social neighbourhood brought back in the living tower

COMPLEX PROJECTS | ANATOMY OF A LANDMARK paolo turconi | 4510048 thilini warnakulasuriya | 4505239

tower? “...connectivity is the key to this city infrastructure, enabling the collection and sharing of feedback from all possible sources, allowing a city to measure and sense the quality of life in a city..� tower?

source: smart city nervous system - www.oracle.com

MADRID SITE RESEARCH EXTRACT: THE INTERVIEWS During our trip to Madrid, we spoke to quite a few locals and asked them of how they felt about AZCA in general and also their view on towers - what we heard was not what we expected to hear.

Madridians generally view AZCA as a money pit, where it is a show of money by those like Corte Ingles with little sensitivity to Madridians and they are not particularly fond of towers, relating them to closed boxes where money making and business is of most value.

Photos:general photos of people used as they did not like to be photographed.

paolo on culture thilini on typology

Juan, 34

Juan Miguel, 46

Jennifer, 25

“... I like the modernity of my office building (picasso). I just wish there could be more places to chill with my colleagues. I don’t want to stay in the complex at night after work , even for drinks”

“... I used to go to AZCA every week-end twenty years ago. Actually all the young people used to be there at night find movida. Now I think it is completely dead and associated with gangs”

“... I don’t know, I would be curious to see these towers but I never have a reason to go to AZCA or Cuatro Torres”

Alejandro, 26

Carme, 62

“... I am happy that I don’t have to stay in the other part near Corte Ingles, here, near Torre Picasso is the only good part of the complex; the park ”

translation: “... what I feel is that towers are not part of Madrid. I don’t like them for my city. AZCA is just a money pit”

Pablo, 32 “... better not to stay here after nine at night but it’s fine during the day”

INTROVERTED INTIMACY VS EXTROVERTED INTIMACY: AZCA AND THE MASTERPLAN The building volumes in AZCA are arranged such that there is a hierarchy from commercial to office to residential. The overall scale of building block to the network makes AZCA more like an Island,disconnected from the rest of the city.

The building blocks at Sol are arranged such that it spreads out into the city from one point or a plaza and merges with another point of plaza, where the pedestrian and vehicular streetscape acts as a nervous system for the city.There is a sense of interconnectivity and a pleasant, more humane scale of the building blocks to the network.

PROPOSAL We propose to remove all podium plinths and connectivity created through different levels where currently they create dark, undesired spaces. The idea by this removal of the solid podium levels is to open up AZCA into a more street scale and create a ground level network for pedestrian where the close relationship between the faรงades and the streets project movement and activity.

AZCA

PUERTA DEL SOL

introverted intimacy

extroverted intimacy

relationship between facade to the public route is close and creates a ‘capillary’ network of people movement

relationship between facade to the public route is too vast and open unsafe feeling

Office

Office / Public Institutions

Residential

Residential

Commercial / F&B Hotel

Commercial / F&B Hotel / AirBnB / Hostels / Motels

Park / Green

Open Space / Plazas

Pedestrian / Open space

Pedestrian / Plazas

Titania Site Concept: We propose to ‘unfold’ the existing El Corte Ingles mall into its smaller components and shops. These components are to be redistributed around the proposed tower and seep into the empty parking lot adjacent to the site.

PROPOSED MASTERPLAN The proposal creates a more intimate public route where there is a close relationship between the facades and the street. The park is removed to create a continuous public plaza from either site of the AZCA complex.

CAPILARITY noun “the tendency of a liquid in a capillary tube or absorbent material to rise or fall as a result of surface tension” In urbanism: “ ..different networks and patterns capable of producing moments in the urbanscapeas long as the fabric allows frequent and comprehensive linkages..”

“ ...shopping mall steals the role of social attractor from the streets and squares of its neighborhood...”

“ ...essential network of places and services that are capable of generating minimal conditions of URBAN INTERACTIONS...”

“ ...frame of a historic city..strategic network of pedestrianized streets and squares...�

The proposed tower is imagined to be a structure that is open to programmatic re-interpretation. The main theme is capillarity where the liquid is the people and activity - a sort of a vertical urban accupuncture where the pull of the street is directed through the vertical.

concept collage

THE CAPILLARY EFFECT

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION

Hotel Hotel 3

Existing Condition

Office

Office Commercial

clear hierarchy of programs and

Commercial

separation of each from the other undesirable conditions in terms of a city

1

Plaza urban attractors that drive the capillaity providing a tension between the residential and the commercial.

Gallery Internal public routes. On their sides commercial activities, SOHO and Air BnB face the flows of pedestrians walking through the tower section.

Public Plaza

Trail

urban attractors that drive the urban attractors that drive the capillaity capillarity providing a tension providing a tension between the residenbetween thecommercial. home-office and tial and the the commercial

Trail external portion of the public network External of interior the public street leading to portions plazas and covered leading to the next plaza.

From courtyards - these also lead to the these trails residents can enter in their alleys. entrances for the private

Gallery

Semi-Alley

Gallery public route - capillary internal Internal public by routes.

On their sides comeffect created the shop mercial activities, SOHO and Air BnB face fronts on either side

the flows of pedestrians walking through the tower section.

Alley street entryway into the smaller Smaller streets distributing thethe residents, semi-private courtyard where taking them in the core f the tower to their residential entrances are homes. They start from the external portion of the main public route.

Proposed Condition Hotel

Plazas Plazas 20 % 20%

3 mix of programs intertwined with each

Office

1

other and connected to one another

2

Commercial

more versatile and diverse

2

1

1

Club

2

Mercado

3

Mosque

3

Open air event space

Breakfast bar / Club Food plaza

Apartment / SOHO 55 % Housing / SOHO

55% Commercial 20 %

Commercial

BnB 20% 5%

Air BnB 5%

Shops

AM

THE TIME STRETCH Research into AZCA shows that the frequency of activity during all hours of the day is scattered as most of the activity is from the offices and the two malls that are present.

PM

The period of activity is limited.

The proposed tower aims to stretch this limited time by its program distribution such that a tower can be active at most times as a city does. This is achieved through programmatic diversity in a vertical sense.

PM

Bars

Restaurants

Clubs

THE URBAN DISPARITY

Neighborhood: diverse range of programs adding to the versatility of daily life without being completely self sustaining and prohibit the need to go out.

AZCA: building volumes places far apart without a street scale, massive podiums present take away the open street culture - very little vertical diversity in terms of the buildings as an individual - no reason for people to go up unless they work there.v

THE AZCA UNIFORMITY

Street/Alleys: close proximity with the façade and the pedestrians creating a capillary effect vertical diversity adding to this.

Malasanna, Madrid

E X P O

E X P O

E X P O

E X P O

E X P O

E X P O

E X P O

Restaurant

Office

Food market

Religious institution

Hotel

Shop

Commercial

Square

Residence

Cafè

Club / cafè

Residence / hotel

Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Office Office

Office

Food Foodmarket market Food market

Religious Religiousinstitution institution Religious institution

Hotel Hotel

Shop Shop

Shop

Commercial Commercial Commercial

Square Square

Residence ResidenceResidence Cafè Cafè

Cafè

Club Club/ cafè / cafèClub / cafè

Residence Residence/Residence hotel / hotel / hotel

Hotel

Square

E X P O

San Babila, Milano

Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

E X P O

E X P O

Restaurant

Office

Food market

Religious institution

Hotel

Shop

Commercial

Square

Residence

Cafè

Club / cafè

Residence / hotel

THE MODULES HOUSING AND HOME OFFICES - SOHO The residential and home office components of the tower are imagined in terms of modules that vary in plan and volume.

When these modules are configured in the boundary plan, it creates a SOHO block with an interior courtyard. This main module is then repeated vertically where it is flipped to create further diveristy while keeping it standardized as an overall module.

RESIDENCES | SOHO + APARTMENTS

SOHO 3 people 142 sqm

SOHO 3 people 154 sqm

APARTMENT 2 people 142 sqm

APARTMENT 2 people 116 sqm

= APARTMENT 3 people 160 sqm

SOHO 2 people 97 sqm

SOHO 3 people 157 sqm

PLAN OF THE RESIDENCES BLOCK | L10 AND L11 SCALE 1:200

SOHO AND APARTMENT | L10 AND L11 SCALE 1:100

SOHO 3 people 142 sqm

APARTMENT 2 people 142 sqm

SO 3p 157

THE EXPRESSIONS EXTRACT: 3 PERSON SOHO, 157SQM In the proposed tower, the idea is that each residential component of the resident/owner of a SOHO has the ability to change his or her faรงade according their needs and desires. We provide them with a base, a tabularasa in terms of a faรงade where they can paint, add ornamentation such as faux balconies, faรงade panels, or even choose their own window and door types to express themselves as they would in a normal house in the city or outskirts.

As an exmaple, we have imgined three possible faรงades for three of the people we spoke to in our interviews during our research in Madrid.

Alejandro, 26

Carme, 62

Juan Miguel, 46

Alejandro works at Torre Picasso and like to lead a modern life. He prefers his apartment to be rather modern and also minimal.

Materials: White textured plaster

Wooden louver screens

Grey metal framing

Wooden doors

Carme works at a textile shop at Sol. She prefers a more traditional Madridian lifestyle and so she wants her apartments to show her solidarity to Madrid and it’s life.

Materials: Vermillian red paint

White framing

Faux balcony

Wooden door with ornamentation

Juan Miguel is a limo driver with simple taste. he prefers his house to be traditional yet modern with a warm feeling.

Materials: Textured coloured façade panelling

Wooden framing

Arch doors

French doors

Plant boxes

“Wish that I could haul me back there Roll me back to young and pure, Pluck the innocence from history Transit back where truth endured.

Transit back uncomplicated Back to where it all began Happy kids in dusty courtyard Faded denim, making plans” Faded Denim’s Dusty Courtyard Marshal Gebbie

“..I would much rather see a person, sitting there staring at the everything and nothing around them enjoying the fear enjoying the judgement enjoying the loneliness..�

This Quiet, Crowded Courtyard Dane Perczak

An alley never concerns itself. An alley always concerns the social geometry that shapes it—a pompous boulevard’s way of saying alleys will gladly be whatever cities want ‘em to be. I’ve never met an alley, though, that didn’t have something to say about disappointment. An alley’s often a lane with a rap-sheet, or a refugee-camp for shadows. Once I knew an alley that would get drunk and boast that it used to be a highway.

Alleys Hans Ostrom

THE MODULES COMMERCIAL + BnB Some of the commercial components from the unfolded El Corte Ingles that used to be in the site before the proposal is injected in to the tower as an extension of the commercial network and the unfolded mall in the street level. These could also change in nature in terms of the programs where it could be fashion related, sports related or even food/beverage related depending on the context.

COMMERCIAL + BnB

BnB 550 sqm

+

=

COMMERCIAL 2.900 sqm

COMMERCIAL | L12 SCALE 1:200

COMMERCIAL | L13 SCALE 1:200

SOHO + APARTMENTS + COMMERCIAL + BnB

x3

= +

x5

PUBLIC PROGRAMS + SOHO + APARTMENTS + COMMERCIAL + BnB

Mosque

Mercado

+

Club

=

THE CIRCULATION Public Pedestrian Route: the pedestrian route weaves itselft in and out of the building where the nature of the route changes from an external main road/stairway to alley as it enters an interior courtyard and a more gallery like nature as it enters into the commercial and main public squares.

Express Elevators: The express elevcator is smaller in size and provides direct access into the club, mercado and mosque. It also services for the handicap.

This gives a shortcut to the public squares and for those who prefer not to take the main public route.

Service/Passenger Elevator: The service and passenger elevator is only accessible by the residents of the SOHO’s and the employees of the home-offices.

This is not accessible by the general public except for service purposes for the club and/or the mercado.

Public pedestrian route Express elevator for public Service/passenger elevator for SOHO

The public plazas - the character of these change as they transition from the housing module, as a more intimate inner courtyard, to the commercial as a more open square nature.

The private route - the residents and office owners/employees have their own service/passenger elevator to go up through the tower but also have the ability to go from one courtyard to the other using the public stairs as a shortcut.

K House, Datum Zero

City Library, Bruges, faรงade

CLUB

boh Monolith Expo.02, Murten

DJ

L2 lounge

Salt Museum, Malcotti Roussey Architectes and Thierry Gheza

dance floor L1

Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid, interor

Borough Market, London

MERCADO

Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid, interior L2

Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid, exterior

L1

The rebirth of the Campiello, Venice

Sultan Qaboos grand Mosque

MOSQUE

L2 void Mosque, Kuwait

Mosque, Hamburg

prayer hall L1

References faรงades of madridians buildings

Cor-Ten

Concrete

Plaster

view to mercado

A A

section A-A

section B-B

B

B

towers? “..cities are clear convergence points, absorbing and hosting important qualities that human beings bring to the community..�

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY