A short description of the topic(s) you wish to investigate
From the initial subject of “London research” which we devoted ourselves to understanding various cultural communities in London, I realized differences among them and the concept of “social hierarchy”, this concept has been revealed in my previous works more or less, either to minimize the social hierarchy or to exaggerate it. I was interesting in how an urban pattern can reflect the social hierarchy or how they influence each other, as well as negative and positive interactions between them.
The objectives you wish to achieve in pursuing the topic(s).
In terms of my project of detailed urban design, I created a small multiple layers city. At first glance, this project was for tackling the crisis of flooding, actually, to large extent I was trying to embody the social hierarchy which can interact with that new complicated urban structure, like a metaphor: the top of the city is accumulated with advantaged people, to some extent they represent brainworkers who are directing a city’s operation. On the other hand, the bottom of the city is accumulated with disadvantaged people, who represent manual workers that support the upper layers.
This perspective is so similar with an old movie “Metropolis”(Released in 1927 , directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou.) which is my one of key references. It revealed two polar social classes: one is mechanical workers living in the depths beneath the earth, the other is advanced people living in skyscrapers who control these workers, meanwhile can enjoy their colourful lives.
Besides the fictional urban pattern in the movie, some real phenomena exist in our present society. In terms of the inspiration by the movie, I’d like to research some certain sites and investigate the relationship between urban pattern and social hierarchy, as well as to figure out some contradictions and opportunities to improve this kind of relationship, to balance them in order to achieve a more healthy society, thus this investigation can be as th foundation of my final design.
City is like a huge machine that need different people play different roles in, it is not enough if we just consider the gap of social hierarchy as an unfair and negative issue. From my point of view, we need create a more well-organised city in order to give everybody their own value to devote themselves into the city’s operation.
The work methodology you intend to follow.
First step is basic information of social hierarchy, focusing on how it is reflected and how it formed. I’d like to search some relevant documents and theoretical books in order to have a clear concept of this issue. Secondly, I plan to do some fieldwork in London for finding out how the urban pattern or building typology is connected with different social hierarchy or different cultural communities, what kind of contradictions or negative aspect has been revealed, as well as active elements. Thirdly, I also want to refer to my detailed urban design project and some existing methods to discuss how we can treat the gap between different social hierarchy in terms of adjusting the urban pattern, to be more specific, how the effects of “bottom up” and ”top down” approach interact.
The anticipated contents of the design project and the media you think you will be using (Plans, computer renders, models, film, etc…)
My anticipated final design project depends on almost all of my previous works, It is supposed to be a more detailed and advanced design originating from my detailed urban design. It should be a multiple layers, mixed use and well-organized city, people of different social hierarchy have their own positions that are integrated into the whole city’s improvement. Besides the plans and models, I am keen to compose a story by drawing a series of pictures to show how a people find his/her value trough making a round trip between the top and the bottom of the city.
The anticipated table of contents of the written Report and a brief outline of the content of each chapter.
Chapter 1 Existence and Representation of Social Hierarchy
Refer to the first work of “London research”, it will introduce the existence of social hierarchy and how it is reflected by urban pattern.
Chapter 2 Formation of Social Hierarchy and the mutual impact between Social Hierarchy and Urban Pattern.
Chapter 3 Various perspectives regard Social Hierarchy.
Chapter 4. The Mediator Between The Top and The Bottom.
Refer to the movie “Metropolis” , it mentioned that “the head” and “the hand” need a mediator to understand each other , so that they could unite for operating the city. If we need adjust the gap between different social hierarchy in the view of urban design, Architects or Urban designer can be viewed as the mediator.
Chapter 5 Conclusion
In my view, a harmonious society should provide citizens a common target that suits most people’s interest, as well as give everybody their own value working in their positions. In that way, we need create a well-organised city, a balance city rather than blindly eliminating the gap between different social hierarchy.
A preliminary list of references in the form of a short bibliography.
1.Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(film)
2.David Grahame Shane, 2005, Recombinant Urbanism, Wiley-Academy, a division of John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
3.Jane Jacobs,1961,The Death and Life of Great American cities. Random House.
4.Paterson, Alexander, Sir, 1884-1947.: Across the bridges : or, Life by the South London riverside / by Alexander Paterson / with an introduction by the Right Rev. E.S. Talbot. New ed. London : E. Arnold , 1912.
Thursday 30 April 2009
PARASITIC GROWTH: ROBIN HOOD GARDENS
The main focus of this report will be to examine the creation and growth of parasites within the city as a strategy for future expansion.
There is a potential energy inherent in all built structures and in an attempt to accommodate growth, this energy can be treated in various ways. Sometimes it is wasted by simply tearing something down and replacing it. In other circumstances, buildings are renovated or re-used so that the building remains largely unaltered, accompanied by an input of new energy. There exists also an option, whereby a new entity is created, a parasite, which, combined with the existing context, creates a stratification rather than an addition, as well as a potential functional and aesthetic break.
Themes that I intend to explore in this report include the following:
An exploration of parasites across disciplinary boundaries (eg in biology, culture, etc)
Global and local examples of urban parasites
The manner of exchange between parasite and host
Permanence versus the ephemeral
Responsive/flexible urbanism
Urban rhythms and flows
Chaos theory as design strategy
In the design project, I will be focussing on the Robin Hood Gardens council estate. Located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, Robin Hood Gardens was designed by Alison and Peter Smithson at the end of the 1960s and completed in 1972. It is historically significant in that its design was a reaction to Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation and it embodied the then cutting-edge concept of “streets in the sky,” whereby pedestrian functions usually limited to the ground plane were lifted into the air in the form of elevated walkways. The complex’s design is also a striking example of the post-war Brutalist architectural style, and embodies a high level of intelligence and attention to detail on the part of its designers, in part as a response to its location adjacent to two busy roadways, one of which contains the portal of the Blackwall Tunnel. Unfortunately, due to decades of neglect, Robin Hood Gardens has become rundown and generally an unpleasant place to live. According to the BBC , more than 75% of its residents would like to see the complex demolished and replaced with a new solution. As the government has refused to place the buildings on the heritage list , relocation of its residents and its demolition is most likely imminent.
I will provide a redesign of Robin Hood Gardens, a more environmentally and culturally sustainable alternative to a simplistic demolition-as-upgrade solution. Moreover, this project will be in part a celebration of the beauty of the unfortunately long-neglected council estate. My principle strategy will be to carry out random “building cuts” which will at once function as new forms of open space, while also functioning as a platform onto which a parasitic growth of my designing will occur. This redesign will provide an increased density to the area, but moreover it will break up the rigidity of the complex and conform to the site’s natural rhythms and flows, while allowing the original architecture to coexist.
In many ways, the built form of Robin Hood Gardens is alienating and creates an almost inhuman experience for those who live within it. Part of the reason for this is its extreme standardization, rigidness, and presence of dark and claustrophobic spaces. Although its starkness is in many ways what makes the design so attractive, it produces a living environment with little differentiation, where individuality is difficult to decipher. The introduction of a parasitic element, an element of chaos, into the redesign of the complex will aid in fostering a sense of individuality and uniqueness for those living in Robin Hood Gardens.
Perhaps the most central strategy for the Smithsons in designing Robin Hood Gardens, was the creation of barriers to protect its inhabitants from the heavy vehicular traffic flows that surround the site. While their solution functions well, the resulting quiet inner space is extremely disconnected from the outside and resembles more of an enclosed prison yard than an attractive gathering space for residents. It is so quiet that it feels at times unsafe. I propose that the complex nature of the surrounding traffic flows not be ignored, by acknowledging, mapping, and mirroring them, creating new livelier flows of desirable (pedestrian) movement through the site. These flows will at once animate the site, and connect it to its surroundings.
In addition to my large-scale changes to Robin Hood Garden’s buildings and site, I will also make finer grain interventions.
I intend on employing a range of media for this project. This will include photography, physical models, three-dimensional models, computer aided design, and sketches. More specifically, I will be producing photomontages, elevations, plans, and collages, in addition to the models.
The written component of the report will be in bound A4 format, which will include both text and images.
REFERENCES
BOOKS
Allen, Jennifer. Parasite Paradise: A Manifesto for Temporary Architecture and Flexible Urbanism. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2003. Print.
BOW WOW, Made in Tokyo. 1. Tokyo: Kajima Institute Publishing Co., 2001. Print.
Diserens, Corinne. Gordon Matta-Clark. 1. New York: Phaidon, 2006. Print.
Gleick, James. Chaos. 3rd ed. London: Heinemann, 1989. Print.
Johnson, Paul-Alan. The Theory of Architecture: Concepts, Themes, & Practices. 1st ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1994. Print.
Lasdun, Denys. Architecture in an Age of Scepticism. 1st ed. London: Heinemann, 1984. Print.
Leyton, Michael. Shape as Memory. 1st ed. Basel: Birkhauser, 2006. Print.
Teymur, Necdet, Thomas A. Markus, and Tom Woolley. Rehumanizing Housing. 1st ed. London: Butterworths, 1988. Print.
WEBSITES
Las Palmas Parasite
http://www.kortekniestuhlmacher.nl/laspalmas.html#engtext
Stelarc
http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/
There is a potential energy inherent in all built structures and in an attempt to accommodate growth, this energy can be treated in various ways. Sometimes it is wasted by simply tearing something down and replacing it. In other circumstances, buildings are renovated or re-used so that the building remains largely unaltered, accompanied by an input of new energy. There exists also an option, whereby a new entity is created, a parasite, which, combined with the existing context, creates a stratification rather than an addition, as well as a potential functional and aesthetic break.
Themes that I intend to explore in this report include the following:
An exploration of parasites across disciplinary boundaries (eg in biology, culture, etc)
Global and local examples of urban parasites
The manner of exchange between parasite and host
Permanence versus the ephemeral
Responsive/flexible urbanism
Urban rhythms and flows
Chaos theory as design strategy
In the design project, I will be focussing on the Robin Hood Gardens council estate. Located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, Robin Hood Gardens was designed by Alison and Peter Smithson at the end of the 1960s and completed in 1972. It is historically significant in that its design was a reaction to Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation and it embodied the then cutting-edge concept of “streets in the sky,” whereby pedestrian functions usually limited to the ground plane were lifted into the air in the form of elevated walkways. The complex’s design is also a striking example of the post-war Brutalist architectural style, and embodies a high level of intelligence and attention to detail on the part of its designers, in part as a response to its location adjacent to two busy roadways, one of which contains the portal of the Blackwall Tunnel. Unfortunately, due to decades of neglect, Robin Hood Gardens has become rundown and generally an unpleasant place to live. According to the BBC , more than 75% of its residents would like to see the complex demolished and replaced with a new solution. As the government has refused to place the buildings on the heritage list , relocation of its residents and its demolition is most likely imminent.
I will provide a redesign of Robin Hood Gardens, a more environmentally and culturally sustainable alternative to a simplistic demolition-as-upgrade solution. Moreover, this project will be in part a celebration of the beauty of the unfortunately long-neglected council estate. My principle strategy will be to carry out random “building cuts” which will at once function as new forms of open space, while also functioning as a platform onto which a parasitic growth of my designing will occur. This redesign will provide an increased density to the area, but moreover it will break up the rigidity of the complex and conform to the site’s natural rhythms and flows, while allowing the original architecture to coexist.
In many ways, the built form of Robin Hood Gardens is alienating and creates an almost inhuman experience for those who live within it. Part of the reason for this is its extreme standardization, rigidness, and presence of dark and claustrophobic spaces. Although its starkness is in many ways what makes the design so attractive, it produces a living environment with little differentiation, where individuality is difficult to decipher. The introduction of a parasitic element, an element of chaos, into the redesign of the complex will aid in fostering a sense of individuality and uniqueness for those living in Robin Hood Gardens.
Perhaps the most central strategy for the Smithsons in designing Robin Hood Gardens, was the creation of barriers to protect its inhabitants from the heavy vehicular traffic flows that surround the site. While their solution functions well, the resulting quiet inner space is extremely disconnected from the outside and resembles more of an enclosed prison yard than an attractive gathering space for residents. It is so quiet that it feels at times unsafe. I propose that the complex nature of the surrounding traffic flows not be ignored, by acknowledging, mapping, and mirroring them, creating new livelier flows of desirable (pedestrian) movement through the site. These flows will at once animate the site, and connect it to its surroundings.
In addition to my large-scale changes to Robin Hood Garden’s buildings and site, I will also make finer grain interventions.
I intend on employing a range of media for this project. This will include photography, physical models, three-dimensional models, computer aided design, and sketches. More specifically, I will be producing photomontages, elevations, plans, and collages, in addition to the models.
The written component of the report will be in bound A4 format, which will include both text and images.
REFERENCES
BOOKS
Allen, Jennifer. Parasite Paradise: A Manifesto for Temporary Architecture and Flexible Urbanism. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2003. Print.
BOW WOW, Made in Tokyo. 1. Tokyo: Kajima Institute Publishing Co., 2001. Print.
Diserens, Corinne. Gordon Matta-Clark. 1. New York: Phaidon, 2006. Print.
Gleick, James. Chaos. 3rd ed. London: Heinemann, 1989. Print.
Johnson, Paul-Alan. The Theory of Architecture: Concepts, Themes, & Practices. 1st ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1994. Print.
Lasdun, Denys. Architecture in an Age of Scepticism. 1st ed. London: Heinemann, 1984. Print.
Leyton, Michael. Shape as Memory. 1st ed. Basel: Birkhauser, 2006. Print.
Teymur, Necdet, Thomas A. Markus, and Tom Woolley. Rehumanizing Housing. 1st ed. London: Butterworths, 1988. Print.
WEBSITES
Las Palmas Parasite
http://www.kortekniestuhlmacher.nl/laspalmas.html#engtext
Stelarc
http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/
Tuning cities with life – desynchronised urban rhythms in daily urban life
A) Description of the topics
One of the major trend of evolution of our urban societies is the increasingly more individualised and desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city, at their own speeds, at different hours, with their own lifestyle. This report will try to study rhythms in general and rhythms of life to see the impacts and interferences it may cause to see how could we really be able to live our cities 24/7 (on an actual 24 hour basis, 7 days a week). This will be done with a special drive of network thinking as an approach to bring a possible solution to it.
B) Objectives pursued
Through this report I would like to:
- explore what I think is already occurring and will even further develop: the desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city. Yet, can we conceive and create places that reconcile each of the 3 different groups of people - the people working/the people resting/the people having fun, each successively morphing into the other throughout the day - to live along and together at any time? Is it compatible with the tidal rhythm of the River Thames?
- explore the validity and applicability of the system theory and network thinking in urbanism as an approach to bring holistic solutions.
- to be able to propose intellectually and personally satisfying answers in continuation of the Detailed UD project, both in terms of ideas, content and output.
C) Work Methodology
In line with the concept of reconciling human activities with the rhythms of Nature, I will probably create a narrative for 3 persons who have different lifestyles and develop their lives in the created environment of Woolwich area, flooded twice a day by the River Thames.
D) Anticipated content + Media
As the notion of time is very important, the media will probably include a film or a succession of still pictures and drawings. A model will probably be a good solution too.
E) Anticipated table of contents + brief outline of content
1- Acknowledgements
2- Intro
3- About rhythms
i) Life rhythms
Natural rhythms/rhythms of Nature (biological, daily, tidal, seasonal rhythm...)
Artificial/created rhythms (weeks, calendars, working hours...)
ii) The rhythms of the City
(a) The “city rhythm”: the regular and repetitive activities, sounds and smells.
(b) The City is Music:
The sounds of the city.
New Orleans=blues, Paris/New York=jazz, Kingston=reggae, London=rock/pop/punk.
“Sensing city”: influence of the rhythms of the city in musical performance
Jacques Reda: a flaneur journey through Paris to the tempo of jazz.
(c) The “secret melody”. The city: a meeting point between the “natural rhythms” of the Universe - the macrocosm, and the “created rhythms” of Man - the microcosm?
iii) The “Time” factor: the added dimension to the 3-dimensional experience of the city.
4- Mobility and “Network cities”
i) Complexity science and network thinking
ii) A user-based approach for design?
iii) Integrating time in space: zoning “temporal-spatial activities”?
Daily, weekly, tidal, seasonal... Natural rhythms: their cyclic character and their patterns.
Human activities: artificial rhythms or created, the possible influence of Man.
iv) Speed: the relationship between Space and Time
v) Different scales, different speeds. Different speeds, different transports.
vi) “Network cities”: a solution to tune people’s rhythms of life into a symphony?
5- Application: the “25-hour City”.
i) the River Thames: the Dominant rhythm that creates space and temporalities of the city.
ii) “Zoning: the temporal-spatial activities that can unfold”
The North Bank: business, offices, shopping, parks&open spaces, regional&international
The South Bank: residential, shopping, waterfront, leisure&entertainment, ecological park, regional&local
The Hub: 24-hour island with constant change of spaces, of uses and activities over time.
iii) Mobility: using the Thames Barrier & removing the Thames as a barrier.
East-West goes regional, North-South goes local.
iv) Mobility: from Regional to local - the transition from train & DLR to foot
v) To multi-beat City, multi-calendars. Events & activities different speeds.
F) Preliminary list of references/Short bibliography
Barabási, A.L., 2002, Linked: The New Science of Networks, Perseus, Cambridge (UK).
Drewe Paul, D., 2005, What about Time in Urban Planning & Design in the ICT age? , CORP, Delft, The Netherlands.
Dupuy, Gabriel, 1991, L’urbanisme des Reseaux – Theories et Méthodes, Armand Colin, Éditeur, Paris
Hoete, A. (ed.), 2003, ROAM Reader On the Aesthetics of Mobility, Black Dog Publishing London New York.
Klaasen I., Remon R., Van Schaick J., 2007, Network Cities: operationalising a strong but confusing concept, http://www.enhr2007rotterdam.nl/documents/W20_paper_Klaasen_Rooij_VanSchaick.pdf
Koolhaas,R., 1995, Cities S,M,L,XL, Monacelli PressNew York.
Miller, J., 1997, Floods, people at risk, strategies for prevention, United Nations, New York.
US, 95p.
Reda J., 1977, Les Ruines de Paris, Paris, Gallimard, coll. Le Chemin.
Saunders, D., 1977, An Introduction to Biological Rhythms, Blackie and Son Limited, Glasgow, UK.
Thwaites K., Porta S., Romice O., Greaves M., 2007, Urban Sustainability through Environmental Design – Approaches to time-people-place responsive urban spaces, Routledge London & New York.
One of the major trend of evolution of our urban societies is the increasingly more individualised and desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city, at their own speeds, at different hours, with their own lifestyle. This report will try to study rhythms in general and rhythms of life to see the impacts and interferences it may cause to see how could we really be able to live our cities 24/7 (on an actual 24 hour basis, 7 days a week). This will be done with a special drive of network thinking as an approach to bring a possible solution to it.
B) Objectives pursued
Through this report I would like to:
- explore what I think is already occurring and will even further develop: the desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city. Yet, can we conceive and create places that reconcile each of the 3 different groups of people - the people working/the people resting/the people having fun, each successively morphing into the other throughout the day - to live along and together at any time? Is it compatible with the tidal rhythm of the River Thames?
- explore the validity and applicability of the system theory and network thinking in urbanism as an approach to bring holistic solutions.
- to be able to propose intellectually and personally satisfying answers in continuation of the Detailed UD project, both in terms of ideas, content and output.
C) Work Methodology
In line with the concept of reconciling human activities with the rhythms of Nature, I will probably create a narrative for 3 persons who have different lifestyles and develop their lives in the created environment of Woolwich area, flooded twice a day by the River Thames.
D) Anticipated content + Media
As the notion of time is very important, the media will probably include a film or a succession of still pictures and drawings. A model will probably be a good solution too.
E) Anticipated table of contents + brief outline of content
1- Acknowledgements
2- Intro
3- About rhythms
i) Life rhythms
Natural rhythms/rhythms of Nature (biological, daily, tidal, seasonal rhythm...)
Artificial/created rhythms (weeks, calendars, working hours...)
ii) The rhythms of the City
(a) The “city rhythm”: the regular and repetitive activities, sounds and smells.
(b) The City is Music:
The sounds of the city.
New Orleans=blues, Paris/New York=jazz, Kingston=reggae, London=rock/pop/punk.
“Sensing city”: influence of the rhythms of the city in musical performance
Jacques Reda: a flaneur journey through Paris to the tempo of jazz.
(c) The “secret melody”. The city: a meeting point between the “natural rhythms” of the Universe - the macrocosm, and the “created rhythms” of Man - the microcosm?
iii) The “Time” factor: the added dimension to the 3-dimensional experience of the city.
4- Mobility and “Network cities”
i) Complexity science and network thinking
ii) A user-based approach for design?
iii) Integrating time in space: zoning “temporal-spatial activities”?
Daily, weekly, tidal, seasonal... Natural rhythms: their cyclic character and their patterns.
Human activities: artificial rhythms or created, the possible influence of Man.
iv) Speed: the relationship between Space and Time
v) Different scales, different speeds. Different speeds, different transports.
vi) “Network cities”: a solution to tune people’s rhythms of life into a symphony?
5- Application: the “25-hour City”.
i) the River Thames: the Dominant rhythm that creates space and temporalities of the city.
ii) “Zoning: the temporal-spatial activities that can unfold”
The North Bank: business, offices, shopping, parks&open spaces, regional&international
The South Bank: residential, shopping, waterfront, leisure&entertainment, ecological park, regional&local
The Hub: 24-hour island with constant change of spaces, of uses and activities over time.
iii) Mobility: using the Thames Barrier & removing the Thames as a barrier.
East-West goes regional, North-South goes local.
iv) Mobility: from Regional to local - the transition from train & DLR to foot
v) To multi-beat City, multi-calendars. Events & activities different speeds.
F) Preliminary list of references/Short bibliography
Barabási, A.L., 2002, Linked: The New Science of Networks, Perseus, Cambridge (UK).
Drewe Paul, D., 2005, What about Time in Urban Planning & Design in the ICT age? , CORP, Delft, The Netherlands.
Dupuy, Gabriel, 1991, L’urbanisme des Reseaux – Theories et Méthodes, Armand Colin, Éditeur, Paris
Hoete, A. (ed.), 2003, ROAM Reader On the Aesthetics of Mobility, Black Dog Publishing London New York.
Klaasen I., Remon R., Van Schaick J., 2007, Network Cities: operationalising a strong but confusing concept, http://www.enhr2007rotterdam.nl/documents/W20_paper_Klaasen_Rooij_VanSchaick.pdf
Koolhaas,R., 1995, Cities S,M,L,XL, Monacelli PressNew York.
Miller, J., 1997, Floods, people at risk, strategies for prevention, United Nations, New York.
US, 95p.
Reda J., 1977, Les Ruines de Paris, Paris, Gallimard, coll. Le Chemin.
Saunders, D., 1977, An Introduction to Biological Rhythms, Blackie and Son Limited, Glasgow, UK.
Thwaites K., Porta S., Romice O., Greaves M., 2007, Urban Sustainability through Environmental Design – Approaches to time-people-place responsive urban spaces, Routledge London & New York.
DSP - RESEARCH STATEMENT
Adaptive toolkit for urban growth. Tactile urbanism.
Our interest in Urban Design lies in meeting the urgent need for urban growth, understanding and finding ways to influence the variety of forces shaping the built environment. Our ultimate aim is to develop a toolkit for adaptation options of urban areas with different current urban conditions. Influencing the forces shaping the built environment is ideological and requires a vision of a better built environment constructed from concepts of equality, efficiency, productivity, beauty. We are not interested in proposing a general and idealized model of urban conditions, but finding a way to deal with them in design terms. Our focus will be to develop an evidence-based design approach that will reveal the authentic quality of the design itself to influence forces that shape the built environment. We will focus on tactile design that is appealing to senses as an approach to the incorporation of heterogeneity into patterns of growth.
Successful design arises from a thorough and caring understanding of place and context. We will develop a theoretic background on how the built environment came to be confronted with current urban conditions, and try to define three of them in the context of UK. Therefore, the toolkit will be developed in the context of three conditions: already established character such as a dense mixed use area, an area with completely undefined character that deals with sprawl such as a residential area, and a character that deals with collapse, relocation or isolation, such as an industrial site. We see our basis in putting the toolkit into the current urban context in order to demonstrate the potentials of this approach.
Then we will apply context to the tools we will be using for our tactile design method and define them by developing a theoretic background. We will use them to influence the growth of the built environment in each urban condition and evaluate the result. We will also examine case studies that successfully dealt with those urban conditions especially from the Netherlands experience, but also studies and approaches that we feel are opposed to our approach in design such as Parametrisism. We believe that no matter how attractive and skilful the design output of today is, it is growing irrelevant as it doesn’t address issues of urban reality. It is evident that despite the apparent diversity of styles, attitudes and aesthetics we see today, most urban design approaches fail to propose the solution for urban problems. Our design method develops to confront the growing irrelevance of current design solutions.
The output will be a flexible toolkit that can be applied to any site and can influence the forces that shape the built environment achieving “elegance” at the scale of human visual and physical perception and experience.
References:
Vesely, Dalibor.: Architecture in the age of divided representation : the question of creativity in the shadow of production / Dalibor Vesely,Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT Press, c2004
Hungry Box (2002-2004 : Netherlands Architecture Institute, etc.): Reading MVRDV, Rotterdam : NAi, c2003
Strategies in architectural thinking / edited by John Whiteman, Jeffrey Kipnis & Richard Burdett. Chicago, Ill : Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism ; Cambridge, Mass : MIT Press , 1991.
Rykwert, Joseph, 1926-: The seduction of place : the history and future of the city / Joseph Rykwert. New York : Vintage Books, c2002..
Mutations : Rem Koolhaas, Harvard Project on the City, Stefano Boeri, Multiplicity, Sanford Kwinter, Nadia Tazi, Hans Ulrich Obrist.Barcelona : ACTAR ; Bordeaux, France : Arc en rêve centre d'architecture, [2000].
Urban design futures / edited by Malcolm Moor and Jon Rowland. London : Routledge, 2006.
Our interest in Urban Design lies in meeting the urgent need for urban growth, understanding and finding ways to influence the variety of forces shaping the built environment. Our ultimate aim is to develop a toolkit for adaptation options of urban areas with different current urban conditions. Influencing the forces shaping the built environment is ideological and requires a vision of a better built environment constructed from concepts of equality, efficiency, productivity, beauty. We are not interested in proposing a general and idealized model of urban conditions, but finding a way to deal with them in design terms. Our focus will be to develop an evidence-based design approach that will reveal the authentic quality of the design itself to influence forces that shape the built environment. We will focus on tactile design that is appealing to senses as an approach to the incorporation of heterogeneity into patterns of growth.
Successful design arises from a thorough and caring understanding of place and context. We will develop a theoretic background on how the built environment came to be confronted with current urban conditions, and try to define three of them in the context of UK. Therefore, the toolkit will be developed in the context of three conditions: already established character such as a dense mixed use area, an area with completely undefined character that deals with sprawl such as a residential area, and a character that deals with collapse, relocation or isolation, such as an industrial site. We see our basis in putting the toolkit into the current urban context in order to demonstrate the potentials of this approach.
Then we will apply context to the tools we will be using for our tactile design method and define them by developing a theoretic background. We will use them to influence the growth of the built environment in each urban condition and evaluate the result. We will also examine case studies that successfully dealt with those urban conditions especially from the Netherlands experience, but also studies and approaches that we feel are opposed to our approach in design such as Parametrisism. We believe that no matter how attractive and skilful the design output of today is, it is growing irrelevant as it doesn’t address issues of urban reality. It is evident that despite the apparent diversity of styles, attitudes and aesthetics we see today, most urban design approaches fail to propose the solution for urban problems. Our design method develops to confront the growing irrelevance of current design solutions.
The output will be a flexible toolkit that can be applied to any site and can influence the forces that shape the built environment achieving “elegance” at the scale of human visual and physical perception and experience.
References:
Vesely, Dalibor.: Architecture in the age of divided representation : the question of creativity in the shadow of production / Dalibor Vesely,Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT Press, c2004
Hungry Box (2002-2004 : Netherlands Architecture Institute, etc.): Reading MVRDV, Rotterdam : NAi, c2003
Strategies in architectural thinking / edited by John Whiteman, Jeffrey Kipnis & Richard Burdett. Chicago, Ill : Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism ; Cambridge, Mass : MIT Press , 1991.
Rykwert, Joseph, 1926-: The seduction of place : the history and future of the city / Joseph Rykwert. New York : Vintage Books, c2002..
Mutations : Rem Koolhaas, Harvard Project on the City, Stefano Boeri, Multiplicity, Sanford Kwinter, Nadia Tazi, Hans Ulrich Obrist.Barcelona : ACTAR ; Bordeaux, France : Arc en rêve centre d'architecture, [2000].
Urban design futures / edited by Malcolm Moor and Jon Rowland. London : Routledge, 2006.
UD REPORT ABSTRACT
Memory and Movement in the Urban Fabric
“Memory is one of the key ingredients in the creation of place. It is subject to political as well as physical operations.”[1]
In the previous project I have looked at the relationship between memory and our experience of the city bearing in mind the importance of everyday routines. This was studied at an individual scale using narratives to explore furthermore how the passage of time contributes to this experience and that events of the past have an impact on the future of a place. Within the UD Report, I would like to take this at a larger scale and explore the effects of collective memory on the urban fabric and how this subjective element hand in hand with the actual physique of the city implements itself in the way the inhabitants move around it. The project will strive to encompass political, cultural and social entities in our experience of urban life. The main site of study will be in the area of Clerkenwell in London, which holds strong element of history and memory.
“As a historical production, space is not independent of time; we must consider how the city comes into being, how buildings are constructed, and also how the whole edifice of the urban is continually reproduced. Clearly time makes a difference.”[2] My first comparative example is the city of Venice, preserved in time almost a game board of sudden encounters. A maze and host to the labyrinth like movement of man and water. A city so dense in its physical fabric by creating extremes of public and private, where wanting to make the smallest change would threaten the ‘densely coded past’. So dreamy yet so real.
The other example I will be looking at is the fictional story of Alice in Wonderland in which the time of the story is the time of Alice’s dream and the spectator does not know this till she wakes up. Alice in this context is a tool for exploring the relationship between body and space[3]. The importance of scale and gender; and the existence of different landscapes for the body to experience on her way are other elements of interest.
“Social relations in the city are dynamic ones, and although we argue for the importance of space, time is increasingly entering into discussions of the social production of spaces not solely the time of historical materialism, but also personal and irregular times: bodily rhythms, unconscious and conscious memories, the flux of complexity and chaos.”[4] The lack of social interaction in the rapidly modernizing world is an issue that I addressed in the previous project. There seems to be a mask (both psychological and physical) put on by people in their day-to-day lives. For example the Venetian masks[5] are worn for completely different reasons as the Afghan Chadors (Borqa; a religious extremist cover for women imposed at the time of the ruling of the Taliban).
At different times (periods of history) and at different locations in the world, certain movements or events take place due to traditions, social and urban culture, politics or religion. Even though the reasons for them are different the outcome is still similar. These can be overlapped and interwoven to create a fictional landscape with the warp and weft of reality.
Another aspect of the city to be studied is the importance of memorials which are intended as mnemonic devices to trigger accumulative collective memories of particular historic events or people for the city inhabitants.. However it is widely argued that Memorials are now becoming a way of forgetting (Ian Sinclair) maybe due to the lack of relevance; instead they are becoming places of gathering and tools of orientation.(As well as serving their new roles as devices of amnesia.[6])
The different examples of locations , events, narratives and traditions given above will be mapped/modelled in a conceptual manner and linked to the site in London. The models of locations will be over-layed to study similarities and differences between them; and to also discover the qualities that the juxtaposition of totally different environments can bring out in another place.
Bibliography
Alex Coles, The Optic of Walter Benjamin, Black Dog Publishing limited, 2001
Heidi J. Nast and Steve Pile, Places through the body, Routledge 1998
Ian Borden, Joe Kerr, Jane Rendell with Alicia Pivaro; The Unknown City, The MIT Press 2001
Lewis Carol, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: And through the Looking Glass, Penguin Classics; Rev Ed edition (23 march 2003)
Mark Crinson, Urban Memory: History and amnesia in the modern city, Routledge 2005
Films:
· Disgraced Monuments, Produced, written, and directed by Mark Lewis and Laura Mulvey. 1993
· Alice in Wonderland, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson1951
Websites:
UD Report Proposal
-Title
Social / Cultural Identity of Urban Spaces
-A short description of the topic(s)
The objective of my essay is to explore the social and cultural identity of urban spaces and investigate the impact and effect these spaces have or potentially can have on maintaining the cultural identity of the city as a whole and the psychology of urban voids.
-Objectives
· Emphasis on the methods of designing the public spaces on the basis of analysis of the cultural geography and the social identity of the city.
· Broaden understanding of the urban qualities of the public spaces that improve the social and cultural identity of the city, and how to create a natural historical continuity of the growth of the city.
· Study of how the urban experience in the public space can reflect the cultural image or identity of the city.
· Study the differences between thinking in terms of “space” and thinking in terms of “place” which is a system of spaces with specific meaning for a specific group.
· Understanding the psychological meanings of an urban space. The establishment of relationships between the public sphere and the physical space.
· The creation of a guide for maintaining cultural identity in a modern world using public spaces.
-Work Methodology
A continuation of my work with the previous project, exploring the project from a much broader perspective.
Applying the above mentioned topics to my design.
Observation of public spaces available to me, both in person or through pictorial or video studies in terms of strengths and weaknesses in maintaining a cultural identity and their relationship to the society.
Internet and textbook research.
-Contents of the design project
In addition to the essay my final design project will consist of computer renders, models and
drawings.
-table of contents of the written Report and a brief outline of the
Content of each chapter.
Specific chapter titles are in progress but the outline for the content of each chapter is as follows:
· Transformation of the city: How fast does the city have to grow? And what is the ideal way for it to be developed? Should it be developed by organic growth, or by conscious planning?
· The city is more than just a configuration of buildings and infrastructure; it is also dependant on the way that humanity occupies it and functions within in its boundaries.
· The question of the city’s character, what is the short term and long term consequences and effects when global forces interact with local identity.
· A comparison: the gradual urban growth of a western European city compared to a sudden urban growing city in the east such as Dubai. This includes an analysis of the steps of growth that both cities have undergone and a projection of future growth. It also includes an examination of the values and meanings that were added to the identity of each studied city over the course of their history, with a focus more on the modern, twentieth century, history of each city.
· A study of how to conserve the urban identity and heritage of a city. Including an overview of the way in which a city’s history has been recycled and layered over time, both vertically and / or horizontally. Here we can also examine the character, identity and the consequence of events in each layer of time. What aspects of history can help and guide us in conservation and creation of the urban authenticity and heritage, and improve the cultural consciousness in the city.
· How can an urban void reflect the identity of a city? The production of space: the concept of space as a social / cultural product or construction that relies on values and the social production of meaning. This cannot be produced in minutes, it has to be developed and adapted through time by people, events and conditions that can shape the space naturally in a direct or indirect way.
A study of the urban society of London in the social and spatial sense.
· What forces can make the public space take shape? How can an urban void reflect the identity of a city as a whole? Why beauty should not be taken as an objective of design. A further study of social / cultural qualities and significance of the place.
· A study of the public domain as a guiding perspective: Public domain is defined as those places where exchange between different social groups is possible and actually occurs.
How to distinguish between public space and public domain? Which spaces are positively valued as spaces of shared experience by people from different backgrounds or with dissimilar interests?
A look at the effect of multiculturalism and globalization on cultural identity in the frame of public spaces.
-List of references
-Bru, Eduard. Three on the site. (Barcelona): (ACTAR), February 1997.
-Hajer, Marten / Reijndrop, Arnold. In search of new public domain: analysis and strategy. (Rotterdam): (NAi publishers), 2001.
-Wright, Herbert. Instant cities. (London, UK), (black dog publishing), 2008.
-Architecture for Humanity. Design like you give a damn. (New York),
(Metropolis Books), 2006.
-Smith Graham, Bentley Ian, Alcock Alan, Murrain Paul, McGlynn Sue.
Responsive environment: A manual for designers. (London), (Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd), 1985.
Sura Hadi
-Title
Social / Cultural Identity of Urban Spaces
-A short description of the topic(s)
The objective of my essay is to explore the social and cultural identity of urban spaces and investigate the impact and effect these spaces have or potentially can have on maintaining the cultural identity of the city as a whole and the psychology of urban voids.
-Objectives
· Emphasis on the methods of designing the public spaces on the basis of analysis of the cultural geography and the social identity of the city.
· Broaden understanding of the urban qualities of the public spaces that improve the social and cultural identity of the city, and how to create a natural historical continuity of the growth of the city.
· Study of how the urban experience in the public space can reflect the cultural image or identity of the city.
· Study the differences between thinking in terms of “space” and thinking in terms of “place” which is a system of spaces with specific meaning for a specific group.
· Understanding the psychological meanings of an urban space. The establishment of relationships between the public sphere and the physical space.
· The creation of a guide for maintaining cultural identity in a modern world using public spaces.
-Work Methodology
A continuation of my work with the previous project, exploring the project from a much broader perspective.
Applying the above mentioned topics to my design.
Observation of public spaces available to me, both in person or through pictorial or video studies in terms of strengths and weaknesses in maintaining a cultural identity and their relationship to the society.
Internet and textbook research.
-Contents of the design project
In addition to the essay my final design project will consist of computer renders, models and
drawings.
-table of contents of the written Report and a brief outline of the
Content of each chapter.
Specific chapter titles are in progress but the outline for the content of each chapter is as follows:
· Transformation of the city: How fast does the city have to grow? And what is the ideal way for it to be developed? Should it be developed by organic growth, or by conscious planning?
· The city is more than just a configuration of buildings and infrastructure; it is also dependant on the way that humanity occupies it and functions within in its boundaries.
· The question of the city’s character, what is the short term and long term consequences and effects when global forces interact with local identity.
· A comparison: the gradual urban growth of a western European city compared to a sudden urban growing city in the east such as Dubai. This includes an analysis of the steps of growth that both cities have undergone and a projection of future growth. It also includes an examination of the values and meanings that were added to the identity of each studied city over the course of their history, with a focus more on the modern, twentieth century, history of each city.
· A study of how to conserve the urban identity and heritage of a city. Including an overview of the way in which a city’s history has been recycled and layered over time, both vertically and / or horizontally. Here we can also examine the character, identity and the consequence of events in each layer of time. What aspects of history can help and guide us in conservation and creation of the urban authenticity and heritage, and improve the cultural consciousness in the city.
· How can an urban void reflect the identity of a city? The production of space: the concept of space as a social / cultural product or construction that relies on values and the social production of meaning. This cannot be produced in minutes, it has to be developed and adapted through time by people, events and conditions that can shape the space naturally in a direct or indirect way.
A study of the urban society of London in the social and spatial sense.
· What forces can make the public space take shape? How can an urban void reflect the identity of a city as a whole? Why beauty should not be taken as an objective of design. A further study of social / cultural qualities and significance of the place.
· A study of the public domain as a guiding perspective: Public domain is defined as those places where exchange between different social groups is possible and actually occurs.
How to distinguish between public space and public domain? Which spaces are positively valued as spaces of shared experience by people from different backgrounds or with dissimilar interests?
A look at the effect of multiculturalism and globalization on cultural identity in the frame of public spaces.
-List of references
-Bru, Eduard. Three on the site. (Barcelona): (ACTAR), February 1997.
-Hajer, Marten / Reijndrop, Arnold. In search of new public domain: analysis and strategy. (Rotterdam): (NAi publishers), 2001.
-Wright, Herbert. Instant cities. (London, UK), (black dog publishing), 2008.
-Architecture for Humanity. Design like you give a damn. (New York),
(Metropolis Books), 2006.
-Smith Graham, Bentley Ian, Alcock Alan, Murrain Paul, McGlynn Sue.
Responsive environment: A manual for designers. (London), (Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd), 1985.
Sura Hadi
Tutorials 2009-05-01
Tutorials this week to discuss your report abstract and the portfolio feedback.
09h30 - 10h00 Nuala
10h00 - 10h30 Stavi/Daria
10h30 - 11h00 Paul
11h00 - 11h30 Zahra
11h30 - 12h00 Muna
12h00 - 12h30 Sura
12h30 - 13h00 Sunny
13h30 - 14h00 Dai
14h00 - 14h30 Pritpal
PLease bring the required work along, eg. portfolio, proposal, sketches, ...
09h30 - 10h00 Nuala
10h00 - 10h30 Stavi/Daria
10h30 - 11h00 Paul
11h00 - 11h30 Zahra
11h30 - 12h00 Muna
12h00 - 12h30 Sura
12h30 - 13h00 Sunny
13h30 - 14h00 Dai
14h00 - 14h30 Pritpal
PLease bring the required work along, eg. portfolio, proposal, sketches, ...
Wednesday 22 April 2009
Research meeting - 2009-04-24
Meeting as small groups to discuss proposed research topics and present the first steps.
09h30
.
.
.
11h00
Zahra
Stevi / Daria
Muna
Please bring a long two reference project you have found that investigate the same area. This can be from books, proposals, art, design, or more areas. And also bring along the corresponding elements of your project to demonstrate how all this links in.
09h30
.
.
.
11h00
Zahra
Stevi / Daria
Muna
Please bring a long two reference project you have found that investigate the same area. This can be from books, proposals, art, design, or more areas. And also bring along the corresponding elements of your project to demonstrate how all this links in.
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Sunday 5 April 2009
Thursday 2 April 2009
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