Parasitic Architecture and Urbanism An Architectural Manifesto by Jing Kang
CONTENT
"It is just architecture doing what it supposed to do—dealing with human conditions problems. Trying to formulate space with potential to enable new ways of thinking living."
is and the and
---Lebbeus Woods
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Preface
Biological Definition p4
Chapter 1
Physical Attachment p8
Chapter 2
Resource Connection p12
Chapter 3 Infiltrate p18
Chapter 4 Reproduce p22
Chapter 5 Dialogue p28
Chapter 6 Prototype p32
End p34
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PREFACE
Biological Definition
Parasitism
& Parasitic
Architecture
Parasitism is to describe the relationship between two organisms living together, the parasite gets benefit from the host, and host is victimized from providing nutritional substance and living space . This dependent relationship between organisms could be inspirational for architectural design, it can be called as “parasitic architecture”.
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Parasitic Architecture
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PREFACE
Urban Issues In the past few decades, cities and populations are expanding in a skyrocketing speed, catalysed by capitalism, numerous new buildings are erected from the ground. This brings problem such as scarce of land, excessive resource consumption and waste generated by these buildings are not well managed. The spaces between these new large and tall buildings are neglected and unused. Other than that, the growth of city means expanding population, including the homelessness or any marginalised people in society. Small scale parasitic architecture could be inspirational for resolving urban issues people face nowadays. It provides possible solution as a new mode architecture in the process of urban metabolism. For small scale parasitic architecture in the urban environment, there are many ways that they can parasite on a building or built environment, through making physical connection, or sharing resources, modular duplication or infiltrating to the interior.
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Chapter 1
"Para-" (Prefix)
Definition of "para-" 1 : beside : alongside of : beyond : aside from 2: closely related to
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Physical Attachment
Spatial Relation
[ 空间联系 ] The prefix “para-” in Greek, meaning “at or to one side of, beside, side by side” . This suggests parasitism usually start with intimate spatial relation. Similarly, parasitic architecture at the initial stage focuses on physical attachment to the host building or host environment. The physical attachment is achieved by cantilever or direct connection between the parasitic architecture and façade host building. In this case, the host building is imperative in providing structural support.
Addition
Superpostiion
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In-between
Chapter 1
[Parasite Office] Parasite Office by za bor Architect, in Moscow, is designed to propose new mode of resolving shortage of creative space. It is elevated from the ground so the ground level courtyard can be used as well. The use of polycarbonate for building façade means lightweight structure, to be easily supported by the existing multidwelling residential buildings, which are culturally significant in the context of Moscow. At night, warm light are filtered through the semi-transparent façade to illuminate this originally abandoned space. Despite the fact that this is a successful project in resolving issues such as shortage of space and reducing insecurity at night, the limitation of this parasitic mode is the potential risk of the parasitic structure results faster rate of deterioration of the host building in the long run and its damage to the historical facade. As physical connection is usually done by overhang or cantilever, it means the parasite is in permanent contact with the host and it cannot survive independently.
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Physical Attachment
za bor Architect Parasite Office 2011.
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Chapter 2
Food
&
Resource
Although parasitism in nature starts with spatial connection, later this will eventually lead to food connection . For parasitic architecture, rather than simply being physically connected to the existing built environment, it is more important for the parasitic architecture to gradually develop a deeper connection to its host, by sharing or make use of resources or energy. Resources such as greenhouse gas, water, and even information provided by the host environment, can be extracted, and utilized by the parasite architecture, to meet itself’s needs. While increasing the efficiency of energy use, this could even help with minimizing pollution to the environment.
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Resource
Resource (gas/water/ energy)
Nutritional Substance
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Chapter 2
Michael Rakowitz, paraSITE, 1998-ongoing.
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Resource
[paraSITE] For instance, paraSITE , an ongoing artwork from 1998, by Michael Rakowitz is a series of inflatable structures, designed for homelessness. This inflated structure is connected to the exterior exhaust vents of a building, and warm air will fill up the plastic membrane. Form the manual provided by the artist , it demonstrates paraSITE can be simply built by using garbage bags, waterproof tapes, and scissors. The unwanted warm air from a building becomes valuable now as it can keep a homeless man warm since air is a great insulation material. Since this inflated structure is made of transparent material does not provide privacy, yet this is what they want so that they can observe the surrounding and seeing potential danger. Considering in a larger scale of urban planning, if all new buildings in the city could be parasitic by making use of the wasted resources generated by older buildings, there is potential to resolve urban problems such as greenhouse gas emission, water recycling, and even housing of the marginalized people in society.
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Chapter 2
Considering in a larger scale of urban planning, if all new buildings in the city could be parasitic by making use of the wasted resources generated by older buildings, there is potential to resolve urban problems such as greenhouse gas emission, water recycling, and even housing of the marginalized people in society.
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Resource
A Parasitic Tower which can make use of residential grey water. Project Title: Urban Vertical Forest. Credit: Mingxun Ma and Jing Kang An Architectural Manifesto
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Chapter 3
Reproduce
Instead of being a single monolithic structure, parasitic architecture should be like how microparasites can keep reproducing on the surface or from the inside of the host. A smallscale parasitic structure has the potential to spread in urban context through modular duplication. In biology, parasite usually lives in the host in the form of quantified cells or organisms, that can be continuously reproduced, to form a stronger and more influential system. Modular design already possesses the features of universality, adaptability, and independency. When these repeated modules are in large quantity, they can form a system to work coefficient to improve quality of host environment. This parasitic mode increases quantity of the original small-scale structure, to act like a web system instead of a point.
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Reproduce
[ 繁殖再生 ]
Small scale parasitic architecture group acts as a web system
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Chapter 3
Beijing Hutong Bubble, MAD, 2011.
A site plan of Beijing Hutong Bubble. Beijing Hutong Bubble, MAD, 2011
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Reproduce
[ 胡同泡泡 ] A contemporary example could be Beijing Hutong Bubble . Hutong as historical neighbourhood block in China, has been facing problems of degradation and demolition, due to fast urban development. The metallic bubbles aim to attract more resource and activity, rejuvenising the neighbourhood. The web system of parasitic architecture has the potential to metabolize the old district and creating a conversation between tradition and the future.
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Chapter 4
Infiltrate
The parasitic architecture should also be in filtrating to the interior of its host building or environment and achieve a mutualist relationship between the parasitic structure and the host that they become a part of them. At the smaller scale, parasitic architecture could be installed at the inside of the existing building. While the building envelop remains unchanged, the parasitic structure becomes substitute of the original interior structure.
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Infiltrate
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Chapter 4
Courtyard House Plug-in, Beijing, 2013.
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Infiltrate
[ 插件家 ] The People’s Architecture has completed a series of renovation project of old residential one to two storey buildings in Beijing and Shenzhen , called the “Plug-in House”. Unlike MAD’s Hutong Bubble that the new structure is exposed, the Plugin Home is concealed in the façade of the old buildings. They are prefabricated modules to be installed from the inside, to improve quality of living.
Mrs. Fan's Plugin House Shenzhen 2016. An Architectural Manifesto
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Chapter 4
Urban Leftover Space More importantly, on a larger scale of urban planning, the parasitic structure could make use of the urban “leftover space” . While the city expands, many unnoticed spaces are created unintentionally alongside. These space, due to lack of planning and utilization, possess characteristics of uncertainty and unuse, called the “leftover space”, such as the carpark, laneway, roof top, under the bridge and abandoned building structure. These spaces due to lack of light, accessibility, uneven surface, or being too narrow, increases the difficulty of reusing it. As the parasitic architecture are lightweight and highly flexible, it becomes possible to infiltrate these spaces and make us of it.
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Infiltrate
Laneway
Rooftop
Carpark
In between buildings Diagram showing examples of urban leftover space Jing Kang
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Chapter 5
Dialogue Past and Future
In previous discussion, the existing or the old building is seen as the host, the new structure is seen as the parasite. The city has been in a constant state of metabolism. In future, the new form of architecture will continuously expand at the expense of the diminishing number of the old building. In this case, not only the new structure can be parasitic, but the old buildings which contains historical and cultural footprints can still exist as remembrance in the state of parasitism.
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Dialogue
Historical heritage exists in urban context in form of parastic architecture
New structure as parasitic architecture in urban context
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Chapter 5
Parasitic Temples: A Record of a City Adapting to Survive Po-Wei Lai
The Gun-and-Run Temple. Po-Wei Lai
Temple under the Bridge. Po-Wei Lai
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Dialogue [ 寄生之庙 ] In Parasitic Temples: A Record of a City Adapting to Survive , by architect Po-Wei Lai, portrayed a unique urban landscape of Taiwan that the ubiquitous small-scale parasitic temples exist in the state of parasitism to coexist with the city. From observation of how Taiwanese people builds temples at the abovementioned leftover space in the urban fabric, striving to keep a close relationship with their gods . The small-scale parasitic temples are ubiquitous, one could find it in the market, underground, or even in a telephone booth. This is not something intentionally designed, but spontaneously and intelligently created by ordinary folks. This shows how people and architecture are being resilient and adaptable to the rapidly changing urban landscape. For instance, The Run-and-Gun Temple is a mobile temple with four wheels, like night market stall, can be pushed away when police conduct street-check. In the past, the religious architecture is often built at large scale and it is the central activity space. However, due to rapid urban development, the religious building and many other things has very limited space to be built, and eventually vanished. Parasitic architecture could not only provide solution of the coexistence of the old and new buildings, but also there is possibility to bring people’s attention to things disappeared or neglected in the city.
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Chapter 6
Prototype
From the previous discussions, it is not hard to tell the metabolic nature of the city, and the conversation between the old and the new has been inevitable. As compared to complete demolishment of buildings or erection of a completely alien building, perhaps the parasitic structure is a more low-key and modest approach. A parasitic architecture can play an important role in this process, as they start with small scale structure which means they can infiltrate into any corners of the city, gradually increase in quantity to improve the urban environment. They should be modular structure and universal so that they could fit into any context, catering the need of the users. They are transformable and lightweight to be easily assembled and disassembled, change in formal structured when needed. In this way the historical buildings can be gradually replaced and preserving its cultural essence at the same time.
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Prototype
Design Prototype of Parasitic Architecture
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End
In conclusion, a parasitic structure can start with simply making physical connection, and gradually start to make use or recycle excessive resource from its host building to provide housing for the homelessness. Despite being attached on the surface, they can infiltrate the host environment to parasite at the inside, to satisfy people’s need who still lives in the old houses. They need to exist in large quantity of modular duplication to form a web system in the host environment to intervene gradually. It opens up possibility of the coexistence of the old and new buildings, when the historical and cultural buildings are fading away.
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Perhaps this parasitic mode inspired architecture brings people’s attention to the temporality of architecture since it reflects the fact that buildings and cities are metabolising. Probably in future people will look into building construction that lasts in shorter time, can be easily disassembled and recycled the material to construct the new building.
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List of Reference n.d. "para" Dictionary.com. Accessed Octobor 5th, 2021. https://www.dictionary.com/ browse/para-. Australian National University, Research School of Biology. n.d. What is a parasite. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://biology.anu.edu.au/get-involved/what-parasite. 2009. Beijing Hutong Bubble. MAD, Beijing. Jasmin Azhar, Morten Gjerde, and Brenda Vale. 2020. "Chapter 21 Reimgingnig Urban Left-over Space." In Smart and Sustainable Cities and Buildings, by Rob Roggema and Anouk Roggema, 209. Springer International Publishing. Lai, Po-Wei. 2017. Parasitic Temples: A Record of a City Adapting to Survive. Taiwan: Yeren. 2016. Mrs. Fan's Plugin House. People's Architecture Office, Shenzhen. 2011. Parasite Office / za bor Architect. https://www.archdaily.com/138151/parasiteoffice-za-bor-architects
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Peter J. Brown. 1987. "Microparasites and Macroparasites." Cultural Anthropology Vol. 2, No. 1, Biological and Cultural Anthropology at Emory University, Feburary: 155-171 (17 pages). Rakowitz, Michael. 1998-ongoing. paraSITE. New York City, Boston and Cambridge MA, Baltimore MD, Chicago. 2021. Taiwanese Architecture Films To Feature In London Festival Of Architecture’s Online Program. May 24. Accessed October 4th, 2021. https://www.taiwanculture-uk. org/news-1/2021/5/19/taiwanese-architecture-films-to-feature-in-london-festival-ofarchitectures-online-program. 2013. The Courtyard House Plugin. People's Architecture Office, Beijing. Accessed October 4th, 2021. http://www.peoples-architecture.com/pao/en/project-detail/3. Woods, Lebbeus. n.d. AS IT IS: Interview with LW2. Accessed November 9, 2021. https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/as-it-is-interview-with-lw-2/.
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[ 寄生建筑 ] Parasitic Architecture and Urbanism
21 Century Architecture Jing Kang 930892 University of Melbourne Semester 2 2021