Black carbon (soot) is a particle produced from incomplete combustion, shipping and burning fires. It is also one of the biggest contributors to climate change. With shipping increasing in the Arctic, more black carbon is being released into the atmosphere and subsequently falling on the Arctic ice after being in the air for a few days to weeks, reducing the reflectivity of the ice and causing the ice to melt faster. This has a profound effect on the receding Arctic ice.

It is predicted that by 2090 85% of the sea ice will remain in winter whilst only 10% will remain in the summer. This further reduces the surface reflectivity in the Arctic allowing it to absorb more solar energy and therefore affects sea temperatures, air temperature, animal migration and political conflicts.

Recent low summer sea ice extents in the high north have led to more Arctic shipping as new routes become more feasible and attractive to operators by being shorter and cheaper to run. For this reason, it is widely speculated that shipping routes across the arctic are only going to increase and become more heavily trafficked with global trade and the movement of goods, particularly from Asia to Europe. With shipping increasing in the Arctic, more black carbon is being released locally into the atmosphere and subsequently falling on the arctic ice in higher concentrations. This is creating a deadly feedback loop of increasing shipping opportunity through reduced sea ice extents, resulting in more black carbon and thus further increasing rates of melting sea ice.

Black carbon is not recognised within IPCC climate legislation due to being classified as a short-lived atmospheric particle unlike Carbon Dioxide and other air based anthropogenic pollutants. So, until black carbon is fully recognised within climate change policies and legislation, its contribution to the environmental destruction of the Arctic ice will continue at unprecedented rates.

The Black Ice Forum is a master plan that addresses the issue of black carbon emissions and its detrimental effects on the melting arctic ice and consequently global warming. The purpose of the master plan is to use architecture as a climate marker within the shifting landscape of sea ice and to humanise the overwhelming topic of global warming. This is done by blurring the boundaries between architecture and landscape and by using the changing climatic conditions to expose, conceal and manipulate both the structure and its surroundings. The project also seeks to bring black carbon to the forefront of climate summits through the implementation of policies, a new measure of GDP (based on environmental factors) and black carbon credits.

The project was developed at the University of Westminster.

KOOZ What prompted the project?

KH We are told that the Arctic sea ice is melting at unprecedented rates, but are we really able to comprehend what this means? This question is the driving force behind this project with the aim to humanise the vast topic of climate change. Utilizing research, mapping and simulation of climatic phenomenon I wanted to develop architecture that grows from an interaction with data derived from exploring climate change through a non-human entity. By choosing a non-human entity to begin researching, I was able to tell a story through this entity making the vast topic of climate change more focused and tangible. It can also uncover things about climate change that are not presented in popular depictions of the melting Arctic, bringing to light things that have been downplayed in this extremely political topic.

KOOZ What questions does the project raise and which does it address?

KH My project started off trying to address the question of how to tell the story of climate change through a non-human entity using data and mapping. The entity I chose to explore is black carbon (aka soot). It is one of the largest contributors to the melting arctic and is produced from incomplete combustion with notable sources in the Arctic being shipping, which uses Heavy Fuel Oils, and Arctic wildfires. It’s large particle size (2.5 μm diameter) means that it only stays in the atmosphere for a few days to a few weeks but is unseen to the human eye. This therefore raises the question; how can this invisible phenomenon be made visible?

With shipping increasing in the Arctic, more black carbon is being released locally into the atmosphere and subsequently falling on the arctic ice in higher concentrations. This is creating a deadly feedback loop of increasing shipping opportunity through reduced sea ice extents, resulting in more black carbon and thus further increasing rates of melting sea ice. This has further impacts on sea temperatures, air temperature, animal migration and political conflict – of which black carbon is not a sole contributor but a hidden and hugely significant factor. Therefore, another question is raised; how can the global impact of this entity be expressed/visualised through architecture?

However, shockingly black carbon has fallen below the radar of IPCC climate change legislation due to being classified as a short-lived atmospheric particle unlike Carbon Dioxide and other air based anthropogenic pollutants. Until black carbon is fully recognised within climate change policies and legislation, its contribution to the environmental destruction of the Arctic will continue at unprecedented rates. This raises the final question; What can be done to bring black carbon to the forefront of climate change policies?

The overall master plan for this project aims to bring black carbon emissions to the forefront of climate summits through the implementation of new policies, a new measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and black carbon credits. The location of the masterplan is within the shifting landscape of sea ice to humanise an overwhelming topic of global warming. This is done by blurring the boundaries between architecture and landscape and by using the changing climatic conditions to expose, conceal and manipulate both the structure and its surround.

KOOZ How does the project approach the role of the architect and the power of architecture?

KH The project explores a research and data driven approach to designing in order to create architecture that is shaped by its climatic and physical context. For example, in this project the architecture becomes a climate marker, if action is taken and global warming starts to reverse, the building will become more engulfed in sea ice, whereas if action isn’t implemented properly or urgently the building will become more exposed for longer periods of time. Architecture is something that humans interact with constantly and can be a tool to express global phenomenon’s and evoke debates and conversation.

KOOZ What is your opinion on the contemporary relationship between architecture and our global environment?

KH Contemporary architecture has the tools to highlight or even help correct global environmental issues. The masterplan within my project shows how contemporary architecture can act as a link between the user and its environment but also how architects need to respond to constantly shifting and fluctuating climatic states. This includes thinking about the lifespan of the architecture and how it behaves differently over time. This is something that contemporary architecture is beginning to explore more commonly and could help improve the relationship between the built environment and our global environment.

KOOZ What are the greatest shortcomings of the discipline in relation to the changing climate?

KH Even though there is a shift towards more sustainable construction methods, there needs to be a greater urgency to implement these within the built environment. The construction industry contributes nearly half of the global carbon footprint and with the UK aiming to be net zero carbon by 2050 we should already be building carbon neutral architecture. However, the urgency also applies to creating climate change policies or even introducing a new measure of GDP as highlighted in my project. If GDP were measured against a countries climatic impact, then there would be national incentive to implement new climate change policies at a greater rate. Otherwise, without climate change policies to construct zero carbon buildings, there is little to encourage clients to implement a carbon neutral brief.

KOOZ How do you imagine yourself operating sustainably as a practicing architect?

KH Ideally as a practicing architect I would like to work on projects that strive to achieve a carbon neutral footprint and, where possible, are re-using construction materials. The construction industry creates a huge amount of material and energy waste which contributes massively to its carbon footprint. Therefore, I would strive to reduce the amount of waste by reducing the embodied energy of the building, specifying recycled or re-used materials and utilising renewable energy. These alone won’t fix all the waste issues in the construction industry but are some key aspects that as an architect I could bring forward in projects.

KOOZ What is for you the power of the Architectural Imaginary?

KH The power of the Architectural Imaginary is being able to explore ideas and develop conversations without the limitations of a real-time project. This is hugely important in the field of architecture to encourage the industry to change and grow. Creating these unrealised projects helps to inform a body of research which could then go on to influence decisions and ways of working in real-time projects.