landscapes of immediacy
thesi
s by:
rt william barnicoat
morgan robe
landscapes of immediacy | and other affairs of urban living a thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters of Landscape Architecture Degree in the Department of Landscape Architecture of the Rhode Island School of Design.
master’s thesis committee: approved by:
Scheri Fultineer primary advisor
Anastasia Congdon secondary advisor
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many thanks: Matthew Jacobs (aka ): collaboration on stairs, bus stop, canopy, & earth day, as well as continual critical and technical support, Ceci Phillips (aka Cecil): editing, Alfred (aka "dear old dad"): loan of tools and "the guerilla van," Robin (aka ma/marth b): feeding me good fuel, and last but not least Rainy (aka "raindo"): being soft and making me go for walks.
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“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.” ~Edward Abbey
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bibliography
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78
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04_ in situ study
07_ precedent catalog
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03_ discovering site
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02_ preliminary study
06_ moving forward
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terms time line working glossary
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01_ defining terms
05_ momentary conclusion
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a place to begin
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00_ introduction
week 1+2_chairs, hooks, carts week 3_urban crop circle week 4_bus stop week 5_canopy week 6_earth day site installation inventory
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title page many thanks epigraph abstract
table of contents
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Vacancy in the American city is becoming an increasingly complex component of the urban landscape experience. This thesis aims to understand how and if a designer can operate outside the traditional paradigm of professional practice to become a civic actor to directly address problems of land use in the city. Through small scale, unsolicited, incremental interventions in a single disused space in Providence, RI, I explore the potential for creating expedient temporary uses for disused spaces to help alleviate site specific emptiness.
abstract 1
00_ introduction 2
int
trodu 3
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Dr. Howard Thurman
The interest and focus of my work stems from a deep concern with the built urban American environment and the processes that control and shape it. My primary intent has been to understand how designers can become more direct community actors. Speculative and wildly imaginative design projects—what some may refer to as paper architecture—are a fantastic and absolutely necessary way to explore and present design ideas. However, there is often a great disconnect between projects and ideas that live on a page or hard drive and projects that are implemented. I am interested in how the space between design and implementation can be collapsed. Throughout my education at risd I have been frustrated with the gross detachment I often have from the projects I am pursuing and crafting. This dissatisfaction has led me to question what is critical to me as an individual and to investigate how I may take that information and apply it more directly to my work. I have rediscovered a passion for action and a belief in the viability of grassroots-oriented systems to aid in the growth and development of larger ideas and systems. So much of our time upon entering design school is simply spent acquiring new information, for example, we learn how to draw, model three dimensionally, and critically assess the places in which our work takes place. Somewhere along the educational path I became so engrossed in the act of learning intensively that I lost sight of the passions that first drew me to landscape architecture. My thesis is about remembrance and application, taking my sensibility as a person and merging it with my newly formulated sensibility as a designer.
a place to begin 4
This thesis has afforded me the opportunity to expand upon and develop my own working methodology for addressing projects post risd graduation. What I find most interesting resides within the idea that [landscape] architects need to “redefine their role, transform themselves from extremely competent executors of assignments into entrepreneurs and producers� (Arjen Oosterman, Volume 14). What this statement reveals to me about traditional design practices is that while designers possess the ability to skillfully craft solutions to solicited problems, they are not typically able to address many of the problems encountered daily in the city that bare no connection to solicited design services. Through the process of completing this thesis I have discovered that when one has an understanding of traditional landscape architectural and planning design foundations, those skills can be greatly invigorated by pursuing a more deeply connected and personal engagement to a problem. This type of focus helps solidify the process of shaping and impacting today's cities. It allows for faster, more flexible solutions to reflexively interact with and create a conversation (colloquy) with the city as opposed to the soliloquy of traditional design and planning practices. In this thesis I demonstrate my response to these conclusions. I detail my process of finding, designing, and implementing small-scale interventions in multiple disused spaces in Providence, Rhode Island.
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finin 01_ defining terms
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ng ter 7
thesis terms timeline
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immediacy
urgency
catalytic action
bottom-up initiatives
top-down policy
network
design incrementalism
permanent
temporary
informal
formal
framework
action
wintersession internship
landscape activism
adaptation
economic health
environmental health
social health
ecological literacy
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unsolicited (landscape) architecture
guerilla
tactics (vs strategy)
disused space
wonderment
banality
stickiness
intrigue
utility
insurgent public space
de·sign in·cre·men·tal·ism (noun) a strategy for approaching a design problem where the implementation of a proposed solution is separated into degrees of varying expense, formality, and permanence over time.
in·trigue (verb) to arouse the interest or curiosity of a place through the unusual.
land·scape ac·tiv·ism (noun) the interface between landscape architecture and activism.
util·i·ty (adjective) designed or adapted for general use. 1. serving primarily for use : utilitarian
im·me·di·a·cy (noun) quality or state of being immediate.
stick·i·ness (noun) measure of time an intervention remains on site without being removed or destroyed.
dis·used space (noun) areas that are either vacant temporarily or permanently, leftover from common built environments (eg. highway), or under utilized. guer·ril·la (noun) a person who engages in a direct, hands on, 1:1 relationship with a design problem independently for their own decided purposes. un·so·lic·it·ed land·scape ar·chi·tec·ture (noun) landscape architectural services enacted without request and/or invitation and operating outside of at least one of the primary fundamentals of traditional design practice including: client, site, budget, and program.
working glossary 10
vacant mixed use
tactic diagram key
bus stop_pawtucket bound
"the ex·change" [tactic] : using intrigue as a conduit to create reciprocity between a disused and used space.
bus stop_providence bound
"the an·chor" [tactic] : initial tactic testing the viability of a site's stickiness and aimed to be the principal support for a larger flexible strategy. 1
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"the pro·pos·al" [tactic] : full implementation and successful temporary occupation and use of intervention. 4
vacant commercial
"the prop·a·ga·tor" [tactic] : using the success of the anchor to continue to operate on a larger total area of the site after critically reassessing the site, adjacencies, and temporary interventions to be implemented.
charlesgate_assisted + low income living
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02_preliminary study 12
preli 13
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?� ~Albert Einstein While attending risd I have become interested in disused spaces in cities and am continuously amazed by the increasing amount of such spaces in Providence, especially when traversing the Downcity area. When I imagine what the center of a city is I do not envision large vacant parcels of land and empty storefronts. Unfortunately that is what one will encounter today in Downcity Providence. Thus, Providence is an ideal city in which to test my ideas of instigating use of disused space. I began this process by studying a prime vacancy in Providence’s capital center: the parcel of land within the intersection of Exchange Terrace and Memorial Boulevard. At this intersection lies an open piece of land containing a single large sculpture. I chose this parcel for initial study due to its proximity to the geographic and generally considered center of Providence: Kennedy Plaza. I heard various interpretations of what this site actually was, ranging from an urban sculpture park, to a privately owned undevelopable piece of land, to a city owned property graded with undulations to keep commuters from parking on it. It did not matter to me why the space was left unused as much as how it could be quickly transformed to have a use value for the greater public.
14 things to do at exchange and memorial 14
successional forest
bridged landforms
bmx
frisbee
kite flying
cut through
expanded bus stop
sun bathing
food cart
garden
picnic
patio furniture
wind energy collection
solar energy collection
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high + dry invisible boundary prevents public use
low + wet
site conditions + phases of intervention implementation 16
initial engagement
create linkages
encourage succession
maintain for use + demonstration 17
After developing a fast and speculative narrative for the immediate future of the site, I decided that testing the idea 1:1 would be the most logical way to further explore the problem. After all, what way better to engage disused spaces in the city than to create, or at the very least provoke, a new use for them? My intent was to instigate use in this disused space through the insertion of commonly accessible elements. I actively sought out disposed chairs to repurpose for the first phase of this study (initial engagement). I painted the various pieces of furniture a unified color (Rhode Island red) in order to increase their visibility in the landscape as well to signify that they belong to the same group and intent. In parallel with acquiring and preparing the chairs to be distributed on site without permission, I was also beginning the construction of a multi-piece footbridge which would follow the successful installation of the 6 chairs for 6 landforms (create linkages). Unfortunately, after installing the chairs at approximately 12am, I returned to find them gone just 10 hours later, as well as a suspicious new set of deeply scarified truck tracks. This marked the end of my engagement with my first site.
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03_ discovering site 20
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cover 21
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes� ~Marcel Proust In effort to find my thesis test site(s) I first focused on a larger area in Providence which would give me greater freedom to find a more specific test site or sites within it. Kennedy Plaza is one of the few places in the city with a substantial continual concentration of people, so I started my exploration there. From pure empirical observation it was clear that some bus lines were used more than others and ran more frequently as well. I ultimately decided to ride the most populous and frequently circulating bus : RIPTA’s route 99 Providence/ Pawtucket connector. Something that is fantastic and unique to a public transportation route that connects multiple cities is that it becomes a common element amongst diverse parts. It spans built density, census tracts, areas of town that are thriving, and those that have seen better days. The bus to me was not a necessary vehicle of mobility, but rather a datum to reference the transitioning city around it. I became interested in the overlooked daily routines of the bus patrons, but remained more intentfully focused on the often banal environments in which these routines transpired. I asked myself seemingly simple questions: how can a landscape architect address disuse and emptiness? What can be done now to improve and perhaps even replenish the types of environments I saw from the windows of the bus? Does anyone really care, or am I creating a problem rather than trying to solve one? In order to answer some of these questions, and move forward in a productive way, I needed to find a specific site in which I could test my ideas. I could not know how people perceived the types of spaces I was looking at until I began to establish tests or interventions to instigate a response.
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I rode the 99 bus circuitously at three high frequency commuter times (early morning, mid-day, and evening) on a weekday and weekend day for several weeks. This afforded me a 1:1 framework for establishing where I would choose to work and why. My intent all along had been to find several sites of varying scale and character. However, with the small amount of time available to operate I anticipated that one site would prove to be more than enough to keep me fully engaged. I primarily noted the conditions surrounding RIPTA’s existing system of bus stops including the type of stop, and more importantly the type of adjacencies (vacant or for lease properties, surface parking lots, and other forms of under utilized spaces common to the route). Additionally I studied the overall conditions of the stop in relation to the frequency of use that the stop enjoyed. This system of analysis would ensure that people would have visual accessibility to the site and thus potential for interaction and ultimately use. “Charlesgate” is the reference shouted by the 99’s bus drivers when approaching my selected site. Charlesgate assisted and low income living is a three unit campus located on the northwestern side of Main St. headed towards Pawtucket. I found that the stop across from Charlesgate is one of the most heavily trafficked stops on the route. As a space it is the decided poster child of Main St. : it is a vacant interstitial parking lot flanked on one side by a vacant commercial building and on the other by a primarily vacant (there is one surviving retail operation that mostly does online business, I never saw anyone enter or leave the location) commercial/retail building recently subjected to a devastating fire. Given its location, usage, and condition, I decided that this bus stop would be an ideal site to test my ideas about unsolicited interventions to instigate use in disused spaces.
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pole stop
shelter stop
pole stop + community center
stop type distribution to pawtucket line
transit center
pole stop + interstitial void
built density
providence/pawtucket via ripta route 99
site = private vacant interstitial parking lot
vacant commercial_for lease or sale
ripta route 99 providence/pawtucket connector
predominantly vacant mixed use_ apartments for rent
path of the people_median scariďŹ cation
charlesgate north_assisted + low income housing
vegeatated median_moment of pause
map center_active retail
vacant commerical_for lease or sale
vacant surface parking_site
site_scale (approx 2600 sf. ft.)
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04_ in situ study 40
in
n situ 41
After deciding that I would utilize Charlesgate as my test site I needed a way to begin a conversation with the place and its (potential) users. I observed that many of the people who use this stop regularly (as they reside at Charlesgate) had grocery or laundry packages with them. This ordinarily would not be a problem, however, many of the individuals are elderly or disabled citizens, and for those who are not the four lanes of traffic and central median to traverse without a light or crosswalk creates a difficult passage. Additionally, while this space is a high use bus stop there was no form of shelter or seating available on the Pawtucket bound (east side) of Main St., presumably as a result of insufficient public sidewalk space. My first site application was aimed at responding to these basic needs in a manner that was immediate, inexpensive, and directly implemented by myself without permission (i.e., Guerilla). The process included setting up a system of reciprocating shopping carts which would be stationed on either side of the street and used as a means to transport packages and to provide physical support for elderly or disabled peoples. I branded the shopping carts by removing corporate logos, welding mailbox numbers (99) on them, and equipping them with their own colorful bungee cord to lasso them to the telephone pole so they would not roll into the street. Along with the carts I placed four specifically distributed (at multiple heights for varying ages) coat hooks on the telephone pole (i.e., bus stop) for people to hang packages while waiting. I also designed and stenciled several chairs with a 99 bus logo and placed them on the edge of the site near the telephone pole. Because of my confidence that this first site application would increase the health of the site, I was quite disappointed by the almost equally fast lived presence of the intervention. After 24 hours all that remained were the hooks.
week 1+2_chairs, hooks, carts 42
50’-0�
whole foods market site [aka] charlesgate
super stop & shop
35’-0”
50’-0”
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existing condition
After a short period of reflection and some critical feedback on the first site application I became increasingly aware of the complex nature of having my unsolicited work accepted by the community of users. I revisited the color branding tactic I had used in my Downcity preliminary study to test the efficacy at Charlesgate. There was an attractive quality in the contrast between the freshly painted bright red chairs and hooks (the shopping carts were excluded week 2) and the grey vacant appearance of the site. In the week 1 study I had deployed the elements under the cover of darkness; this time I deployed in broad sunlight hoping a repeat user of the site's environs would recognize some form of ownership of the chairs and hooks. Again, I was met with failure as the lifespan of the chairs was only four and one half hours, with the exception of the red hooks, which similarly to the week one intervention remained fastened to the pole. Domesticity and branding were not proving successful methods for gaining the acceptance of my elements. These first two weeks served as the foundation for the next four in trying to discover how to create a lasting unsolicited public space.
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actual condition
projected condition
There is a very real accessibility to familiar elements like chairs and coat hooks. They are found in the home, workplace, doctor's offices, and to a degree in the landscape. However, taking these very domestic objects and applying them to an alien exterior environment continually proved ineffective for me. There are multiple possible reasons why these interventions failed: a pair of red chairs is no less valuable a place to sit than a municipal bench, yet they were not recognized as belonging to someone or someplace and thus were stolen; I placed them in such a way that they encroached on the sidewalk; there were only two chairs per site; and they were in no way fixed to the groundplane. Ultimately, I think that all of these factors and more contributed to the removal of my week one and two installations. While the failures of these two studies could have easily resulted in discouragement, they in fact did the opposite and instilled in me a greater determination to successfully implement and have accepted one of my site installations.
domesticity + branding
week_1
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week_2
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It occurred to me that altering the existing conditions of the site using materials primarily found on site would be an interesting way to create intrigue and allow potential users an opportunity to see a commonly overlooked environment differently. I planned to take the abundance of trash that had accumulated overtime in the space and represent it as a formal geometry—an urban crop circle—with a projected path of entry aligned to the users of the 99. My hopes were that people would be drawn into the environment by this installation, temporarily making a private vacant space occupied public space. This intervention would also be viable planametrically, creating visual interest from the windows of Charlesgate. When I arrived at night to re-construct the space someone had already come that day and cleaned up the trash. It was one of several unseasonably warm and sunny spring days in March and I imagine that somebody had taken advantage of the pleasant weather to maintain the property. Admittedly I was torn between being pleased that someone cleaned the space up and being disappointed that I was unable to execute my week three study. At this point I realized that I needed to become more methodological about executing my site studies, because in order to observe and learn anything I needed to have a site intervention accepted as part of the space.
view from Charlesgate
d te
e an
ppo
s=o
cy
n vaca
week 3_urban crop circle 48
bri + de
ity rtun
for m
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anc nten
rar mpo
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y us
urban crop circle plan
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My previous unsuccessful experiences taught me that I needed to commit and resolve to using guerilla tactics to implement my work for observation and understanding. I looked at the site in a way that I have never looked at any other. Searching for opportunities and indicators, one primary realization was that by associating myself with the construction taking place in the burned out building adjacent to the site I could more convincingly work during the day and incrementally bring more permanent elements to the site (e.g., lumber, sandbags). I began to see more clearly the activity taking place in and around the site and developed a concise tactical framework for achieving my goal of creating a temporary public space out of a transitioning private vacant space. I had been inserting an initial utilitarian element into a site with little success, but decided to give it another chance, only this time I would alter the installation to respond to the hypothesized reasons for failure in my earlier foundational attempts.
week 4_bus stop 50

the anchor
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critical considerations =
a siting b material c scale
(b) lightweight materials make unsolicited installation easier = 1”x 3”, 2”x 3,” + plastic canopy (a)+(c) (c)
(b) sandbags support light structure 52
The installation I decided upon was the result of week one and two reconsidered. Instead of trying to salvage and repair damaged and discarded furniture, I decided that constructing an object with purchased lumber would be at the very least a much different process and would hopefully be met with a different outcome. The focus of this installation (as with the others as well) was not on creating an over designed or formally wonderful thing, but designing something that would perform its role well within a minimal means of cost, labor, and time to implement. I decided to construct a bus stop. The bus stop is: inexpensive materially, lightweight but weighed down on site with sandbags, obviously not municipal, porous so as to not create a wall to be hidden behind, big enough to seat three but small enough to not be an obstruction, sited next to the only operational business on the block to create confusion around ownership, and an immediate asset to the local bus riding community.
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week 5_canopy 54
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existing condition
The bus stop installation proved to be a successful formula for stickiness. After enjoying a single week of on site stability it was time again to test intrigue as a secondary tactic for temporary use. It was a complex problem to create something that would draw people deeper into the interstitial character of the site without building a three dimensional object that would become an obstruction. While working in situ I had noticed on two occasions people accessing the garage to the rear of my site. I was reluctant to compromise my new found victory with the bus stop by overextending my assumed boundaries, so I decided to employ a different plane of operation. I constructed a canopy consisting of extruded strands of fabric organized on an 8' x 8' rebar grid and suspended by bungee cords fastened to eyelets fixed to off site telephone poles; almost all of these materials were sourced from local dumpsters. The canopy's intent was similar to week three's urban crop circle and aimed to engage passersby with an uncommon representation of a common environment. This time the design and implementation was much more considered. I installed the canopy by attaching it to off site municipal telephone poles, another way to skew ownership of the object as it would hover above the site but not touch anything within it. After observing the canopy over the course of one day it became clear that it was ineffective. Rather than people responding to it by entering site, the majority of people remained fixated on the approaching bus or their path of travel; I only observed a few people actually walk up to look closer at the canopy. Therefore, I decided to remove the canopy from the site.
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actual condition
projected condition
The continued success of the bus stop created both advantages and disadvantages for the users and for the site. One disadvantage was that because people within several stops would now walk down to the unsolicited stop to wait for the 99 bus there was trash accumulating around and stuffed under the seat. With Earth Day approaching I decided to implement a trash and recycling receptacle along with a 12' tall Arborvitae tree that I discovered as an individual leftover at a nearby major construction site. I designed and constructed planter seat for the tree. The idea was to promote Earth Day to the space's users through encouraging sound waste disposal practices and employing a single tree as a symbol of this national effort, to be understood as such or simply enjoyed. It is important to note that I continued to use the same materials as were used to build the bus stop in order to create a unifying identity for the incrementally designed parts. additional elements increase spatial complexity + use
week 6_earth day 58
trash + recycling
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planter seat
Arborvitae tree
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found week_01
utility
appropriated
purchased
$ 15 found
purchased week_02
utility found found
$4
purchased week_03
found
intrigue
found
$ 20
purchased week_04
purchased
utility
appropriated
week_05
$ 75
purchased
intrigue
found
purchased
found
$ 40
found week_06
appropriated
enhancement
purchased
site installation inventory tactics 62
components
purchased source
$ 30 cost
= 1.5 hours
= 10 minutes
= 2.5 hours
= 5 minutes
=0
= speculative
= 6-8 hours
= 15 minutes
= 14 hours
= 1.5 hours
= 8 hours
= 15 minutes
construction (execution ex situ)
implementation (execution time in situ)
implementation (time of day)
stickiness 63
05_ momentary conclusions 64
mo
omen 65
Utility works well as a tactic to instigate use in disused spaces. As designers we can use our skills in any number of ways to address problems, but the instant one addresses a problem through a direct method of resolution bypassing traditional systems, our role undoubtedly changes. Utility lends itself to disused spaces and to immediacy because it is often manifest as a clear and accessible design for all people to use and understand. There is a sensitivity in discovering and implementing landscapes of immediacy that does not exist in other realms of either planning or landscape architectural practice. The micro-scalar, informal, and often temporal nature of this type of system does not appear to enjoy employment in many American cities to my knowledge, although I feel encouraged that it will become an increasingly legitimate trend. The current economic situation in the United States has left many new and seasoned designers without work. If paper architecture (i.e., design competitions and other forms of portfolio building) has been in the past a designers fallback to economic hardship, perhaps landscapes of immediacy will appeal to today's reemerging DIY and grassroots culture.
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existing system
introduced system
reflexive system =
+
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Temporary use may lead to more formalized permanent use. The bus stop has far exceeded my expectations in relationship to both frequency of use and time sustained in the landscape. It has currently remained utilized and on site for over two months (3 weeks with accoutrements). At this point the space belongs to the public and I am certain if I removed my installation it would be met with complaint and opposition. This has led me to believe that I could design, build, and implement a permanent bus stop on a small disused portion of the currently private surface parking lot and have it remain indefinitely. On its own the space may seem like an anomaly in the city of Providence, but how many more spaces like this exist on North Main St. alone? In the entire city? These questions remains unanswered along with the important considerations: what type of value could these spaces offer a city? Could they increase pedestrian traffic and be a new system for creating social experiences along city streets? Could they become economic generators (tiny businesses) or ecological demonstrations (rain gardens, micro-forests)? Ultimately they could be any of these things and more, but what remains increasingly more important is that we keep seeking informed, active and flexible responses to the uses of disused spaces and the benefits they may offer both the local and greater community. 68
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It is our responsibility to change cultural assumptions. Throughout my studies I kept encountering an often invisible line that illuminates a socially accepted boundary of what is private and what is public, where we can go and where we cannot. I have found that this line is finer and more malleable than most people understand it to be; with sufficient observation, consideration, and intent it can be made to disappear even if for a moment. The more we become direct actors in our urban environments, making visible and accessible small gestures advantageously situated in disused spaces, the more the people who inhabit the city can respond to and potentially use these places. Action is a powerful and inspiring tool especially in times where little development is moving forward and vacancy is becoming increasingly visible.
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movin 06_ moving forward
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ng fo 73
Close to the transition of Providence's Main St. into Pawtucket Ave. exists a private vacant lot owned by Miriam Hospital that once served as part of a surface parking lot. I spoke to a gentlemen who has lived adjacent to the site for seven years, and he informed me that the space has been empty all the while. I was drawn to this space because of it has a distinct appearance from Main St., it is at the interface of a neighborhood and a commercial street, and it is an extraordinarily good example of a disused space that exemplifies waste—it is the concrete jungle. There is a moment along the back side edge of the chain link fence surrounding the lot that that has been torn away in order for someone to gain access into the site. Once inside the lot, there is ample evidence that this space is essentially used as a bathroom for canines. I responded to these conditions by building a set of stairs that connect the sidewalk to the upper lot by traversing the hole in the fence. The insertion of a set of stairs creates a formal invitation and entry into the derelict site signifying that the space is now available for use by the community. Like the bus stop, the stairs are very visible in the landscape: their alien nature makes them the focal point of a place that would be commonly overlooked. Subsequently, I plan to build a wooden boardwalk and overlook connected to the stairs that would facilitate continued probing at future use and development, serving as a foundation for interim use.
stairway to_ 74
2 boardwalk
3 overlook stairway 1
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In continuity with the bus stop design I used the same constructed language and a familiar utilitarian object to anchor use in a disused space. Although similar in approach, this intervention was a significant progression in my work. The staircase is more responsive to the site itself; it was inserted where there is a hole in the fence, taking cues from actual site use. The staircase responds to the site’s sloped condition, much more complex than the level parking lot. Moving forward from these experiences, what I have done that has been most useful is remained directly engaged with these types of spaces, continuing the dialog with the sites, and building upon the successes and failures of interventions. Using that as a foundation, I am excited to discover a way to use my landscapes of immediacy working methodology to actively marry the guerilla tactics with engagement of the local site community. This will involve changing my tactics: rather than operating anonymously under the cloak of darkness or in the disguise of a costume, I will need to make myself visible to people in order to directly react to their needs and wants. In order to continue this work, I realize that I must further develop a vocabulary not only for my methodology, but also for the spaces themselves. This vocabulary will be used to differentiate sites based on scale, location, site conditions., surrounding use, projected future use, etc. Using this vocabulary I will essentially create counter proposals for sites, acting on behalf of those who do not feel the need to act or do not have the skill set to do so.
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07_ precedent catalog 78
pre
ecede 79
title
[orange works] solarium
author(s)
john hawke, sancho silva
location type development timeframe project description
oslo, norway appropriation immediate “orange works [solarium] is an ongoing collaboration project, started in 2004, to build unauthorized temporary urban constructions camouflaged as in-process construction sites in order to probe existing spatial pressures, and reorganize public spaces to allow for new social uses."
[orange works] solarium 80
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extracted methodology
title author(s)
varies
location
varies
type development timeframe project description
guerilla gardening 82
guerilla gardening
appropriation immediate Guerilla gardening is an attempt to increase the amount of gardens and their many symbolisms in urban areas across the world through good old fashioned unsolicited action.
title author(s) location type development timeframe project description
park(ing) day 84
park(ing) day rebar design group, varies san francisco, varies [legal] appropriation immediate The project originated in 2005 with the taking over of a single parking spot in an area of San Francisco which is “underserved” by green open space. The “open source” project has since gone global with intent and encouragement from rebar. In 2009, the now annual event's fourth and largest year, there were a reported 700 parks in 140 cities (21 countries) on every continent minus Antarctica.
title author(s) location type development timeframe project description
times sqaure [redux] jannette sadik-khan, tim tompkins, varies new york, new york legal immediate to long term Early summer 2009, New York Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan closed two sections of Broadway to traffic, including five blocks at Times Square, creating new pedestrian areas instantly. Subsequently, Tim Tompkins bought 376 folding rubber chairs operating under the assumption people would like a place to sit.
times square [redux] 86
87
title author(s) location type development timeframe project description
brainwash plaza 88
brainwash plaza cmg landscape architecture san francisco, california legal ? Brainwash is a part of a larger planning initiative in San Francisco’s South of Market to create more pedestrian-oriented spaces through the incremental implementation of sidewalk plazas. These mini plazas would be activated by programmes as diverse as those who inhabit the area, and are intended to serve the community through providing a much needed network of open space.
proposed
existing 89
bibliography 90
Bell, Bryan and Katie Wakeford, eds., Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism. Metropolis Books, 2008. Bierut, Michael. “When Design Gets in the Way.” Design Observer, http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=8767 times square (posted 06.19.09). Bow-Wow, Atelier and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Pet Architecture Guide Book Vol 2: Living Spheres. Japan: World Photo Press, 2002. Busquets, Joan, ed., Cities: X Lines: Approaches to City and Open Territory Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, 2006. Campion, Sebastian, “Guerilla Innovation.” http://www.guerrilla-innovation.com/. Canadian Centre for Architecture, “Tools for Actions.” CCA Actions. http://cca-actions.org/. CMG Landscape Architecture, "Brainwash Plaza." CMG Site, http://www.cmgsite.com/projects/infrastructure/brainwash-plaza/. Fuad-Luke, Alastair, Design Activism: Beautiful Strangeness for a Sustainable World. Earthscan, 2009. Hadyn, Florian and Robert Temel, eds. Temporary Urban Spaces: Concepts for the Use of City Spaces. Birkhäuser Basel: 2006. Hawke, John and Sancho Silva, "Solarium." Orange Works, http://orangeworks.blogspot.com/2007/10/solarium.html. Koolhaas, Rem, Volume 14: Unsolicited Architecture. Columbia University GSAPP, 2008. Office of Unsolicited Architecture, “Unsolicited Architecture.” MIT Department of Architecture, http://unsolicitedstudio.com/.
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Overmeyer, Klaus, ed., Urban Pioneers. Jovis: 2007. Rebar Studio, “PARK(ing) Day.” Rebar Group, http://www.rebargroup.org/projects/parkingday/. Reynolds, Richard, “The Guerilla Gardening Homepage.” http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ Rogers, Susan. “The Anatomy of Emptiness: Understanding the Overlooked Spaces.” Cite 81 (2010): 34-39.
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