ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO NICHOLAS HONEY
CONTENTS
4
Reflective Statement
6
Mapping of ARB Criteria
22
Reclaiming Playtime Stage 6 Thesis Project
96
Oikos Transformed Breif Stage 5 Design Studio
98
Activating Cannaregio Stage 5 Semester 1 Design
108
Venetian Institute of Indicative Plants Stage 5 Semester 2 Design
132
Urban Commons: pavilion of the commons Linked Research Project
152
Matadero: the creation of a guilty neighbourhood Tools for Thinking Essay
154
Professional Practice Presentation
158
Professional Practice Report
REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
The two years between completing my undergraduate course at Newcastle and returning for the MArch course were two of the most informative years of my education; new people, places, projects, skills, software all thrust upon me in a whirlwind 18-months in practice; a fascinating and wholly enjoyable experience. Yet I still left the practice feeling a slight sense of something missing - the feeling that, as enjoyable as this time was, the projects I was working on didn’t completely align with the values that I hold closest. I have always enjoyed designing, from masterplan to detail I find excitement in the possibilities afforded when given the freedom and time to explore a project’s potential. And in this regard, during my time in practice I was given ample opportunity to exercise this freedom. However, still, this void remained in my working life. Politics fascinates me. Those who know me well are no doubt regularly exasperated by my political musings and appetite for debate. However, In the office, politics was something to be avoided; the pervasive feeling that the projects we were working on were misaligned with the views of most of the people working on them - offices for the tech companies of the Old Street ‘silicone roundabout’ and the bankers of the city ‘elite’. Returning to Newcastle, I was determined to rediscover my passion for politics within architecture but was unsure as to how this may manifest itself. Politics to me had always come to be represented by the goings on in the halls of Westminster, a somewhat distant and impenetrable place. Likewise, my experience of politics within the architecture profession was of those who had risen to have an influence on Westminster decision making – the Lord Fosters and Rogers of the world. It was in the first few weeks of returning to Newcastle that I was introduced to a new way of engaging politically within the architecture profession. Rachel Armstrong, one of my Stage 5 design tutors, introduced me to the works of Donna Haraway and George Monbiot. Their texts opened my eyes to novel and contrasting methods for engaging in political discourse and activism. Haraway’s critique of anthropocentrism revealed a universal issue regarding our approach to environmental degradation that transcends party and global politics. If Haraway provides a theoretical framework regarding the Anthropocene, then Monbiot offers a blueprint for individual and collective activism. It became apparent that engaging politically on different levels could give my work a richness that had maybe previously been lacking, helping to situate the project within the context of local and global issues. This line of thinking was continued through my Tools for Thinking essay, which explored the issue of ‘uncomfortable heritage’ as outlined by John Pendlebury, Yi-Wen Wang and Andrew Law. Drawing upon Laurajane Smith’s writings on the ‘authorized heritage discourse’ I developed a critique of the Matadero cultural centre in Madrid, which occupies a former slaughterhouse. My line of enquiry centred around the extent to which contemporary changes to the site’s architectural fabric and uses have altered perceptions of the Matadero within the local community. This exploration revealed inequalities in the classification and treatment of ‘heritage’, as the discourse is subject to the dogmas, biases and beliefs of this dominant class and conversely the voices of minorities and the working class are suppressed. These findings resonated with my experience of working in practice, leading me to further question who architecture serves within society and whose voices are suppressed or ignored.
During Semester 2 I began to integrate the theoretical and political approach, informed by my readings in Semester 1, into a design for a building in Venice. The project explored the philosophy of New Materialism, influenced by the work of Jane Bennett, representing a move away from an anthropocentric approach to urbanism, encouraging agency amongst the non-human. Again, the question of who, or in this case what, architecture is intended to serve resurfaced and a critique of methodologies for the integration of the non-human into the architectural led me to research a weird and wonderful array of projects, ranging from the sciences to the fine arts. Having begun the year exploring political activism, the project brought me to scientific research regarding algae, bioluminescence, plants and genetic modification of living organisms (not something I ever expected to be studying during an architecture degree)! I began a process of integrating these experimental and theoretical systems and processes into a cohesive system of services for the building, closely studying the work of Carlo Scarpa and his appreciation of Venice’s relationship with water. As such I chose to embrace the nature of the Venetian lagoon, inviting water into the building, helping to sustain an artificial ecosystem of symbiotic organisms, the human and non-human living together. Central to the project was the concept of ‘worlding’ - the creation and management of worlds of differing scales: the body, household, garden, city and so on. This way of thinking resonated deeply with me as a methodology for architectural and political intervention, through the formation of smaller, accessible movements for driving change, with potential for evolution and expansion. The Linked Research project I was involved with, Urban Commons, was a highly revealing process. The initial phase of the project saw myself and a second MArch student lead a team of 3rd Year Architecture and Urban Planning students to design a temporary pavilion to be sited on Newcastle’s Town Moor, before being transported to Brighton’s Valley Gardens. The pavilion was to follow in the tradition of tactical urbanism to act as a catalyst for the celebration and interrogation of the role of urban commons in Britain historically and presently. The design explored a methodology of coproduction, drawing upon the countercultural DIY movement of the 1960s in North America to providing a framework for collective making, influenced by works such as the Whole Earth Catalogue. Due to Covid restrictions, the construction of the pavilion has been delayed. However, this provided an opportunity for deeper exploration into the collective making process, as we encouraged a diverse range of users to engage creatively with a scale model of the pavilion to explore hidden potentials for the project. Although I was previously aware of examples of community-based projects and temporary and tactical urbanism, this project allowed me to experience first-hand an alternative method of architectural practice in which the architectural practitioner acts as a mediator or facilitator for a varied group of people, encouraging agency amongst members of the community. This methodology felt a world away from my previous experience working in practice and has been hugely informative regarding my intentions for future architectural practice. From the outset of Stage 6 it became apparent that Covid was going to have a considerable impact on the course. With limited or no access to the studios I was worried that I would be missing out on the collaborative working environment that had previously come to define my experience of architectural education. In response to this I discussed with my housemate the potential for us to work
together on a joint thesis project. This process has been a significant departure from my previous experience of university design projects, a move from what can often feel like a somewhat solitary undertaking to a process of intense discussion and collaboration. As such, we have explored a praxis of collective investigation of a site in Edinburgh, developing a boardgame approach to mapping the temporal flows of the urban environment, expanding on the experimental work of Raoul Bunschoten’s CHORA. This process allowed us to use play as a collaborative tool for reading the city, offering a critique of current development trends and planning policy. The process of worlding has re-emerged through the metaphysical world of the gameboard – the board acting as a testing ground in which users are invited to partake in a guided improvisation, modelling imagined futures for the site. A praxis informed by ideas on spatial agency, coproduction and temporary urbanism by practitioners such as Jeremy Till, Florian Beigel, Muff and Public Practice has further influenced the direction of the project, leading to an outline for a more engaged methodology for urban development. As such, the thesis project represents not only a vision for a potential future for this specific site, but also our thoughts on the direction in which we see our own architectural practice developing in the future. Upon returning to Newcastle, I felt unsure as to the future direction of my architectural practice. As much as I had enjoyed my time in practice, a dimension of meaning to my work seemed to be lacking. Who was really benefiting from my work? I came to see architecture as a product of the privileged in society and yet any alternatives to this reality seemed too distant or unattainable, the changes required too large for me to influence on an individual level. I didn’t realise it at the time, but a change in attitude towards how I viewed my own potential impact on society proved to be a defining moment for me in my architectural education. Reading the work of Haraway and Monbiot revealed apparently dualistic approaches to activism and political and social agency, yet I began to realise that, by embracing this dichotomy, I could attempt to reconcile the two through my own practice. Both Haraway and Monbiot address some of the most significant issues of our times. However, as Haraway seeks to explore these overarching themes from a philosophical standpoint, Monbiot highlights the everyday activism of members of the community, each doing their bit to address almost incomprehensively large issues. In hindsight, it was a sense of disappointment in my perceived inability to independently affect significant change that led to my doubts when returning to education. Most importantly, during the MArch I feel that I have learned to embrace the political and social agency of my own architectural practice, not as an individual seeking to ‘change the world’, but as part of a collective effort to improve the smaller ‘worlds’ which constitute our lived environment, working to enable transformation at a local level, perhaps to be expanded into wider worlds, perhaps not.
TABULAR MAPPING OF THE ARB CRITERIA
[01] Matadero: creation of a guilty neighbourhood Tools for Thinking Essay [02] Urban Commons: Pavilion of the Commons Linked Research Project [03] Professional Practice Report + Presentation [04] Reclaiming Playtime: finding common ground in the Pilrig Muddle Stage 6 Thesis Project [05] Venetian Institute of Indicative Plants Stage 05 Semester 2 Architectural Design [06] A Bio-Renaissance Stage 05 Semester 1 Architectural Design
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] GC1 Ability to create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements. .1 prepare and present building design projects of diverse scale, complexity, and type in a variety of contexts, using a range of media, and in response to a brief .2 understand the constructional and structural systems, the environmental strategies and the regulatory requirements that apply to the design and construction of a comprehensive design project .3 develop a conceptual and critical approach to architectural design that integrates and satisfies the aesthetic aspects of a building and the technical requirements of its construction and the needs of the user. GC2 Adequate knowledge of the histories and theories of architecture and the related arts, technologies and human sciences. .1 the cultural, social and intellectual histories, theories and technologies that influence the design of buildings; .2 the influence of history and theory on the spatial, social, and technological aspects of architecture; .3 the application of appropriate theoretical concepts to studio design projects, demonstrating a reflective and critical approach. GC3 Knowledge of the fine arts as an influence on the quality of architectural design. .1 how the theories, practices and technologies of the arts influence architectural design; .2 the creative application of the fine arts and their relevance and impact on architecture; .3 the creative application of such work to studio design projects, in terms of their conceptualisation and representation.
GC4 Adequate knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process. .1 theories of urban design and the planning of communities; .2 the influence of the design and development of cities, past and present on the contemporary built environment; .3 current planning policy and development control legislation, including social, environmental and economic aspects, and the relevance of these to design development. GC5 Understanding of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment, and the need to relate buildings and the spaces between them to human needs and scale. .1 the needs and aspirations of building users .2 the impact of buildings on the environment, and the precepts of sustainable design .3 the way in which buildings fit in to their local context. GC6 Understanding of the profession of architecture and the role of the architect in society, in particular in preparing briefs that take account of social factors. .1 the nature of professionalism and the duties and responsibilities of architects to clients, building users, constructors, co-professionals and the wider society; .2 the role of the architect within the design team and construction industry, recognising the importance of current methods and trends in the construction of the built environment; .3 the potential impact of building projects on existing and proposed communities. GC7 Understanding of the methods of investigation and preparation of the brief for a design project. .1 the need to critically review precedents relevant to the function, organisation and technological strategy of design proposals .2 the need to appraise and prepare building briefs of diverse scales and types, to define client and user requirements and their appropriateness to site and context 3 the contributions of architects and co-professionals to the formulation of the brief, and the methods of investigation used in its preparation.
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06]
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] GC8 Understanding of the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with building design. .1 the investigation, critical appraisal and selection of alternative structural, constructional and material systems relevant to architectural design .2 strategies for building construction, and ability to integrate knowledge of structural principles and construction techniques .3 the physical properties and characteristics of building materials, components and systems, and the environmental impact of specification choices. GC9 Adequate knowledge of physical problems and technologies and the function of buildings so as to provide them with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate. .1 principles associated with designing optimum visual, thermal and acoustic environments .2 systems for environmental comfort realised within relevant precepts of sustainable design .3 strategies for building services, and ability to integrate these in a design project. GC10 The necessary design skills to meet building users’ requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations. .1 critically examine the financial factors implied in varying building types, constructional systems, and specification choices, and the impact of these on architectural design .2 understand the cost control mechanisms which operate during the development of a project .3 prepare designs that will meet building users’ requirements and comply with UK legislation, appropriate performance standards and health and safety requirements. GC11 Adequate knowledge of the industries, organisations, regulations and procedures involved in translating design concepts into buildings and integrating plans into overall planning. .1 the fundamental legal, professional and statutory responsibilities of the architect, and the organisations, regulations and procedures involved in the negotiation and approval of architectural designs, including land law, development control, building regulations and health and safety legislation .2 the professional inter-relationships of individuals and organisations involved in procuring and delivering architectural projects, and how these are defined through contractual and organisational structures .3 the basic management theories and business principles related to running both an architect’s practice and architectural projects, recognising current and emerging trends in the construction industry.
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] GA2 With regard to meeting the eleven General Criteria at Parts 1 and 2 above, the Part 2 will be awarded to students who have: .1 ability to generate complex design proposals showing understanding of current architectural issues, originality in the application of subject knowledge and, where appropriate, to test new hypotheses and speculations .2 ability to evaluate and apply a comprehensive range of visual, oral and written media to test, analyse, critically appraise and explain design proposals .3 ability to evaluate materials, processes and techniques that apply to complex architectural designs and building construction, and to integrate these into practicable design proposals .4 critical understanding of how knowledge is advanced through research to produce clear, logically argued and original written work relating to architectural culture, theory and design .5 understanding of the context of the architect and the construction industry, including the architect’s role in the processes of procurement and building production, and under legislation .6 problem solving skills, professional judgment, and ability to take the initiative and make appropriate decisions in complex and unpredictable circumstances; .7 ability to identify individual learning needs and understand the personal responsibility required to prepare for qualification as an architect.
GC1 [05] Venetian Institute p9. [02] Urban Commons p73.
.01 [02] Professional Practice Report p8.
[05] Venetian Institute p18. Environmental strategy
.02 [02] Urban Commons p254. Instruction manual for assembly of pavilion
.03
[02] Urban Commons p86. Critique of the Segal Method
[05] Bio-Renaissance p40. Historic Gardens
GC2
.01 [01] Matadero: creation of a guilty neighbourhood p9. Essay on ‘uncomfortable heritage’
.02 [02] Urban Commons p153.
[04] Thesis Outline p27. Conceptual mapping as a ‘metaspace’
[04] p27. Exploring ‘metaspace’ through games
.03
GC3
[02] Urban Commons p173. Conversations with artist Maddi Nicholson
.01 [05] Venetian Institute p44. Exploration of Olafur Eliasson’s use of single wavelength light and its effects
[05] Venetian Institute p7. Work of artists Hunter Cole and Simon Park using bioluminescent algae as a light source
.02
[02] Urban Commons p79. Playful representation of pavilion
.03
[05] Venetian Institute p44. Use of bioluminescant algae to light a room in single wavelength light
[02] Urban Commons p84.
GC4
[04] Thesis Outline p50. Exploring racial biases in urban planning and the role of ‘data feminism’ in identifying biases in urban design and planning
.01 [05] Bio-Renaissance p39. Mapping historic architecture of Venice and traces in the modern city
[04] Thesis Outline p4. Mapping Edinburgh’s World Heritage boundary and how it has shaped the contemporary city
.02 [02] Professional Practice Report p9.
[04] Thesis Outline p45. Design for a boargame to critique planning policy
.03
GC5 [02] Urban Commons p76. Designing for different users
[05] Venetian Institute p27. Layered facade to provide thermal comfort and optimal lighting for users
.01 [05] Venetian Institute p24. Environmental strategy for the remediation of air and water using bioreactors integrated within the building’s facade
.02 [05] Venetian Institute p11+13. The building’s relationship to its context expressed through form and materiality
.03
[02] Urban Commons p80. Conversation with the client for the project regarding the development of a brief
GC6
.01
[02] Professional Practice Report p7.
.02 [02] Urban Commons p337. Engagement process to test the impact of the proposal in the community
.03
[02] Urban Commons p15. Review of precedent catalogue
GC7 [05] Venetian Institute p29. Precedent for bioreactor facade
.01
[02] Professional Practice Report p4.
.02 [02] Urban Commons p80. Conversations with client and co-professionals of different disciplines to formulate a brief
.03
[04] Thesis Outline p56. Using layered mappings and gameboard mapping as tools for the uncovering of hidden narratives in the urban environment to develop a brief for the site
[05] Venetian Institute Technical Report p4-7. Investigation of Venetian construction techniques and their application
GC8
.01 [02] Urban Commons p83-152. Development of construction method for temporary pavilion
[05] Venetian Institute - Technical Report p4-7.
.02
[05] Venetian Institute - Technical Report p5. Research into the sustainability of CLT [02] Urban Commons p120-124. Analysis of material properties for pavilion
.03
GC9
[05] Venetian Institute p27. Layered facade to provide thermal comfort and optimal lighting for users
.01 [05] Venetian Institute Technical Report p16-17. Use of conditioned spaces and ‘buffer-spaces’ to regulate temperature and light within the building
.02 [05] Venetian Institute Technical Report p12. Stratagy for air circulation, using plants to remove pollutants
.03
[02] Urban Commons p144. Managing the budget through the evaluation of different material choices
GC10
.01
[02] Professional Practice Report p4.
.02 [02] Urban Commons p288. Pavilion complies with UK building regulations and health and safety requirements
[05] Venetian Institute Technical Report Project designed to comply with UK legislation and performance standards
.03
GC11
[02] Professional Practice Report
.01 [02] Urban Commons p80. Inter-relationships between the different parties involved in the project was central to the process
[02] Professional Practice Report p7.
.02 [02] Professional Practice Group Presentation p.14
.03
Please Note: the ARB Criteria which each section of this portfolio meet are listed at the beginning of each section. For more detailed information please refer to the tabular mapping of the ARB Criteria
RECLAIMING PLAYTIME
ABSTRACT Reclaiming Playtime introduces concepts of play and games into a mixed-use cultural space at the intersection between Edinburgh and Leith, the product of an evolving network of interconnected programmes, facilitated by a method of incremental expansion, consolidation, and shared resources. Using play as a mode of mapping generates a new dialogue surrounding the complex interrelationships in urban space, uncovering hidden narratives within the Pilrig area. Similarly, introducing play into the production and use of space gives agency to those within the community who have thus far been underrepresented: widening the discourse surrounding future development to provide a counterpoint to that observed historically and at present. Working together from the start we aimed to produce a system of play that could allow us to both interact with the research and information within Edinburgh. As a result the role of play in our work has developed into a methodology that helps us learn from each other, and from the discussions we have together. The main submission for this module was a video file. To access this file please follow the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2MGd2sWT4Ic
The thesis project explores themes of play and the potential role of games in the challenging of dogmas in architectural production. GC1
GC2
GC3
GC4
GC5
GC6
GC7
GC8
GC9
GC10
GC11
GA2
Mapping of Edinburgh’s World Heritage boundary, listed buildings and conservation areas (opposite), physical manifestations of the edge condition at the World Heritage boundary (right and below)
EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE BOUNDARY Our reading of the city begins with an exploration of one of Edinburgh’s many edge conditions. The boundary of the World Heritage Site of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh represents an imagined edge, yet one which is influenced by and in turn influences the physical spaces of the city. Through a process of walking this edge, we began to explore the physical manifestations of this condition. As we followed this route, we encountered liminal spaces in which the imagined boundary could be read through the juxtaposition of physical characteristics. This dichotomy between what is designated and what is not creates an interesting condition at the periphery of the World Heritage boundary and conservation areas, as the imagined boundary influences the spatial qualities of the opposing sides of the edge. This reality has led us to question to what extent an imagined boundary, in this case drawn to protect heritage, may serve to perpetuate or even accentuate certain disparities. As Arijit Sen acknowledges, ‘if there were any physical patterns to be discovered here, they were material evidences of disinvestment, declension, and demolition’; physical space a manifestation of social, economic and political conditions. As such, the boundary of the World Heritage Site represents a deliberate defining of an imagined condition which in turn influences events both within and outside of this space. It is these liminal spaces on the peripheries of the World Heritage Site that are of particular interest to us, specifically, the spatial, social, economic and political circumstances which arise because of this imagined boundary.
Mapping the industrial history of the Edinburgh-Leith border (opposite), Shrubhill Tram Depot before demolition (above)
EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE BOUNDARY The boundary where Edinburgh and Leith meet is a liminal space upon which Edinburgh has long disposed of ‘its more troublesome problems’. The void between the urban centres of Edinburgh and Leith historically provided a space for the peripheral activities of society. From the 17th until the mid-18th century the area, known as Shrubhill, on the Edinburgh-Leith border, was the site of executions of those whose ‘execution may cause unrest’. The site, known as Gallow Lee (field with the gallows), was chosen due to its location outside of the view of the urban populations. Between 1905 and 1923 the two burghs of Edinburgh and Leith refused to connect their respective tram networks at the head of Leith Walk. As a result, passengers were required to walk between two stations at Pilrig to change trams. This situation became known as the Pilrig Muddle and represents another condition arising in the liminal space on the boundary between Edinburgh and Leith. In the latter-half 19th century rapid
industrial development was pushed into this liminal space, with the construction of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven railway and Leith Walk East goods depot in 1868, Bridgeside Works in 1897, the Shrubhill tram depot in 1898 and Bowershall Mills in 1899, amongst others. Initially built away from the city due to the noise and pollution of industrial activities, these industrial sites became enveloped by residential areas as the urban centres of Edinburgh and Leith expanded rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Over the course of the 20th century the industrial functions of the area began to disappear, either relocated to the new boundaries of the city or simply made redundant. As such the void occupied by the marginal activities of the city began to reappear, manifested in the scars of an industrial past. This space is no longer a peripheral space, rather a keenly contested location on the fringes of the city centre.
McDonald Road Powerstation and the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway in use (left), and abandoned (below)
Leith Walk Goodsyard c.1970 (above), and after being cleared to make way for flats
Shrubhill Tram Depotduring its life as a bus depot (left), tram workhop (top-right), falling out of use in the late 20th Century (bottom-left) and in its current state of semi-decay (bottom-right)
Pilrig viewed from Calton Hill in 1869, the newly built railway line amd goodsyard are visible to the right and Shrub House is visible to the left of Leith Walk
Mapping Edinburgh’s physical and imagined edges (opposite), the physical edge of the railway defines and imagined edge of school catchment areas (below), the imagined edge of the World Heritage boundary creates a physical edge in the architectural fabric of the city.
LAYERED MAPPINGS These site readings show two processes acting in opposing direction, but which are ultimately intertwined. One is the concept of an invisible line that is imposed onto the real world, such as the world heritage boundary, affecting the physical world in which it has been placed. The other is its reversal, where the physical edges in the site determine the position of those invisible lines, such as the school catchment area borders following the scar of the Edinburgh-Leith-Newhaven railway line. It is difficult to ascertain which of these processes precedes the other – did the world heritage boundary influence the buildings either side? Or was it drawn to include and exclude those very buildings. While the railway line dictates other seemingly unrelated boundaries, it was originally formed through the availability of space between the very borders it now determines. Bringing these different boundaries, both physical and invisible into a map to be read together allows their relationships to be better understood. ‘This involves the superimposition of various independent layers one upon the other to produce a heterogeneous and ‘thickened’ surface.’ Through this process ‘a stratified amalgam of relationships amongst parts appears. The resulting structure is a complex fabric, without centre, hierarchy or single organizing principle.’
The map opposite takes a range of edge boundaries - both found in the physical world and those invisibly imposed onto it - and begins to layer them using tracing paper. It ‘‘gathers’ and ‘shows’ things presently… invisible, things which may appear incongruous or untimely but which may also harbour enormous potential for the unfolding of alternative events.’ Seeing the information stratified in this way provides and understanding of how they work together and ‘the capacity to reformulate what already exists’. Each layer can be understood through its own conditions, but together new possibilities emerge. ‘Not unlike the combination of different coloured paint delineations for the playing of games superimposed on a gymnasium floor. One layer becomes legible only through the lens of the game or rules of use that apply to it. But, of course, the possibility of ‘hybrid’ games becomes possible here too… as in many children’s games where [activities] are combined into a new system of play’. The map presents what is already there and the relationships they have, but also ‘sets the conditions for new eidetic and physical worlds to emerge’
Raoul Bunschoten’s metaspace mappings (right), Minard’s map of Napoleon’s campaign in Russia (bottom)
DATA MAPPING Through a process of data collection and mapping, recuring patterns began to emerge between different datasets as they were overlayed upon physical space. Similarly, to surveys such as Acorn , this process transpired from a methodology of objectively analysing data, generating a form of cataloguing and categorisation. As such we found ourselves partaking in a process whereby distinct characteristics associated with areas of physical space began to emerge through the reading and overlaying of data. This methodology has allowed us to develop an understanding of the processes by which large datasets are analysed by institutions such as Acorn and the potential uses and pitfalls of such processes. As such this framework of data analysis allows us to recognise and critique a data centric viewpoint that is pervasive in our technological
DATA MAPPING These layered maps aim to unveil the hidden, the unnoticed and the unknown aspects of a space through their representation. By graphically depicting the aspects of reality that cannot be seen in the physical world, together with the physical characteristics and objects that can, these methods allow the ‘phenomena that can only achieve visibility through representation rather than through direct experience,’ to be identified. While these maps can hold a myriad of layers and information within them, their stationary nature holds them back from uncovering phenomena that can only be felt and observed through temporality. The paradoxical relationship between time and its representation within a static map naturally makes it a challenging task. Charles Minard’s map depicting the fate of Napoleon’s army in Russia during the 17th Century is a useful example of this type of map. It brings together an array of different information along the march of the army in both physical space, and time. In order to introduce the element of time, however, ‘it only depicts the facts that are relevant to its narrative theme, and it must therefore be read in a linear way. There is a clear intention of thematic communication in this map’ that moves away from the revelation gained in the layered map and to ‘a sequential, narrational reading, common to itinerary maps.’ Although ‘there is an internal logic, content and system of organization to each layer,’ of a layered map, the outcome is unknown at the outset. ‘Depending on its function or intended purpose’ the creator or curator of a layered map may have a hypothesis in mind in bringing together the different information, but ultimately the nature of layered maps allows a reading of
the overlapping and underlapping of these different information types that may or may not support that hypothesis. ‘When these separate layers are overlaid together, a stratified amalgam of relationships amongst parts appears,’ that allows for a greater understanding of their relationships to emerge. Minard’s map works excellently for its own purpose, but that purpose is of a specific narrative of the known, rather than of discovery of the unknown. It is therefore the process of creating, manipulating, and curating the map that yields discovery. As ’actions precede conceptions;’ it makes sense that ‘mapping precedes the map, to the degree that it cannot properly anticipate its final form.’ So while a map that has undergone a process of mapping and revealed a narrative, such as Minard’s, is useful in depicting that narrative, ‘the design and set-up of the field is perhaps one of the most creative acts in mapping, for as a prior system of organization it inevitably condition [sic] how and what observations are made and presented.’ One can imagine then, in the process of setting up the field for his map, Minard starting with a simple topographical map of Russia. Through placing his ‘finger on [the] map [to] trace out [the] particular route or itinerary’ of the army in its advance through the country, the flow of this complex information can be introduced. The map here is used to project ‘a mental image into the spatial imagination,’ while the process of layering the events through time is produced through a visceral interaction and manipulation of the map within this spatial imagination. Through this process, an imagined spatial typology is created, bound by the field of the map, and separated from reality through that boundary. These ‘spaces in which we
Analogue mapping of Edinburgh’s edge conditions at different scales (below), layered mapping of edges, boundaries and nodes (bottom-right)
can see temporality are Metaspaces. They are spaces above or beyond the space in which we live.’ Alone, the topographical map shows nothing of the events of the attack by Napoleon, nor does the itinerary of events that took place give an understanding of the physical journey through space. The interaction that brings the two together becomes possible when one is given form. ‘When dynamic processes are given form, this form gives meaning to the processes, a handle to their understanding and, if necessary, their manipulation. The Metaspace is the space in which this form becomes visual.’ A combination of the field, mechanisms of manipulation, and their ‘complex symbolic association and imagery,’ is what generates this Metaspace. The Metaspace ‘overlays physical space, making symbolic use of its objects’ to allow for the generative creative layering processes to take place using a proxy – or scaled version – of the temporality experienced in the real physical space. These ‘representational spaces, whether they have material existence or not, are meanings, references to ideas about social space.’ The distinction is of analogy, whereby the aspects of the physical and inhabited world are taken symbolically through their manifestation in graphic form within the field and mechanisms of manipulation. They do not act as direct replicas of the originals, they only exist within the Metaspace, separated from the real world. A Metaspace is therefore ‘a peripatetic instrument of instable, dynamic, and ultimately ephemeral phenomena,’ which ‘make it possible to bring the dynamic structure of scenarios of the flows of the’ material world into the defined boundaries and rules of a new one. This separation of the two creates a safe space where actions and explorations within it bare no influence on the real material world. A safe testing ground to explore the ‘multiplicity and complexity [of urban life].’ Minard’s map creates a temporal narrative through space, but the inevitable Metaspace created in its development is an analogous imaginary of the reality of ‘urban spaces [which], if anything… resemble a rough draft, jumbled and self-contradictory.’ Running a finger along a map to gain an understanding of a route taken in the past, or one proposed in the future, is clear in its intention – a conventional example of a Metaspace within everyday life. It is clear, however, that ‘a field that breaks with
convention is more likely to precipitate new findings than one that is more habitual and routine.’ The field with its layered information, the modes of interaction and the commitment to the imagination to the symbolism of the Metaspace give it its power as a generative tool. ‘The Metaspace is a vehicle for thought processes, a vessel in which urban consciousness has a chance to gel.’ They are created ‘not in order to predetermine or prefigure the outcome but rather to instigate, support and enable social forms of interaction, affiliation and negotiation,’ and to act as a ’vehicle for the search for meaning in the dynamic chaos in which we live.’
Drawing of layered flows of information, superimposed upon physical space by Chora (left), initial experiments adding a layer of temporal reading to the mapping process (below)
Drawing of layered flows of information, superimposed upon physical space by Chora (left), initial experiments adding a layer of temporal reading to the mapping process (below)
GAMEBOARD MAPPING Analogous to layered mapping exercises, play may be used as a methodology for the uncovering of ‘narrative possibilities’ of both physical and imagined space. As mappings demonstrate an ability to test and generate hypotheses, similarly, play is manifested via ‘activities through which people test and expand limits’ providing participants an agency to ‘transgress the limits of their social existence’. ‘Play actions thus offer a critique of conventional understandings’ within society and may be compared to the most creative and dynamic forms of mappings insomuch as they provide the means to generate and test narratives ‘without the goal’s being predetermined’. Conversely, we may look towards play as a reflection of society. When we consider the role of play in the ‘education of the body, character, or mind’ it is inevitable that the functions and outputs of play are pervasive in wider culture. ‘What is expressed in play is no different from what is expressed in culture’. Games serve to educate and furthermore, are developed to ‘contribute usefully to the enrichment and the establishment of various patterns of culture’, providing a framework through which we learn to ‘to construct order, conceive economy, and establish equity’. This reality provides us with an interesting opportunity for the reading of these gamespaces that function as ‘temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart’. These gamespaces are in fact Metaspaces which
exist simultaneously within and are separated from the ‘world’, ‘neither fully part of the self nor explicitly external’. Through these Metaspaces we can begin to read patterns which exist within wider culture, generating a form of layered temporal mapping which is at once a product of society and ‘an act apart’. When considering the Metaspace of play and games we must pay special consideration to the boundary conditions which separate the space of ‘play from the everyday’. While patterns of culture may permeate into the gamespace, the act of play must be protected by the ‘absence of instrumental gain and its separation from the roles, rules and expectations of everyday life’. Johan Huizinga presents this protection afforded to gamespace as ‘the magic circle’, a space which is ‘forbidden, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain’ , provided to safeguard the player from an external reality. Under these conditions simulative acts may be used to provide the ‘impression of the logic of a world’, allowing the player to become immersed in an imagined reality. However, this world is ‘never real, because the simulated actions do not carry real consequences’. Rather, this space may be viewed as ‘artifice for providing the psychological experiences of conflict and danger while excluding their physical realizations’, allowing players to ‘step outside themselves’ and to inhabit a new reality. As such, whilst we may use this Metaspace to generate a layered mapping of the ‘real world’, it is important to acknowledge the boundaries of such readings. To draw from gamespace speculative outputs would be to go against play’s opposition to ‘long-term purposes, productive work, and serious consequences’ thus breaking the protection afforded by the ‘magic circle’. In this case the process may no longer be considered play, rather it is a generative simulation that is unable to fully compute the complex nature of the urban environment. As such, attempting to draw fully realised conclusions from the process would be reductive and dangerous. Instead, we seek to use this Metaspace as a layer of interactive, temporal mapping to inform a deeper understanding of urban mechanisms that are difficult to map using conventional techniques. Hence, this mapping process may be used as a ‘safe space’ in which we are able to project potential future urban conditions without the ‘danger’ of ‘real consequences’.
Drawing of layered flows of information, superimposed upon physical space by Chora (left), initial experiments adding a layer of temporal reading to the mapping process (below)
ABSTRACTION ‘The board game is the play-ground that abstracts all other physical spaces but is still a physical space in itself. The board, then, is the pan-allegorical play-ground.’ The board becomes the field of the Metaspace through its sanctity in the clear boundaries and rules of the safe space of play. How abstracted from the real, physical world this field is, is important to understanding its usefulness as a Metaspace. ‘A gamespace is but a reductive operation that leads to a representation of space that is not spatial in and of itself, but symbolic and rule-bound.’ It is the interaction with this representation of space - through its rules and mechanisms – that transform it into a representational space, which ‘it overlays physical space, making symbolic use of its objects.’ ‘Such abstraction, the bane of untrained map-readers, is not at all a failing of maps but rather their virtue,’ and so the board game as a map can become a Metaspace to test imaginary realities within through this abstraction. ’Jorge Luis Borges’s tale of a fully detailed and life-sized map that eventually tore and weathered to shreds across the actual territory it covered,’ works as an excellent metaphor to summarise this need for an abstraction or allegory. The standard Ordinance Survey map is an abstracted and symbolical representation of a real space to become useful for navigation, ‘the more detailed and life-like the map strives to be, the more redundant or unnecessary it becomes.’ ‘Spaces in…games are allegories of physical space,’ just as the Ordinance Survey map serves as an allegory of the landscape. ‘Play form emerges from the contents of ordinary or serious life situations, but ultimately is not bound in these contents.’ As such ‘what is expressed in play is no different from what is expressed in culture. The results coincide.’ The difference being the container, one being enacted on the real physical world that we live our lives, and the other within the boundaries of the field of play, the Metaspace in which these ideas are being tested. This separation is key as games ‘rely on their deviation from reality in order to make the illusion playable.’ It is through this illusion that testing of ideas within the safety of the game is possible; ‘without repercussions upon the actual functioning of society.’ While ‘the principles ruling various types of games… are reflected to the same extent outside the closed universe of play,’
such as that of the tournament and war, the Metaspace of play ‘is ruled absolutely, without resistance, and like an imaginary world without matter or substance.’ In this way the actions within the Metaspace of a game have no consequence to the real world, whereas within the ‘universe of real, human relationships, on the other hand, the action of given principles is never isolated, sovereign, or limited in advance. It entails inevitable consequences and possesses a natural propensity for good or evil.’
Activities representing Caillois’ four forms of play: Football (Agon), Roulette (Alea), Acting (Mimicry) and Skateboarding (Ilinx) (below)
CATAGORISATION OF GAMES The terms play and game of course encompass a huge variety of fields, activities, rules and imaginaries. It is clear that the function of play – ’a parallel, independent activity, opposed to the acts and decisions of ordinary life’ – makes it a suitable and useful Metaspace. Which types of games are most useful for this purpose, however, remains unanswered. For the use within architecture, this Metaspace is to be seen as a continuation of the layered mapping exercises that preceded it, and so it is necessary to find a typology of game that can encompass this type of graphical information. ‘Competition and simulation, the two more ludic forms of play, clearly have an analogic role in inculcating and reproducing social habitus, both for children and for adults,’ and so finding a type of game that embodies this kind of play is important. Without these aspects the Metaspace cannot become a representation of the real world and the habitus it contains, nor can it properly utilise symbols and objects that form a part of that world.
To Better understand the types of games that exist, and to narrow down the forms of play that will be employed in this mapping, the categorisation and definition of the types play developed by Roger Caillois in his book, Man, Play and Games, will be used. Play here is defined as an activity which is essentially: Free: in which playing is not obligatory; if it were, it would at once lose its attractive and joyous quality as diversion; Separate: circumscribed within limits of space and time, defined and fixed in advance; Uncertain: the course of which cannot be determined, nor the result attained beforehand, and some latitude for innovations being left to the player’s initiative; Unproductive: creating neither goods, nor wealth, nor new elements of any kind; and, except for the exchange of property among the players, ending in a situation identical to that prevailing at the beginning of the game; Governed by rules: under conventions that suspend ordinary laws, and for the moment establish new legislation, which alone counts; Make-believe: accompanied by a special awareness of a second reality or of a free unreality, as against real life. Within this definition games are placed on a scale from Paidia – ‘a primary power of improvisation and joy’ which is most recognisable in games where ‘carefree gaiety is dominant’ – to Ludus – ‘the taste for gratuitous difficulty’ or ‘the pleasure experienced in solving a problem arbitrarily designed’. At the extreme ends of this continuum lie games which can only be categorised by their position on the scale itself, such as a baby with a rattle, a game with no name, order, or symbolism, which are defined as having a strong sense of Paidia. Games of pure Ludus are those of solitary puzzle solving, such as the crossword. These games have much more refinement that those of paidia, but the challenge is between only the player and the puzzle itself, not others.
CATAGORISATION OF GAMES Most games that lie on this continuum fall into the 4 categories of game typology ‘borrowed, from one language or another,’ as follows: Agon: A whole group of games would seem to be competitive, that is to say, like a combat in which equality of chances is artificially created. Alea: This is the Latin name for the game of dice. I have borrowed it to designate… all games that are based on a decision independent of the player, an outcome over which he has no control, and in which winning is the result of fate rather than triumphing over an adversary. Mimicry: All play presupposes the temporary acceptance, if not of an illusion… then at least of a closed, conventional, and, in certain respects, imaginary universe. Ilinx: The last kind of game includes those which are based on the pursuit of vertigo and which consist of an attempt to momentarily destroy the stability of perception and inflict a kind of voluptuous panic upon an otherwise lucid mind.
Organisation of selected play activities into Caillois’ catagorisation of games outlined in Man, Play and Games (left)
Matrix outlining a categorisation of games through the use of three axis. The first, shown in red, is the continuum between Paidia and Ludus. The second, shown in blue, is the continuum between Agon and Alea. While the final, shown in green, is the level of mimicry imposed (left)
GAMES MATRIX In the search for game typologies that can develop the mappings into a useful Metaspace, the first of these categories to be addressed must be Ilinx. It is hard to conceive of a mapping process that would operate on the basis of vertigo, and harder still to see its usefulness in this context. For this reason Ilinx will not be considered. ‘Agon and alea imply opposite and somewhat complementary attitudes, but they both obey the same law—the creation for the players of conditions of pure equality denied them in real life.’ Although they present two different categories of game, ‘It would thus appear justified to contrast games of chance with competitive games.’ Mimicry runs within all games to some extent and gives name to the level of abstraction from the real-life situation that a game represents. ‘The basic intention is not that of deceiving the spectators. The child who is playing train may well refuse to kiss his father while saying to him that one does not embrace locomotives, but he is not trying to persuade his father that he is a real locomotive.’ It is the use of the symbolism, and the imagination that a player projects onto the field of play to entrance themselves within it, to commit to the rules and boundaries and therefore make it a safe space – a Metaspace. In the search of a suitable game typology then, it must lean towards ludus on one continuum: to accommodate the complexities of the graphic mapping layers. It must lean towards agon on the other, to create competition and desire to improve upon the necessary skills to play, rather than random chance being the sole dictator of actions. Finally, it must have a delicate balance of mimicry, enough to represent its analogous space in the real world, while allowing the freedom of mechanisms of interaction. The graph opposite utilises these three scales when categorising games through the use of three axis. The first, shown in red, is the continuum between Paidia and Ludus. The second, shown in blue, is the continuum between Agon and Alea. While the final, shown in green, is the level of mimicry imposed. Through evaluating different games, combined with those already evaluated by Caillois, a distribution is obtained that more clearly defines a cloud, or cluster, that meets the needs of a suitable game to use. These games are shown with red crosses.
From our study of games, boardgames appear the most appropriate for the application of a temporal mapping excersise. Shown (from top to bottom) are Catan, Ticket to Ride and Go, which we researched amongst others to develop our own game
Opposite page: ‘codified space’ in the form of character and utility cards featuring currency and points (top), testing of the game mechanisms (bottom) This page: development process of the board, derived from our previous mappings and influences from other games (topright), the different forms of space interacting on the board (bottom)
GAME MECHANISMS The complexity of urban life cannot be fully mapped onto gamespace, as to do so would be to simply reconstruct reality, bringing to mind Borges’ fable of a ‘fully detailed and life-sized map’. Instead, we must find mechanisms that help us to understand and map the urban environment with a level of abstraction that allows for computation amongst players. The board, therefore, represents a physical abstraction of ‘real world’, a ‘playground that abstracts all other physical spaces but is still a physical space in itself’. As such when considering the board as an allegory of the urban environment ‘real world’ space is remapped and abstracted into a emergent Metaspace that is simultaneously physical and imagined. The use of ‘grid taxonomies’, such as square triangle and hex grids, to map the urban environment allows for the ‘rapid computation of rules for the creation-board spaces’, abstracting the urban condition to a level that is navigable and readable for players. A hex grid, in particular, facilitates ‘easier approximate distance measuring’ and simple movement rules. This form of grid system is used in games such as The Settlers of Catan, allowing for full modularity of the board. A process of mapping the physical condition of the city onto the hexagonal grid led us to the development of a number of different cell types: spaces optimised for travelling (representing roads and paths), occupied spaces (representing built structures) and unoccupied spaces (representing undeveloped spaces in the city). Together these cells generate ‘challenge space’; the environment of the board directly challenging the player, influencing their movement and decision making.
These cells, meanwhile, have a combined functionality, whereby they serve ‘not only as shapes or volumes used for layout and/or geometrical purposes, but also as fundamental vehicles of value’. Beyond the physical space of the board, ‘codified space’ represents the non-physical game elements such as currency and points. This codified space is generated through the mapping of data into the gamespace in the form of character and utility cards. Codified space acts as a mediator for the mechanisms through which players can propose and contest the development of cells strategically to gain an advantage in the game. This process projects value upon the cells of the board, generating new forms of gamespace. As players compete to develop cells in a way which benefits themselves, the cells become ‘contested space’ in which the environment provides the setting for contests between players. Simultaneously, the process of development produces another form of space within the game. ‘Creation space’ allows players to construct, edit or deconstruct elements of the gamespace, reflecting the everchanging and malleable nature of the urban environment. ‘Nodal Space’ in which ‘social patterns of spatial usage’ are projected upon the gamespace adds a ‘structure and readability’ to the game. Nodal space is generated through Catan board which uses a hex grid layout and codified values assigned to each space (top-left), image of the board with its use of grid taxonomy and Contested Space (left), Example character cards (Affluent Professional & Studetn/Flat Sharer) and Utility Cards (below)the use of mechanisms analogous to the urban experience such as transport methods and trading. The inclusion of utility cards familiar to the players, such as bars and restaurants, also develops the nodal space within the game, providing a sense of familiarity which aids the process of simulation.
GAMEBOARD MAP The board uses a hex-grid to create a series of spaces in which the players can interact using various pieces. These ‘challenge spaces’ are transformed throughout game (becoming creation spaces in the process) and act as abstracted representations of the real spaces in this site. This abstraction combined with the nodal spaces gives the game its mimicry of the real, and so playing the game becomes a metaspace analogous to the activities of real life situations through the emersion of illusion.
MOVEMENT PIECES These pieces either restrict or enhancemovement through the board, acting as creation and nodal spaces. Edge Barrier These prevent movement through based off physical boundaries in the real world Pedestrian Barrier These limit the movementof players to walking pace to pass through Cycle Path These increase the movement of a player along a given path
Bus Stop These too allow for faster and further movement of a player
CREATION PIECES These pieces propose changes to the board by a player, and can be made a permenant change within the game (as shown in the flow diagram on the previous page) either individually or collaboratively with another player.
ACTION CARDS These cards represent something familiarto real life situations (nodal space) whilecontaining values that can be placed on to the board (codified space) in order to enact a change (creation space) the the challenge spaces.
UNOCCUPIED SPACES These spaces, like the occupied spaces, are used either for movement, or creation and represent different spaces in the real world.
Green Space OCCUPIED SPACES These spaces serve as all the different types of game space:
Industrial/Abandoned Space
Challenge Space - restricting themovement of players and enablingtransformation to the board
Public Buildings
Codified Space - These space hold differnet values to different player
Major Road
Nodal Space - these spaces are abstracted representations of buildings in the real world
Minor Road
New student halls are the predominant form of development in the area, reflecting the privilages held by many students and the developers responsible for the projects
GAMES IN WIDER SOCIETY As Caillois notes, ‘what is expressed in play is no different from what is expressed in culture’. In this regard certain functions within society may be viewed as analogous to the mechanisms of games. In particular, ‘the evolution of administration also favors [sic] the extension of agon’, defined by rules, mechanisms and protocols. Furthermore ‘bureaucracy is thus a factor in a type of competition’, through which actors partake in a form of agon, seeking to exhibit the superiority of their intellectual, social and moral capacities. Whilst Caillois considers the ‘struggle between political parties as a kind of sports rivalry’, a similar relationship may be found between parties partaking in the development of the urban environment - the planning system analogous to a game of agon whereby competing actors seek to demonstrate the superiority of their vision for the city. Central to both games of agon and alea is that ‘they are contrasting but complementary solutions to a unique problem— that all start out equal’. This truth is sacred to the integrity of games; to such an extent that in many games ‘equality of chances is artificially created’, through handicaps for players of different classes and through league or tier systems. However, even under the ‘boundary conditions and rules which separate play from the everyday’, ‘absolute equality does not seem to be realizable’. Even in checkers, one of the simplest games of agon, ‘the fact of moving first is an advantage, for this priority permits the favored
[sic] player to occupy key positions or to impose a special strategy’. If this is to be the case within the control of the ‘magic-circle’ of gamespace, then under the conditions of the ‘confused, inextricable universe of real, human relationships’ where principles are ‘never isolated, sovereign, or limited in advance’ the realisation of ‘absolute equality’ is even more fraught. As James Corner notes, ‘The bureaucratic regime of city and landscape planning, with its traditional focus on objects and functions, has failed to embrace the full complexity and fluidity of urbanism, and of culture generally’. Rather, through its assumption of equity amongst agents in the urban environment, the planning system seeks progress ‘through fair competition and equality of law and opportunity, which is sometimes more nominal than real’. When considering the process by which development occurs within the urban environment it is obvious that ‘competitors are not equal in opportunity to make a good start’. ‘Wealth, education, training, family background’, as well as factors such as gender, race and sexuality are conditions which ‘in practice may negate legal equality’. These inequalities are bourn out through a planning system which, however well meaning, assumes an equity and ‘common experience’ that simply does not exist in society. The planning system assumes a level playing-field amongst citizens in which each has equal agency to affect or oppose change. In reality there are disparities between the amount of time people can afford to take to attend meetings, the levels of literacy that can be drawn upon to articulate ideas and concerns, as D’Ignazio and Klein highlight in their text, Data Feminism, who has the confidence to speak ‘more often (or more loudly) in a meeting’, amongst many other factors. As a result, the planning process is not an equitable system for all citizens and as a result is likely to produce results which favour groups and individuals who have certain pre-existing privileges. These inherent privileges and inequalities are highlighted through our interactive mappings, as certain groups are able to exploit their privilege to promote a certain vision for the development of the city. Conversely, other groups are disadvantaged by a system which assumes parity, leading to marginalisation by these groups due to their inability to promote their needs and desires as effectively.
Proposed Powederhall development for elderly residents (top), data is used to corroborate the claims of developers, but the data used in unrepresentative of the community and perpetuates inequalities (above)
THE DATA FALLACY ‘Before there are data, there are people— people who offer up their experience to be counted and analyzed [sic], people who perform that counting and analysis, people who visualize the data and promote the findings of any particular project, and people who use the product in the end.’ Central to the emergence of agon within the political, social, economic and administrative functions of modern society is the use of data. Data is pervasive in both the public and private sector as ‘governments are starting to collect data on everything from traffic movement to facial expressions’ and online ‘the words and phrases we search for on Google, the times of day we are most active on Facebook, and the number of items we add to our Amazon carts are all tracked and stored as data’. Such is the pervasion of data within modern society that we have reached a point where nothing is ‘outside of datafication’ and furthermore, as private interests have been quick to exploit, nothing cannot subsequently be ‘converted into corporate financial gain’. Data - both ‘big data’ such as those datasets collected by Google, Amazon and Facebook, as well as those collected by governments in the form of censuses and ‘small data’ in the form of localised questionnaires and surveys - is used within the planning process to both promote and dispute claims, to justify and to contest proposals and to sway public opinion on certain issues. A local example of this is the data used as part of the Powderhall planning application
in Edinburgh, on the periphery of the area of scope for our mappings. As part of the application the owners and prospective developers of the site commissioned a series of community engagement workshops to collect local opinions about the future of the site. These findings have then been presented in the form of charts and tables to corroborate the developers claims that their development is fulfilling the wants of the community. In presenting the findings in the form of charts and tables the developers have sought to present the data as a ‘neutral input’. This supposed ‘neutrality’ is achieved by presenting them in ways that ‘do not appear to have an editorial hand’. These forms of data visualisation can be viewed as the ‘most perniciously persuasive’ format for exhibiting data as they present the authors as wholly objective and neutral. This is, as Donna Haraway describes, ‘the god trick of seeing everything from nowhere’, the author is de-situated from context, an impartial overseer. This, however, is an illusion. ‘What appears to be everything, and what appears to be neutral, is always…a partial perspective’, for in reality, the presentation of data as neutral is itself a fallacy. As Virginia Eubanks states, ‘data are never neutral; they are always the biased output of unequal social, historical, and economic conditions’. In the context of the Powderhall scheme this condition of biased output is manifested through the unequal representation of society presented by the surveys. This output represents a sample of individuals who have the time to attend ‘community engagement’ events and fails to accommodate the views of those marginalised groups who are unable or unwilling to attend such events due to various social and economic reasons. Hence, pre-existing privileges and disadvantages present in an unequal society are reflected within the data presented yet remain unacknowledged.
Data Feminism by D’Ignazio and Klein was a key reference text regarding our readings of data and the results of the boardgame (left), residential security map, 1939, indicating ‘high risk’ neighbourhoods reflects pre-exisitng racial biases (below)
Inequality in Perpetuity As D’Ignazio and Klein acknowledge, ‘injustices are often the result of historical and contemporary differentials of power’. These differentials are present in the data collected for projects such as Powderhall and in turn ‘serve to reinforce these existing inequalities’. This process is often unintentional; the result of the ‘ignorance of being on top’ or ‘privilege hazard’ whereby individuals or groups are unaware of their privilege because of a lack of understanding of the everyday experience of others within society. There is also however the prevalence of intentional bias whereby certain groups use their privilege to ‘exclude other groups while giving its own group unfair advantages (or simply maintaining the status quo)’. When deployed in such a way data collection may be used as a method of ‘consolidating power’. Whether used in such a way intentionally or not, inherently biased data can create a ‘pernicious feedback loop’ which reinforces existing power structures and amplifies structural inequalities within society. This feedback loop performs a role in the construction of an ‘imagined’ urban condition which informs the ‘decisions and practices of banks, building societies, the city council and the social control agencies’. This generates a process of actualisation of imagined conditions and in turn the ‘real condition of the built environment then confirms the imagined condition’ as urban space develops to both ‘reflect and contribute to the overall social hierarchy’.
Shrubhill Tram Depot - one of the few undeveloped sites in the area is subject to a proposal for more student halls and high-end flats (left), the former site of Leith Walk Goodsyard is now occupied by high-end flats (right), our boardgame highlighted the inequalities present in the area and reframed our understanding of development in the are (bottom)
READING GAMESPACE Databases such as the Acorn categorise individuals into groups which may be monetised for commercial gain. As is stated on Acorn’s own website the database may be used to ‘analyse customers, identify profitable prospects, evaluate local markets and focus on the specific needs of each catchment and neighbourhood’. This process of simplification is used to exploit potential monetisation of the datasets, providing opportunity for the sale of data analysis to a wider range of clients. However, this process can lead to a dangerous form of reductivism whereby individuals ‘right to difference’ is removed. As Lefebvre states, ‘ambiguity is a category of everyday life’, hence the full scope of different social needs cannot be ‘adequately catered for or even categorized’. When used in the planning of urban space this form of reductive data analysis classifies individuals into ‘preestablished categories’, eschewing the concept of intersectionality, whereby individuals experience an amalgam of privileges, prejudices and biases, in favour of ‘simplified mappings’. As a result, the ‘everyday experience’ of individuals in the world is ignored in favour of sweeping categorisations that fail to acknowledge the needs of the individual. Most worrying is the potential for data fuelled categorisation of individuals and communities to be exploited by those who understand the power that such data may hold. As Sibley notes in The Racialisation of Space in British Cities, ‘people who are anxious and fearful about racialised difference, and concerned about a loss of power, need simplified mappings; they need to locate imagined threats in particular places’. When used in this way data may lead to the perpetuation and even reinforcing of certain prejudices and inequalities present in society.
Through the process of developing, playing and mapping gamespace, a number of privileges, biases and inequalities were uncovered. Disparities between the ‘characters’ allowed for some players to exert greater influence upon the outcome of the game. As such, certain patterns began to emerge through a reading of the gamespace. Particularly, a trend towards the development of utilities that benefited the Student/ Flat-sharer and Young Professional characters was observed within the gamespace, reflecting a privilege experienced by these groups. Conversely, the Affluent Professional character appeared best equipped to preserve their interests, maintaining a status quo in their area, protected by the conservation area and their financial privilege. These privileges echo ‘real world’ inequalities experienced by individuals in the area, yet also reflect the imagined characteristics projected upon individuals by organisations such as Acorn, serving to perpetuate inequalities reflected in the data collected. This process has been mapped within the Metaspace of the game, offering a projection of an imagined future, reflective of pre-existing conditions. Conversely, through a reading of the recent history of the area we have observed a similar direction of development, disproportionately serving those with privilege. As such, the pervasion of high-end residential developments, student flats and associated amenities in the area can be read through the context of the Metaspace, the game offering an accelerated temporal mapping of the process.
Map of the Pilrig area, highlighting the proliferation of student flats and high-end residential developments in recent years; the site of the former Shrubhill Tram Depot is highlighted in red
SHRUBHILL Injustices are often the result of historical and contemporary differentials of power. These inequalities are visible today, and further reading into historical developments in the area revealed a cycle of development favouring the demands of privileged groups, often at the expense of marginalised communities. The boundary between Edinburgh and Leith has long been a liminal space, home to the uncomfortable activities which are pushed from the two urban centres. In the 17th Century, Shrubhill was the site of the gallows reserved for Edinburgh’s worst offenders, to be executed out of the public eye. As the gallows ceased to operate, wealthy landowners took control of the land, building mansions and orchards in the 18th Century. As the industrial revolution took hold, landowners sold their unwanted land to industrialists, drawn to the area’s accessibility to the docks in Leith and peripheral location. The process of industrialisation was dramatically accelerated by the construction of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway in 1869. As the industry moved further outwards, the industrial buildings in Pilrig became superfluous, and unoccupied. In the 21st Century we have witnessed mass demolition of these former industrial sites, replaced by a plethora of student halls, high-end residential units and associated amenities. Marginalised groups have little agency regarding the development of the area, therefore contemporary commercial development fails to address the needs of all groups in the community. The site of the former Shrubhill Tram Depot is one of the few remaining undeveloped industrial sites in Pilrig and plans are in place to fill the site, including listed tramsheds, with high-end residential units.
STUDENT HALLS
ENTRANCE TO SITE FROM STREET
HIGH-END RESIDENTIAL
ENTRANCE TO SITE FROM RAILWAY
Edynburgum, c.1649; the gallows are visible in the centre of the image (top), etching from Calton Hill by BF Lloyd, 1847; Shrubhouse can be made out in the centre of the image (second down), photograph by Archibald Burns, 1869; the stables for the Edinburgh Tram Co. can be seen in front of Shrub House (third down), photograph by George Washington Wilson, c.1885; the tramworks now almost entirely surround Shrubhouse (bottom)
Shrubhill Tram Depot and Edinburgh Leith and Newhaven Railway c.1950 (top-left), interior of the depot after being converted into a bus depot c.1970 (bottom-left and below), aerial view of the depot c.1950 (bottom-right)
Cable tunnels for the tram depot, now in a state of neglect (top-left and above), abandoned listed tram sheds, slated for conversion into flats (top-right and middle-right), the now demolished sheds of the tram depot following their fall into a state of decay (right)
REINTRODUCING THE MAGIC CIRCLE Our proposal introduces the concept of the magic circle of gamespace into the city, through the creation of a protected environment for community groups, local enterprises and creatives, separated from the economic forces of current commercial development. As Madanipour states, a departure from the current mode of development could became a ‘place of promise for new beginnings; a point from which a number of possible futures may be pursued’ Presently, public space is ‘highly regulated, and its neatness and emptiness may be a witness to this regulation’, limiting the possibility for experimentation. This phenomenon is exacerbated in the Pilrig area by a shortage of easily available, low-price and therefore low-risk space. Drawing upon Campbell’s ideas on ‘autonomous’ or ‘free idea zones’ we seek to develop ‘spaces of possibility, in which different temporal fluxes can coincide and interact’, encouraging ‘experimentation outside the confines of conventional practice’. This goal is achieved through the creation of a community land trust (CLT) by residents in the Pilrig area to purchase the Shrubhill site. For local residents a CLT ‘separates the cost of development from inflated land values’, projecting the magic circle of games around the site to create a ‘low-risk space’ in which play, learning and social activities may be promoted, independent from economic gains. This allows for new, experimental activities to unfold, protected from the economic forces of speculative developers, and ensures that the financial, cultural and social value of the land is returned to the community.
Opposite page: programme for the primary activities of the community land trust (CLT) (top), Open Works network of connected programmes in Lambeth (bottom-left), Brixton People’s Kitchen (bottom-middle), Incredible Edible Todmorden, a network of community allotments (bottom-right). This page: the evolution of the site from initial programmes to an interconected network of activities
1804 map of Pilrig, showing the orchard grid of the Balfour estate, now reflected in the contemporary street plan (above), design for Parc de la Villette by Bernard Tschumi with the folies, shown in red, acting as nodes of intensified spatial usage (right), the division of the site into ‘fields of activity’, punctured by nodes of intensified use (below)
URBAN GARDEN There is a distinct lack of green space within the Pilrig area – the densest neighbourhood in Edinburgh. Tschumi posits that ‘gardens have had a strange fate. Their history almost always anticipated the history of cities. The orchard grid of man’s earliest agricultural achievements preceded the layout of the first military cities’ and represent the ‘earliest experiments in architecture’. Drawing upon this line of thinking our proposal initially presents itself as an urban garden, reflecting the historic orchard grid of the Maxwell estate that previously occupied the site. Development is intended to be enacted within the confines of the garden, yet, as Florian Beigel notes of the Brikkettfabrik-Witznitz project, ‘if no development happens, the town will still have a garden’ – a valuable and much needed space for the community. FIELDS OF ACTIVITY While speculative commercial developments imprint static, definite entities upon the urban landscape, our proposal offers an incremental approach to development which seeks to act as a ‘continuing resource able to be fertilised by the introduction of built structuring’. Central to the proposal is the concept of ‘specific indeterminate space’, designed as a ‘stage’ to accommodate ‘unknown future uses’. The specificity of space comes from the place - ‘a heightened awareness of a situation needs to be created, enabled by our thorough research of the area in which we ‘value what’s there, nurture the possible and define what’s missing’. These issues are addressed by an initial programme of activities, facilitated by a number of ‘follies’ placed around the site, acting as nodes of intensified use or city ‘magnets’ which attract activity. The follies sit within a built framework of ‘enabling fields’ of related, yet indeterminate space. This allows for the expansion and consolidation of the initial programmes as well as the proliferation of new, unforeseen activities resulting from the interconnected nature of the initial programme. Our method of incremental development draws parallels between the experimental and didactic nature of much temporary urbanist practice and that of play.
1963 competition drawing for the reconstruction of the centre of Frankfurt-Römerberg, by Candilis, Josic, Woods and Scheidhelm, an example of ‘mat building’ (left), Cedric Price, Anticipating the Unexpected, City Magnets, 1996 (right and below)
Regeneration Design of the Brikettfactory Witznitz (above) and Stadtlandschaft Lichterfelde Süd, Berlin (right), both by Florian Beigel and Philip Christou are examples of ‘fields of activity’
Proposed process for the development of ‘thick networks’ of interconnected activities within the community, with initial programmes acting as a catalyst for the cultivation of new activities on the site
THICK NETWORKS Pilrig represents what Stern and Seifert describe as a ‘natural cultural district’ - a culturally diverse neighbourhood with a higher-than-average percentage of the population with degrees, and a higher-than-average percentage with no qualifications at all. One of the challenges of temporary or incremental urbanist movements is to include low-income communities in the process. We have drawn upon the research of the Open Works project, funded by Lambeth council, regarding inclusivity in participatory culture to outline initial activities on the site that don’t exclude certain groups. Our project therefore seeks to encourage a diverse a range of people to use the site for ‘low-threshold, low-commitment activities’ that are accessible to all groups within the community. These interconnected initial activities are intended to evolve to ‘develop a dense participatory culture that becomes attractive and relevant to everyone, rather than mostly to socially active people with time on their hands’. The proposed process for the cultivating of ‘thick networks’ is as follows: Enable Community land trust acts as a mediator between local enterprise/social agents and authorities/property owners Initiate Trust identifies site and brings together a ‘cluster’ of agents in need of a space to occupy Claim Agents claim space aquired by the land trust to use for enterprise or social activities Support Users are given support to achieve their goals in-turn developing a support network between themselves Formalise themselvesOnce the collective reaches a critical mass it begins to solidify its position in the city to protect against exploitation
The proposal seeks to intergrate existing groups and organisations such as local schools and religious groups into the intial programmes on site (above), Compendium for the Civic Economy (left) and the Open Works project were key references for the development of our own ideas on community network development
Axonometric outlining a potential future of the site; the proposal does not seek to direct the development of the site towards a specific outcome, rather provide the conditions for new activities to develop organically
INCREMENTAL URBANISM The site is treated as a tapestry of fields of activity, punctuated by nodes of intensified use, and defined by the existing site grid and the historic orchard grid of the Pilrig area, reflected in the contemporary street plan. The relationship between fields is defined by shared space and resources, encouraging diversification of use and interconnectivity between programmes. As the site develops the nodes expand in different ways to accommodate evolving use, and additional nodes appear reflecting the new activities generated. These temporary interventions, often act as prototypes for permanent commercial development, we propose a method of incremental expansion and consolidation of the initial programmes, encouraging novel interactions which in turn generate new activities and the forming of thick networks of community coproduction.
Frames from a stop motion animation of the proposed changes to the site over time using a pysical model (Left), refer to video for full animation of the model.
The initial ‘follies’ on the site address key issues within the community. Community allotments and outdoor classroom for local schools and nursery groups (below), drainage and rainwater irrigation system for the allotments (above),
INITIAL PROGRAMMES Our proposal introduces the concept of the magic circle of gamespace into the city, through the creation of a protected environment for community groups, local enterprises and creatives, separated from the economic forces of current commercial development. A community land trust is founded to promote play, learning and social activities, independent of economic gains. The initial programmes are small scale targeted interventions addressing key issues within the community, identified by our thorough reading of the area, bringing together existing groups and institutions. The initial nodes of activity derive from these needs and the connection to the wider area through the disused railway cycle path. These include a nursery, kitchen, reading room, performance space, creative practice studios, micro allotments, and tool library, all run by the community.
Kitchen folly, providing a much needed cooking facility for local religious and community groups (top), initially subsidised artists’ studio and exhibition space (right)
At night the performance space becomes animated by lights and the public square acts as an ampitheatre for viewing performances (right)
During the day a reading room acts as a shared library for the different programmes and as an informal study space for students. A public square fronts a stage (left)
A nursery acts as a shared resource for the project, providing childcare for those who work within the site or are taking part in other activities such as classes, as well as serving the local primary schools connected by the railway line
Forms are mirrored above and below ground, creating dynamic landscapes for inventive play
EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION The framework that houses these fields of activity starts off unoccupied. As the activities generated from the nodes begin to develop, they expand into the space around them. This allows space for adaptation of facilitates in the initial programmes to test ideas, to create new or improved programmatic moves when they are desired. Once it is decided within the community that these developed programmes are what is needed, they may be consolidated through permanent interventions. Once embedded the network of programmes begin to benefit each other, using each other as shared resources beyond that of the collective facilities. Businesses that start out within the trust may move on when they find success in their endeavours through the economic free experimentation they have been able to take advantage of. The connections, however, are not lost, and the shared resources can continue to benefit them. An example of this is the allotments, which start to provide much needed green space and facilitate the creative act of gardening for leisure. As a collective however, they provide a meaningful food source for community meals and events.
The kitchen folly may initially be expanded with fabrics and other coverings, attached to the framework, to create a protected seating area which can be occupied with temporary food stalls (left)
Once the programme is embeded within the community, there is an option to consolidate the programme in a larger, more specialised space. In the example shown, consolodating the activities of the kitchen folly (right), a new kitchen, pantry and shop are constructed in an extension to the big shed, adjacent to a new enclosed dining hall (below)
The kitchen and pantry act as a shared resource for different groups using the site and utilises produce grown on the allotments
Initial folly is a small artists’ studio and expanding exhibition space (below), new spaces sat within the footprint of the wee shed including: studios, creative workspaces and shared space for larger outputs, and classes run by the tenants of the studios (below)
EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION The initial Studio Space provides low cost workspace for young professionals, but as demand increases, the creative work spaces are developed to provide facilities to more people. A series of Studios that share a larger communal space that can be used for classes ocupies the ground floor. While the upper floors provide office space for startups, again sharing a common space between them. The building sits within the ruined remains of teh Wee Shed, and utilises its open archways as a collonade for artist’s shopfronts. While the back propigates the grafiti found over the Wee Shed by creating a purposeful grafiti wall, with a series of panels that reveal framed views of the work along the back wall.
Addition to the existing graffiti on the walls of the wee shed is encouraged by a scoffold rig and openable panels reveal the graffiti from inside the studio spaces (above)
Section through a shared greenhouse within the allotments (overset). Precendents of of programmes which we deem to involve play, such as Incredible Edible, Todmorden (top-right), Mosque Kitchen, Edinburgh (middle-right), and the Reading Room, Rotterdam (bottom-right).
REINTRODUCING PLAY INTO THE COMMUNITY The programmes in themselves embody play. The creative practices of artist studios and performance, through to the more practical activity of making using the tool library, or more peaceful through reading, are activities chosen not required. They are activities of leisure and so don’t serve to produce in economic terms, but to facilitate learning and promote enjoyment. The allotments are a good example of this as the maintaining of a plot of land to grow produce couyld be seen as a strenous task, yet people choose to do this simply for the pleasure of it. Play is not the same for everyone, but the programmes within this network all share play as a primary function. We have been influence by Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich and The Ludic City by Quentin Stevens regarding our approach to encouraging active play activities within the site as opposed to more passive forms of leisure.
SHARED RESOURCE NETWORK Features of the existing site, such as the disused tram network cable tunnels, are utilised for circulation and servicing to the framework. A conveyor system transports shared resources across the site promoting interconnections between the different programmes. Similarly, the existing basement of the tram depot, acts as a series of flexible spaces that that hosts the many different activities the different programmes require. These multi use spaces become a shared resource at all times of day, providing the space for unexpected interactions, further developing the thick network throughout the site. The public spaces above reflects this concept of shared resource, through markets and a dining hall to share their creations and discuss the various facilities on offer.
Flexible floor and wall mechanisms in the basement allow for multiple uses of the space by the different programmes, functioning as a shared resource for the site, such as both youth and adult activity classes (top-right), art exhibitions (middle-right), theatre performances (bottom-right), conveyor system transports shared resources across the site (left).
The community games room occupies one half of the existing Big Shed, acting as a space for playful discussion regarding the future of the site and surrounding area, drawing upon our research into games as a method of creative exploration of potential futures
MANAGING THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST As the site develops and different programmes expand and consolodate, the overseeing community land trust uses the Community Games Room to discuss and plan out the future for the site and beyond. A large scale model of the surrounding area allows people to gather and disscuss ideas viscerally. The map is divided into sections that can be moved into the adjoining disscussion rooms for smaller discussions on a certain preogramme or event. The upper floor contains a series of permanent office spaces for those running the trust, and researchers that can use the site to test theories of community cohesion and temporary urbanism.
MEMORY AND MISREMEMBERING The project offers a critique on the nature of memory and its role in our experiencing of the city. In particular the ‘misremembering’ of the industrial past of the site is explored in a number of ways throughout the site, challenging users to question their own memory of the industrial heritage and to begin to imagine new futures for the site. The concept of misremembering is dealt with through both the use of space and the fabric which defines it. Our treatment of the site explores the role of memory and misremembering in our experience of place, abstracting forms found within the site and placing them in unfamiliar contexts. In the existing big and wee sheds, the architectural fabric is inhabited by parasitic structures which offer new proximities to the existing, reframing them as monuments, not only to the site’s industrial heritage, but also to the decades of decline which followed, captured in a frozen moment of semi-decay. Moving through the site towards Leith Walk, the architectural interventions present new relationships with the historical biography of the site, presenting varying levels of abstraction of the features of the existing and demolished tram sheds. The dining room mirrors the roofline of the demolished and features simplified openings that reference those of the demolished. Conversely the makerspace ‘exist as the representation of an imprint’ of the façade of the demolished sheds, rendered in a
single material. From this monolithic form, new openings are punctured to match the new use of the space, with no regard for the original openings, critiquing the relationship between use and form in our memory of space. Beyond the makerspace, the framework becomes occupied by translucent polycarbonate panels, a ghostly outline of the demolished roofline which becomes reanimated by new structures and use. As we move towards Leith Walk, the follies further abstract the forms of the existing, situating them in new relationships and uses; a chimney becomes a seat, an arch a drain etc. These architectural objects are familiar forms, abstracted and placed in ‘unfamiliar contexts’. A method often deployed in contemporary art, ‘displacement becomes an act of critique’, questioning conventional ways of seeing. This abstraction continues the theme of play, using a language that distorts the forms within the site to varying extents, and presents them with a new use. It generates an unexpected familiarity akin to the themes of Nodal Space explored within the games study. It allows for a wider appreciation of the everyday and encourages undirected play by removing the conventions held by objects to accommodate for new imaginations.
Opposite page: diagrams showing the treatment of different areas of the site (top-right), acting as a key for the diagrammatic plan and section of the site (bottom-right). This page: a series of precedents with different approaches to the exploration of memory in contempory architecture: Fondazione Prada by OMA (top-left), Caixa Forum by Herzog & De Meuron (top-middle), and 168 Upper Street by Amin Taha (top-right)
The maker space, shown through model (left), and elevation (below), casts the façade of the demolished sheds, rendered in a single material and puctures it with the new imposed use
Alternatively the same forms of arches and circular potal windows are used in spaces such as the reading room (right) as a patternation within the timber batten facade to create uses such as windows and doors, but more abstracted from the origional geometries.
PLAY SPACES While throughout the site these abstractions of form based on the memory and mismemory of the site encourage undirected play though distorting the conventional use of objects, it is most evident in the nursery. Here the same abstracted forms found throughout the site are reimagined as explicit vehicles for play. This collection of objects, both above in the playground, and below in the soft play area bring a visible connection between the rest of the treatment of the site and its more obvious active use as play spaces. It allows an adult to see explicit play in the objects to question their conventional use in a way that is implicit to a child.
Section through a reinterpreted chimney form showing its reimagined use as a clibing frame and ligtwell (above), Kings Crescent Play Street by MUF (left)
Various play objects are derived from site forms throughout the play area (below). Similar ideas of undirected play are seen in precendents where simple interventions of form are reimagined as spaces of play in the mind of a child, such as Brutalist Playground by Assemble (right), Chisendale Pop-up Playground (far-right)
South elevation of the site viewed from the boulevard running between the Big Shed and Wee Shed, showing the continuation of roof form, which echos that of the demolished tram depot of the (right)
Elevation of the site viewed from the disused railway to the south of the site, showing the various degrees of abstraction of form (left)
The adaptability of the spaces, diversity of programmes and use of shared resources allows the site to function in different ways throughout the day and at different times of the year
The table has become a space for play throughout the year, both in a conventional sense, through our experimentations with the boardgame, and in the way our education has displayed characteristics of play through the creation of a magic circle (university) for the testing of new ideas, free from real world consequences
PLAY AND COLLABORITIVE LEARNING Themes of play run throughout the project. Play’s separation from every day, instrumental goals, situates people in new, unconventional relationships, formed through participation in engaged leisure activities such as cooking, gardening and performance. These activities, facilitated by shared resources such as collective childcare, encourage connections which are not about instrumentality or power, but of mutual benefit for all groups within the community. For us, this imaginary project has allowed us to explore our own practice. Much like the protected magic circle within games and the thick network of programmes explored, the project itself has been the magic circle of our development and learning. The very table we built to draw, talk, play and exhibit from has been the physical space in which this work has taken place, situating our thoughts and imagination in order to learn and develop from each other. Along the journey we have made adaptations to our workspace to facilitate our collaborative practice. While in ordinary circumstances the studios provide a perfect setting for working alongside others, Covid-19 meant that we had to work separatley in our bedrooms at our respective desks we each made for the year working at home. Since this was less that ideal we quickly starrted to find ways to work in the same space, which ultimatley lead to our joint thesis this year. Starting with large scale maps on the floor we progressed to building a table shared between the two of us, where we could draw, discuss, play, and ultimately at the end exhitited through the video presentation within the space of the table. Additions were made to it along the way, including an infinity screen for photography, rack for holding the tracing paper work as it became unmanageable, and a camera mechanism we designed to facilitate the top down and pan photography used to produce the final film. Over the course of the year the table functioned as many spaces, bound by the same physical space; drawing board, gameboard, photography suite, filming studio, discussion space, lunch table...
OIKOS TRANSFORMED
CLIMATE EMERGENCY As climate change has an ever-greater impact on our lives, in the form of extreme weather, rising sea levels and ecological degradation, a radical rethinking of the way in which we build and inhabit the city and how we interact with ecology within the urban environment is needed. This semester our studio’s project is based in Venice, a city which feels the effects of climate change more acutely than most as floods become a greater issue due to an increase in violent storms in the Adriatic and rising sea levels. Through this project I hope to address our relationship with our ecosystem and explore ways in which we can mitigate both the causes of and results of climate change through an architectural intervention within the city. OIKOS Oikos is an ancient Greek word which refers to the household and more specifically, oikonomy refers to the management of the household. Traditionally the oikos was the smallest unit of society in Greek city states, with the head of the oikos entering the polis (city) to engage in matters of public interest. Starting from the point of the oikos as the base unit of inhabitation in society I shall explore how the concept of oikos may be reimagined within the context of the modern city and engage with concepts such as new materialism, metabolism and living technology to develop an understanding as to how non-human agents may be encompassed within our understanding of oikos and the polis.
Historic Acqua Alta in November 2019 flooding most of Venice, causing extensive damage (left)
NEW MATERIALISM Viewed against the present backdrop of the climate crisis our current anthropocentric outlook fails to offer non-human agents the level of care and attention required. This oversight has led to exploitation of the natural environment and a lack of care for ecological concerns. New Materialism is a philosophy which rejects the dualism between man and nature, moving away from an anthropocentric position to encompass agency of the non-human. Within this project I hope to develop a proposal which explores a new relationship between the urban environment and ecologies and develop an understanding as to how this relationship may be used to move away from our current dichotomy between the two spheres towards a holistic approach to ecological and urban thinking. METABOLISM AND LIVING ARCHITECTURE Stemming from ideas of ‘animal economy’ and ‘animal chemistry’ metabolism can be defined as ‘the chemistry of life’ relating specifically to ‘tissue change’ within an organism that alters the organism’s anatomy. When imagined within the context of the oikos, metabolism may be thought of as the management of the ‘household’ with regards to the intake of nutrients and the elimination of waste. Therefore, a metabolic architecture can be imagined as an architecture which aids the individual, household or city with these processes. These processes can be related to the concept of living technology; a term which describes technologies which feature properties associated with elements of life, such as growth, movement and sensitivity. Although described as ‘living’ these systems may not be considered ‘alive’ in a traditional sense but instead perform functions associated with living organisms. I believe that living technologies may be used as part of a metabolic system, at a household or urban scale, that helps to ‘manage’ and enhance the metabolic processes of the individual, household, city or ecology.
ACTIVATING CANNAREGIO
Opposite Page: Maps showing the existing routes through Cannaregio, highlighting the disconnect between the north-south routes through the sestiere (left), proposed new northsouth route connecting existing public spaces (purple) and the creation of a new public park (red) on the island of Sant Fosca
CANNAREGIO Cannaregio is the northernmost sestiere (district) of Venice. Historically and presently Cannaregio is the gateway to Venice; previously the Cannaregio Canal was the main entrance to the city and currently the railway station is located within the sestiere. As a result the area has a high number of historic warehouses, boatyards and other small industries. Due to its role as a landing point within the city, several immigrant communities developed within the area. Some of these communities grew naturally and others, such as the Jewish community, where forcibly required to live in certain areas. The Ghetto in Cannaregio survives as a reminder of this past. Cannaregio also has the highest residential population of all of Venice’s sestieri. GC1
NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE BRIDGING THE GAP There is a profound difficulty in navigating Promoting a new axis of travel through Canaregio along a North-South axis. While the sestieri, I am proposing the reinstating travelling East to West is guided clearly by of a historic route travelling North-South the prolonged parallel canals, traversing through Cannaregio which connects a series between them can be troublesome as you of public spaces. To the south of the route are met with dead ends and locked gates, sits Santa Fosca, a walled island which curfinding yourself tracking back and restartrently acts as a barrier to travel along this ing. This dilemma negates the accessibility axis. By reinstating a bridge to the south of of the transportation dock from the major the island and allowing public access to the city route and prevents an enjoyment of underused strip of land on the western side the Cannaregio district along the axis of of the island, travel along this route can be its contextual and cultural gradient and is reenabled, encouraging further exploration reflected in the sparsening of restaurants of the sestieri beyond Strada Nova and the bars and cultural institutions as you move reactivation of the public spaces to the North through the sestieri awayfrom the key north of Cannaregio. pedestrian route, Strada Nova.
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SANTA FOSCA Santa Fosca is an island in Cannaregio. On the island is Santa Fosca university. The remains of the Church of Santa Maria dei Servi are also on the island. The island is less dense than most of Cannaregio and Venice in general and the university features a series of cloisters, courtyards and gardens. Currently there is only a single public access bridge to the island on the southeast corner of the island and a further footbridge on the northwest corner of the island that is not currently accessible to the public. Founded in 1318 as a servite monastery Santa Maria dei Servi became one of the most important churches in Venice. A fire destroyed most of the monastery in 1769 and in 1812 nearly all the remains of the church and monastery were destroyed. Now the remains are limited to Cappella dei Lucchesi (Chapel of the Holy Face) and two 15th Century entrance portals. As the etching by Jacopo de ‘Barbari shows, a bridge to the south of the island allowed for passage through the island through the north-south axis. I propose the reinstatement of a bridge in this location to allow this route through the site to be returned. As the second etching shows, there was historically a public space in front of the church at the eastern end of the island. I propose that this area is reopened as a public space within the university campus to form part of the route through the site. BIO-RENAISSANCE GARDEN Italian Renaissance gardens emerged in 15th Century villas in Florence and Rome, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty. Towards the late renaissance period these gardens became more ordered and symmetrical and were filled with features such as fountains, grottos and statues to amuse their owners and visitors. The late renaissance also saw the emergence of botanical gardens, the first of which opened in Padua (approximately 30km west of Venice) and was used to study plant species and in particular their potential medicinal uses. The site has a rectilinear structure, with clear perpendicular axis running through the site. I therefore feel that an interpretation of a renaissance garden for an ecological era would be an appropriate use of the site. Renaissance gardens were technically advanced, employing cutting edge technologies of the age to create impressive foun-
tains and other water features such as water organs to impress visitors. The fontaniere or fountain maker of the garden was a hydraulic engineer tasked with designing the complex hydraulic systems and fountains within the garden. In a modern day ecological renaissance garden I envisage the fontaniere as a collective of researchers and students rather than an individual. I therefore propose the creation of a garden research space for biotechnologies, as a collaboration between the Department of Environmental Sciences and Departmant of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems from Ca’ Foscari University and Santa Fosca University. The garden would be used as a testing space for bioluminescent technologies and would function as a semi-public experimentation space similar to spaces used by 17th Century scientists such as Robert Hooke and Robert Boyle. The garden would provide a space for the development of bioluminescent algae production as well as allowing for community engagement with ecological concerns and biotechnology.
Proposal for a BioRenaissance garden (above), strong axis through the site, similar to those employed in Italian renaissance gardens (right), etching by Etienne Du Pérac of the renaissance garden at Villa d’Este (middle)
Aerial view of Santa Fosca (top left), remnants of the servite monestry (above), etching by Jacopo de ‘Barbari of the island (below), etching of the Church of Santa Maria dei Servi (bottom right)
PHOTOBIOREACTOR At the heart of the research centre is an array of photobioreactors (PBRs). The PBRs are used to cultivate the bioluminescent Pyrocystis fusiformis algae for use in a number of light installations located around the garden. The role of the PBRs is to provide a controlled space in which the algae can photosynthesise in order to grow. The inputs required for algae growth are: - Algae Culture (small amount of the algae) - Nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) - Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Light Using an array of PBRs rather than a larger singular unit allows for the continual production of the algae rather than a batch production. The PBRs are positioned on a flat roof to provide a location that has good exposure to sunlight.
THE GARDEN Whilst the photobioreactors provide a facility for the development of algae growth, the garden acts as a window into the process for the public and a testing ground for bioluminescent algae technology and an exploration space for creative applications of bioluminescent lighting. The garden= has a secondary role also; to provide ‘care’ for the algae. To maintain growth and to produce light the algae need sufficient light, nutrients, carbon dioxide and movement. In a traditional garden the gardener cares for the plants by providing them an adequate environment to grow. Similarly, in my garden the algae are provided the correct conditions for growth, however, these conditions are facilitated through a series of installations with which the public interact to provide the algae with the required environment. Taking cues from features of Italian renaissance gardens I have designed a series of installations within the garden that utilise the potential of bioluminescent algae to provide lighting whilst also facilitating the care of the algae by a collective. GENERATING POWER The bioluminescent system requires a steady flow of water through the system. In order to provide this flow through the photobioreactor and around the site to the different bioluminescent features I propose a system that utilises water pumps and gravity feeding. To provide the power for the pumps I intend to use a system similar to that discussed earlier in my furniture piece that uses piezoelectric materials to convert movement from footfall to generate electricity. To generate electricity to power pumps and LEDs within the bioluminescent system I propose the laying of paving tiles on top of piezoelectric generators. When stepped upon the tiles will compress the piezoelectric material within the generator, causing it to produce an electric current. Giochi d’Acqua, or water tricks are concealed fountains which were used to surprise visitors in Italian renaissance gardens, often initiated through foot pressure of unsuspecting guests. Some of the piezoelectric floor tiles in the garden will activate pumps which will force a jet of water into flower shaped glass vessels. This will agitate the bioluminescent algae within the ‘flowers’ causing them to glow.
Design of a algae photobioreactor and flow diagram (opposite), piezoelectric generator tiles and giochi d’acqua ‘flowers’ (top), algae maze (above), grotto (left)
SOUNDSCAPE A section of the site has been designed to provide a performance space which forms the overture of Benjamin Taylor’s project Operatic Reform. An amphitheatre acts as a casual space for the performance of original music, created as part of Benjamin’s project. Alongside the amphitheatre I have created an interactive sound exchange, which encourages engagement with a variety of installations which transport sound with differing levels of distortion. Algae require carbon dioxide to photosynthesise. The soundscape provides an opportunity for the introduction of some of the carbon dioxide required to sustain algae cultivation. As people speak, sing or shout into the mouthpieces a small level of carbon dioxide introduced to the system. I have drawn upon the work of ecologic Studio and their H. O. R. T. U. S. project, which encourages visitors to blow into tubes to help introduce carbon dioxide to bags filled with algae.
Sound garden which encourages interaction with the algae (top and left), sound vibrations agitate the algae, causing them to glow (above)
Windcatcher to capture pollution from the grand canal (right), algae filled panels form a maze in the garden which glows at night (bottom)
CLEANING THE AIR Alongside introducing carbon dioxide through mouthpieces, I propose the introduction of windcatchers at sites around Cannaregio and Venice which have high levels of pollution. In particular, areas around the station, cruise terminal and grand canal have high levels of pollution and capturing some of this to help algae growth could provide cleaner air for the city. Oxygen is produced through photosynthesis and can be released back into the air, improving air quality. MAZE Renaissance gardens made use of both hedge mazes and water mazes. Drawing on labyrinths of classical mythology these mazes provided a visual symmetry and order to the garden whilst also creating divergent routes through the garden. I have explored how the properties of both hedge mazes and water mazes could be incorporated into a design for a maze which interacts with water, light and the bioluminescent algae to create an atmospheric space within the garden. The maze is orientated along the primary northsouth axis of the site, emphasising the route through the site and providing viewpoints to key features of the garden.
The final proposal provides a much needed connection between routes in Cannaregio and a public space in which users are challenged to interact with the non-human
VENETIAN INSTITUTE OF INDICATIVE PLANTS
VENETIAN INSTITUTE OF INDICATIVE PLANTS Sitting at the heart of the Santa Fosca university campus, the project is a interpretation of the venetian ‘scuole’ for an ecological epoch. The building provides a home for a ‘scuola piccola’ or the ‘Venetian Institute of Indicative Plants’ and a ‘scuola grande’ which serves to promote the artistic, design and experiential qualities of living technologies. The institute provides a space for the development of ecological sensors and remediation devices and a forum for multidisciplinary collaboration between designers and researchers. A sensory ‘garden’ surrounds the building and becomes intwined with the architectural fabric, acting as an ecological indicator of the health of the city’s atmosphere and lagoon. These gardens act as layers of protection for the inhabitants of the building whilst also processing pollutants present in the wider city. The ‘scuola grande’ also provides a series of spaces which support recreational activities within the university and the exhibition of ecological design.
ARCHITECTURE AND THE METABOLISM It is estimated that 50,000 people die yearly as a result of poor air quality in Europe. Shipping is a key contributor to the release of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere emitting millions of tonnes a year of NOx and SOx as well as carcinogenic particles who’s effects have been compared to those of smoking. Each day 5 or more cruise ships dock at the port in Venice; floating cities
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Stemming from ideas of ‘animal economy’ and ‘animal chemistry’ metabolism can be defined as ‘the chemistry of life’ relating specifically to ‘tissue change’ within an organism that alters the organism’s anatomy. When imagined within the context of the oikos, metabolism may be thought of as the management of the ‘household’ with regards to the intake of nutrients and the elimination of waste. Therefore, a metabolic architecture can be imagined as an architecture which aids the individual, household or city with these processes. These processes can be related to the concept of living technology; a term which describes technologies which feature properties associated with elements of life, such as growth, movement and sensitivity. Although described as ‘living’ these systems may not be considered ‘alive’ in a traditional sense but instead perform functions associated with living organisms. I believe that living technologies may be used as part of a metabolic system, at a household or urban scale, that helps to ‘manage’ and enhance the metabolic processes of the individual, household, city or ecology. In the context of Venice, a building that can process an intake of water and air can help to support life of the human and the non-human within the building and wider urban environment.
The Venetian Institute of Indicative Plants is an interpretation of a Venetian ‘scuole’ for an ecological age (left), themes of metabolism run through the project, offering a solution to the issue of air and water pollution in Venice (top) GC1
which release vast amounts of harmful pollutants into the city’s air and the lagoon. As a result air pollution is a huge issue within the city. Reducing the number of cruise ships entering the lagoon is key to the reduction of emissions. However, a holistic approach to improving air quality is required and by turning to the non-human we can find an ecological method to protect the city from pollutants.
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PHYTOREMEDIATION Phytoremediation is the use of plants and associated microorganisms to remove harmful pollutants from soil, water or air. This can be through the absorption of pollutants through a plant’s stomata or the breaking down of pollutants by microorganisms which are supported by the plant such as bacteria. I propose the use of such plants to remove pollutants from the atmosphere and from lagoon and waste water. These plants may be genetically modified to act as both ecological sensors and remediation devices; improving air quality for inhabitants of the building and supporting the health of the wider urban environment for both the human and non-human.
Pollutants are absorbed through a plant’s stomata (above), Mimosa Pudica in its open and closed positions (below)
INDICATIVE PLANTS The measuring of air and water quality can be a long and costly process, requiring expensive laboratory testing. In contrast to a lab-based approach to the measuring and detection of pollutants, I propose an ecological approach which embraces the ability of specific plants to detect the presence of pollutants. Plants such as the tobacco plant exhibit visual indicators when certain pollutants are present in high levels and I propose the use of such plants to monitor pollution levels within the atmosphere in lagoon. Furthermore, genetic analysis has ascertained the specific genes which trigger strong visual or motor indicators in plants such as Thale Cress changing from green to an autumnal red or Mimosa Pudica curling its leaves. These genes can be programmed to be activated by the presence of certain pollutants creating ecological sensors.
Plants’ genes can be programmed to be activated by the presence of certain pollutants, thus creating ecological sensors (above), bioluminescent algae acts as a natural sensor for pollutants in water (top-right), lab garden for the development of genetically modified ‘sensory’ plants (right)
SENSORY PLANTS Plants such as the tobacco plant exhibit visual indicators when certain pollutants are present in high levels. In cases such as the tobacco plant, indications of the presence of pollutants are difficult to detect to the untrained eye. However, developments have been made with regards to using genetically modified plants to detect pollutants. Genetic analysis has ascertained the specific genes which trigger strong visual or motor indicators in plants such as thale cress changing from green to an autumnal red or mimosa pudica curling its leaves. These genes can be programmed to be activated by the presence of certain pollutants, thus creating ecological sensors. Using the same methodology, I propose the development of plants which display strong indications when harmful pollutants are present. These plants can then be incorporated into the ecological ventilation, allowing the system to both detect and remove pollutants before they enter the building.
ACTIVE PHYTOREMEDIATION Phytoremediation occurs due the absorption of pollutants through a plant’s stomata or the breaking down of pollutants by microorganisms which are supported by the plant, such as bacteria. The effective use of plants to improve air quality has been noted by researchers, however, the efficiency of passive methods for phytoremediation are limited. The mechanisms for removal of toxins are mainly facilitated within the plant’s growth substrate and therefore, as airflow within the substrate is limited, the process of phytoremediation is restricted. Integration of mechanical ventilation through plants’ substrate could therefore increase the effectiveness of the plants’ capacity to remove pollutants from the air. I have proposed a system of mechanical ventilation which draws air into the conditioned areas of the building via the substrate of plants with the facility for phytoremediation. The process for the removal of pollutants is as follows: 1. External air enters the greenhouse spaces via natural cross ventilation, facilitated by openable and removable glazing elements 2. As the air circulates within the greenhouse spaces pollutants are passively absorbed by the planting 3. The semi-treated air is drawn through the substrate of planting by localised air pumps, located in raised beds and in removable façade boxes, removing further pollutants and cooling the air 4. The clean air is mechanically circulated throughout the conditioned spaces within the building via the vertical circulation core, providing an improvement in air quality for the inhabitants of the building
Active phytoremediation ventilation system for the building, utilising greenhouse buffer spaces to remove pollutants from the air (left)
Detail section of the remediation ‘pods’ showing the ventilation system (left), system of interchangable planter boxes to remove different pollutants (bottom)
REMEDIATION ‘PODS’ ‘Pods’ functioning as teaching and meeting spaces act as an interface between the polluted city air and the conditioned areas of the building. The breakdown of this interface is as follows: 1. Phytoremediation and sensory planting 2. Substrate 3. Air Seal 4. Air pump 5. Vent to ‘pod’ 6. Air circulation to rest of the building Using of changeable planter boxes, the type of plants used to remove pollutants may be alternated to respond to the levels of different pollutants detected and as new plants are developed within the laboratory. The greenhouse spaces and external gardens function as a testing ground.
POLLUTION AND THE LAGOON Water permeates through daily life in Venice. Transport, commerce, food, culture and industry are supported by the lagoon. However, as humans have sought to alter the lagoon to suit our needs, we have neglected the needs of the non-humans which call the lagoon home. As Venice sits precariously upon the marshland it is continuously injecting waste into its watery surroundings. As has been visible during Italy’s pandemic induced lockdown and subsequent emissions reduction, Venice’s waters are the natural habitat of numerous species whose existence within the lagoon are threatened by human pollution. To address this issue a two-fold response in required. Firstly a reduction in the release of harmful pollutants into the lagoon in required. Secondly, methods for the absorption of harmful chemicals and heavy metal particles which are present in the water should be adopted to remove existing pollutants and those which cannot be prevented from entering the water. Plants can be effective at absorbing pollutants from water, with salt-water based plants such as reeds able to remove toxic chemicals and heavy metals from seawater. Unlike mechanical and chemical treatment procedures, plant-based water phytoremediation requires little energy and has a number of secondary benefits. Plant photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen improving air quality and the presence of green space and planting in the urban environment improves mental wellbeing.
BIOLUMINESCENT ALGAE Bioluminescent marine algae are noted for their exaggerated response to the presence of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Artists and researchers working with certain species of marine algae have documented the algae’s sensitivity to chemical contamination and subsequent failure to glow as usual at night . I propose the use of bioluminescent marine algae within the building to detect the presence of high levels of pollution within the lagoon water. The use of such algae provides a visual response to the health of the lagoon, illuminating certain areas of the building at night and acting as a conduit between the human and non-human inhabitants of the city and lagoon. The use of the algae as part of an architectural solution helps to reframe the relationship between the human, the plant world and the lagoon, forming a symbiotic relationship between the three. The system embraces the algae’s temperamental nature, inviting us to question our demands with regards to technology. The algae lighting represents a form of living technology which requires a closer relationship between the human and the non-human, requiring an element of ‘care’ which is absent from our current culture of anthropocentric thinking.
ALGAE FACADE PANELS To provide the algae with enough light to photosynthesise, I have integrated the photobioreactor (growth) tanks into the south façade of the building. Adjustable external shading prevents the algae receiving an overexposure to sunlight whilst also controlling light levels within the studio and laboratory spaces, preventing excessive glare and overheating. Behind this sit an array of growth tanks which contain algae-filled salt water. It is within these tanks which the algae receive CO2 and light which
Opposite: Algae growth system integrated with the building’s facade (top-left), The process of care for the algae encompassing elements of human and non-human control (bottom -left) This page: atmospheric effect of algae facade panels (top-middle), exploded view of the facade , showing the algae panels and shading (above), detailled section of the facade (right)
allow them to produce energy through photosynthesis. CO2 is injected into the tanks from the bottom and rises through the water. As it does so the algae converts the CO2 in oxygen which is extracted from the top of the tanks and recirculated throughout the building. An air gap separates the growth tanks from a layer of glazing. This double skin provides a thermal barrier in winter and helps drive ventilation in the summer through a stack effect. monitor pollution levels within the atmosphere in lagoon.
CARBON CAPTURE Algae require carbon dioxide to photosynthesise, capturing up to 400 times more carbon dioxide than a tree of the same area. To provide the algae growth tanks with the large amount of carbon dioxide that they require I propose a ‘wind tower’, sitting at the heart of the building. This tall structure features a perforated brick façade which allows air to permeate into a series of air collectors. The tower is aligned to the direction of the prevailing wind to maximise the natural flow of air into the system. The carbon rich air can then be circulated to the algae growth tanks and to the greenhouse spaces, where carbon is captured by the planting. REED BED REMEDIATION Reed Beds are a natural way of treating contaminated water. The pollutants are decomposed by the actions of bacteria and other microbes living within the soil. The reeds provide the soil structure and the habitat for microbes to thrive amongst the plant roots. Reed beds, planted adjacent to the canal, remove pollutants from the lagoon’s water. Once the water has been treated by the reeds it flows from the lower section of the bed into the building. From here the treated water may be introduced into the algae growth system. BIOMASS HARVESTING The species of bioluminescent marine algae that I am proposing be grown in the building have a lifespan of approximately 5-7 days. Once their lifespan is over they can be collected in the form of biomass. To do this I propose the use of an array of collection tanks located in the ground floor entrance foyer. Air is pumped into the bottom of the tanks, causing the biomass to be carried to the top of the tank. This layer of biomass may then be removed from the surface of the water. This biomass must then be dried before conversion into oils and other chemical products. To do this the wet biomass is spread on trays which are then placed in solar dryers located within the garden. Wind-catcher tower captures CO2 from the atmosphere and provides vertical circulation for people and services (left, top and bottom)
Reed beds adjacent to the canal provide the algae with clean water (left), detail of reed beds and pump room (below)
INSTITUTE AND SCUOLE The building is divided by a central core which provides vertical circulation for people and services. The western half of the building is home to laboratory spaces, studios and a fabrication workshop. The eastern half houses the public areas of the building including: exhibition space, performance space, teaching and meeting spaces and aninternal garden.
FROM MICRO TO MACRO When conducting research with regards to living architecture and product design, there is an issue of scale. There is often a gap between the micro-scale research being conducted at a molecular and cellular level and the macro or architectural-scale propositions of architects and designers, leading to a slow uptake within the design world of new developments within the scientific community. I am proposing a research institute which seeks to bridge this gap by creating a forum for scientific researchers, designers and architects to collaborate, creating a flow of information from the micro-scale of genetic and cellular research to the macro/architecturalscale of the development of prototype products and architectural systems.
LAB GARDEN AND WET LABS The upper levels of the research institute are primarily dedicated to the physical studying of indicative plants and phytoremediation, encompassing soil-based plants and water-based plants including algae. This section of the building includes a research garden for the growth of plants under controlled conditions and two levels of lab spaces, the upper level of which is dedicated to indicative planting and phytoremediation and the lower to algae research. These lab spaces offer controlled spaces in which potentially harmful substances may be handled.
DRY LABS AND STUDIOS Below the ‘wet labs’ are two levels of ‘dry labs’ and studio spaces. These levels provide spaces for computer modelling of living systems (such as genetic modelling) and the design of products, installations and architectural systems. These levels are a key interchange between the micro-scale research being conducted in the labs and the macro/architectural-scale, facilitated by the proximity of designers and researchers, allowing for collaboration at the cutting edge of both scientific research and design.
FABRICATION WORKSHOP Located at the base of the institute, the fabrication workshop provides a space for the prototyping of the work being designed and developed in the institute. These prototypes may include consumer products, art installations, pavilions and architectural systems. The workshop’s location adjacent to the main thoroughfare and canal allows for visibility of the work of the institute to the public and for easy access to the gardens for the display of installations and pavilions built within the workshop.
THE OIKOS OF THE LABORATORY The current dogma with regards to our framing of laboratories’ function is to envisage them as a recreation of a world within themselves, isolated from the external and highly specialised. These spaces can be seen to be analogous to the oikos (household) of the ancient Greeks. There is a management of the laboratory, with engagement and interaction with the outside world(s) (polis) carefully mediated. Whilst this mediation is sometimes required in the interest of safety, the boundary between the lab (oikos) and the external (polis) is often rigidly defined out of a desire for control. This leads to a gulf between the managed experimentations taking place within the oikos and the experience of the polis, unpredictable and uncontrollable. I propose that the lab embraces a position as a component of wider world(s), expanding into a forum for science and experimentation that sits between the oikos and the polis. The expansion the ‘labs’ to encompass a framework of wider testing spaces creates the conditions for public experimentation within the polis, acknowledging the history of experiments carried out by proponents of public science such as Hooke and Boyle in the 17th century and the work of John Evelyn in Elysium Britannicum. TESTING GROUND Embracing the lab as a component of wider worlds as opposed to a recreation of a world, I propose the expansion of the laboratory into the polis. Testing spaces act as a conduit between the research institute, university campus and public realm, facilitating the conducting of research into expanding worlds. The first of these worlds is an internal garden in which visitors are invited to interact with the research undertaken in the institute via a series of levels. The space in the eastern half of the building is intended to be navigated from top to bottom via staircases located within the internal gardens. As visitors descend through the space they encounter and engage with live research that is divided thematically between three levels of experience regarding the relationship between the human and non-human: Top Level – Atmospheric phytoremediation and sensing Middle Levels – Response to human activity Lower Level – Water phytoremediation and sensing
Opposite: detail section of the labs and workshop This page: section through the ‘scuole grande’ testing ground (above), John Evelyn’s Elysium Britannicum, expanding the laboratory (left)
ATMOSPHERIC PHYTOREMEDIATION The upper level of the garden contains plants capable of phytoremediation of airborne pollutants and atmospheric sensory plants. Plants ‘designed’ within the research institute display elevated
responses to the presence of atmospheric pollutants and in turn remove these toxins from the air. This level encourages visitors to engage with the environmental costs of air pollution and how our relationship with plants and the non-human must change
if we are to respond to such issues. It is at this level where the concept of mutually beneficial care for the human and nonhuman is introduced – by caring for the non-human we are in turn allowing them to care for us.
SENSORY GARDEN The middle levels of the garden explore further plant response to a variety of stimuli. Plants are grown and displayed which or capable of displaying heightened responses to light, touch, heat, sound,
movement as well as stimuli inperceptible to us as humans. Alongside these plants, this part of the building forms the initial experiential interface between with bioluminescent algae grown within the façade. At night, under the right conditions,
the algae glow and distinct blue-green colour when agitated. This phenomenon provides an opportunity to create installations through which people can interact with the algae and receive a visual response.
PLUG-IN SYSTEM The spectacle of the bioluminescent algae is facilitated by a plug-in system, capable of feeding numerous installations algae filled water. This allows for a variety of products, installations and pavilions which have been developed by the institute to be connected to the algae growth tanks and to be tested. Some of my first semester work includes proposals for a number of installations aid the growth of algae or utilise bioluminescent algae to provide lighting. Such attachments to the system may facilitate the introduction of nutrients or CO2 into the growth tanks or provide methods for the agitation of the algae to produce light and may be changed, tested and developed whilst supported by the algae growth system incorporated into the building. EXHIBITION OF LIGHT Although they are designed to support external installations, the algae growth panels are capable of providing their own light source. To enable this carbon dioxide is pumped into the bottom of the façade panels, rising through the water as air bubbles, agitating the algae. This agitation causes the algae to glow with a soft bluegreen light. When applied to the panels located between the exhibition space and the vertical greenhouse space this method may be used to provide lighting to these spaces. I have drawn upon Olafur Eliasson’s work, in particular his use of single wavelength light in’ A Room for One Colour’ and the change in perception of space due to this form of lighting.
Opposite: detail section of the exhibition space and sensory garden. This page: exhibition space illuminated by bioluminescent algae (above), Olafur Eliasson’s ‘A Room for One Colour’(left)
WATER WORLD As visitors descend into the lower level of the gardens, they enter a space dedicated to the watery component of the venetian experience. This level bridges the gap between Venice’s terrestrial and aquatic worlds and displays the impact that humans have had on the health of the lagoon, but also our ability and responsibility to provide care to the non-human inhabitants of Venice. The space is the final point before entering the surrounding gardens - transitioning into a wider world and the worlds beyond. CARING FOR THE LAGOON Upon descending a final set of stairs visitors find themselves standing above a shallow pool. A series of stepping-stones transport visitors to terra firma, referencing the act of stepping between the islands of Venice and the tension between land and water in the city. From here visitors are invited to enter the water, which has been treated by the reed beds in the garden. This ‘clean’ water pool is a rare moment in the city where the water can be experienced physically without pollutants and is designed to question how a pollution free lagoon may change the lived experience of Venice and our relationship with the water. Beneath the pool sits a second layer of water, separated from the main body of water by a gel membrane. The lower layer of water contains bioluminescent algae which are agitated when pressure is applied to the gel by footfall in the pool. Specifically, this experience provides an insight into how the human and the non-human may interact, offering a vision for a philosophy of care for the non-human. PEFORMANCE OF THE FALSE CEILING Also located within the lower section of the building is an informal performance space. Above the space, a fibrous web of thin tubes is suspended from the soffit. Connected to the algae growth tanks, these tubes are highly strung to create tension. As the algae flows through the tubes sound waves from performances cause the tubes to vibrate, disturbing the algae. This agitation causes the algae to glow in response to the sound reverberating around the space. This ceiling follows in the venetian tradition of decorative false ceilings which are suspended from the structure, adding a performative element.
Opposite: detail section of scuola grande (top), performance space and pool (bottom). This page: performance space at night, illuminated by bioluminescent algae (above), false ceiling of Scuola Grande di San Marco(left), bioluminescent false ceiling above the performance space (bottom-left)
FILLING THE VOID Sitting within the void left by the church of Santa Maria dei Servi are currently a series of low-quality single story out-buildings which detract from the quality of the remaining chapel and lower sections of the church walls which still stand. I propose the removal of these later additions and the creation of a new form to sit within the void. My proposal offsets the ground floor structure from the perimeter wall of the church, creating a circulation route between the old and new. The structure then expands over the church walls at the upper levels, giving the appearance that it is hovering delicately above the existing structure. The scale of the proposal references the sites ecclesiastical history, whilst the central tower gives prominence to the new axis of travel opened up within Cannaregio through the reinstating of the bridge to the south. UNIFYING THE FACADE The building is split into three distinct areas, each of which has its own requirements with regards to the internal environmental conditions. As a result, the façade is also divided into 3 different systems. To unify these diverse elements I have created a grid of diamond forms which repeat across the 3 façade systems. I have drawn upon the façade pattern of the Palazzo Ducale and venetian tile patterns to derive the unifying form.the exhibition of ecological design.
Approach to the south facade showcases the 3 facade systems and the unifying pattern (above), perforated brick facade of the central tower, referencing the facade of the Palazzo Ducale (right)
Unifying diamond pattern is repeated across the 3 facade systems (right and above), exploded detail of the facade systems (topright)
Level 3 plan: coditioned spaces shown in red, unconditioned buffer spaces shown in blue.
LINKED RESEARCH
URBAN COMMONS
This Page: Pavilion for the Commons, erected in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park. Opposite Page:, Precedent typology study in which we assessed each precedent using a rating system in which we considered the cost, skills and number of people requied for construction, level of prefabrication and mobility.
ABSTRACT This booklet outlines the ‘Pavilion of the Commons’ project undertaken by a vertical studio of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. The project has been undertaken on behalf of the ‘Wastes and Strays’ research group, a collaboration between Newcastle University and the University of Portsmouth studying the past, present and future of English urban commons. Specifically, our contribution to the projects centres on a temporary roaming pavilion which is to be assembled on the Town Moor in Newcastle for a two-week period, before being transported to the Valley Gardens in Brighton for a ‘festival of the commons’ event celebrating the role of English urban commons throughout history and into the future.
PRAXIS As a design praxis, our focus throughout has been on providing everyone the opportunities to explore new elements of the design process that previously might not of central focus to their studies, whilst endeavouring to utilise the broad range of skills within the group. Therefore students, have been encouraged to expand on their existing experience to formulate new methods of working within a large team. To facilitate cooperation within a large team, we developed a structure for an ‘architectural practice’ from the outset, allowing for delegation of tasks amongst smaller subgroups. As time went on it saw teams starting delegate ever-more effectively amongst themselves, thus enhancing the collaborative spirit within each sub-group. We saw this moment as a good opportunity to step back from the roles of leaders within our own teams, as our own external projects required us to manage our own timetables. GC1
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The instilling of flexible collaborative practice from the outset of the project enabled the team to still work effectively (more so even than before) and also see individuals start to become increasingly proficient at carrying out their respective roles. As such we witnessed the evolution of the group into a ‘team of experts’, with individuals speaking from positions of authority on the elements of the project under their responsibility. Within the first month of the project an unexpected challenge became all too apparent…Covid! This unforeseen factor presented numerous barriers to conventional design processes, instigating a radical rethinking of our modes of practice. Whilst the transition to a remote working environment was a new and at times arduous process, the practice that evolved as a result provided us with an exciting opportunity to question preheld assumptions and dogmas regarding conventional collaborative design methods. GC7
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Precedent typology matrix (top-left), precedent study models (above and left)
PLAYFULL SPACES When viewing the town moor for the first time, play might not be a word which initially springs to mind. Wild and sparsely populated, it seems an unlikely setting for ludic activities. However, the moor is a space which facilitates intermittent but regular outbursts of fun as pronounced as any other location within the city. From the famous Hoppings funfair to the weekly parkrun to the many festivals held within exhibition park, the moor provides a home to numerous leisure activities and unlike other spaces within the city, the moor enables a particularly diverse range of activities. As Steven notes, cities are primarily designed to ‘optimize work and other practical, rational, preconceived objectives…..with even leisure space serving well-defined functions’ (Stevens, 2007). There is therefore often a tendency amongst planners and urban authorities to rationalise and commodify urban space into conventionally defined functions.
This is opposed to the notion of play as a ‘spontaneous and creative’ (Gilloch, 1996) activity. By limiting the use of space to narrow definitions of function, the ability of occupants to inhabit the space in ‘spontaneous and creative’ ways are also diminished. Consequently, ‘if public spaces prioritise one kind of need, then people not motivated by that need will be inclined to stay away’ (Mean and Tims 2005: 52) and the space becomes the preserve of a limited subsection of society. Conversely, a space which allows for diverse and creative uses may be continually reimagined and reappropriated by an equally diverse array of users. Our pavilion seeks to reflect the state of ‘permanent disequilibrium’ (Lefebvre, 1996) that is pervasive within the urban realm and to provide a space which, rather than attempt to coerce users into adapting their actions to fit predefined functions, allows for creative, spontaneous and irrational appropriation of the space.
TEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Temporary architecture explores the built environment through three different notions as explored by Madanipour (2017). Initially, temporary architecture acts as a way of “questioning” the norms and expectations of the urban realm by placing unusual shapes and objects in unfamiliar contexts. The introduction of these abnormal elements do not necessarily provide solutions to contemporary urban problems, but instead question how these problems are conventionally seen (Berger, 1977). Secondly, temporary structures can give designers an opportunity to experiment with time and space. The introduction of transient structures can break up regular routines and behaviours that occur in a space. The futures of these structures are “not predetermined by what is currently existing”; instead these structures respond to the events that occur on a day to day basis. In the instance of the town moor,
Pavilion for the Commons, erected on Newcastle’s Town Moor (left and below), interior of the pavilion (right), pavilion in Brighton’s Valley Gardens for a festival of the commons
it can be argued that our pavilion would be used differently during the Newcastle travelling fair than it would be on used on a regular basis. Additionally Alberti (1988) notes that experimentation within public spaces through the construction of temporary structures can help to understand the power and social significance that these open spaces have. By experimenting on a smaller scale with a more transient design, architects, urban designers and planners can become more aware of the characteristics of a site including who inhabits it and the activities that take place on the site. Lastly, Madanipour (2017) argues that temporary architecture helps to introduce the idea of “alternative practice” and the “rethinking of institutional arrangements”. These structures encourage interdisciplinary practice, in which a range of different individuals and groups are able to share their ideas. This helps to introduce an element of playfulness and variety during
the design process which can therefore unpack unique visions, perspectives and interpretations of both the site and the final structure that is produced. CREATIVE PRACTICE ENGAGEMENT A way in which temporary architecture can unpack new perceptions is with the use of creative practice engagement. This can especially be established through sparking spontaneous responses, reactions and conversations from users of the pavilion. Rather than simply focusing the structure on meeting the users’ needs, temporary architecture can be designed as a way of shifting perceptions on spatial use from what has already been established (Gaver et al. 1999: 25). This can be done by implementing a playful element to the design. Incorporating playfulness and mystery in the pavilion, as opposed to an anodyne and rigid design, can induce various responses from different users, more specifically with how they perceive,
interpret and use the structure. It is integrated as an element of “provoking new perspectives on everyday life” (Gaver et al. 1999: 26). Therefore, consequently new uses of the site in which the structure is situated can be established as it encourages people to observe the site in a different way. However, the context itself in which the structure is located can spark different reactions according to the various experiences of the people (Simonsen 2014: 213).
COLLECTIVE MAKING Where conventional development processes are unable to accommodate the desires of individuals and communities, temporary urbanist practices offer an alternative methodology for the creation of space. These practices may be viewed as the deployment of testing grounds within the urban environment, exploring socio-spatial topographies through a process of physical and social interaction. In their temporality, these interventions become architectural ‘events’ (Tschumi, 1994), catalysts for interaction and participation, eschewing finality in favour of evolution and exploration of the urban environment which they inhabit. As Rem Koolhaas states in Projectes Urbans, ‘the built, the full, is incontrollable – subjected to the maelstrom of political, financial and cultural forces – in a perpetual transformation’ (Koolhaas, 1991). As such, temporary urban interventions offer a praxis for the reading of these political,
financial and cultural forces through the lens of architectural production. When temporary urbanist thinking is combined with a methodology of collective production, interim interventions form part of a transient socio-spatial topography, which may be moulded and remoulded by a plethora of participants. As such the temporary intervention becomes a vehicle for the creation of ‘public situations between strangers that produce new cultural value’ (Hou, 2010).
This page: U-Build method (top-left), digital fabrication layout to minimise material waste (bottom-left), exploded construction details (right). Opposite page: user-customisable instruction manual
MANUAL AS A CO-PRODUCTIVE DOCUMENT “The lack of resources is no longer an excuse not to act. The idea that action should only be taken after all the answers and the resources have been found is a sure recipe for paralysis…” (Lerner,1998). The modern etymology of the term DIY can be traced to a 1954 Time magazine article, however, the concept has a longer history stretching back to the 19th century, as homeowners were encouraged to paint their own houses and embrace household jobs requiring simple tools (Smith, 2014). Central to the recognition of the DIY movement in the mid-20th century within the mainstream was the development of instruction manuals, legible to the masses (Smith, 2014). Although the consumer manual originated as early as the 1940s, the countercultural movements of the 1960s gave rise to the manual as a tool for social transformation. The DIY movement – rising to prevalence in North America in
the 1960s – utilised instruction manuals to empower an untrained audience of aspiring builders. The movement was manifested mainly within the residential market (Smith, 2014) and these manuals acted as a subversive force, challenging the dogmas of an orthodox consumerist construction industry and of wider society, promoting a form of self-sufficiency amongst the agents of the DIY movement. Surfacing from within North American Counterculture (Larkin,2015), the DIY movement focused on radical social and political ideals, enabling participants through the demystification of the construction process, utilising manuals and simple construction methods. The manuals that emerged during this period acted as an educational platform, democratising construction and reflecting the dissident atmosphere of the movement. In this respect manuals may be viewed as prisms through which we can observe societal phenomena, adapting to reflect shifting
cultural patterns. Following the conceptual praxis of demystification of the construction process; and coupled with theory of the user being a coproducer of the spatial; the manual could be seen as the endpoint for Stage 1 of the project - the structural scaffolding before socio-spatial construction. Utilising the manual as an empowering tool to understand the structural capabilities of the design, rather than a prescriptive device, we furthered its design by inserting trace paper within its bindings. The steps becomes less prescriptive and more akin to a journal or notebook to be worked into further. The user is free to add additional tips and design ideas to the document; maintaining a record of ideas and constantly reconstituting the designs programmatic and detailed functionality. The document becomes the key enabler of coproduction after the pavilion hand over, still developing after our initial input.
PAVILION OF THE COMMONS ELEVATIONS 1:50
PAVILION OF THE COMMONS SECTION 1:25
Sample of detail drawings for the ‘introverted’ space of the pavilion, showing assembly method and material specification
Example material specification page (below), cutting list (right) and quotation for plywood sheets for the pavilion (opposite)
PROTOTYPE The last stage of modelling comes in the form of a 1:1 prototype of a sectional cut through the pavilion’s Introverted Space located in our yard. Perhaps the most important test of the structural system and material choices for the eventual construction and assembly of the Pavilion of the Commons, the prototype provides a testing ground of essential questions that inform the final design. Due to the National Lockdown (2020), the construction of the sectional piece occurred within our backyard. Situated away from the security of the university campus, the yard had been a zone of contested installations from various project occurring in simultaneity within the year. It must be noted that due to financial difficulties within the given period of construction, the prototype was constructed out of Marine Plywood. The pieces for this sectional prototype were cut using the CNC Router, however
for the final pavilion most of the cutting (particularly for the wall elements) will be done on the Band Saw by the Newcastle University Workshop team. Totaling to 1 hour for both sheets, we were provided a fairly accurate indication of total CNC time for the project. The pieces were laminated in our yard using clamps and heavy logs to ensure a strong bond. An advantage of mass producing all the duplicated elements would be that when laminated and stacked they would be easy to store and double up as heavy objects to laminate each other. For the prototype we found that the more clamps we had (and the more hands), the better. A total time of 4 hours was spent constructing this piece over a 2-day period. This was due to waiting for glue to dry and an inadequate number of clamps. For future reference, constructing the modules in the workshop would allow for a more streamlined mass-production, a unique advantage of modular Kit of Parts design
compared to typical construction methods. (Howe et al. 1999) Access to clamps and/or heavy objects to laminate the members together is highly advised. In addition, the sequencing of the elements is vital, we found that if we had constructed all the wall pieces (for example) in batches, then they would ensure accuracy of roof/floor connections after. This would in turn allow the Workshop team on the Band Saw to produce more of the repetitive elements in the same session, reducing the risk of human error and complication of piece cutting.
Images showing the construction of a prototype section of the pavilion to test fabrication, construction methods, material qualities and timings for the construction sequence ahead of fabrication of the full pavilion
ENGAGEMENT The project began with the hope and expectation of a final 1:1 version of the pavilion being assembled and constructed in the Town Moor. Our vision was to work flexibly to construct the pavilion in stages of modules (eg. Open Space, Tower etc.) However, as the feasibility of anything 1:1 scale became increasingly unlikely, and the external situation became more restrictive, we decided to re-focus our efforts on interrogating aspects of engagement in relation to the manual. Utilising a 1:9 scale model, we could test the structural system and detailing of the kit of parts design (the 1:9 scale allowed 1mm thick card to accurately represent the thickness of the 9mm ply) and how enthusiastic participants engaged with the system and instructions manual. Due to face-to-face interaction being reduced to little to no contact throughout the entirety of the second portion of
project, the model was flat packed into a box to be delivered and assembled within the comfort of the participants’ homes. Collecting qualitative data from each of the participants allowed us to explore external, unfamiliar, perceptions of the projects aims and ideas. Specifically, what happened after the model was assembled was of great interest. The manual, alongside the use of creative and engaging imagery promotes ludic formulation of the pavilion’s arrangement and relationship to person and site. Utilising mindful play theory (Payton, 2020), we endeavoured to elicit playful and unexpected responses to how the programmatic situating of the structures could be furthered by the participants. Even constructed at a 1:9 scale, we saw how individual and creative engagement with form through exploratory experimentation with arrangement and orientation of the modules and smaller components. Through this process, a
personal sense of identity and a relationship with the pavilion was constructed and subsequently relayed back into the design through the process of creative adaptation. As such the user develops a stake within the building and site. This backs up the thematic praxis of Watson (2014) and Parker (2010) in promoting the evolution of a collaborative approach to a coproduction approach, treating the detailed design of the kit of parts system as an initial catalyst for the project, encouraging further engagement with the project, from a diverse cast of actors, to develop an evolutionary approach to design. The unique territory of the Commons is the perfect testing ground for this theory of coproduction. The mobile nature of the pavilion and role within the landscape is flexible, handing over the agency of the design to its (temporary) people. Translated to the domestic Conceptually, the 1:1 pavilion would
be used to promote interaction within the specific sites of engagement (urban commons), however with this not possible due to Covid restrictions, the process was translated into a domestic environment. We tasked 5 participants of varying degrees of architectural and design experience to construct the model from the kit of parts box we provided. Without guidance we left them to their own devices, situating ourselves outside of the design process. We encouraged them to make mistakes (of which I mean highlight our own) and test out new design possibilities with the assembled kit of parts. The manual hinted at some potential arrangements and orientations for the pavilion, however, it was up to them to explore new possibilities for the final assembled pavilion through a process of creative production of space. Utilising the tools available, the cutting list for the pavilion was scaled down in
order to fit all the components onto as little A1 sheets as possible to be laser-cut. These allowed us to ensure the accuracy of the model whilst at a vastly reduced scale. In addition, the production time would be reduced tenfold compared to traditional construction methods (Howe et Al. 1999). The process of construction relies on methodical, systematic laminating and constructing of the boxes, however for this study we cut all the pieces in one session (this was due to restricted workshop time during the 2020/21 pandemic). The task was hard, highlighting the need to be rigid with the sequence of cutting and constructing, a process analogous to the full-scale pavilion.
Images showing the assembly of a 1:9 scale model of the pavilion by a range of participants with differing levels of architectural training and construction experience
The pavilion becomes animated by its participants, in this case a range of volunteers who assembled the scale model of the pavilion
COPRODUCED ASSEMBLAGES The process of allowing the participants to orientate, arrange and adapt the pavilion becomes a socially engaged practice (Tardiveau & Mallo, 2014). The resulting project may be viewed as a form of continuously evolving temporary urbanism, with each re-constitution of its elements generating new spatial and social relationships. By utilising the pavilion as a tool to ‘inject dynamism’ (Schuster, 2001), the users – encountering the pavilion at specific sites – explore how the creative deployment of the different modular components may reflect the spatial and social conditions present within the pavilion’s context. The commons landscape therefore becomes a portrait, from which the pavilion occupant has control of its camera obscura, framing the landscape in novel and exciting ways. Through its flexible orientation and adaptation, the pavilion begins to link the socio-spatial language of the urban
commons with a physical panorama of its unconscious relationship to its context. These questions start to reflect on what constitutes space and more particularly ‘place’, in Deleuzian terms (Deleuze and Guattari, 1988), within the context of an Urban Commons. PAVILION AS AN ASSEMBLAGE This concept could also be understood in the terms of viewing the pavilion and manual as two sides of an assemblage (Dovey, 2010). Assemblages are heterogeneous entities forming a whole, with their constituent parts interacting in such a way that each component can be detached from the whole, triggering different interactions (Tardiveau & Mallo, 2014). The manual is an enabler for assembly of a structural system, however through creative interaction with the manual, the process of assembly may be evolved to generate new, unexpected forms and
proximities. Devising an assemblage enables occupants more control and adaptation of the environment and contextual relationship of elements to each other and their site. SOCIO-SPATIAL PRACTICES The participants re-orientation of space and place beyond the initial indicative suggestions of assembly have developed new proximities and tensions. Acting as an allegorical formulation of the city, the pavilion is animated by its interaction and mobility with its users. Lefebvre, in a Production of Space speaks of the inhabitants creating new spatial conditions within the city, facilitating its animation at the hands of its users (Lefebvre, 1972). Later, Tschumi recognised and suggested a spatial coproduction in Parc De La Villette (Tschumi, Derrida, Vidler. 2014), based on the principle that the city (in this case park) was animated by its users and inhabitants.
His volumes on Event Cites (Vol 1, 1994. Vol 2, 2001. Vol 3, 2005. Vol 4, 2010) go further with this conceptual praxis. The pavilion is only fully realised when inhabited, conceived and reconceived by its participants. Its proximities a constant reminder of the larger socio-spatial construction of a city and its relationship with the urban commons.
Participants quickly devised novel arrangements of the pavilion’s components triggering different interactions, forms and proximities
CONCLUSIONS Temporary architecture means many different things to different people, embodying certain connotations within society. Our aim within this project has been to challenge pre-held notions of the role of temporary architectures within the urban environment, deploying a small-scale architectural intervention to question the dogmas and expectations of the role of urban commons (Madanipour, 2017). The new elements introduced to the urban commons are not envisioned as finalised and dormant solutions, rather these ‘props’ (Stevens, 2007) are intended to serve as catalysts for collective engagement with the site, generating diverse socio-spatial potentials, derived from the creativity of groups and individuals who encounter them. Central to our proposal is the facilitation of ludic activities, exploring the moor’s history and future potential as a space of play and of ‘permanent disequilibrium’ (Lefebvre, 1996), in contrast to the ‘welldefined’ (Stevens, 2007) functional spaces of the city. As such, although we may begin to predict certain activities which the pavilion may encourage, the creation of
a space that allows for ‘spontaneous and creative’ (Gilloch, 1996) use is central to our design thinking. The proposal draws upon detailed precedent research and a thorough contextual reading of the site and of the wider topic of urban commons. The design is therefore a celebration of the spontaneous playfulness of the Town Moor, referencing The Hoppings travelling fair and the monumentality of the moor and its surrounds through the form and scale of the pavilion. The facilitation of fabrication proved to be the hardest aspect to overcome in the COVID-19 locked down environment. Tasks that would require little navigation and interaction with external members of the team (ie. The Newcastle University Workshop Team) became more drawnout processes. However, the research and staging we were able to complete this academic year 2020/21 has put into place the infrastructure for the design of a kit of parts systematic, ready to be mass-produced and assembled in the relevant sites. We have learnt valuable lessons about the intended materiality and functioning of the multiple connection systems currently
utilized as part of the design. This aspect was crucial to the design development, without which many discoveries would be left unearthed and latent, with potentially problematic implication. Through taking on the role of material testers and observers, we expanded our own knowledge of materiality and fabrication that can be utilized within a temporary architectural praxis. Additionally, an understanding of tools and labor time required for the portions of the physical output of the project (along with the designing and detailing tasks) will provide us and project teams in the future a useful resource of processes and timescales for similarly scaled projects to be developed. The fabricated design and delivery of the project has not ended, further exploration and smaller scale material testing will continue as the project advances. To facilitate the repeat assembly of the pavilion, the creation of a form of instruction manual has been central to the project. Drawing upon the ideals of the countercultural DIY movement of the 1960s, we explored the potential of the manual as an educational tool and as a facilitator of self-expression through
construction. Inspired by publications such as Stewart Brand’s The Whole Earth Catalog, we endeavoured to create a manual as an instrument for the empowerment of the local community, promoting self-production as a form of collective creative practice. As such, the manual has been developed through a collaborative process of engagement between us, the designers, and a range of participants who have projected their own creative ambitions upon the manual. The manual, and by extension the pavilion, are therefore evolving entities, subject to the creative forces of the diverse plethora of groups and individuals who will interact with it in the future, shaped to reflect the ideas of the users to become the ‘oeuvre of its citizens’ (Lefebvre, 1996). Inherent within the conception of the theoretical foundations for the project; interaction and engagement with the users of the Urban Commons was a pivotal grounding for the projects aims and ambitions. Although our original aim was to observe and research the publics interactions with the pavilion in-situ, we adapted our methods to still interrogate this praxis. Through our research the most
engaging part of the design process was the adaptability and customization of the spatial and programmatic elements of the design. They relished the opportunity to be the agents of spatial creation, something that we did not foresee and perhaps came about from the reduced physical scale of the assemblage in question (1:9 Scale Model). As such we moved to a more coproductive approach to the manual and rest of the design practice, becoming equal stakeholders of the design’s finality along with its users. These findings and subsequent change in mentality have altered our ways of working with this spatial intervention within the public realm. It will not stay in Newcastle’s Town Moor forever, so the more agency and adaptability we can give to its future assembly, the better. The manuals capacity has expanded beyond its original remit, now functioning as a tool from initial structural assembly, with room for expansion and testing of ideas. Overall, the development of this new approach has begun to influence every part of the design, defining the next steps and revisions of the previous workings of Volume 1 of the paper. Omnipresent throughout the project has
been a desire to explore innovative methods of creative practice as we have developed new methodologies for collaborative design, both prior to and in response to the everchanging situation of a global pandemic. This has been manifested through a culture of continual evaluation of working practices and of self and group-reflection, allowing us to work more effectively as a team to accomplish our goals. A methodology of co-production has been central to our process, as we have sought to draw upon a wide range of voices and experience, eschewing a traditional designer/client relationship in favour of the co-operative production of socio-spatial change, viewing our role as facilitators of collective action, rather than imposers of change. As such, the presence of a diverse range of collaborators throughout the process so far has been an illuminating experience, offering a vision for a form of collective action in which the experiences, interests, ideas, creativity and skills of varied group of individuals are brought togethers to affect change in the urban environment.
Tools for Thinking essay on the Matadero Centre for Contemporary Creation in Madrid. The Matadero represents and act of cultural rebranding, selectively utilising elements of the centre’s industrial past (bottom-right)
ABSTRACT This essay shall reflect on the extent to which the Matadero Centre for Contemporary Creation in Madrid engages with its ‘uncomfortable’ past as a slaughterhouse and meat market through contemporary architectural interventions. I intend to interrogate the 20th Century interventions to the site in relation to ‘uncomfortable heritage’ as defined by John Pendlebury, Yi- Wen Wang and Andrew Law, as well as discussing the ‘uncomfortable heritage’ of the Matadero within the context of Laurajane Smith’s writings on the ‘authorized heritage discourse’, questioning the nature of contemporary changes to the site’s architectural fabric and uses and their role in affecting perceptions of the Matadero within the local community. CONCLUSION The Matadero complex can be viewed as an example of ‘uncomfortable heritage’ due to its previous use as a municipal slaughterhouse; In contemporary society, there is a sense of discomfort and unease which surrounds the processes behind the slaughtering and ‘disassembling’ of animals as there is greater emphasis on animal rights and welfare, as well as a societal detachment from the production of meat. In recent years the Matadero has undergone a transition, following its closure as a slaughterhouse in the 1990s, into a cultural centre. As part of this evolution there has GC1
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been a process of ‘selective remembering’ and ‘strategic forgetting’ in which elements of the Matadero which are deemed to be of value are foregrounded and features which allude to the ‘uncomfortable’ nature of the building’s past use are removed, suppressed or hidden. The result is the presence of an architectural language which defines an aestheticized articulation of an ‘imaginary’ industrial heritage. This ‘imaginary’ has been ‘sanitised’ to remove traces of the slaughterhouse’s history which may cause discomfort or unease amongst visitors, whilst maintaining a veneer of industrial authenticity in the form of a material approach to heritage, which retains and reinforces the ‘industrial’ narrative of the site. The transition process of the Matadero, from slaughterhouse to cultural centre, has involved a ‘rebranding’ of the site and surrounding area through a combination of architectural expression and promotional literature and imagery, which surround the project. Negative associations are glossed over in both a material sense and throughpromotional material, which allude to an idealised industrial past. The ‘tourist gaze’ of the visitor to the site is drawn towards the industrial aesthetic, which has been retained, and away from features of the Matadero’s ‘uncomfortable’ history and without prior knowledge to the historical context of the Matadero, there is little to suggest the bloody activities which took place within the complexes walls. For visitors, there is unlikely to be a deep emotional connection with the site’s history and therefore the obscuring or erasure of the ‘uncomfortable’ elements of the building’s heritage are unlikely to be deemed particularly contentious. However, beyond the ‘tourist’ lies a ‘neighbourhood1 which has a shared social history, in which the Matadero forms - or rather formed - the focal point of a community. The ‘authorised heritage discourse’ is defined by those who have the ‘ability or authority to speak about or for heritage’, those people being a class of ‘educated’ planners, architects and historians. As the discourse surrounding heritage is defined by a small subsection of society, the conversation is subject to the dogmas, biases and beliefs of this dominant class and conversely the voices of minorities and the working class are suppressed within the heritage discourse. The stifling of the voices of those who do not have the ‘authority’ to speak of and for heritage can create a form of heritage
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which ‘disinherits’ those in society with the strongest connection to this heritage, favouring an approach to heritage which is aesthetic-centric and ignores the social and cultural heritage associated with place. This creates a situation in which heritage projects often don’t work ‘for’ the communities which have a close relationship with the place in question. Alongside ‘disinheriting’ communities ‘uncomfortable heritage’ projects in particular can have further implications for groups with a shared social history associated with a place. The ‘strategic forgetting’ of certain ‘uncomfortable’ elements of a place’s past transpires to alter the collective memory of the group connected by the ‘uncomfortable heritage’, giving rise to the presence of ‘guilty neighbourhoods’whose past has been distorted by the present day suppression of their history. When considering ‘uncomfortable heritage’, it is therefore important to question who takes ownership of a place and the uncomfortable past associated with it. By branding the activities associated with a place ‘uncomfortable’ and through the suppression of vestiges of this past, the collective memories and social history of a community, bound by a shared social identity space, can be manipulated and tainted. It is important therefore, that ‘uncomfortable heritage’ works for those groups who have the strongest connection to this shared history and not merely as an act of rebranding.
Opposite page: market research diagram (top),consistent marketing material to ensure the values of the practice are showcased (bottom-right)
MARKETING STRATEGY • Target initial marketing at individuals and groups who are already active within Newcastle’s creative scene • The Crack magazine sits at the heart of Newcastle’s creative community and has a monthly readership of 105,000 • Advertise on their online platform + print f lyers, using the magazines printing and distribution network to advertise in local venues • Expand this advertising campaign to include both online and print advertisements • Develop relationship with magazine to open up potential for editorials on the practice
MISSION STATEMENT Neighbour: we wish to set up neighbourhub as a Small- scale, community orientated architecture and design practice based in the heart of the ouseburn. Hub: running parallel to our design ventures, we intend to open a small flexible exhibition space fronting the office that complements our community ethos , and acts as a secondary profit centre through the sale of our artistic production.
SERVICES • Practice services initially split between pro-bono work in the community and private paid work • Initial community work at cost or loss will lead to larger, more prof itable work further down the line as experience and local trust increases. • Other private work will initially concentrate on smaller extension work looking to build quickly through working relationships with RASKL into working with local breweries.
MARKET RESEARCH • From research on Newcastle-basedpractices, few focus on the community sector. • Practices of a similar size to our own (based on amount of architects and scale of projects) mostly focus on the residential sector. • Our business model situates ourselves in the least saturated market; with potential to gain work within more illusive markets in the future. • Of our direct competitors, raskl are more in the realm of fabrication, and x-site are transitioning to bigger projects, a trajectory we would look to follow GC1
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PROMOTION THROUGH DOING • Architectural practice involves continual production of imagery, which is usually not fully utilised • We will utilise our graphical skills to generate a secondary prof it centre from the architectural imagery surrounding our community projects • This will manifest through production of posters + small booklets, to be sold through our off ice and other venues • This will generate a secondary income source for the practice + act as marketing device CONSISTENT VOICE • Maintaining a consistent voice between all forms of marketing material is crucial • Consistency improves recognition • Marketing material showcases the values of the practice so must be consistent with these values • An in-house marketing manager ensures consistency of all marketing material
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • Focus set on prof itable work, with the option to rotate core architects to community jobs when necessary or when resources are available. • Community Outreach Manager may also f ind time to contribute to primary work projects. • All staff attend key design meetings for both branches of work FUNDING • Barclays - 7.9%APR Fixed for £25,000 • Loan repaid over 5 years with an initial 6-month repayment holiday • Loan supplemented by collateral investment from founding partners fully utilised FINANCE • Salaries start low for the f irst few years before increasing to the RIBA standards • Initial start up costs for equipment and software licences • Marketing costs f luctuate throughout the year and increase as the practice begins to grow
Flexible resource management strategy (top-left), balance sheet diagram (above), financial plan diagrams (right)
Cashflow diagram (above), sample of cashflow statement for year 4 (left)
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE REPORT
KEY ISSUE: NEIGHBOURS AND PARTY WALL The client is seeking to create a building which serves the local community. As such,maintaining good relationships with local residents is vital for the project’s success. To achieve value the client therefore wants a project which provides a benefit to local residentsin the form of a high-quality building serving the needs of the community. The treatment of the party walls shared with terraced houses along the northern boundary to the site has therefore been identified as a potential obstacle for achieving good community relations. The nature of works adjacent to these party walls is important to maintain good relationships with residents and a number of steps can be taken to mitigate against the risk of complaints. The early appointment of a party wall surveyor will improve understanding of the issues surrounding the party walls and allows for design advice to be considered from an early stage. Talking to the neighbours to explain the situation will help to minimise inconvenience experienced, increasing the chance of notice acceptation. This can be done through public consultations, workshops and presentations at an early stage of the design phase to engage local residents and address any potential concerns they may have. The appointment of a contractor with experience working with party walls and existing buildings may reduce the risk of accidental damage to the walls which could lead to additional costs for repairs or compensation18 and ensuring work in sensitive areas only occurs during usual working hours is likely to reduce the risk of complaints.
Opposite page: site for thesis project - the subject of the prrofessional practice report. This page: one of the site’s party walls - a key issue for the realisation of the project (right), diagram of the roles and contractual links within the project (below)
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ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS The client’s status as a charitable organisation raises ethical issues regarding the use of donated funds. Any spend should follow the charity’s governing document and policies and there should be transparency as to how these funds are spent during the project, highlighting potential conflict of interests.20 Providing an evidence of spend report allows for transparency between the charity and donors.21 Where two or more ethical principles come into conflict, the one which best serves public interest should take precedent. Therefore, it is the architect’s duty to serve public interests over the interest of the client if it is believed there is a conflict. The project champions a sustainable, localised approach to food production and consumption. This both offers a localised solution to issues surrounding the environmental impact of food production, namely emissions produced through transportation, and encourages local discussion on sustainability and environmental issues. Balanced against this, emissions and resources required for the construction, maintenance and use of the building (the construction industry accounted for 36% of global energy use in 2018 24) is an ethical issue to be considered. Could the goals of the project be better achieved without new buildings? This issue should be brought up with the client when outlining the brief. To address the environmental impact of the construction and the issue of scarcity, existing buildings are reused as part of the programme, reducing the materials required for construction. There is also space shared between multiple programmes in the project, intensifying use of the space and providing benefit to a greater number of users whilst using fewer resources.
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY MArch 2021