The Evolution of Sihwa Dam: A Formal Design Theory Perspective

The design and construction of water resource management systems, including tidal dams or barrages, requires careful planning, in part because of the engineering complexity associated with large civil works, and in part because they are situated within the much larger, complex coastal environment. The combined engineering and environmental complexities associated with these systems mean that failures which stem from decisions made during the design phase of the project can have an unexpected and catastrophic effect on the local habitat and population, and can result in staggering and unforeseen economic losses to the local and national economies. This paper explores the evolution of Sihwa Dam in Ansan, South Korea in an attempt to understand the successes and failures of the project from the perspective of formal design theories and to provide guidelines for the design of similar systems in the future. Suh's (2001) Axiomatic Design (AD) Theory, Altshuller's (2005) Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), and Don Norman's (1988) take on human centered design are combined to provide a unique point of view on the issues associated with the project. Design matrices are constructed (1) for the system as it existed before human intervention, (2) for the first incarnation of Sihwa Dam, and (3) for the second incarnation of Sihwa Dam which will soon be completed. Coupling, conflict, and compromise within the matrices is identified and discussed. The need for including functional requirements associated with environmental protect is demonstrated. Finally, secondary and tertiary effects are examined by exploring the affordances which were added and removed with each new variation. The result is an improved understanding of the design of tidal dams and barrages which can be used to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. It also highlights some of the similarities, differences, and shortcomings of the theories used here. This paper is an extension of previous work by Thompson et al. (2008) and part of a larger effort to understand how formal design theories and methodologies from other engineering and design fields may be used to improve design in civil and environmental engineering.