Bananhuset portfolio

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

BANANHUSET PROJECT

Anna Katarina Bauder Amélie Chauvin James Ford Alexandra Papadaki Masters of Design for Sustainable Development Chalmers Architecture

Design and Planning for Social Inclusion 2012 Course Instructor: Pål Castell, castell@chalmers.se.

Course Assistant: Wenxuan Zhang Additional Information: http://suburbsdesign.wordpress.com/ http://bananhuset.wordpress.com/

BANANHUSET PROJECT

1. INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

2. METHOD 3. RESULTS 4. INTERPRETATION 5. PROPOSAL 6. STRATEGIES 7. CONCLUSION

Rethinking Banahuset...

INTRODUCTION

BANANHUSET PROJECT

The main strategy for retrofitting Bananhuset is to engage the residents and isolate the most important issues to be addressed by our design response.

From our initial impressions of the site we indentified challenges with connecting the front and back and engaging the community by rearranging the ground floor. We also intend to address the salient issues of leaking pipes and poor insulation along with general neglect in building maintenance.

This project is interesting to us because of the opportunity to have a real influence on familjbostäder’s future developments as we are invited to present our final proposal to them in January 2013.

BACKGROUND Tellusgatan 6 -30 (Bananhuset) was built in Bergsjön in 1966 and is part of the Million Program. Its main characteristic is a bold curve created by fitting together unit parts at a slight angle. Bananhuset has168 apartments of which most have three rooms (80 m2) and it is owned by Familjbostäder.

The main task of our project is a proposal for renovation and smart refurbishment ideas which we developed through consultation with Familjbostäder and some of the residents who we managed to reach through several methods.

BANANHUSET PROJECT IDEA BOXES

We made idea boxes that looked like the bananhuset buildings. The idea boxes were for the Bananhuset tenants and the residents of Bergsjön to take the opportunity to express their ideas, visions, complaints, or feelings for Bananhuset!

We installed 6 idea boxes in several public spaces around Rymtorget:

METHOD

The Library, the Church in Rymtorget, the Familjebostäder office, the Bergsjöskolan, the Flekis open preschool and the Folktandvården (the dentist) waiting room.

In total we gathered 41 notes.

BANANHUSET PROJECT COMMUNICATION

FLYERS

METHOD

To communicate our project we used several methods.

During our project work we made 3 different flyers and every time we distributed them in each of the 168 apartments of Bananhuset. The first flyers were to greet the tenants and let them know who we are and what our project is about. The second was to inform them of our workshop and the last was to invite the tenants of Bananhuset to our exhibition on the 19th of December in the public Library. Through this method we received several e-mail responses and a lot of blog visitors. The blog was updated as soon as we had a new idea we wanted to try out.

Additionally, we tried to use a QR code on our flyers that lead to an online survey.

BLOG

Posters were also a key communication tool for our project. We created and posted 3 posters in total, concerning the idea boxes and their locations and also information about our project.

Through our blog, which you can find at the address: bananhuset.wordpress.com, we tried to create an online platform for communication. It also worked as an instant project news feed. We used our blog to post quick illustrations of the participants’ ideas and proposals we discovered from our methods of engagement (idea boxes, interviews, e-mails, workshop), regardless of their seriousness. We also uploaded a lot of relevant references from other projects and well known architects around the world.

851

BANANHUSET PROJECT

METHOD

WORKSHOP

To complete a series of participatory methods, we arranged a workshop, inviting all the tenants of Bananhuset by distributing flyers and making personal contact with our previous interviewees. The workshop took place during one of the weekly Culture CafĂŠs hosted by the Time Banking Network in BergsjĂśn, in the Utveckling Nordosts facilities.

In general, the workshop was de-

signed to engage the participants via a board game with maps, models and concept cubes, and to start conversations about the vision of a new Bananahouse.

We are happy to say that the attendance was satisfactory and a lot of brilliant ideas came up during our interesting conversations with the participants. It was a pleasant evening with a lot of friendly faces and some sweet cookies.

BANANHUSET PROJECT RESULTS OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

RESULT

At this point we analyzed and evaluated our inputs from the 4 weeks of exploration and implementation of different participation methods.

We finally focused on a few main important areas.

We addressed the clear feelings of unsafety about the area and tried to reinforce pride of one’s home by repairing the old laundry facilities and outdated utilities. To bolster community activity and interchange, we have revised the ground floor as a center for public events and meeting locations. This is meant to bring life to the area and improve a sense of safety and community.

We also focus on the ground floor’s connection to the courtyard and street, the plan of the apartments and the overall energy efficiency.

To visualize our solutions, we decided to use simple, clear perspective illustrations, concept sketches, minimal texts, and some summarizing tables.

Here you can see a masterplan that combines our responses with the participants’ ideas for the new vision of Bananhuset.

MASTERPLAN

BANANHUSET PROJECT FIRST IDEAS

INTERPRETATION

OPEN GROUND FLOOR

OUTDOOR SEATING

IMPROVED FLATS

LIGHT IN THE CORRIDOR

BANANHUSET PROJECT

WE WANT TO:

• Connect back and front • Activate ground floor • Help neighbors meet

BACK ENTRANCE

PROPOSAL

STORAGE

CURRENT ENTRANCE SITUATION

PASSAGE AT NO 10

BACK STREET (TELLUSGATAN) AND PARKING

BANANHUSET PROJECT 1

LITIES

ACI F S T R PO

2

PROPOSAL

S

3

PROPOSAL

BANANHUSET PROJECT 1

2

Open passage througt the building. The space for the backside entrances is widened to give a more clear movement when approaching the house from this side.

Closed entrance, but with visual contact to both sides of the building. Double the space for laundry room and add a lounge, facing the back.

3

By entrance no. 10 there is already a passage.

This is widened, creating an open space. On both sides of this space public activities are introduced, Gym, studie rooms and "free second hand shop".

A new roof window and fiber optics along the walls gives the stair case natural light.

BANANHUSET PROJECT

CURRENT APARTMENT PLAN

WE WANT: Variation in facade •

PROPOSAL

Better use of balconies • Optimized use of • natural light

FACADE REPETITION

BALCONIES

BATHROOM WINDOW

WASH ROOM

VIEW OVER THE PARK

BANANHUSET PROJECT

PLAN DESIGN 2

PLAN DESIGN 3

PROPOSAL

PLAN DESIGN 1

KITCHEN. SEEN FROM LIVING ROOM

NEW BALCONIES AND ENTRANCE

BANANHUSET PROJECT

SUMMARY OF STRATEGIES • Open the ground floor as a public space for freetime space, restaurants or a gym etc..

STRATEGIES

• Introduce visual connections between the back and front by having glazed entrances on both sides.

• Enhance the feeling of safety by adding light and improving visibility by attracting activity to ground floor facilities.

• Reorganize the flat to economize space and increase storage.

• Expand the laundry facilities • Replace old pipes and add insulation • Introduce light into staircase using fiber optics.

CONCLUSION

BANANHUSET PROJECT

Our main challenge during this process was learning how to communicate design ideas to residents and how much design input we can expect from them. We found that people are more responsive when critiquing existing ideas rather than volunteering ideas themselves. We also found that it is easier to talk about the present condition than imagining the hypothetical future.

As students it was difficult to explain our role as designers to the residents. It seemed necessary to reiterate the experimental nature of our project because people often spoke as if the ideas would become reality. At times it was a difficult ethical question about creating false expectations.

It was very rewarding for us to discuss directly with residents the problems and solutions for Bananhuset. We found

our personal interviews to be the most revealing but we were careful to compare them to our workshop results to evaluate which issues were general to the house and which were more personal.

Finally, we learned for the future how important it is to make ideas clear and understandable for people while also having the flexibility to respond sensitively to input. A longer timeline would have afforded us the opportunity to return to residents with new changes and establish a feedback exchange as we refine the design proposal.

Our final proposal here aims to offer a conceptual solution that can adapt to changing user needs over time while addressing the most pressing concerns for safety and the concensus complaints about facilities.