The World Ocean covers seven-tenths of the planet's surface and many societies depend on its health. The declining fish populations and sea biodiversity occur all around the world. In Kunduchi we have a unique mix of social engagement and aquatic knowledge to tackle these problems. My goal is to revive the old aquatic sciences faculty site in Kunduchi and create a place where the people of Kunduchi and scientists can combine their knowledge and work together to search for new sustainable solutions. At the same time this new public building will become a place for awareness for the sea. It will be a place where schools, the fishermen and also tourists from everywhere can come to and learn about the sea in al its glory. Furthermore the visitors can explore the unique places of Kunduchi and the Tanzanian Coast with locally trained guides.
The first step in this process is creating a new landmark to bring the old site back into the spotlight. The main building of Sealab is designed from a biomimic perspective. Using nature’s toolbox throughout my design, researching nature’s processes and adapting them in my design, such as a low-tech evaporative cooling system. The circle shaped building gives a 360 degrees overview of the fantastic environment. On the inside of the circle an almost spiritual place arises where the sea and the sky are the main characters. On top of the whole building I designed a huge roof. By biomimicing palmlike structures I could create an intelligent roof structure, which really makes the building a landmark in the sea.