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LIST OF CONTENTS 01 02
Introduction Considerations Urban Form Movement Environment
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INTRO DUCTION
Playable City festival will aim to include the entire city of Sheffield in its framework. Numerous playful installations will scatter across different sites, establishing sense of community on local scale. It is vital to understand how to choose sites that are appropriate for a particular installation/ performance. This document acts as a guide for site selection processes and considerations. It includes examples of site analysis of the Moor that could help with understanding conditions that are present around chosen sites and areas.
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the Moor, Sheffield
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AR’ City group
Example of a typology analysis
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the Moor, Sheffield
AR’ City group
In the streets near the 108 studio, many passers-by in front of the studio door and large windows are often attracted by the studio’s models, pictures and people’s work status, people will stay in front of the window or participate in the discussion of the studio. There are a few seats placed near the studio, and some nearby residents and passers-by sit down to rest, have a cup of coffee, and chat.
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Story telling through diagrams
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There are many rest benches between the studio and the moor. Many old people will rest here and attract many pigeons.
At the intersection in front of the moor market, there is usually a large flow of people, and people of all ages come to the market to buy food and eat. In the afternoon, there were people busking in the front of market, which attracted many people to stop.
There are large windows in front of the mall, and pedestrians passing by will be unconsciously attracted by the goods in the window. The cash machine next to the mall has been lined up and a lot of waste paper has been thrown on the ground.
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There is a cinema and restaurant in the mall, and many young people will come here to have dinner and gatherings with friends.
Sheffield, England
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AR’ City team
Ideas for the Future
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CONSIDER ATIONS
When choosing a site for installations, one should take into account a variety of considerations that could help determine a suitable site. They may range from urban form, through movement, to environmental challenges. Each of these categories contain a number of examples: including open, transitional and situated spaces, just providing a few. Each of these are appropriately explained and illustrated using simple line diagrams, alongside with an image from a space/place in Sheffield. Moreover, there are also illustrated examples of such spaces in the Moor. Using a clear visual language, we aim to provide you with a basic understanding of conditions that are usually present on site.
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URBAN FORM
When you think of presenting your installation or performance in the city, considering utilising open space is one of the most common options. It allows a certain degree of freedom as it is not bound by external walls- at least not in a direct proximity. Such spaces, like public squares and wide thoroughfares could work really well with stand-alone installations that are not designed to interact with envelopes of the buildings. When designing for open spaces, it is vital to also consider the scale and the robustness of installations- if they are too small and fragile, the impact may not be as desired.
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Open
the Moor, Sheffield
AR’ City team
Example of an open space in the Moor
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URBA FORM
The enclosed spaces evoke feelings of intimacy and directness. Such sites are usually constrained by buildings or objects from at least two sides- unlike open spaces, the spacing between them is much smaller. Installations that could work really well in such places potentially have elements that somehow interact with the external envelope of buildings. Additionally, a smaller scale installations usually fit best in such areas. The downside of enclosed places is the lack of exposure- unless the audience know where an installation is situated, it may be quite hard to stumble upon your design.
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Enclosed
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Enclosed areas in the city provide focus and a sense on intimacy
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MOVEMENT
Streets, alleyways and thoroughfares greatly contribute to the urban fabric of the city of Sheffield. They have got the potential to have a positive effect on your installation when considered carefully. Transitional spaces usually thrive with human activity, pedestrians and street vendors. They may work well in tandem with installations that include a form of human interaction, as well as movement. In a similar way to open spaces, you may wish to consider the scale of your installation and plan how you wish people to interact with it.
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Transitional
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Pedestrian passageways near the Moor and roundabouts serve as transitional spaces
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MOVEMENT
Sheffield consists of a number of landmarks that are well-established as places to which people go intentionally - either for entertainment or relaxation. Places like theatres and cinemas could become really interesting drives for the installation designs. A conceptual or physical link between the landmark and installations could become an extension of a building, crating a playful and engaging environment. When designing with such spaces in mind, it is crucial to consider the proximity to the landmark, as well as how passersby interact with it.
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Situated
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Crucible theatre as an example of a situated space
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MOVEMENT
With a multitude of roundabouts and various passages, traffic in Sheffield is engraved in city’s urban fabric. It contributes to noise pollution and air contamination. Although most of the time it is seen through negative lenses, installations during the Playable City festival may want to attempt to change that perception. When designing for traffic, you may want to consider portability of your design as well as its scale. The external factors play a big role in it as well. Constant exposure to elements and presence in public real may have a positive impact on advertising the installation as well as the festival itself.
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Traffic
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Traffic in the city centre of Sheffield is constant- how do we take advantage of it?
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MOVEMENT
Street across the city of Sheffield are bustling with life, presenting pedestrians with vibrant colours of locally crafted goods. Usually, the vendors are promoting their products by shouting the latests sales. This contributes to the overall vibrancy of a place. Such noise could be perceived as negative but your installations could address it in a creative, unconventional way. By considering noise intensity, scale and human activity, your installation may react somehow to a wide spectrum of sound- creating a playful addition to urban life of Sheffield citizens.
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Noise
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Streets bustling with activity as a prime source of noise in public realm
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ENVIRONMENT
Light conditions vary across the city, providing citizens with an abundance of effects and perspectives. Depending on buildings’ heights, materials and scales, we are exposed to sometimes unexpected visual spectacles. By considering light in your installation design, you may want to observe how it affects form and scale of the proposal. Or maybe it changes when the sun goes down? The relationship of your installation to shadows as well as light may add another layer of depth to your project. You may also think whether you would like it to be used during the night? If so, how does it change? Light is a chisel, allowing you to sculpt your design in unexpected ways!
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Light
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Underpasses create an opporutnity for an interesting play of light and shadows
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ENVIRONMENT
Centres of the cities grow taller every year, making an impact on the immediate environment around them. With increasing heights of skyscrapers, the concerns related to wind are becoming more prevailing. Your installation may want to tackle the challenges that are related to strong winds in the city centre of Sheffield, raising an awareness of the issue. You may want to look more closely into the materiality of your installation- whether it is something to withstand or amplify the windy experience! With moveable, interactive elements, such installations could become permanent interventions in the urban landscape of Sheffield.
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Wind
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
Tall buildings in the city centre causing causing strong gusts of wind
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ENVIRONMENT
The city of seven hills is renown for its changes in terrain, making Sheffield perfect for enthusiast of hiking. With a variety of levels comes another layer of complexity when designing installations that are to respond to this hilly environment. Your proposal may address it by careful consideration of scale and portabilitythrough that, the intervention may adapt to the spectrum of levels across Sheffield. With examples of sculptures in Devonshire Park and landscape treatment in Botanical Gardens, you can find inspiration scattered across the entire city!
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Terrain
Sheffield, England
AR’ City team
A variety of levels across Sheffield allow for an exploration of adaptive proposals
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