Speculative

Design
Proposal
Scenario: Ungoverning

The ECOenclosure

Grace Ferrentino
N10747664
DYB124 Assessment 2
 The ECOenclosure
The ECOenclosure is a speculative design artefact that people in the proposed future might use to solve
the problems featured. In this scenario, the collapse of government has led society to divide itself into
clusters that live together in apartment complexes, each with their own systems and beliefs. Everyone
is relegated to their own unit, as isolation is necessary to prevent further disasters from occurring and
protect them from the unbreathable, polluted outside atmosphere. Virtual reality is the primary way in
which people stay connected and live in their meagre apartments, however, living without nature and
human interaction would be miserable. Hence, the ECOenclosure. The ECOenclosure is a purified,
climate-controlled, greenhouse at the top of each apartment complex where nature thrives, allowing
food to be grown, animals to be raised, and human interaction to take place. This design artefact also
has foreseen consequences, and potentially unforeseen ones, that will need to be accounted for.

Current Concerns
The global event of COVID-19 has brought to light many faults and other aspects of our society never
previously noticed or considered. Other issues that have been neglected even before the virus arose still
pose a threat to humanity. These different factors have been brought together to create a speculative
future scenario to highlight potential consequences our current actions may have 50 years from now.
With the pandemic forcing humanity to suddenly enforce superior hygiene practices, many have been
completely locked indoors to minimise the spread the virus. Will this become the new normal in the
future? How will we stop another similar disaster from occurring? What are the consequences of these
actions? Climate change is another major threat to humanity’s survival. With more animal species going
extinct, weather events becoming more extreme, and pollution contaminating our air quality, going
outside in the distant future could become too dangerous and undesirable. Additionally, the abundance
of social media usage and uprising of virtual reality means there are a myriad of things people can do
now without needing to leave their home. Lastly, with constant conflict between left and right political
views, such a deeply divided nation seems ungovernable (Institute for the Future [IFTF], 2020). In this
speculative future scenario, it is assumed that the increasing conflict has taken over the political
system, turning society to anarchy. The four factors – disease, global warming, advancement of
technology, and collapse of government – are taken into account in this future, creating a dystopian
vision of what consequences of our current could look like in 50 years.
How it Works
The ECOenclosure is a dedicated space on the top floor of future apartment systems. In this imagined
future 50 years away, the collapse of government has led people to live in self-sustaining apartment
buildings, each with their own social system and ways of surviving post-pandemic and through the
worsening condition of global warming. Our grandchildren will know nothing but life in the tower.
Every apartment system would function differently depending on the people inside, however, in the
particular system investigated here, people are delegated different tasks to survive and children are
raised to fulfil their role in the tower. The ECOenclosure is a communal space on the top floor of the
building, the only place where residents can interact with one another, grow food, and stay in touch
with nature. Being secluded from other humans and nature can bring negative health effects (Barton &
Pretty), the problem that the ECOenclosure solves. The roof is covered in a virtual display of what the
ideal outdoors might look like. Solar panels on the other side of the display power people’s flats. Air
filters purify the near unbreathable atmosphere outside. Residents are required to pass through a
sanitisation chamber when entering and exiting the space as to not spread any infections to other
people or animals, as this could terminate existence in the tower. As well as providing space for
farmland and food production, the ECOenclosure serves as a natural haven to the inhabitants who
spend the majority of their lives in virtual reality. For most – especially those who remember life before
the tower – this space is an essential element of their lives.
Potential Impacts
However, some consequences may arise as a result of the ECOenclosure. Firstly, sanitisation must be
strictly enforced in order to prevent any further outbreaks in this future scenario. However, as each
tower is independent of one another, if an outbreak were to occur, likely only the tower it originated in
will be affected. Secondly, being the only place residents can interact physically with each other, it
would be the only location fights would occur. A way to teach greater empathy and understanding of
each other – another value outlined in my manifesto – would be necessary for everyone in the tower to
live together. If a fight were to break out, a way to deal with it rapidly and efficiently will be necessary
to avoid any further from occurring. Lastly, the ECOenclosure would prove to be extremely unsafe in the
event of an emergency such as a fire, earthquake or leakage/flood. The overhead electronics of the
displays and solar panels would prove extremely dangerous to people inside the centre if they were to
fall, catch fire or come into contact with water. Finding ways to avoid these foreseen consequences
would be essential to the ECOenclosure’s function. Other unforeseen consequences that we may not
currently understand could also arise and would need to be circumvented.

In a future where the government is abolished, viral epidemics are a threat, global warming makes the
outside world uninhabitable, yet with technology that can allow us to do numerous things while
remaining at home, the ECOenclosure is designed to help people enjoy their lives in the tower. By
allowing residents to reconnect with one another and with nature, the ECOenclosure helps boost
inhabitant’s mental and physical health to better enjoy life in their bleak future. Perhaps by creating
speculative designs such as the ECOenclosure to promote thought, we can leave this dystopia as an
inaccurate prediction rather than letting it become truth.

References
Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental
Health? A Multi-Study Analysis. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(10), 3947–3955.
https://doi.org/10.1021/es903183r

Institute for the Future. (2020). AFTER THE PANDEMIC WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Institute for the Future.
https://www.iftf.org/whathappensnext/