MICHAEL CAMPBELL EMMA-JANE DAWSON LIBBY EDWARDS
02
// Introduction
An integral part of an architect’s role is to transform the ambitions of a client into a palpable vision in order to generate anticipation. We have adopted a clearly defined area of the Massarelos district of Porto and created an urban strategy proposal which presents a series of such visions on two overlapping scales. As masterplanning only makes sense within a well understood context we have tested a range of urban possibilities specific to our allocated area of study with the intention of developing an urban strategy proposal which is able to capitalise on the underlying sets of problems and potentials. In order to present our urban strategy proposal without demonstrating bias towards either of the scales at which it was developed this report has been created with two fronts and no back. Using a considered critical position, this arm of the report aims to justify the definition of site, the ascription of programme, and ultimately, the generation of an urban design proposal which demonstrates an understanding of physical, social and economic context at the scale of the city, as opposed to the scale of the site. The points at which interventions from each of these two differing scales interact are presented centrally and form the body of this document.
// Contents
Preface
Design Development
02 // Introduction
22 // Massing Sections
03 // Contents
23 // Proposal
05 // Porto
24 // Linking Key Sites
26 // Public Transport
28 // Massing Study
Analysis
06 // Physical
07 // Historical
Proposed
08 // Education
29 // Proposed Faculty Locations
10 // University of Porto`
30 // Costing
12 // Technological
31 // Proposed Figure Ground
13 // Future Cities
14 // Economical
Precedences
16 // Bjarke Ingles, Beach & Howe, Vancouver
17 // Barcelona, Public Spaces
Concept
18 // Analysis of Key Sites
20 // Commuter Traffic and Parking
Centrefold
// Brief
// Skyline
// Proposed Interventions
// Proposed Urban Strategy
03
04
// Porto
Portugal’s second city, Porto, has an outstanding urban landscape with a 2,000-year history. Built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro river; military, commercial, agricultural, and demographic interests converged to ensure longevity of place. The town centre spent many centuries as an important world port; however, a new container facility was opened during the 1970s in nearby Matosihnos which saw a shift in commercial activity to the west. Although the ships now dock elsewhere, the modest granite houses that accompanied the old port remain and the manner in which they group picturesquely on steep land attracted the attention of UNESCO as in 1996 the historic centre was granted World Heritage Site status. The historic centre did lose a lot of its prosperity as a result of the changing economy but capital of culture funding and increased levels of tourism has eased economic woes while an active student and arts community has re-energised downtown with a vibrant cultural life unimaginable only a decade ago.
05
06
// Physical
Much of Porto’s rich townscape is the result of successive built contributions from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, neoclassical and modern periods, but it also owes much to the complexity of the landform which it inhabits, and the dialogue the city has with the river. As Porto boasts very few individual urban set pieces it is clear that it is the sense of the whole which makes the city so special. With this in mind it was necessary we were aware of how our proposal impacted on the skyline of Porto, as viewed from Gaia especially, as much as we needed to be aware of the impact of our designs on the immediate urban fabric. Within Massarelos there are an accumulation of different building typologies from fishing villages down by the waterfront to estates such as the botanical gardens. The biggest footprints on the site were built in the 1950’s, which are the Stadium and university faculty buildings. Massarelos is not yet within the UNESCO world heritage site, it is just within the boundary for recreational development. This boundary is the limit within which Porto can expand, without strict typology restrictions being enforced.
// Historic
Massarelos is located on the outskirts of the city centre of Porto. Its main inhabitants are students, with few remaining residents. The context of the site has evolved from a small fishing village, vast farm and woodland, into a busy university campus due to the expanding economic structure of Porto. The site is liable to drastic change at a rapid rate due to the boundary of the UNESCO conservation area halting at the transport museum. It began as farm and woodland with few residences due to the nature of the topography and the distance from the city centre. When the city begun to expand and its fishing industry became redundant. The introduction of the bridge raised the value of the site and attracted the development of the university, which then introduced public buildings like the Planetarium and the Campo Alegre Theatre.
07
08
= 1000 Students
// Education
U.Porto is the second largest university in Portugal. It is deeply committed to the development of international relations with Europe and South America to enable lecturer exchanges and mobility programs. The universities international orientation is the reason a growing number of students and scientists all over world choose the U.Porto as a top research and teaching university. In 2007, 2000 foriegn students completed their higher education at U. Porto making it the most successful university in Portugal in terms of international appeal.
// Population of Portuguese Universities
// University Locations within Porto Universidade Catolica Portuguesa Universidade Portucalense
Universidade Portucalense Universidade Lusiada Porto
Universidade do Porto
Universidade do Porto
Universidade do Porto Universidade do Porto
Universidade do Porto
Universidade Lusiada Porto
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10
// University of Porto
With origins dating back to the eighteenth century, University of Porto [U. Porto] was originally located exclusively in the heart of the city. However, the existing tight knit urban setting prevented territorial expansion in the historical centre and new faculty buildings were placed in the vicinity of São João Hospital, with some success, before the university shifted their attention to the creation of a new campus in the Campo Alegre area of Massarellos. Along with the Faculty of Architecture, Massarellos is also home to the U. Porto’s Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts. Over the course of the last 30 years, U. Porto has steadily increased their presence in this part of the city and we believe there is still significant scope for further expansion given the importance Universities have in both an educational context and an economical one. In fact, in recent times U.Porto has forged a number of partnerships with Portuguese industry leaders which have already resulted in several innovations with proven success in national and international markets.
= 1000 Students
ASSARELOS e Future of Porto & Porto University
// Population of U.Porto Faculties
IEF
niversity of Porto has collaborated with the Future City's t, whose aim is to regenerate the city of Porto and use it as a ed and prototype of a living city. Parallel to this is an active called Future Places which is dedicated to grounding the e City project in order to connect it with the heritage and unity of Porto through installations and discussions. m is to collaborate these two ideas as a introductory phase. the university as a catalyst for the Future City's project as it mbition to grow in specific areas, which will support the h of the Portuguese economy. tives set out by the Vice Chancellor of the University of nsion and Introduction of Selected Faculties ide Facilities for Selected Societies duction of Public Realm Interventions aration for Future Cities Development ove Site Circulation ove Connection to the City Centre via Foot and Public port fil this aim for our client, the aim of the Future City project king into account the Future Places concerns, we have d an urban strategy that provides space for potential new ies, societies, residences, an enhanced cultural quarter and tunity to expand existing faculties such as sport, computer e and business.
11
12
// Technological
One such collaborator is Future Cities Project, an organisation whose aim is to develop the concept of transforming Porto’s public realm into an urban environment with embedded ICT which is tailored to human needs. Future Cities Project are strong believers that the intelligent use of low-cost ICT solutions in advanced urban systems can go a long way in improving the environmental sustainability and quality of life for citizens in cities, while also providing new opportunities for business. To enable the University of Porto to become a key European player in the emerging scientific and technological field, the Future Cities Project intends to build itself on the expertise of several research groups which originate from the Science Faculty, amongst others. This support action creates the necessary conditions for these groups to work together in a multidisciplinary way, thus fostering future research collaboration and increasing the innovation potential of the University of Porto and its industrial partners. By working with teams of different areas, the Future Cities Project promotes and strengthens interdisciplinary research and knowledge transfer to the Portuguese industry.
// Future Cities
The Future Cities project is concerned with developing the city as a prototype for a ‘living city’, in which knowledge and research will be developed and shared globally. They focus on he concept of the future city as an urban environment centred on human needs, whilst exploiting the massive use of ICT embedded in the city fabric. This project has accumulated a vast number of large industrial companies keen to invest in research and advanced knowledge and has held a number of seminars globally. This interest will spark an economic boom in Porto, which is part of the reason why we used the Future Cities project as a manifesto in our urban strategy. The future cities project brings into action a new form of urban planning at an almost invisible scale at which we can connect digitally and wirelessly. The aim is to connect Porto and create data sets which enables the creation and exchange of knowledge among partners and other companies and institutions. The data sets acquired throughout the project should be shared, encouraging future research and innovation projects. A key goal is to turn the city of Porto into an urban scale living lab, where researchers companies and start ups can develop and test technologies, products and services, exploring such subjects as sustainable mobility, urban scale sensing, safety and privacy, as well as quality of life for citizens and their families. The project aims to work in a very interdisciplinary way, engaging not only engineers and computer scientists, but also psychologists, urban studies specialists, and social scientists. Being a project of the University of Porto, and because of its multidisciplinary nature, the Future Cities involves research groups from several faculties such as Engineering (FEUP), Psychology (FPCEUP) and Sciences (FCUP).
// Science and Research
// Companies
13
14
// Economical
Portugal was one of the countries most affected by the world financial crisis and has seen a decline in migration and a rise in emigration, especially to Angola and Brazil. Estimates suggest more than 70,000 departures per year, with more than half by people under 29, while in 2010 the share of working visas to Portugal decreased below the annual government quota. Out of a pool of 214 million people who live in a different country from the one in which they were born highly skilled migrants are a minority, but they are an important one. When highly skilled workers leave their homeland to work in a richer nation it is often referred to as the brain drain. It is perhaps best known in relation to healthcare professionals, but it also applies to many other groups, including computer software experts and a range of engineering specialisms. Some people may even move abroad to take work they are overqualified for, because it still pays better than what is available at home. In the UK 38% of immigrants have a degree level qualification compared with 18% of the UK-born population. Many of those highly qualified migrants are from other developed countries, but, there are also many who are not. On the face of it, that looks like a bad thing for the developing nation they have come from, especially if it has paid for the skilled emigrant’s education. According to data analysed by the BBC, the following professions are currently in demand in Portugal: GPs and specialist doctors, systems engineers and systems analysts, IT professionals and telecommunications engineers. With this in mind it was essential our university expansion proposal addressed the need to: attract skilled migrants from other countries so to improve academic wealth, offer new faculties and degree courses to develop own crop of youth tailor made to service the demands of the national economy and embrace university links with industry to ensure the retention of graduates in Porto.
15
16
// Precedences
Beach & Howe, Vancouver, Bjarke Ingles
The 490 ft tall Beach and Howe mixed use tower forms a welcoming gateway to the city and adds another unique structure to the Vancouver skyline. It is based on a 9 storey podium and inhabits 600 residential units, a mix of commercial and retail space, and will shortly become the city’s fourth tallest building. It was commissioned by Canada’s premier real estate developer Westbank, established in 1992. “Architecturally, the Beach and Howe tower will introduce a new building typology to the Vancouver skyline and will create a dramatic gateway to downton Vancouver that speaks to the emerging creative economy in the city.”, Ian Gillespie, President, Westbank. The design of the tower takes shape due to the site’s complex urban conditions. It is based at the junction where slip road meets a motorway bridge, which necessitates a 30m setback to ensure no residents will have balconies or windows in the middle of heavy traffic as well as concerns for sunlight to an adjacent park. Therefore, the site is limited to a small triangle. The design aims to reclaim lost space for living where the tower escapes the noise and traffic at its base. It gradually cantilevers over the site, careful not to visually invade the influence of the bridge which turns this inefficient triangle into an optimal rectangular floor place, increasing desirable spaces for living at the top, while freeing up a generous public space at its base. The podium on which the tower sits is a mixed use urban village with three triangular blocks, composed of intimately-scales spaces for working, shopping and leisure which face onto public plazas and pathways. The public space adds to the existing streets, giving the neighbourhood a variety of open and covered outdoor spaces of various scales that transform the site into a dynamic and iconic mixed use hub. We used this building as an example of how a building reacts with a site next to an extremely busy motorway, and intervenes in between slip roads. Our site is cut up by two main slip roads which then part into four as they head towards the city centre. Our proposal required us to tackle the sites next to these busy roads and create connectivity and accessibility by foot. This building, or cluster of buildings, is allowed to be successful due to the nature of the site. As the bridge approaches Vancouver it is on a higher level which doesn’t decline until further past the site. So the design was able to harvest a wealth of successful public space beneath it. Our site is faced with the challenge of crossing these busy roads, as to which we answered the solution with footbridges and visual links, or by redirecting routes to safer crossings.
// Precedences
Public Spaces, Barcelona
The study of urban interventions was undertaken with a view to developing a critical viewpoint which we could use to inform the design of proposed urban realm. With emphasis on the scale of the city, the study of Barcelona demonstrated how intelligent treatment of public space could become a key ingredient in the positive transformation of a city’s image. From the very beginning of the 20 year process of transformation of Barcelona, new public spaces played an outstanding part. Shortly after the first democratic elections were celebrated in 1979, the architect Oriol Bohigas arrived in the city council and the inauguration of public spaces began. Key existing public spaces were reformed, new public spaces were introduced and the idea of placing sculpture in the urban environment was established. In quantitative terms, during the decade 1982-92, more than 200 hectares of park had been gained. The transformation of existing large sites on the edges of the city monumentalised the periphery while smaller, yet equally significant interventions in the core of the city saw the reinterpretation of old buildings and historical spaces. Furthermore, the introduction of urban fabric in compact neighbourhoods that previously lacked history and personality helped to establish new identity. Whereas at first the creation of public spaces was aimed at solving the historical deficiencies of a city that was made too dense by previously uncontrolled and speculative urban activity and were a central characteristic of the urban processes of renovation that culminated in the organisation of the Olympic Games in 1992. The implementation of this policy soon became integral to the conception and design of a competitive and balanced city. The basic goal was to eliminate segregation and achieve social and territorial equity for all citizens by way of ensuring accessibility to social facilities and increasing the urban quality of their neighbourhoods. Interestingly, this also prevented the expulsion of lower income groups from the city centre. However, whether in Barcelona or Birmingham, public space is always a response to a particular conception of urban space. Historically, it has been a key element of urban intervention and very often it has an added symbolic power that has reinforced urban plans. But public space is also space used by citizens, space that is adaptable and has a changing meaning. It is a space of uncertainty, of entertainment and of conflict, where new situations and possibilities can be generated. With grand public spaces few and far between in the city of Porto residual plots of land go a long way towards enhancing the city’s inhabitants’ experiences of the public realm. As public space plays such a key role in the operation of the city it is essential that the vacant plots of land in Massarelos are not over developed so that both positive and indeterminate places can be created in the spaces in between buildings.
17
18
// Analysis of Key Sites
The image below shows our initial approach to developing the site. It highlights areas which are under used, inappropriately used and potentially available for redevelopment. Our proposed shuttle bus route will link up all the existing successful sites, all revitalised sites and our proposed sites, connecting the area successfully through looped circulation.
19
20
// Commuter Traffic and Parking
Although the construction of Rua Entrecampo, the collection of slip roads on the site which service the regional ring road, played a large role in the segregation of different communities that inhabit the area in the latter half of the 20th century and created large holes in the immediate urban fabric, it did however ensure that people who do not live in the area can travel to and from the university on a daily basis for work or study. Therefore, our proposal also includes the creation of new road links directly from Rua Entrecampos into a new transport interchange that occupies a plot of vacant land in the heart of the area. Commuters will be able to drive their vehicle directly into the upper ground level of the interchange whether approaching from the city, the North or the South. They will then be presented with the choice of completing their journey either by foot or by bus. However, it is also imagined that the lower ground floor level would become a base for the rental and storage of bikes, and perhaps even more adventurous modes of transport such as segways, skateboards or rollerblades. By encouraging public to park their cars here rather than along the narrow roads and pathways spread across the site we hope to give the public realm back to the pedestrian while simultaneously making the arrival and dispersal of road users more efficient. We believe this strategic move will not only ensure a less polluted and less congested street environment, but will also make for a more rewarding experience for those who choose to traverse the area by alternative means.
21
22
// Massing Sections
// Proposal
The creation of a successful knowledge quarter with quality public spaces could develop into an exemplar urban environment in its own right, but by also embedding ICT which is tailored to human needs into the public realm, the scheme could help turn Porto into an exemplar urban-scale living lab as desired by Future Cities Project. The creation of such a place where the city, businesses and the university can come together to develop solutions to the future needs of our cities would be extremely fruitful for many reasons. However, the end goal would ultimately be to set a precedent that others could learn from, therefore encouraging other cities to operate in a more combined way – helping them in turn to improve quality of life, strengthen their economic status and protect their environment.
23
24
// Linking the Key Sites
With a view to increasing university programme in the area of Massarelos and improving the associated quais-public spaces we propose to re-connect identified fragmented plots of land by creating two new roads. The first of which will join Via Panorâmica Edgar Cardoso with Rua Dom Pedro V, while the second will connect Rua das Estrelas with Rua do Campo Alegre via Rua Júlio Lourenço Pinto. It is our belief that further built development will only be viable once the site and the city of Porto are reconnected with the introduction of these new links.
25
26
// Public Transport
Realising these links will be a vital step towards the delivery of our urban strategy for the site as it would allow for the introduction of new public transport services in areas that have previously suffered from inaccessibility and extreme isolation. We believe this will add value to existing sites which have not yet been able to attract sustainable development propositions as well as breathing new life into existing assets such as the sports ground and culture quarter which are under used. Each of the two proposed services will loop around the university area, clockwise and anti-clockwise, stopping at key sites en route. However, the first will depart, and terminate at an existing transport hub north east of the university, in close proximity to Boavista Rotunda, therefore connecting the university with regional bus services and metro lines. While the second will depart and terminate from a newly proposed transport interchange on the coastal road, Rua do Ouro, just below Ponte da Arrabida. This will act to connect the university with the waterfront area of the site, but also with the bus routes, cycle paths and the historic tramlines that pass through parallel to the river Douro.
27
28
// Massing Study
// Location of Proposed Faculties
29
30
// Costing
Demolition Costs Complete Demolition
Volume m
3
Cost/m3
15000
£17
Construction Costs Multi-Storey Car Park Bus Station Small Shop Shells Public Houses Dining Blocks and Canteens Restaurants Swimming Pool International Standard Sports Halls Including Changing Rooms University Buildings Student Residences/Apartments
Area m
Min Cost /m2
51000 700 2000 1600 2400 1600 1250 4600 25000 6000
£280 £1,825 £520 £1,275 £1,025 £1,150 £2,900 £810 £940 £980
2
Total Cost £255,000 Min Total Cost £14,280,000 £1,277,500 £1,040,000 £2,040,000 £2,460,000 £1,840,000 £3,625,000 £3,726,000 £23,500,000 £5,880,000
2
Max cost/m £445 £2,300 £650 £1,600 £1,275 £1,450 £3,650 £1,025 £1,450 £2,025
Max total cost £22,695,000 £1,610,000 £1,300,000 £2,560,000 £3,060,000 £2,320,000 £4,562,500 £4,715,000 £36,250,000 £12,150,000
2
Average cost/m £363 £2,063 £585 £1,438 £1,150 £1,300 £3,275 £918 £1,195 £1,503
Average Total Cost £18,487,500 £1,443,750 £1,170,000 £2,300,000 £2,760,000 £2,080,000 £4,093,750 £4,220,500 £29,875,000 £9,015,000 £75,700,500
// Proposed Figure Ground
31
// Brief
The University of Porto has collaborated with the Future City’s project, whose aim is to regenerate the city of Porto and use it as a test bed and prototype of a living city. Parallel to this is an active group called Future Places which is dedicated to grounding the Future City project in order to connect it with the heritage and community of Porto through installations and discussions. Our aim is to collaborate these two ideas as a introductory phase. Using the university as a catalyst for the Future City’s project as it has ambition to grow in specific areas, which will support the growth of the Portuguese economy.
Improve Connection to the City Centre via Foot and Public Transport
Improve Site Circulation
Preparation for Future Cities Development
Introduction of Public Realm Interventions
Provide Facilities for Selected Societies
Expansion and Introduction of Selected Faculties
Objectives set out by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Porto:-
To fulfil this aim for our client, the aim of the Future City project and taking into account the Future Places concerns, we have created an urban strategy that provides space for potential new faculties, societies, residences, an enhanced cultural quarter and opportunity to expand existing faculties such as sport, computer science and business.
// Skyline
A3 LEFT HAND
bound edge
A3 RIGHT HAND
bound edge
// Brief
The University of Porto has collaborated with the Future City’s project, whose aim is to regenerate the city of Porto and use it as a test bed and prototype of a living city. Parallel to this is an active group called Future Places which is dedicated to grounding the Future City project in order to connect it with the heritage and community of Porto through installations and discussions. Our aim is to collaborate these two ideas as a introductory phase. Using the university as a catalyst for the Future City’s project as it has ambition to grow in specific areas, which will support the growth of the Portuguese economy.
Improve Connection to the City Centre via Foot and Public Transport
Improve Site Circulation
Preparation for Future Cities Development
Introduction of Public Realm Interventions
Provide Facilities for Selected Societies
Expansion and Introduction of Selected Faculties
Objectives set out by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Porto:-
To fulfil this aim for our client, the aim of the Future City project and taking into account the Future Places concerns, we have created an urban strategy that provides space for potential new faculties, societies, residences, an enhanced cultural quarter and opportunity to expand existing faculties such as sport, computer science and business.
// Skyline
// Cost Appraisal for Proposed Public Realm
SPORTS ARENA
BOTANICAL GARDENS
TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE
CULTURAL QUARTER
CAMPO ALEGRE
SOCIETY VENUE & VIEWING POINT
CAMPO ALEGRE
SOCIETY VENUE & VIEWING POINT
FACULTY OF HEALTH AND NUTRITION
AGRICULTURE CENTRE FACULTY OF LANGUAGES
// Proposed Figure Ground We want to enhance the experience of the pedestrian, we have done this by increasing the permeability both up and down and across the site. When masterplanning it is easy to forget the scale of the human, therefore we have created new links between the footpaths within the site allowing people to wonder the site choosing their own routes and creating their own journey between different interventions, a number of which are scattered sparodically around the public realm. These include a living bridge linking the sports ground and the botanical gardens, a sunken maze in the existing garden of the science faculty and the viewing platform. We have also integrated a number of interactive pods which can act as study spaces and information points, these will connect the university with the public realm.
// Creation of Quasi-Public Spaces As the university occupies a key site in the area we believe the success of an urban strategy proposal in Massarelos hinges on the delivery of a scheme that considers how quasi-public space owned by the university can be utilised to good effect by the general population. The University of Porto currently owns a considerable amount of land in Massarelos, however its grounds are under-utilised. Although members of the public can gain access to the land surrounding the faculty buildings, there is currently no incentive for them to do so. Points of entry and exit are few and far between and pathways more often than not lead to dead ends or dead space. Parked cars dominate green spaces and limit the possibilities for small scale interventions and chance encounters. Our urban strategy proposal aims to integrate university programme is into the site in a way which is mutually beneficial for those who are associated with the university (students/staff) and those who aren’t (residents/businesses). Therefore, in the spirit of diversity, we have given much consideration to how university owned land could be designed so that it would be perceived, and valued, as usable public realm by the area’s general population. As well as creating new links we propose to establish a human scale network that connects not just university faculties, but also places of work, places of recreation and places of inhabitation.
// Interventions We propose interventions with hybrid programmes are strategically located at various points across the length and breadth of the area allowing different members of society to animate the same spaces, as in the folies of Parc de la Villette. In order to truly reconnect the site, and the people who inhabit it, we have proposed each architectural intervention in relation to existing site characteristics and use, thus ensuring that each proposal permits maximum movement through the site and presents the public with both a variety of programmes and events1. Therefore creating a web of interconnected places and providing a variety of different stages for social interaction, each with their own unique character.
// Links It is our belief that before further development can be successfully proposed, the existing issue of connectivity between different fragments of the area needed to be considered. We propose to create a series of new small scale connections in the form of steps, ramps, bridges, walkways and landscapes to link existing paths. It is hoped that this will not just eradicate dead ends, thus creating a much safer, more dynamic environment, but will make the area much more permeable and allow people from all walks of life to tailor their own routes through the site on a daily basis to suit their own needs.
Precedent Study // All the Kings Horses_Jacqueline de Jong Jacqueline de Jong was a member of the situationist movement. The Situationist International – the hub of the movement – strove to subvert all established culture, and proposed that artists should create a revolutionary consciousness instead of experimental works of art that were nothing but commodities in the capitalist system. This resulted in the exclusion of most artists from the Situationist International in 1962, but de Jong and many others continued to work both artistically and engage in revolutionary practices. Jacqueline de Jong came into contact with the situationists in the late 1950s and became a member of the Situationist International in 1960. Between 1962 and 1967, de Jong published the influential periodical The Situationist Times. De Jong regards life as a game, with different rules, just like football or a pinball machine. Much like de Jong’s theory of ‘life as a game’, we felt we could relate to the pinball machine reference as we were exploring the area, moving unplanned and randomly around the site.
Similar to Parc de la Villette, our Masterplan has Points, Lines and Surfaces within the scheme and constitutes of several layers. That is what makes this project so appealing, once you look deeper into it, the different layers become more apparent, and unravel and a journey of discovery. Each Point or ‘pod’ is placed in such a way that the wonderer has to create a journey to discover it. The pods are placed at regular intervals around the public realm, this regularity of routes and positioning makes orientation simple for those unfamiliar with the area. The advantage of this regularised system is that territorial recognition is easily implemented; this structure provides a comprehensive image or shape for an otherwise ill-defined terrain. Each new Line created is a meandering path through the public realm. The previous point structure relates to this larger system of high density pedestrian movement. Where there are intersections of pedestrian routes, a pod/intervention is placed. These paths link the North and South of the site, as well as the East and the West. Although the meandering paths appear to be a random route through the site, each pod or intervention is placed in such a way that is creating an almost cinematic view of the site, taking into consideration natural vistas and views. The different Surfaces between the different interventions signify a new area within the public realm, allowing the wonderer to successfully navigate their way through the site, but also allowing them to create their own meandering journey.
Precedent Study // Parc de la Villette_Paris The study of urban interventions was undertaken with a view to developing a critical viewpoint which we could use to inform the design of urban realm proposals. With emphasis on the scale of an urban park, the study of Bernard Tschumi’s Parc da la Villette, Paris demonstrated how the organisation of functions and events is as much an architectural concern as the elaboration of forms and styles. The concept of creating new possibilities, or new “potentialities” was integral to the success of Parc de la Villette. Tschumi’s design, of what is essentially a multiple programmatic field, properly addresses the issue of activities in the city and the fact that the organisation of functions and events is as much an architectural concern as the elaboration of forms and styles. The Competition for the Parc de la Villette was organised by the French Government in 1982, and ran parallel to the inauguration of public spaces in Barcelona. Its objectives were both to mark the vision of an era and to act upon the future economic and cultural development of a key site in Paris. Situated on the northeast corner of the city, a plot previously occupied by the central slaughter houses, this site covered an area of 125 acres. The brief for this “Urban Park for the 21st Century” developed a complex programme of cultural and entertainment facilities, encompassing open air theatres, restaurants, art galleries, music and painting workshops, playgrounds, video and computer displays, as well as the obligatory gardens where cultural invention, rather than natural recreation, was encouraged. Rejecting the idea of introducing another mass into an already encumbered terrain, Tschumi chose to distribute the programmatic requirements over the total site in a regular arrangement of points of intensity, designated as Folies. Each Folie is placed according to a pointgrid co-ordinate system at 120 metre intervals and can be transformed and elaborated according to specific programmatic needs. The Folie grid is related to a larger coordinate structure, an orthogonal system of high-density pedestrian movement that marks the site with a cross. The North South coordinate links the two Paris gates and subway stations. The east west coordinate links Paris to its suburbs. The line system also includes the Path of Thematic Gardens which intersects the coordinate axes at various places, providing unexpected encounters with unusual aspects of domesticated or “programmed” nature. Finally, the surfaces of the park receive all activities requiring large expanses of horizontal space for play. In the creation of Tschumi’s Folies in Paris, the overriding aim was always to provide the conditions necessary for human appropriation. With the urban fabric in Massarelos currently cut into many pieces it is essential that new public realm interventions work towards stitching them back together.
// Arterial Routes With a view to increasing university programme in the area of Massarelos and improving the associated quais-public spaces we propose to re-connect identified fragmented plots of land by creating two new roads. The first of which will join Via Panorâmica Edgar Cardoso with Rua Dom Pedro V, while the second will connect Rua das Estrelas with Rua do Campo Alegre via Rua Júlio Lourenço Pinto. It is our belief that further built development will only be viable once the site and the city of Porto are reconnected with the introduction of these new links. Realising these links will be a vital step towards the delivery of our urban strategy for the site as it would allow for the introduction of new public transport services in areas that have previously suffered from inaccessibility and extreme isolation. We believe this will add value to existing sites which have not yet been able to attract sustainable development propositions as well as breathing new life into existing assets such as the sports ground and culture quarter which are under used.
// Existing Movement The existing movement around the site is inhibited by the two slip roads that cut through the area, splitting site into three different worlds. A number of dead ends and small, unused paths make it difficult to penetrate certain areas, making them indeterminate forgotten spaces. This lack of connectivity does not allow the pedestrian the opportunity for discovery or to create their own journey. The topography plays a large part in making certain areas of the site inaccessible, paths and roads negotiate steep inclines while many site plots have sloping plains, or in some circumstances sheer drop. This extreme terrain is detrimental to the movement of the site.
// Urban Exploration A transect through the escarpment from the quayside housing on the banks of the Douro up to the university campus presents a disparate area with fragments of historic urban fabric, garden allotments owned by locals, university halls of residence and Alvaro Vieira Siza’s Faculty of Architecture. Although there are some small pedestrian pathways threading through this area, connectivity on a whole is poor and many virgin sites remain undeveloped. In fact, university buildings, residential neighbourhoods and cultural destinations are all separated by busy slip roads which service the major ring road.
Urban Exploration
Urban Exploration
Urban Exploration
Urban Exploration
// Introduction An integral part of an architect’s role is to transform the ambitions of a client into a palpable vision in order to generate anticipation. We have adopted a clearly defined area of the Massarelos district of Porto and created an urban strategy proposal which presents a series of such visions on two overlapping scales. As masterplanning only makes sense within a well understood context we have tested a range of urban possibilities specific to our allocated area of study with the intention of developing an urban strategy proposal which is able to capitalise on the underlying sets of problems and potentials. In order to present our urban strategy proposal without demonstrating bias towards either of the scales at which it was developed this report has been created with two fronts and no back. Using a considered critical position, this arm of the report aims to justify the definition of site, the ascription of programme, and ultimately, the generation of an urban design proposal which demonstrates an understanding of physical, social and economic context at the scale of the site, as opposed to the scale of the city. The points at which interventions from each of these two differing scales interact are presented centrally and form the body of this document. As our site in Massarelos lies conveniently outside of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at the historic centre of Porto, and its buffer zone, development is not restricted by UNESCO policies. Existing built forms throughout the Massarelos area are of varying scales, architectural styles, periods in time and accommodate many different types of programme. In actual fact, one of Porto’s most integral charms is its diversity and disregard for proximity. Places of residence range from modern, mid-rise blocks with commercial units at ground level to picturesque, low rise dwellings; educational facilities encompass small schools in an urban setting as well as large scale university faculties; while boutique businesses such as florists can be found next door to international giants such as Volkswagen.
MICHAEL CAMPBELL EMMA-JANE DAWSON LIBBY EDWARDS