D E S IG N 5: D E N S I T Y, U R B A N I S M, P U B L IC N E S S
Zdravko Trivic
Boundaries have always played an important (if not a fundamental) role in
Design 5 Year Leader, Unit 1 Leader
the human world, whereby city-life is governed by both physical/tangible and perceived/intangible borders and boundaries. Our relationship with
Thomas Kong
boundaries is, however, ambivalent and constantly changing, as borders,
Unit 2 Leader
fences and walls can both make us feel constrained or regulated and comfortable or secure. Exploring and challenging boundaries is at the
Ruzica Bozovic Stamenovic
core of architectural and urban design practices. Rapid urbanisation
Unit 3 Leader
and land scarcity, increased mobility, social frictions, technological developments, and hyper-production are some of the forces that brought new transformations and dynamics in the spatial and social fabrics of contemporary cities. Time-space relationships also challenge our reliance on traditional concepts of place (the act of separating and bounding elements to create locations of distinct identity). According to Richard Sennett, the 20th century planning practice served as an instrument for making boundaries instead of borders, and prioritised centres over edges. In his essay “The Open City ”, Sennett (2006) discusses the urban edge conditions and marks an important distinction between boundaries and borders, whereas boundaries are impermeable and rigid—they segregate and establish social closure, while borders are porous—they facilitate exchange between and among communities in a selective, yet active manner. Such critiques are particularly relevant with current global social frictions, demanding alternative means of negotiation, emergence of large-scale, selfsustaining and often inward-looking and isolated developments globally; and particularly in Asia, are often inserted inconsiderably into the existing physical and social urban fabric. Year 3 Semester 1 Design 5’s overarching theme of Density, Urbanism, and Publicness, provides an opportunity to critically reexamine and potentially redefine the notions and spatial/design interpretations of Edges, Boundaries, and Thresholds, in the view of dynamic spatial, economic, socio-cultural transformations of contemporary cities. None of these notions is neutral nor static, all of which require renewed consideration in architectural design and in reference to non-spatial and temporal dimensions. Within such a dynamic context, this studio challenges the very notion of architecture, what it is, what it should be and what it will or may become. References: Sennett, R. (2006). The Open City. URL: https://urbanage.lsecities.net/essays/the-open-city Image: The New Plan of Rome by Giovanni Battista Nolli part 2/12 (1748) by Creative Commons Attribution.
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