach, Busan