An Atmosphere Excavated

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An Atmosphere Excavated

Firm

Type

Residential › Private House
Commercial › Office
Hospitality + Sport ›
Industrial › Factory

BUDGET

$10M - 50M

Dating back to the 18th century the Harnham
Estate, located a short distance outside Salisbury England has documented
regional techniques for harvesting water providing a rich history of the
practice and the subsequent effects. The methods applied through the centuries
reflect regional limitations, a shift in intention and attempts to amplify
efficiencies. Although many of these techniques are specific to the region and
time period, they are not necessarily unique to the site; it is the extent of
the documentation of these exercises and the entrepreneurial achievements
intent on monetary gain that make the subsequent story so fascinating. After
acquiring the Estate in 1786 following the death of his Father, Sir Edward
Harnham commissioned a series of engraved maps to be produced of the Estate.
Cataloguing the boundaries of the Estate, as well as all landmarks within the
terrain in a series of 4 maps and 2 scenic prints one depicting the manor, and
the other the view of the Salisbury Cathedral from the manor. The 2 remaining
images both display the dew ponds contained on the site. The large number and
proximity of these dew ponds is rare, and is considered to be the largest
concentration of dew ponds known in the South Downs. Located on large deposits
of chalk the South Downs is essentially a large aquifer making the retention of
water a difficult task. For hundreds of years residents if the South Downs have
used a technique known as puddling to construct dew ponds which allow water to
be drawn from the atmosphere and retained on the surface for long time periods
to provide drinking water for cattle. In the Early 20th century a catastrophic
failure exposed a previously forgotten cistern located beneath the dew ponds. A
local architecture firm was hired to survey the cistern and assess its
potential threat to the existing manor. The conclusions presented stated that
once the water had evacuated the cistern it was no longer a structural threat
to the residence. No one was injured in the failure, however a large number of
livestock were lost. The rupture left a large chalk scar on the landscape which
could be seen kilometres away. Inspired by the still visible scar James Harnham
and a business partner John Linski founded Ethereal 1. Providing premium
bottled water harvested from the now locally known Harnham dew ponds, Ethereal
1 entered the market June 11th, 1991 at 14 £ a litre. After a slow start
Ethereal 1 finally met with success in 1995 as the market for bottled water
grew exponentially. In order the meet growing demands, a series of dew
collecting nets were pioneered by a London based architecture firm MJB
Architects which allowed for a 25 fold increase production. Due to peak
production vs. bottling time, storage bladders were constructed on the hillside
to provide short term storage for water during the process. The Bladders were
placed under the surface of the earth to provide protection from the sun, and
to retain the waters desired temperature. This new system now mirrored the
previous system harvesting, storing, and distorting the landscape, except on an
exaggerated time scale. The success of Ethereal 1 is largely credited to the
history of water collection from the Estate. Inversely this success in turn
encouraged the use of these techniques in the region to meet growing demands
for water during periods of drought. Once these techniques were spread over a
larger region their success caused the near collapse of the water table in the
territory north of the South Downs. In 2026 a bill failed to pass that would have
banned all acts of poaching the aerial aquifers within Southern England. By
2035 desalination became the leading source of water for England followed
closely by atmospheric stripping techniques such as dew harvesting. At present
3000 cubic miles of water exist in the atmosphere at any given time. 98 percent
of this resource is replenished every 2 days, and most importantly only 2
percent of this moisture exist in clouds, the vast majority is found in ambient
air. Since 2028 atmospheric aquifers have been tracked and traded as an asset
in the global stock exchange. As waters value increases many countries inflate
their economies based on water futures. Recognized as one of the most
prestigious water companies in the world, Ethereal 1 began to capitalize on
their long standing history of water collection. In 2001 the company began
selling vintage bottles of water, allowing customers to hand pick select days
in which their water was collected. In 2071 an addition to the manor is
constructed to house Ethereal 1s reserve bottle collection. The building is
constructed out of an amalgamated chalk solution that itself becomes a source
of water collection and storage. Three years following the construction of the
Reserve House a vintage bottle of Ethereal 1 dated prior to the millennium
fetches over 40,000 £ at auction.

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John Becker

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An Atmosphere Excavated

An Atmosphere Excavated

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team