The Convivial City: A Realm of Sociability

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THE CONVIVIAL CITY: A REALM OF SOCIABILITY Architecture Design Thesis by Katelynn Schutz

Advised by Terri Fuglem Faculty of Architecture | Department of Architecture University of Manitoba October 2019



THE CONVIVIAL CITY: A REALM OF SOCIABILITY


Cover Page Image Previous Image

Shadow of bus model Sketch in plan of an active city


This thesis is dedicated to Janice Greenough.



THE CONVIVIAL CITY: A REALM OF SOCIABILITY

by Katelynn Schutz Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTERS OF ARCHITECTURE University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture Advisor: Terri Fuglem October 2019


“The trust of a city street is formed over time from many, many little public sidewalk contacts.. Most of it is ostensibly trivial but the sum is not trivial at all.” ― Jane Jacobs, The Life and Death of Great American Cities (p. 56)

Copyright © 2019 Katelynn Schutz - All images have been produced by the author unless otherwise noted.


Acknowledgements First of all, I am grateful for my mom’s continuous support and encouragement. Thanks for the many Saturday morning coffee’s over the phone, which kept me balanced and motivated. To my Dad and Grandpa, whose businesses in construction inspired me to pursue a career in architecture. To Terri Fuglem, my thesis advisor, thank you for your valuable suggestions, discussions, advice and critiques. I was motivated each day in the studio by the enthusiasm and support of my studio colleagues and friends, Matt Rajfur, Claire Spearman, and Kevin Partyka. They inspired me with their creativity and wild ideas. To Laura, for helping me survive the stress with your friendship, humour and encouragement. To Lisa Landrum and Chad Connery, for their helpful guidance and feedback. To all my past studio instructors whose advice and criticisms will help guide my career in architecture. Their insights offered me fresh perspectives and surprising revelations that were invaluable and energizing: Eduardo Aquino, Sasa Radulovic, Johanna Hurme, Colin Neufeld, and Neil Minuk.

Master of Architecture Thesis Book



Contents 10

Preface

19

Stop 1. Engaging the User

35

Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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53

Stop 3. The Project Site

Grant Park

67

Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

89

Stop 5. Social Devices

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The Concertina Pod

109

Stop 6. Social Devices

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The Travelling Pod

121

Stop 7. Social Devices

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The Busking Pod

127

The Last Stop. A Collection of Social Devices

168

Appendix

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Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

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Architectural Props The Bus Stop

Bibliography + Image List

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A Social Realm


Image Sketch of an Imagined City inspiration from The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs

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Preface

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Introduction to a Realm of Sociability


Abstract There is an emerging and increasingly critical need for an architecture that connects people in real space and provides an authentic social experience. Today’s cultural and social context creates unique challenges, especially in relation to the gradual change in the way we communicate and socialize with one another. The discourse of contemporary practice has led to a desperate search to redefine how architecture can support our interactions and create memorable and meaningful connections with one another in the city. Through virtual spaces, such as social media and other applications, relationships are formed and replaced more easily today. Technology has the ability to desensitize and detach people from authentic encounters with each other, which has damaged our potential for intimacy and genuine connection. The competitive nature of a capitalist society and soulless modernist designs have hindered city life and developed an individualistic culture as a consequence of this social system, shifting group dynamics and redefining our social encounters. This has led to a society that is divorced from other people leading to feelings of isolation, loneliness and lack of community and continues to evolve in this way, becoming more divided through its design. This thesis will explore

how architecture in the city is serving us socially, by discovering and rethinking ways of being together. The project will investigate architecture’s role in creating places that foster purposeful gatherings and engage people authentically, inclusively and tactilely. These questions will be addressed by studying the relationships between people; how they meet, interact, engage, socialize, and communicate in the city. This will help identify and create architectural interventions in the city that can activate the public realm and provide the framework for thriving social interactions. The topic will be explored by imagining into the world a realm of sociability. The intent is to create moments of connection by collaging elements of social rituals and props for social gatherings into daily interactions. This method of working will inspire a series of play places in the city that will act as an infrastructure for sociability, showing many different scenarios for gathering and re-imagining how architecture can create togetherness. Through the lens of human tradition and existing systems, banal moments of the everyday will be studied with fresh eyes to design moments that carry the potential to enliven daily interaction.

Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

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Preface

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1.

Context Loneliness in our culture today has developed from two different areas. Firstly, individualism has evolved from our competitive capitalist society, which enables us not to rely on each other. The industrial revolution conditioned society and forever changed our daily interactions in life and work. The industrial revolution placed value on working hard, being productive and doing it as fast and efficiently as possible, because a productive machine is a working machine, therefore a productive member of society is a working member

Images 1. The Imagined City model, handmade with white mat board 2, 3, 4. The Imagined City model, light and shadow

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Preface

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Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

of society. This has built a production based society that is always moving, producing, and competing to get ahead and is focused on the individual rather than the group. Most people move through their daily lives in a constant state of distraction. At the time of the industrial revolution we began believing that all progress requires movement. We are constantly moving towards a goal but almost never have the time or forget to be in the moment and connect with people and our surroundings.


2.

City Diorama 3.

4.

This model begins to identify architectural props within the city, such as balconies, sidewalks, staircases, etc. These architectural elements can encourage social interaction between strangers.

Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

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Preface

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Secondly, consideration must be given to the way information is processed and communicated in our highly technological society. The reliance on screens and the impact of social media has allowed us to inhabit representations of the world. The virtual space found online is carefully curated to present certain pieces of life that one chooses to share with the world. Although social media has become a new way for us to tell stories and communicate with each other, it has actually made us unsocial in our daily interactions. This form of interaction has substituted physical face-to-face interactions for empty virtual ones. The addiction to social media and the reliance on phones allows people to withdraw from their surroundings making the question of how architecture can operate to create a more social environment an even more difficult question to answer.

1.

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Preface

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Introduction to a Realm of Sociability


2.

This constantly busy lifestyle created from the competitive nature of capitalism has contributed to our loneliness, making loneliness a common feature of modern society. More people are living alone, even houses are designed with less shared spaces. More people age alone as followers of religion decline causing marriage to become less sacred with higher divorce rates. We live in a throw away culture. Our consumerist society has shaped us into believing that everything can be replaced. Today, more people are working alone in the age of acceleration and globalization. The speed in which we can accomplish work has dramatically increased and work can be done from virtually anywhere, allowing a lot of people to work from home or even be self-employed. With technology allowing people to work alone, friendships or the network of co-workers that the office environment offers are non-existent. Therefore, now when people that work from home are laid off they have a much smaller network of support making the struggle of being unemployed and searching for a new job a very lonely one.

Images 1. The balcony as an architectural prop 2. The staircase as an architectural prop 3. People socializing on the sidewalks of the city 3.

Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

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Preface

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1.

Introduction Architecture has the potential to shape our behavior in social spaces and has the ability to create invigorating and memorable social experiences that redefine our daily interactions. My motive for the project starts four years ago without knowing it. I first moved to Winnipeg to study architecture not fully understanding how lonely I would feel by removing myself from my family, my friends and my network of support that I had built in Edmonton over the past 23 years of my life. I started to wonder where are the opportunities to meet people in my daily commute from my apartment to the school. Could there be

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Preface

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Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

small infrastructures embedded within the city that can make our daily routines more social? Loneliness is a universal problem and yet, not many talk about it because of the stigma attached to it. In our competitive modern society, capitalism has pushed us to become more individualistic. The technological advancements from the industrial revolution have forever changed the way we work and interact. This project intends to consider the important role that architecture plays in authentic social interactions which has become more difficult to engage in due to our modern society.


2.

3. Images 1. The Imagined City model and hand sculpted polymer clay people 2. People entering the corner store 3. People entering the cafe

Introduction to a Realm of Sociability

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Preface

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18

Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


Stop 1. Engaging the User Architectural Props

Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


Social Devices This project seeks to create a series of small projects that create place and are integrated into the city. The goal is to create a space for genuine social interaction, which can hopefully increase well-being and quality of life. It is obvious in our culture that the traditional sources of social cohesion are consistently decreasing therefore, increasing social isolation. The city of Winnipeg will be used as a point of departure for the project to design an infrastructure that will encourage engagement, interaction, and activities. The idea to start at a small scale for an architectural intervention came from my interest in our commute through our daily rituals being quite bland without the possibility of social interaction. As one moves through the city during their daily routine there must be more opportunities for gathering, socializing, or chances of meeting new people. The design will rethink the public spaces that have never been thought of as a place of sociability.

Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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History of Winnipeg Bus Stops The bus stops in Winnipeg carry a potential for the public to interact, especially because so many different people filter through the bus stops everyday. Looking at this brief account of bus stops in Winnipeg over time, we can see that not a lot has changed in terms of design ideas. The bus stops are currently under used real estate that could be capitalised on. We must take advantage of the spaces people encounter within their daily routines but currently offer no infrastructure for socialization, such as redesigning the bus stop. Within these moments there is potential to design exciting architectural props that can support social interactions.

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Fig. 1. Main Street at Margaret (note wooden passenger shelter, complete with windows and chimney for stove), early 1940s.

Fig. 2. Corner of Roblin Blvd and Elmhurst Street, 1940 -1954.

Fig. 3. Donald Street northbound at Graham Avenue [Moore’s Taxi building is where the entrance to Millennium Library is today] (note the bus stop indicated by the white band on the wooden pole), between 1953 and 1961.

Fig. 7. Main Street Southbound at William Avenue by City Hall, c. 1960s.

Fig. 8. Confusion corner (Osborne/Pembina/Corydon) outbound stop [Pembina and Corydon routes], 1986.

Fig. 9. Confusion corner looking southwest, 1986.

Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


Fig. 4. Westminster Avenue eastbound at Langside Street, between 1956 and 1961.

Fig. 5. Confusion corner, view from roof of Osborne Junction building, c. 1960s.

Fig. 6. Main Street Southbound at Assiniboine Avenue, c. 1960s.

Fig. 10. Polo Park Transit Terminal, 1987.

Fig. 11. Confusion corner, view from roof of Osborne Junction building, 1999.

Fig. 12. Garden City Transit Terminal, 2002.

Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props Architectural props can engage the public in meaningful interactions, which can change the way people choose to behave within a space and begin to activate meaningful interactions. According to Malcolm McCullough, a professor of architecture and urban planning at the University of Michigan and author of the book Ambient Commons, “Specialized designs not only arrange people for particular purposes, but also provide them with useful configurations of props and tools.”1 The architecture will be informed by the props, which act to engage the users in meaningful interactions. These interactions begin to define the place and build a social atmosphere that will act as a brief moment of connection within someone’s daily routine.

Fig. 13. Body Language, 2009. Allan Wexler. Chair Studies and Transformations 2007 - 2009. Wood, paint, paper, wax, coffee cups. Overall 35 x 114 x 60 inches.

1

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Fig. 14. Body Language Detail, 2009. Allan Wexler. Chair Studies and Transformations 2007 - 2009. Wood, paint, paper, wax, coffee cups. Overall 35 x 114 x 60 inches.

Malcolm McCullough, Ambient Commons: Attention in the Age of Embodied Information, Cambridge, MA: Mit Press, 2015, p.166.

Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


The drawing stool is a social prop for the sidewalk. The stool draws in chalk as the user drags the stool around the sidewalk. The hope is that this stool can become a conversation piece as people drag their stools up to other people’s stools. The drawing stool is a social device that has the ability to create a dialog between people and their immediate context. The project is inspired by Allan Wexler’s Body Language, 20092 (see Fig. 1 + 2).

Image Drawing stool, graphite

2 Allan Wexler, Body Language, Allan Wexler Studio, 2009, wood, paint, paper, wax, coffee cups, overall 35 x 114 x 60 inches, accessed September 27, http://www. allanwexlerstudio.com/projects/chair-studies-and-transformations-2007-2009. Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Image Captured movement in plan, the sketch model was used as an extension of my hand for drawing

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


Image Drawing made by sketch model

Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Image Captured movement in elevation, the sketch model was used as an extension of my hand for drawing

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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1.

The concept of architecture and furniture throughout history has its’ continuities as well as its’ differences and variations over time. Much like architecture, furniture design is an expression of the dynamic and interdependent relationships of culture, technology and identity. Similarly to architecture, furniture tells a story about living circumstances; by understanding how it functions, how it contributes to social status, as well as the technologies and materials that were available at the time.

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props

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3.

5.

Images

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6.

Architectural Props

1, 2. Elevations of drawing chair, note the fourth drawing leg attached to top of seat draws arcs and circles as the user rotates their chair. 3, 4, 5. Detail of chalk legs 6. Detail of rotating seat

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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1.

2.

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Architectural Props


3.

Images 1. Plan of user engaging with the drawing chair 2. Elevation of user engaging with the drawing chair 3. Resulting marks made by the drawing chair and the movements of the user

Architectural Props

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Stop 1. Engaging the User

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


Stop 2. Social Infrastructure The Bus Stop

The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop

Image

Mapping out walking patterns


The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


Image Existing Pembina Hwy bus stop focusing on walking patterns

The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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Travelling Pod Cafe This Travelling Pod is a cafe and has the ability to transform it’s appearance as different building components can be folded in and out to control how open or closed the pod appears to the public. The vendor has the ability to control these moving components which will effect the temperature of the pod. In the winter, it is likely the vendor will choose to keep the large doors closed and operate through the small window in the rear of the pod. In the summer as the weather improves the vendor has the option of fully opening this folding pod.

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


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Detail of operations inside Travelling Pod

The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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1.

Images 1. Plan Detail of operations carried out inside the Travelling Pod 2. Plan Detail of interactions at the Travelling Pod

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


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The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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By creating infrastructure that can support or activate social connection, people are given the opportunity to interact with each other in physical space, which can potentially increase happiness and health. In a recent article from The New York Times titled “Happiness Is Other People,” Ruth Whippman discusses the dangers of loneliness writing, “that a lack of social connection carries with it a risk of premature death comparable to that of smoking, and is roughly twice as dangerous to our health as obesity.”3 With this in mind, what role does design play in relieving loneliness, even if only for a brief encounter with a stranger? How do peoples social lives alter as our society continues to shift towards an individualistic culture? How should architecture and urbanism inform social interactions and make our city friendlier? What role does architecture play in social gatherings or creating connections?

Images 1. Initial site analysis sketch over google earth image 2. Plan of Travelling Pod and bus at Pembina Hwy Bus Stop, graphite

1. 3 Ruth Whippman, “Happiness Is Other People.” The New York Times, October 27, 2017, accessed November 25, 2018, https://www.nytimes. com/2017/10/27/opinion/sunday/happiness-is-other-people.html?fbclid=IwAR23BFytn6rhx8Bmqk Jcd9CQ4goGnsWVMohj87c70HIGzZxol 1u3mX-zfHQ.

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


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The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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1.

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


Images 1. Plan of Travelling Pod and bus at Pembina Hwy bus stop, graphite 2. Plan of Travelling Pod, graphite

2.

The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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1.

Images 1. Side view of Travelling Pod 2. Back view of Travelling Pod 3. Opening of front doors

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop

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3.

The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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1.

Images 1. Traveling Pod, movement of back window 2. Travelling Pod, movement of back gate

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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The Bus Stop


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The Bus Stop

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Stop 2. Social Infrastructure

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park


Stop 3. The Project Site Grant Park

Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Site Selection

Route Schedules

A. Parking Lot East Bethesda Church

64 65 66 78 84 86 95 S425

Winnipeg Bus Stops B. 60290: Eastbound Grant at Cambridge (Park and Ride) Buses at this stop: 65, 66, 84, S425

Lindenwoods Express Grant Express Grant Waverley Lindenwoods - Ft. Rouge Station Bridgewater - Ft. Rouge Station Tuxedo - Riverview St. Paul’s College (School Route)

C. 60303: Westbound Grant at Cambrige Buses at this stop: 65, 66, 84, S425 D. 60990: Southbound Cambride at Grant North Buses at this stop: 78 E. 60301: Northbound Cambridge at Grant North Buses at this stop: 78 F. 60302: Northbound Cambridge at Grant South Buses at this stop: 64, 78, 86, 95 G. 60289: Southbound Cambridge at Grant South Buses at this stop: 64, 78, 86, 95 54

Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park

Neighbourhood South River Heights Property Value $798,000 Zoning R1-M Land Area 21,189 sq. ft. Property Influences Heavy Traffic External Corner Bus Route Bus Stop Community Club/ Rec Building


Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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1.

Images 1. Neighbourhoods surrounding the site 2. Overview of bus stops surround the site. Proposed possible future sites for the social devices as they will be placed around the city

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park


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Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Images 1. Existing site plan, highlighted bus stops 2. Existing site plan

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The goal of this project was to reinterpret the existing condition and create a place where strangers can meet by designing small architectural interventions around bus stops that can increase connection between people as they move through their daily activities. The six bus stops that reside around Grant Ave. and Cambridge St were selected as possible sites for this intervention.

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park


CAMBRIDGE ST.

GRANT AVE.

CAMBRIDGE ST.

2. Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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A

Images A. SB Cambridge at Grant South Stop #60289 B. NB Cambridge at Grant South Stop #60302 C. WB Grant at Cambridge Stop # 60303 D. EB Grant at Cambridge (Park & Ride) Stop #60290 E. SB Cambridge at Grant North Stop # 60990 F. NB Cambridge at Grant North Stop # 60301

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park

B

C

D

E

F


E

F

C

D B

A

Image Map of Site - Grant St. at Cambridge Ave.

Site Plan Legend 1. 2. 3. 4.

Foot and Ankle Clinic Telecommunications Maintenance Building Cambridge Towers Condominiums Complex The General Grant Apartment Building

5. Bethesda Church 6. FaithWorks Church 7. Pan Am Pool Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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1.

2.

Images 1. 2. 3. 4.

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park

Site photo collage, north view Site photo collage, west view Site photo collage, south view Site photo collage, east view


3.

4.

Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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A

B

C

E

D

F

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The six bus stops in close proximity to Grant Ave. and Cambridge St. were selected as sites for possible interventions. Firstly, this area was chosen because of the density of bus stops and secondly, because there is a lack of public amenities around these bus stops

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Grant Park

Image 1. Grant Park Site Model. Perspective View. Plywood. 2’ x 3’. 2. Grant Park Site Model. Plan View. Plywood. 2’ x 3’.


A E F

2. C D B

Grant Park

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Stop 3. The Project Site

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


Stop 4. Social Devices The Nesting Pod

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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1.

Bus Stop “D” D. 60289: Southbound Cambridge at Grant South Buses at this stop: 64, 78, 86, 95 This small intervention uses nesting as a means of expanding this small bar to double its’ size. The technology focus for this bar kiosk revolved around designing how the center column can allow for the nesting component to swing out. Through a column with a ball bearing and wheels that move on a track, the exterior nested building is able rotate in order to expand.

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


Images 1. Site model photo collaged with plan of Nesting Pod 2. Site model photo, view from church parking lot 3, 4. Initial sketches of Nesting Pod 5. Site model photo, west view from Cambridge St. 6. Site model photo, view of bus stop from above 7. Site model photo, north view from Cambridge St.

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The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Images 1, 2, 3, 4. Initial sketches of Nesting Pod 5. Hand rendered plan of Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

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The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


2.

3.

Images

1.

1. Section of Nesting Pod 2, 3. Sketch of section details

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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1.

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


2.

The technology aspect for this project focused on what I referred to as transformative furniture and how it can be applied to architecture. Transformative furniture describes furniture that has the ability to change its appearance and utility through the manual mechanisms that are designed into the piece The project focuses on the user’s action, allowing the architecture to be transformed through their participation. The architecture itself becomes a stage for participation through physical operations that can be carried out by the user.

Images 1. Nesting Pod opening and patio swinging out 2. Process drawing of the following isometric drawing

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The technology focus for this term attempts to appropriate mechanisms of transformative furniture into the development of the architecture as well as continuing to think of how these props provide support for our interactions with each other. The main research question for the technology report will attempt to investigate how techniques and mechanisms of transformative furniture can be applied to architectural design in order to encourage user participation. The mechanism’s that will be explored and developed throughout the duration of the thesis project and technology research are: folding, hinging, bellows, assembling, rolling, sliding, nesting, inflation, and concertina. The intent is to design elements of the building, thinking of them as collapsible or transformative props that can be activated by the user. The outcome of this design plans to support the user by giving them the ability to shape the space for their own intended use, while also encouraging authentic interactions between people 1.

3.

2.

Images 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Hand rendered section detail top of column ball-bearing connection Hand rendered section detail bottom of column ball-bearing connection Initial perspective sketch of rotating column Initial elevation sketch of rotating column Technical section detail top of column ball-bearing connection Technical section detail bottom of column ball-bearing connection

Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

4.


HOLLOW STEEL COLUMN

STEEL PLATE BRACING STEEL I BEAM MECH. FASTEN TO ROTATIONAL DISK PVC RAINWATER VERTICAL DOWNPIPE STEEL OUTER RACE STEEL INNER RACE STAINLESS STEEL ROLLING ELEMENT “BALLS” SEPARATOR REDUCES FRICTION

5.

SUPPORT STEEL PEDESTAL COLUMN MECHANICAL FASTENER

HOLLOW STEEL COLUMN

STEEL PLATE BRACING STEEL I BEAM MECH. FASTEN TO ROTATIONAL DISK

PVC RAINWATER VERTICAL DOWNPIPE STEEL OUTER RACE STEEL INNER RACE STAINLESS STEEL ROLLING ELEMENT “BALLS” SEPARATOR REDUCES FRICTION SUPPORT STEEL PEDESTAL COLUMN MECHANICAL FASTENER

6.

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Images 1. Hand rendered plan detail of rotating column 2. Technical plan detail of rotating column

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

1.


STEEL I BEAM MECH. FASTEN TO ROTATIONAL DISK STEEL PLATE BRACING MECHANICAL FASTENER

STAINLESS STEEL ROLLING ELEMENT “BALLS” SEPARATOR REDUCES FRICTION STEEL OUTER RACE STEEL INNER RACE HOLLOW STEEL COLUMN PVC RAINWATER VERTICAL DOWNPIPE PVC HANGER CLAMP MECH. FASTEN

2.

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Images 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Hand rendered section detail top of track and wheel Hand rendered section detail bottom of track and wheel Hand rendered section detail top wheel Hand rendered section detail bottom wheel Section detail through top of track and wheel Section detail through bottom of track and wheel

Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

1.

3.

2.

4.


MECHANICAL FASTENER WELDED STEEL FRAME STEEL RAIL WHEEL STAINLESS STEEL ROUND BAR ROTATIONAL PIVOT AXEL JOINT STEEL RAIL WHEEL TRACK MECH. FASTENED TO I BEAM STEEL STUD FRAMED WALL

5.

MECHANICAL FASTENER STEEL RAIL WHEEL STAINLESS STEEL ROUND BAR ROTATIONAL PIVOT AXEL JOINT STEEL RAIL WHEEL TRACK MECHANICALLY FASTENED TO I BEAM WELDED STEEL FRAME

STEEL STUD FRAMED WALL

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The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod

2.


Images 1. Interior of front door 2. Interior of back windows 3, 4, 5. Three positions of exterior wall movement

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The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


3.

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Images 1. Side elevation, washroom wall 2. Back elevation, note washroom entrance 3. Side elevation, windows of cafe 4. Front elevation, note front door, bar-top table + service window

The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Image Nesting Pod isometric drawing showing the closed (nested) and open (expanded) positions respectively

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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The Nesting Pod


The Nesting Pod

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Stop 4. Social Devices

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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The Concertina Pod


Stop 5. Social Devices The Concertina Pod

The Concertina Pod

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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1.

Bus Stop “B� B. 60290: Eastbound Grant at Cambridge (Park and Ride) Buses at this stop: 65, 66, 84, S425 A hinged mechanism is used to drop the exterior wall to create a patio space which can be covered with a retractable roof. A bellows mechanism is used for the concertinaed roof covering for the patio. The patio roof can be expanded and used as a roof covering or contracted for storage.

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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The Concertina Pod


2.

Images 1. Site model photo collaged with plan of Concertina Pod 2. Site model photo, view of bus stop from church parking lot 3. Site model photo, west view of bus stop driving on Grant Ave. 4. Site model photo, view of bus stop in background from Bus Stop “D� 5. Site model photo, east view of bus stop from Grant Ave.

3.

4.

5.

The Concertina Pod

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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1.

Images 1. Elevation, view of cafe without concertina roof cover 2. Top view of Concertina Pod with exterior wall folded down for patio and roof covering expanded 3. Concertina floor plan with exterior wall folded down for patio

2.

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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The Concertina Pod


3.

The Concertina Pod

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Stop 5. Social Devices

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Images 1. Section of Concertina Pod, graphite 2. Section of Concertina Pod, beginning of drawing

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Images 1. 2. 3. 4.

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Front elevation Side elevation, note concertina roof covering Back elevation, note coffee-to-go window Side elevation

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Images 1. Section detail of wall and roof patio movement 2. Sections of concertina movement expansion to compression 3. First iteration of isometric motion of concertina expansion to compression

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1.

Images 1. Interior concertina connection to top of wall detail 2, 3. Interior concertina connection to floor and hinge for folding wall detail 4. Initial sketches of concertina connection to floor 2.

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ELASTOMER COATED RED FABRIC

ROTATING STEEL TUBULAR ELEMENT

HINGE JOINT

HOLLOW ALUMINUM POLE CORROSION RESISTANT

LOW CARBON STEEL HOISTING CHAIN TO HOLD LOAD OF WALL

CHAIN COUPLING LINK

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1.

Images 1. Hand rendered plan of connection between floor, roof covering, and hinged wall. 2. Plan of connection between floor, roof covering, and hinged wall. Hinged wall can be lifted up and stored in rest position by chain controlled by crank and gear mechanism.

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HOLLOW ALUMINUM POLE CORROSION RESISTANT ROTATING STEEL TUBULAR ELEMENT ZINC TREATED LEVER HANDLE ACTIVATED BY USER GEAR WITH SPECIAL PROFILE TO ENGAGE CHAIN LEVER ARM ROTATIONAL JOINT ELASTOMER COATED RED FABRIC HOLLOW ALUMINUM POLE CORROSION RESISTANT LOW CARBON STEEL GRADE 30 PROOF COIL HOISTING CHAIN TO HOLD LOAD OF WALL CHAIN COUPLING LINK

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Images 1, 2, 3, 4. Elevations with patio floor/ cafe wall in closed position 5, 6, 7. Front Elevation showing movement of exterior wall

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Images

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1, 2, 3. Section of Concertina Pod showing movement of patio cover 4. Front elevation, entrance to cafe (right) and entrance to bathroom (left) 5. Side elevation, showing concertina patio cover 6. Back elevation, note window to order coffee through 7. Side elevation


4.

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7.

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Stop 6. Social Devices

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Stop 6. Social Devices The Travelling Pod

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1.

Bus Stop “A” A. 60303: Westbound Grant at Cambrige Buses at this stop: 65, 66, 84, S425 Designed to move between two or more bus stops connected by sidewalks. Not intended to cross streets or major intersections, this travelling coffee pod is contained to the block it resides on and can move to the various bus stops on that block. The Travelling Cafe moves between Bus Stop “A” and Bus Stop “E.”

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Bus Stop “E” E. 60990: Southbound Cambride at Grant North Buses at this stop: 78 The Travelling Cafe moves between Bus Stop “A” and Bus Stop “E.”

Images 1. Site model photo (Bus Stop “A”) collaged with plan of Travelling Pod 2. Site model photo (Bus Stop “E”) collaged with plan of Travelling Pod

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Images

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Site model photo, west view of bus stop from Grant Ave. Site model photo, view of bus stop from church parking lot Site model photo, northeast view of bus stop from Grant Ave Site model photo, east view of bus stop Plan of Travelling Pod, graphite

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Images 1. Section of Travelling Pod at bus stop with drawing stools 2. Elevations of Travelling Pod, open position

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Images 1. Perspective views of travelling pod in open position. 2. Top view of model, open position 3. Top view of model, closed position

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Images 1, 2, 3, 4. Elevations of Travelling Pod in opened position 5, 6, 7, 8. Elevations of Travelling Pod in closed position

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The Busking Pod


Stop 7. Social Devices The Busking Pod

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1.

Bus Stop “C� C. 60303: Westbound Grant at Cambrige Buses at this stop: 65, 66, 84, S425 In this Busking Pod the left and right sides can be folded out as seen in the plan. These sides are doors in their closed position, however the busker can unfold one or both sides into pieces of furniture for the audience to rest on. Some pieces fold into benches, bar tops, or places to lay. Although the door/ furniture pieces are attached to the pod, they can pivot along their axis in order to sit with a view of the busker.

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2. Images 1. Site model photo collaged with plan of Busking Pod 2. Site model photo, north view on Cambridge St. Bus stop on right. 3. Site model photo, east view on Grant Ave.

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Using transformative mechanisms as a inspiration for design, the goal of the project was to create an architecture that supports and encourages authentic interactions between people and has the potential to generate more diversity in public space. The folding mechanism can be used in architecture to encourage people to manipulate the spaces they inhabit. Transformative design has the potential to occupy more than one state.

Images 1. Initial sketches of Busking Pod 2. Plan of Busking Pod, graphite

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Final Models The following section shows final models for the Nesting Pod, Concertina Pod, Travelling Pod, and Busking Pod. Since this intervention is intended to be used at a variety of bus stops around the city, four generic bus stop sights will be used as the sites for the four different pods. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Nesting Pod placed on bus stop with large bus shelter unheated Concertina Pod placed on bus stop with no bus shelter Travelling Pod placed on bus stop with large heated shelter Busking Pod place on bus stop with small unheated shelter.

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Image Grant Park site plan with pods at existing bus stops

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1.

Images 1. Technical bus plan 2. Grant Park site plan with pods at existing bus stops

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CAMBRIDGE ST.

GRANT AVE.

CAMBRIDGE ST.

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The Nesting Pod

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Images 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

View of Nesting Pod from bus Man leaving swing-out patio Man approaching exterior bar-top table Woman approaching Nesting Pod Perspective view of final model for Nesting Pod

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The Nesting Pod

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7. Images 1, 2. Nesting Pod with bus 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Views of Nesting Pod from bus

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The Nesting Pod

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Images 1. Nesting Pod final model, perspective view from top 2. Backside of Pod, entry to public washroom 3. Swing-out patio

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The Nesting Pod

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1. 2. 3. 4.

Interior view to front door Interior view to back of pod Exterior view looking into pod Exterior view looking into pod with view of bus.


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The Concertina Pod

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Images

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1. North elevation, patio roof retracted (closed) 2. South elevation, patio roof extended (opened) 3. East elevation, patio roof extended (opened) 4. West elevation 5. Interior view of retractable patio roof

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The Concertina Pod

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Images 1. Concertina Pod final model, perspective view 2. Concertina Pod, exterior patio enclosure 3. Exterior condition between bus and Conertina Pod 4, 5. Exterior views, “Hire a co-op student� bench ad

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The Concertina Pod

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Images 1. Concertina Pod final model, top view 2. Inside/ outside condition 3, 4. Interior views

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The Concertina Pod

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Images 3.

1, 2, 3. Exterior tile conditions

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The Travelling Pod

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Images 1. 2. 3. 4.

Closed position, open back window Open position, side view Open position, front view Open position, note white tile plaza.

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The Travelling Pod

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Images 1. Travelling Pod final model, perspective view from top 2, 3. Space between bus and bus stop

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The Travelling Pod

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Images 1. 2. 3. 4.

Elevation bus exiting, closed position, on tile platform Elevation bus exiting, closed position, between bus and bus stop Elevation bus exiting, open position, on tile platform Elevation bus approaching, open position, on tile platform

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The Travelling Pod

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Images 1.2.3. Exterior views 4. View of Travelling Pod from inside bus stop 5. View of bus from Travelling Pod 6. Space between the bus and bus stop

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The Busking Pod

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Images 1. Busking Pod final model, perspective view from top 2. Interior conditions of Busking Pod 3, 4, 5. Exterior conditions of Busking Pod, note the architecture can be manually rotated by the busker in order to chose where the stage points

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The Busking Pod

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North elevation South elevation East elevation West elevation

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The Busking Pod

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Images 1. Busking Pod final model, top view 2. Busking Pod, exterior 3, 4, 5, 6. Exterior views of Busking Pod

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The Busking Pod

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1, 2, 3. View of Busking Pod from bus window 4, 5, 6. Busking Pod exterior views


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Image Winnipeg Transit Bus

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Last Words My time in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba has changed the way I view the world. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to study at this school and learn how to think critically and creatively about architecture. I am grateful for my teachers and colleges that have made this experience unforgettable, challenging and rewarding. I will carry and build on the knowledge I have gained as I move into my architecture career. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. The Convivial City thesis project started by thinking about how our cities are serving us socially. I strongly believe that architecture has the potential to enrich and invigorate our day-to-day lives in small ways. This project demonstrates how small architectural infrastructures can enliven our city.

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Bibliography Berman, Marshall, David Marcus, and Shellie Sclan. Modernism in the Streets: A Life and times in Essays. London: Verso, 2017. Berman, Marshall. All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity. London: Verso, 2010. Bond, Michael. “Future - The Hidden Ways That Architecture Affects How You Feel.” BBC News. June 06, 2017. Accessed July 06, 2018. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170605-the-psychology-behind-yourcitys-design?ocid=ww.social.link.email. Brooks, Arthur C. “How Loneliness Is Tearing America Apart.” The New York Times. November 24, 2018. Accessed November 23, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/23/opinion/loneliness-political-polarization.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage. Caruso, Charlie. Understanding Y. Milton Qld.: J. Wiley & Sons, 2014. Ellard, Colin. Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life. New York: Bellevue Literary Press, 2015. Ellard, Colin. Where Am I?: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon but Get Lost in the Mall. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2010. Gasset, José Ortega Y. The Revolt of the Masses. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. Gehl, Jan, and Lord Richard. Rogers. Cities for People. Washington DC: Island Press, 2013. Gehl, Jan, Birgitte Svarre, and Karen Ann. Steenhard. How to Study Public Life. Washington: Island Press, 2013. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, NY: Random House, 1961. Landa, Manuel De. A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. London: Bloomsbury, 2013. McCullough, Malcolm. Ambient Commons: Attention in the Age of Embodied Information. Cambridge, MA: Mit Press, 2015. Neufeld, Gordon, and Maté, Gabor. Hold on to Your Kids : Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers / Gordon Neufeld, Gabor Maté. Vintage Canada ed. 2013. Parker, Priya. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. New York: Riverhead Books, 2018. Riesman, David, Reuel Denney, and Nathan Glazer. The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character. Abridged Ed. with a 1939 Preface. New Haven: Yale Univ. Pr., 1978. Sennett, Richard. “Reflections on the Public Realm.” A Companion to the City: 380-87. doi:10.1002/9780470693414.ch32. Sennett, Richard. “The Public Realm.” The SAGE Handbook of the 21st Century City: 585-601. doi:10.4135/9781526402059.n32 Simone, Ashley, Ellen Wexler, Patricia C. Phillips, Sean Anderson, Michele Calzavara, and Allan Wexler. Absurd Thinking: Between Art and Design. Zürich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers, 2017. Vanier, Jean. Becoming Human. Toronto: Anansi, 2008. Whippman, Ruth. “Happiness Is Other People.” The New York Times. October 27, 2017. Accessed November 25, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/opinion/ sunday/happiness-is-other-people.html?fbclid =IwAR23BFytn6rhx8BmqkJcd9CQ4go GnsWVMohj87c70HIGzZxol1u3mX-zfHQ. 168


Image Reference Note : Historic Photos of Winnipeg Bus Stops were provided by David Wyatt, Historian at the Manitoba Transit Heritage Association Fig. 1. Main Street at Margaret (note wooden passenger shelter, complete with windows and chimney for stove), early 1940s. Source: John Pappas Fig. 2. Corner of Roblin Blvd and Elmhurst Street, 1940 -1954. Source: unrecorded Fig. 3. Donald Street northbound at Graham Avenue [Moore’s Taxi building is where the entrance to Millennium Library is today] (note the bus stop indicated by the white band on the wooden pole), between 1953 and 1961. Source: William A. Luke Fig. 4. Westminster Avenue eastbound at Langside Street, between 1956 and 1961. Source: Winnipeg Transit photo archive Fig. 5. Confusion corner, view from roof of Osborne Junction building, 1960. Source: Winnipeg Tribune Collection [U of M Archives]. Fig. 6. Main Street Southbound at Assiniboine Avenue. Source: unrecorded (probably Winnipeg Transit photo archive) Fig. 7. Main Street Southbound at William Avenue by City Hall, c. 1960s. Source: Winnipeg Tribune Collection [U of M Archives] Fig. 8. Confusion corner (Osborne/Pembina/Corydon) outbound stop [Pembina and Corydon routes], 1986. Source: David A. Wyatt, Manitoba Transit Heritage Association Fig. 9. Confusion corner looking southwest, 1986. Source: David A. Wyatt, Manitoba Transit Heritage Association Fig. 10. Polo Park Transit Terminal, 1987. Source: David A. Wyatt, Manitoba Transit Heritage Association Fig. 11. Confusion corner, view from roof of Osborne Junction building, 1999. Source: Winnipeg Transit Fig. 12. Garden City Transit Terminal, 2002. Source: Winnipeg Transit Fig. 13. Body Language, 2009. Allan Wexler. Chair Studies and Transformations 2007 - 2009. Wood, paint, paper, wax, coffee cups. Overall 35 x 114 x 60 inches. Source: http://www.allanwexlerstudio.com/projects/chair-studies-and-transformations-2007-2009 Fig. 14. Body Language Detail, 2009. Allan Wexler. Chair Studies and Transformations 2007 - 2009. Wood, paint, paper, wax, coffee cups. Overall 35 x 114 x 60 inches. Source: http://www.allanwexlerstudio.com/projects/chair-studies-and-transformations-2007-2009

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