SOFT
INFRASTRUCTURE Using temporary architecture to improve social well-being. ________________________________ Dissertation 2016 Master of Arts Architecture [ CARC 7003 ] Chihung Liao
CONTENTS Abstract P. 2
Introduction P. 2 Chapter One:
Temporary Architecture. P. 3 Chapter Two:
Social Empowerment. P. 5
Chapter Three:
Social Responsibility P. 5
Chapter Four(Case Study):
Open Source, Open City. XYZ Open City, N55 Copenhagen, Denmark. P. 6
Chapter Five(Case Study):
Public Spectacle. The Cineroleum, Assemble London, UK. P. 8
Chapter Seven(Case Study):
Heart of Community. Chrisp Street on Air, The Decorators London, UK. P. 17 Chapter Eight(Case Study):
Reimagine Inhabitant. Hotel ShabbyShabby, Raumlabor. Mannheim, Germany. P. 20 Chapter Nine(Case Study):
Soft Adaptive. Space Buster, Raumlabor Berlin, Germany. P. 27
Conclusion. P. 29
Bibliography. P. 30
Image Credit. P. 31
Chapter Six(Case Study):
Interstitial Space. Folly over a flyover, Assemble London, UK. P. 13
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Abstract Building cultures with public architectural practices. Researching architecture as a social phenomenon to improve our social well being. Recognising the relationships between citizen interactions and the built environment to reclaim ownership in public realm. The immediate interactions of street laboratory can encourage collaborative participants to demand better city regenerations. Through social interactions in relations with others, to take initiative and responsibility in the process of changing shared space. How temporary architectural practices can be a persuasive demonstration and building trust between citizenships and authorities. Looking at
architecture in relations with trust, building culture and flourish social well-being. Building a better sociable architecture place, can further help to be mentally healthy.
Introduction The thesis is constructed with six different case studies, each project will began by talking about the unique characters of its project in terms of its geography relationships, and its initial starting point, the process of making, the programme that were organized with its temporary architecture structure and most importantly how it has inspired the participants, city and how it has acted as demonstration for other future practices. Firstly, research from identifying the issue, and address the relationships between social well-being in relations to built environment. And how we should improve the built environment in order to have better public life. While many public spaces in the developed cities are owned by the local authority, it’s as important to take responsibility to be a part of regenerating as well as reclaiming public citizen ownership. And questioning the rights of the citizenships. Balancing and negotiating the power in social spaces between citizens and local authorities. Cherish the force of life, and pushing city tolerance forward. From connecting with the others socially, we recognise each other and acknowledge the importances of the diversity in the public realm and only through collaborating with diverse experts can gain greater social knowledges in exchange. Secondly, to further discuss the role as designers, architects, and how to empower initiations and facilitate actions. Designing platforms to continue the conversation on urban changes. Bridge the
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different roles and perspectives using architectural practices. Work as role model, to set demonstrations of putting imaginations into realities. Public spatial practices act as bridges between the local authorities and citizens. Creating the public spaces into a more sensible and providing platform to expressing thoughts and sharing. Using architectural works as forms of democratic practices. In the sections, different design models and design methodologies will be further discussed. Finally, we shall be visionary as well as realistic on building culture that flourish healthier city with architectural practices. Temporary architecture site are also become uniquely a site specific
experiences that users remembers and that the participants can become much more sensible to his or her surroundings.
Chapter One:
Temporary Architecture. Embracing micro temporary public projects by thinking downscale to a person scale, and to examine our everyday activities in-between buildings. Taking small changes into considerations for long term public developments. Unforeseen possibilities are lying within our everyday routines and activities. In our design projects, we can practice to push the boundaries of the spaces, and continue searching for the soft edges. Temporary projects that happen at smaller scale allow us to test the possibilities to transform the community spaces. In both developed and developing countries, it’s a shared issue that citizen are constantly pushing the possibilities of what is possible. In the architectural practices, opposing from the permanent projects, more often projects start to question on the benefit of thinking reversely, and creating soft infrastructure to fulfil the necessarily needs. Design with an adaptive minds, that design specifically in certain places, and site oriented. Turning unusual spaces, or derelict areas into a pleasant and enjoyable public space, to provide better urban experiences for travellers in the city has become a popular topics designers trying to solve. Taking a new places that were not normally be in a design brief, and to find those soft edges to bring more possible design projects that can be compromised and fulfilled the urban needs in our social life is the modern city’s tasks and challenges.
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“Urban Catalyst”, is a book focuses talking on temporary uses in city scale, and study on how to turn derelict spaces into a spaces filled with possibilities and can in terms effects on city life. Temporary structure and soft infrastructure also help us to reveal the hidden problems within the bigger construction projects, that there are many idle places, or places in between, and sitting there and waiting to be demolished, or to be renovated can have different direction to be utilised in its most efficiency. It is often critical to judge whether a place is successfully used in pushing its capacity. However, it’s important to continue let the conversations and creative tests moving forwards until we find and have let a place naturally become what it fits best in relations for community uses. As part of researches, “Strategy and Tactics,” book, states that temporary space design is able to have more freedom in terms of designing programme to adapt to certain needs specifically for the community members, and provide facilities regarding to certain occasions. At the characteristic of the temporary project, also allow rapid changes, and allow flexibility to adjust to unexpected changes. It was also inspiring to learn from the book “Handmade Urbanism,” which it shares the real city scenario, and its design process inducing interviewing the people who are involved in transforming community space, and evaluate their progress as well as how social works have also strongly influence the design process. As it frequently discuss, that the role of the architect, may have bigger image and in terms of leading the discussion, as well as to know how to list out methods and bring projects into realities. Also looking at design project as a demonstration for others, including members in the community as well as decision Makers. Using design as a functional tool and method in thinking to educate people to think about their public life different, and to realise the potentials it can make differently in the urban space that we all shared everyday as small as making a small objects, urban furniture, public facilities more pleasant to use. Designers and architects also are the biggest role model to be able to facilitate the conversations on social change in the urban scale, and together with diverse group of designers, we can solve the problems from thoughtful diverse perspectives. In another way of looking at temporary urban projects, that more people begin to question their rights as the citizens. As a result like, “they reveal the fragility of a deterministic urban model that relies on ages instruments and regulations that fail to
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resound to the complexity inherent in our cities. (Weiland, 212).” Chapter Two:
Social Empowerment. I think we can begin the conversation simply by claiming values to everyday activities in our daily routines and life cycle. After thinking about making values in our everyday activity, we might start to wonder the possibilities to help make people around us to recognise the differences of defining value in our life, and then to think of an event bigger picture, of us as a whole. How we can move forward by being better. Better than yesterday, requires a small act today. Improving social life empowers us and help us builds strong confident and feels secure in life. And in order to have achieve a better social life, the public facilities and resources within the public spaces also stand as a big role and does make a lot of differences with more welcoming and inclusive spaces throughout the city. Therefore, the future of urban planning requires much more diverse background of people to create openness in the city In general, people are more willing to step in to be a part of the change or to be involved in public project only if they feel it matters to them and not only they are part of the whole process, also they are what the changes are designed for. Public facilities should have obvious beneficial relationships for citizenship. Community initiations can conduct naturally if residents feel closely affected by the public changes. In search of building richer social relationship between the citizens and its surroundings, responsibilities needs to be distributed both by the creatives who are willing to influence the urban planning as well as the community power made possible by the citizens themselves.
Chapter Three:
Social Responsibility While looking at social responsibility, I wish to also share the big role model corporations can actively be a part of the evolution. An excellent example is The BMW Guggenheim lab which is the partnership between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group, during the years of 2011 to 2014, the urban lab have traveled to New York, Berlin and Mumbai hosting social events to encourage the conversation on social change and smarter urban development through
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talks, workshops, installations, bring professionals from various backgrounds and expertise. The urban think tank also explore new ideas and bring experimentation into reality with forward-thinking visions to bring public projects into city life. Confronting comfort has been the theme of this lab to discuss the possibilities how the urban environment can be talking about people’s needs more efficiently from the concept of surrounded with more pleasant moments in the city. And pose questions for architecture practices to enhance collective growth for our urban systems. And weather if built environment and architecture spaces can help bring the comfort in personal development. Big Corporation like BMW Group have initiated and planned programme to bring the conversation on innovations on the table, and aiming for assisting the future ideas is a great example of taking their social responsibility to be sensible in acting responsible.
Chapter Four(Case Study):
OPEN SOURCE, OPEN CITY. XYZ Open City, N55 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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IMAGE1: XYZ Open City-Assembled
It’s commonly to have faced similar urban problem in different cities and with different backgrounds, therefore, I think it can be powerful if groups of designers can be able to design series of design projects that are purposefully meant to be designed to be contribute to the public. On the other hand, it’s about sharing the knowledge, and combining the sharing knowledge that can bring certain scales and common issues to be solved quickly, if others can take examples directly from who have done it successfully. And I think the idea of open source design can be a solution into solving small urban issues including planning public events, and solving space shortages, and creating spaces inside and within spaces more efficiently, by sharing the design methodology and simple construction ideas and knowledges. Even community members who do not have significant training can also imply on their own, with or without the helps of the designers or architects. Opening the doors of do-it-yourself cultures, as well as architecture field, to even larger group of people, open source design can be very powerful and valuable for many urban issues.
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IMAGE2: XYZ Open City-Transport
In the process of search, the design studio called N55, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, happened to have a project that talks about sharing their design ideas, including a self build bike and a self assembly temporary structure for meet and relax. They have name this specific project called “The XYZ Open City,” as it titled, they encourage people who have the ability to take the simple structure design and imply into their needs, and the simple modular designs can be adaptive and flexible in many different occasions. The characteristic of this particular open source design also were designed thoughtfully in the way it is a low cost system and provided with simple manual for others with very little experienced to follow. They encourages people who have the access to easily make a change to their local community, especially, in the situations low cost and efficiency were the most important problems in some occasions. Chapter Five(Case Study):
PUBLIC SPECTACLE.
The Cineroleum, Assemble London, UK.
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IMAGE3: Cineroleum-Street View
A lot of possibilities that we can find if we push our boundaries in the city. The London based architecture studio, Assemble, have set an example to repurpose a derelict place into an exciting community space that gathering people. Former a petrol station on Clerkenwell Road has been transformed in a street cinema. From their static researches, there are currently near four thousands petrol stations that are empty. The small step of turning one petrol station in our city scape hope can act as a demonstration for decision makers’ that there are greater values to enrich the city.In the design and construction preparation, the Cineroleum was made possible with the helps from the community, and more than one hundred community members. The unique appealing of the handmade characters become its style of the hand built, and its temporary life. Also as a shown as collective power and actions that were made possible using reclaimed as well as second hands materials. During the construction period, it’s also strongly about the community collaborations, and initiated
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volunteers that have come together, and learn, build and experiment the possibilities together. Its temporary structure were built with scaffolding boards, and reclaimed materials. It operates with a rounded curtain as to open and close the scene, once it’s closed, it immediately transform into an indoor cinema, and once the screening is finished, the curtains acted as a wide way outs, and bring the audiences to the street in front of the rows of seats. The structure embraces the nature of its street space, and improvised from the inspiring interior from a real cinema with bar and pop corn machine that bring more enjoyments into the space. The efficient function of the light curtains separate the space itself with the busy street with an ease design for its material choices that different design proposal can adapt and learn from.
IMAGE4: Cineroleum-Curtain
I think Cineroleum is a great example or a change of a pocket size within the urban space, and not only it design a meaningful experience and it also creates this site specific scenario that people who been to one of their screening will remember this specula occasion. I think many design project can start one corner and one single space, and to show the others that project like this requires
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collective actions, and together with the community power, this can be done just about anywhere around the world. As the contemporary urban space grow more dense, and many urban development are changing the shape of the cities, it’s very often we can find derelict places that are sitting in its old plan and awaiting new development to happen. Moreover, during the awaits of the next transitional period, many public facilities may sit in idle, many in months and many in years. If more idle city areas are allowed to happen with supports from the local authority to repurpose its functions for a temporary project there are many opportunities, and projects like The Cineroleum sets up as great demonstration for others to follow.
IMAGE5: Cineroleum-Interior
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IMAGE6: Cineroleum-Exterior
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Chapter Six(Case Study):
INTERSTITIAL SPACE.
Folly For a Flyover, Assemble London, UK.
IMAGE7: Folly-flyover-house
The Project “Folly over a flyover,” is the project that initiated by the Barbican which is owned and founded by the City of London Corporation, which is directly as a part of the local authority. By having the direct support of the project, the Folly over a flyover, was made possible to negotiate on the use of the public space. Enough of demanding and resisting from the purely profit-driven motives, the success of the Cineroleum was able to attract organisation or company that also have vision to benefit for the social good and be a part of the changes in the community. The starting point of this project was followed by the success of the Cineroleum, Assemble was commissioned by the Barbican Art Centre whom proposed possibility to find new temporary location to host its series event of animation films screenings, called “Watch Me Move.” “Folly over a flyover,” sets up an inspiring example that designers with great ideas can work collaboratively
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with the well organised resources in the big organisation like the Barbican, which both share the belief that social experiences can bring differences and attract crowds of people who are looking for the fresh and new in their community activities. Together, “Folly over a flyover,” have found their way to occupy the interstitial space underneath of London’s A12 motorway across from Lea Navigation Canal, which was previously neglected empty ground, and a place people normally never thought to visit. The project design began by imaged the site’s past, a wood tiled house facade with the motorway built in between the old house, that not only showed its black humour, but also questioning the ongoing issue in the public planning that have to demolish historical houses for modern expansion.
During the collaboration with the Barbican, Assemble was able to work with some level of freedom in terms of the design of the space as well as the program even after a lot of negotiations and communications through the challenges with local authorities, and was still able to gain approval for managing the public program including a shared public space for temporary bar and social events, as well as a rental program for small boats to wonder about the spaces around the canal, which was previously not possible to do so, without the approval of the local authority nor the planning of the program and its organisations.
IMAGE8: Folly-flyover-illustration-site
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The highlight of this successful temporary architecture project has set out a physical demonstration that showing the possibilities that unused public space can be transformed, and it’s very doable to be used much more efficiently. And with its high turnout of the participants with more than two hundreds to three hundreds people attending event nearly every night for the length of the program have shown and proved that the transformation met public desire and what can be appreciated for long term planning. Which led the local authority, London transport authority to further assist on its possibility to turn this neglected space for well maintained public use. It is not hard to find another empty space underneath of motorways, that can be transformed into a safe public space. And it’s also not hard to find other unusual places in-between commercial buildings, or a neglected street corner. It is important to open up regular conversation between the cities and the creatives to imagine the uses of the unusual places. To push the boundaries and the communications open and translucent are also very important to be able to find the right collaborations to make things happen and the braves to step ahead to show examples. "Folly for a flyover” is a perfect example that creatives and local authority can find projects in partnerships and collaborate together. And there are different type of public programs can be designed for the public good. Between the big corporations and the small creatives are tremendous grey area that the two have many opportunities to co-exist together through innovative acts and projects.
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IMAGE9,10,11,12: Folly-flyover-event9/10/11/12
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Chapter Seven(Case Study):
HEART OF COMMUNITY.
Chrisp Street on Air, The Decorators London, UK
IMAGE13: Chrisp-St-OnAir
The “Chrisp Street on Air” project was initiated and designed by London based studio “The Decorators,” and has chosen the site location of Chrisp Street Market as it represents the heart of the community life. The project has many significant elements from designing the temporary structure to house a live radio station to the community activities including a boxing show, cinema, and musical performances. The goal is to bring together as many perspectives as possible into the conversations, together with the local developing, and stockholders, local authority, street market vendors, as well as the consumers and people in the neighbourhood who together witness the changes and who all concerned the future development and changes. Each section of the podcast was also carefully associated and invited many locals to discuss the conversations and the questions about its future. Start from understanding the structure and system behind the Chrisp Street Market as well as its surroundings from the locals who have been trading and
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consuming in the fresh market for twenty or thirty long years. While competing with the big corporations and big supermarkets, it has been a rising questions for all to find ways to survive and preserve what the market and the community have to offer.
IMAGE14: Chrisp-St-birdeye
The live events and field-recording style broadcasts acts as series of celebrations of the locals, and the markets, providing events platform, and introducing and addressing the attractive unique characteristics in the neighbourhood. Listening to its broadcast construct many imagery for the neighbourhood for others who are not familiar with the community, as the narrative begin talking with directions and leads the conversation to a boxing club nearby the market, “Walk one hundred and forty-five meters north along Chrisp street from the clock tower, turn left into Cordelia Street, and proceeds further five meters, into the white double door on your left.” The club members in the neighbourhood not only shares about the history of this part of town, and the rising boxing culture in the neighbourhood, listeners can immediately learn a piece of its past, and why it’s important to preserve the uniquely experience and culture. As the surroundings and local developments may continue, and the Chrisp market may continue bean challenge, but by sharing the common memories and common desires of its uniquely characters, the locales have strong proof that those are what make the Chrisp market irreplaceable even in the future
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development. And with local authority’s initiates and helps, the cultures can be further preserved and flourished. With a well organised long term planning, events happening on-site will continue attracting people to come by. The Decorators’ “Chrisp Street on Air” sets as a great example of how the temporary architectural practice and can be combined with community partnerships hosting events for celebrating what the local have to offer and further inspires others to be apart of the change. As the project is continually become an adaptive culture, which it is still active today is the greatest success as a result, which sets as demonstration with a designed experience for public engagement.
IMAGE15: Chrisp-St-Market
The design methodology of the “Chrisp Street on Air” is simply letting designer act as a facilitator, and creates an immediate community space. Especially, in between conflicts and in between arguments, and conversations, it is important to have a middle person to be as a guidance, and think i many design project in the community. Designers are as important role person to facilitator the communications and possibly leading the conversations forward, who may not have immediate answers to all urban issues, and may not have enough local knowledges, which is why it is also important to involve the local community and letting
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them to be the main users and participants. Strengthen culture for the public good, project “ C HRISP STREET ON AIR,” bring a good example that temporary space project can be a big part of the building and form a new culture. The platform of the Chrisp Street houses a radio station right on the site in the Chrisp Street Market. Which it reveals the existing cultural traditions from generations old vendors to residents in the neighbourhood. The programme design have let many to see and revisit the shops on-site that was also introduced on lie radian which visitors can also learn immediately about the street and the neighbourhood.
Chapter Eight(Case Study):
REIMAGINE INHABITANT.
Hotel ShabbyShabby, Raumlabor. Mannheim, Germany.
IMAGE16: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Wiebke
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Raumlabor is a architecture design studio based in berlin, many of their works are about building links in between people from different neighbourhoods. Raumlabor in direct translation from German to English means space laboratory, which describes also their motif in their research and design projects. They often talks about city and places of possibilities and putting the imaginations of places into reality. And opening up the limitations and opening the field of architecture for everyone in the public to be a part of the process. They value the projects like a cultural production, and some of their works happening around the events, performances, and also theatre works. And also it’s important to mention that collaboration is a key part of their methods to work with the specialists including various backgrounds and specialities like engineers, sociologists, local experts, as well as citizens to achieve the a goal together. Primarily, Raumlabor works many of their projects in public realm, engaging within community, and leading projects for communication and negotiation in relations solving conflicts. Being able to design a reversible architecture is much more important for them than the permanent works. They value architecture as a social phenomenon. The design process often inspire through the making and the producing and pushing for the possibilities. In the year of 2014, they have partnered with Theatre der Welt Festival in Mannheim, Germany to host that year's festival on the topics of designing a dream hotel room, and ask for public competition submissions. At the end of the competitions, twenty-five designs were selected, and each contributed to pre-selected locations, participated designers are from throughout the Europe, including Warschau, Zürich, München, Paris, London, Portugal, and many other cities. This particular project talks about rethinking the urban spaces, and question the urban development through the fast growing city of Mannheim, and how it mind have directly affect how people inhabit the city, and the people’s relationships with the public space. And letting the young talents and professionals in the architecture field to step into use reclaimed and recycled materials from the city’s own wastes and reused materials. During the project “Hotel Shabbyshabby”, Raumlabor acts as curator of the project as well as the one of designers. Among many spectacle designs on imagining of how a temporary hotel room can be and function in order to allow people to inhabit unusual spaces throughout the city of Mannheim, from inhabiting and spending a night in a small location in the city, it encourages people rethink their relationships from a different perspectives. Each team was given 250 euros as budget to construct their design of one hotel room. “Hotel Shabbyshabby” provides opportunities for designers, and people who book the hotel room to learn about the city’s past from where it is located.
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IMAGE17: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Construction
Before discussing the spectacle hotel rooms designs and winning selections, it is very important to begin by sharing the entire program and design of this festival Raumlabor put together, including the main site location, which they called it the ‘camp,' where all designer participants have partial productions and workshops done here before moving to the designated site, as well as all designers living together camping on-site by the production right outside of the National Theatre near city centre of Mannheim. The camping experience allow the designers involving cultural sharing, and idea exchanging collectively.
IMAGE18: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-illustration
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IMAGE19: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-site
I have personally selected two of the hotel room to further discuss this projects, inspired by its unique locations, and its design and the choice of reclaimed materials. These two rooms, one named Hedonist designed by a group of designers from Portugal, Nuno Pimenta and Frederico Martins with other construction team members located at Neckarspitze, exactly where the river Rhine and Neckar converge, and the other name Schlafdom hotel designed by Wiebke Lemme located at the Mannheim market square. The two diverse location have attract many visitors to book, and to experience the city from a new and unusual perspective. The room, “The Hedonist” was named after Hedonism, which in short means to live for the pleasure, which the room can also be considered as a meditation room located with the 360 degree view of the river, being surrounded quietly by the water and nature, at the same time contrasting with another side of the view with big ships and some industrial sites. Located away from the city centre, and spending a night inside a
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semitransparent room left with dim red light at night, gives the inhabitants a total peace and undisturbed within the surroundings. One the other hand, the proposed site also have a interesting historical developing past, because around the area was where the city first started to developing. For people who have lived in Mannheim may recall some historic parts.
IMAGE20: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-digital Rendering
Another room, designed by German architect Wiebke Lemme, have chose to reuse multiple huge round glass recycled bin, and designing a temporary structure with cut off pieces overlaying them, on top of each other to create multiple dome like shapes. Leave the exterior surfaces as they were, and painted the interior skin with golden materials, immediately transform the atmosphere when inhabit inside of the room right in the middle of the market square. This massive collaborations of multiple one-of-the-kind site specific designs from designers around Europe, and camping together create this never before experiences. Around 100 and twenty people having dinner together and different designers group taking charge of preparing for the dinner, the festival is much more than designing the imaging dream hotel rooms for citizens’ explorations, but it is also a special experiences for the collaboratives, designers and who participated.
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IMAGE21: Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Wiebke-Square Market
By actually inhabiting in a city corner of Mannheim, imagining this project is happening in your own hometown, what would inspire you to think about your city differently. Spend hours at a place you normally own spend a quick passing time by, or a place you never thought to stop by and watch, or if the place that you never thought to have a seat, and even spend the night. And if a design has let you think of something completely new and I think this project can become really powerful, and it is a experience design that letting the residents, citizens or even travel to view a city from a abnormal perspective, which i believe can further provoke more dialogues to follow. And open up even more imaginations that one person would normally never thought about because it does not happen on a daily basis, and something out of ordinary in a special experience may be open possible with the nature of a temporary design and a temporary public project. Basic understanding of the city of Mannheim will help imagine the project of Hotel Shabbyshabby. The city of Mannheim was destroyed during World War II, and have reconstruct their urban layout, buildings in the 1950s in more practical mind of design. With a diverse group of 170 different countries residents settle after thirty years of war.
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Hotel ShabbyShabby brings together more than one hundreds creatives together to dream together on learning the history and city’s past from their imaginations on the possibilities of where can people inhabit throughout the city of Mannheim. In search of individuals’ comfort living in hotel cabins to be distributed in the city, and also needs to use waste of the city of Mannheim. Selected locations include in parks, next to status, along the banks of the Rhine and the Neckar, in shop windows, also on the site of former US barracks and on the roof of houses, when connecting all locations on map, it’s possible to learn pieces of Mannheim of its current and its past. Couple of the requirements for the design brief for the creatives, which have to consist mostly from the used or recycled materials as building materials, the rooms will not be providing bathrooms nor electricity. And they were encouraged to design the room providing the quest a view of its surroundings. Part of the design questions for the creatives set the interesting start point for the project, which are for the creatives to think about the sensible on the view out of the openings in the morning as well as in the in the evening, and how the room will be lighted, and if others can look in, and generally whether if the person living at the site will feel secure and safe, and the appearance of the room plays a role, and the room will be widely visible or hidden in the site from far, and if there is any target guest to recommend to stay at the room.
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Chapter Nine(Case Study):
SOFT ADAPTIVE.
Space Buster, Raumlabor Berlin, Germany.
IMAGE22: Space Buster
Another project designed by the Raumlabor that also bring the urban spaces into imaging if all is possible. If group of people only need to take a small effort to create the space of their own achieve the space for their needs, then immediate, so many things become possible, as well as achievable. Raumlabor have designed series of different project using the mobile car that blow up an air bubble, and various events have been happening inside of the bubble. And have given the immediate space that can be brought to any flat ground surface. Including their series of project called Space Buster, The Kitchen Monument, Bang Bang, etc. They each shared the same design methodology that embrace the characteristic of mobility and flexibility totally. Because the deflated bubble can be transfer and be transported on the go, whether it is on the mobile car, or a truck for bigger event, etc. It is also because of its materiality, that plastic surface of the bubble naturally creates a intrigued atmosphere, that separate
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the people inside of the event and activities in the bubble, as well as the people walking by. People who pass by it will be immediately curious and attracted by the event. Expandable materials of plastic also give room for a changeable design in order to adjusts to the specific site, and can be nestles itself into other existing objects. The flexibility of the bubble also recapture the public space, and allowing activities to happen spontaneously. Also, the bubble space also acts and functions like space generator and activate a space immediately. Raumlabor has named few of their projects a term “Mobile Activator,” and the bubble space buster is one of them. The term “Mobile Activator” is speaks about its nature of the project, and create the special intimacy bounding of the people and the space. And because it is not like any other temporary structure, it fills the space into a surreal environment, that creates many unforgettable experiences for many. It is also interesting to look at the Bubble space buster itself in relations to what it is surrounds to, weather the bubble is nests on to an interstitial spaces between buildings, or on an empty land, bring many imaginations to the space immediately. Imagine a portable air bubble that can be adapt to most of the situation, and can let the users and participants to be in a semi-closed space for special occasions, and that can be adjust. Which this is not so much about the materiality of the space itself, but the flexible adaptivity, in situation that requires quick response to the site as well as being isolated together inside of an open space. Space buster creates its intimacy for the users and the surroundings that allows the users to use the space freely.
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Conclusion The aim for using temporary architecture to reclaim citizen ownership in public realm is to reconnect and building bridges between each other, build closer relationships in order to feel inclusive and connected. To be a part of improving our social well being, which can be achievable through connecting and engaging with others including strangers. Researches have shown that psychologically we feel better and more inclusive when connected with others and involving in the public project can bring positive effect. Thinking architecture in terms of trust, building public culture and improving social well-being. In every situation of architectural practice, there are always trust involved in the process of building the project. There are trust between the collaborators, partnerships, organisers and participants, as well as the trust between the designers and citizens. Every time when an individual step in a public project, there is a initial trust towards to the project. I wish to acknowledge the trust, and building and firming the trust relationships through practices. More chances of the public collective actions builds on additional trust, which trust, is the base of building another successful project. Thinking about each public projects are the practices and steps in building local culture, in a way that the projects facilitate the community to act responsively to certain causes or to participate together through provided and maintained platforms built and designed from designers or city planner. The new type of culture is naturally formed, and changing and shaping our community. While cities become much more urbanised and globalised, it may be hard for some to be actively positive and can neglect the importances of the public health and social well-being.
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Image Credits Image 1. XYZ Open City-Assembled (2013) [Photogaph] At: http://www.offenewerkstaetten.org/files/kcfinder/workshops/1664/images/ (Accessed on 22.03.16) Image 2. XYZ Open City-Transport (2013) [Photogaph] At: http://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/XYZOPENCITY/xyzopencity.html (Accessed on 28.03.16) Image 3. Cineroleum-Street View (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://paradisovoluptatis.tumblr.com/post/109297048743/thecineroleum (Accessed on 31.03.16) Image 4. Cineroleum-Curtain (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://paradisovoluptatis.tumblr.com/post/109297048743/thecineroleum (Accessed on 05.04.16) Image 5. Cineroleum-Interior (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://paradisovoluptatis.tumblr.com/post/109297048743/thecineroleum (Accessed on 21.04.16) Image 6. Cineroleum-Exterior (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://paradisovoluptatis.tumblr.com/post/109297048743/thecineroleum (Accessed on 21.04.16) Image 7. Folly-flyover-house (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://thelongandshort.org/cities/urbanarchitectureassembleremakeitnew (Accessed on 19.04.16) Image 8. Folly-flyover-illustration-site (2010) [Illustration] At: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/05/follyforaflyoverbyassemble/ (Accessed on 19.04.16) Image 9. Folly-flyover-event9 (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/05/follyforaflyoverbyassemble/ (Accessed on 19.04.16) Image 10. Folly-flyover-event10 (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/05/follyforaflyoverbyassemble/ (Accessed on 19.04.16) Image 11. Folly-flyover-event11 (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/05/follyforaflyoverbyassemble/(Accessed on 19.04.16) Image 12. Folly-flyover-event12 (2010) [Photogaph] At: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/05/follyforaflyoverbyassemble/ (Accessed on 25.02.16) Image 13. Chrisp-St-OnAir (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://www.chrispstreetonair.com/ (Accessed on 23.04.16) Image 14. Chrisp-St-birdeye (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://design.britishcouncil.org/blog/2014/jun/16/specialeditionchrispstreetairias/(Accessed on 23.04.16)
Image 15. Chrisp-St-Market (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://design.britishcouncil.org/blog/2014/jun/16/specialeditionchrispstreetairias/ (Accessed on 23.04.16) Image 16. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Wiebke (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://www.detail.de/artikel/inbedwithschillerhotelaufzeitinmannheim12133/(Accessed on 07.04.16) Image 17. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Construction (2014) [Photogaph] At:http://raumlabor.net/hotelshabbyshabby/ (Accessed on 07.04.16) Image 18. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-illustration (2014) [Ilustration] At: http://nunopimenta.com/THEHEDONIST2014TheatherderWelt (Accessed on 10.04.16) Image 19. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-site (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://nunopimenta.com/THEHEDONIST2014TheatherderWelt (Accessed on 10.04..16) Image 20. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Hedonist-digital Rendering (2014) [Digital Rendering ] At: http://nunopimenta.com/THEHEDONIST2014TheatherderWelt (Accessed on 07.04.16) Image 21. Hotel-Shabbyshabby-Wiebke-Square Market (2014) [Photogaph] At: http://raumlabor.net/hotelshabbyshabby/ (Accessed on 07.04..16) Image 22 . Space Buster (2006) [Photogaph] At: http://raumlabor.net/kuchenmonument/ (Accessed on 15.04.16)
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