Free toRajesh theJosePublic
An invitation for exploration, curiosity, and a moment of play
table of contents 1.0 Abstract
14.0 Caixa Forum
2.0 Summary
15.0 City of Arts and Science
3.0 The Cities
16.0 Metropol Parasol
4.0 Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
17.0 Conclusion
5.0 8 House 6.0 Lloyds Building 7.0 The Dock: The City of Fashion and Design 8.0 Freitag building 9.0 Cube House 10.0 Science Center NEMO 11.0 Memorial to the murdered Jews 12.0 Revitalization of the Crucifix Bastion 13.0 CET Building
1.0 abstract Free to the public stands for the type of architecture that allows one to do more than take a glance. It gives you an insight into different kinds of culture, one where you learn about the person standing next to you. Free to the public is not free with a catch written in small print, but an invitation for exploration, curiosity, and a moment of play. It questions what architects design for. Architecture has become less about the people and more about the ability to utilize technology, its fame and pleasing exactly what the client asks for. Free to the public goes back to the basics and re-thinks not only how the people who occupy the building experiences space but also the ones that pass by and are part of the growing environment. What is the communities roles in this architecture that is placed on public city grounds? Do they continue to walk on by only getting a look or are they allowed to touch, see, and hear its design?
2.0 summary Whether placed as an object, landscape or node, contemporary architecture is either expanding or shifting focal points in the urban setting. Emerging young architects have claimed their cities and play a critical role in these expansions and shifts. With new architecture rising all throughout major European cities, the urban public field is changing. City centers used to be identified by cathedrals, city halls, and temples occupied by the people. While in some cities this has not changed, in others, new buildings are generating new urban focal points. In most European cities there has been a growth of multiple city centers through contemporary architecture. Thoughtout public space is a major factor in activating new cultural grounds. These new cultural public spaces are becoming more appreciated as an instigator for city growth. Through my research I will explore the architect’s mindset in designing the public space for their architecture. I will study the works of 13 major architects, within 13 growing cities, that explore the use of public space within their architecture. Through
analyzed maps, sketches, and photography I will focus on the architectural details in the public realm that attracts social interaction, cultural growth, and inspirational art work.
3.0 the cities
Rotterdam
Zurich
Paris
London
Copenhagen
Oslo
Seville
Valencia
Madrid
Budapest
Prague
Berlin
Amsterdam
4.0 norwegian national opera and ballet Location: Oslo, Norway Architect: Snohetta Function: Opera house Year Built: 2008 4.1 Oslo With a city that is surrounded by a mountainous landscape the people of Oslo stay very active, whether it is hiking in the summer or skiing during the winters. Like most cities it is hugely dense with buildings at the center and becomes more natural on the outskirts. 4.2 Snohetta Internationally based in both Oslo and New York City, Snohetta is a relatively young up-and-coming award winning firm with projects all over the world. Their knack to radically rethink the relationship between building and landscape puts them as one of the top design firms currently practicing. 4.3 The House The Opera house incorporates Oslo’s landscape and culture into the building through a system of ramps and stairs. One is able to climb to the top and see stunning views of Oslo at any time or
point in the year. The exterior ramps are dedicated space for the public’s leisure and exercise. On the ramp people will picnic, jog/exercise, relax, bike, and even model for pictures. Located along the river, Snohetta continues the ramp into the water as a beach area. It is a place where people could feed the ducks or put their toes in the water. As you first enter the building the vast amount of lobby space also becomes a public space as it includes an area of relaxation and a restaurant for eating and drinking
What sets this building apart from the other buildings in Oslo is its relationship with the surrounding “nature”, as in both Oslo’s natural environment and culture of its people. The people of Oslo are very active as they are situated around mountains, so hiking and skiing become a common activity. The Oslo Opera House allows center city locals and outside visitors to experience this culture at a smaller scale, through different slopes and sizes of ramps as the exterior skin of this building.
Snohetta proved that a beach does not always need sand. Consistent with its ramp system and the luxury to be able to design by the river, they were able to create an area that allows people to soak up the sun and get their feet wet.
There are four major ramps. (1) Side rampA miniature ramp on the immediate left when first walking into the site. (2) Shore ramp- Leads into the water to the right as you walk in. (3) Main Ramp- Biggest ramp that scales majority of the building (4) Top Ramp- Which leads to the highest point.
These sharp indents along the building are stopping points along the ramps for a moment to take a breath and extract views.
Whether the buildings public realm is for views, laying down, having a picnic, exercising, modeling, playing or just soaking up some sun it has proved to be a new favorite spot for locals and tourists that visit Oslo. The stunning views and relaxed atmosphere provide more than enough reason for people to come into the space other than it’s Opera.
This Oslo Opera house creates a new city center for the growing city and cleans up the waterfront side by bringing opera fans, locals, and nature all together.
5.0 8 house Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) Function: Residential Apartments Year Built: 2010 5.1 Copenhagen With a city known for its bicycle culture, public space becomes a demanding commodity for its people. 8 house is located in Southern Ørestad which is a growing neighborhood on the edge of the Copenhagen Canal and a 15 minute bike ride from center city Copenhagen. It sits right next to the open untouched fields of Kalvebod Fælled. 5.2 BIG Architects Bjarke Ingels Group is an internationally known firm located in Copenhagen, New York and Beijing. They consider themselves “a group of architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development”. Known for their simple diagrams and intense research, the architecture they design challenges the typical form and function.
5.3 The 8 House The 8 house is a multifunctional residential, landscape and retail building. It condenses apartment units alongside public stairs and ramps for a very social and interacting environment. From aerial view the building forms an 8, hence the name, 8 house. As an 8 does, the building forms 2 outdoor courtyard spaces for outside public, retail and residents. The playful designed landscape provides an area for everyone to gather and socially interact.
8 house incorporates ramps and stairs as a means of circulation. The stairs and ramps are alongside every apartment unit as it is designed for public space to connect the people of the building together. The ramps and stairs also forms an area for people to stroll, jog, capture amazing views of untouched open fields, and interact with neighboring residents. BIG Architects challenges the way people live and interact with the people around them.
As seen on the scale above there is a gradual and comfortable change from public to private. The courtyard is a space for residents and outsiders to interact while the ramps and stairs are public space for the residents to socially communicate. Next each resident has their own “backyard� space for grilling, planting, and relaxing. This is also open enough for neighbors to interact.
The courtyard space is an amazing design space that not only lets in sunlight and air circulation but also breathing room for the people to hang out and relax. The fun landscape design is a playful spot for the children that live there as well as a park for outsiders.
6.0 lloyds building Location: London, United Kingdom Architect: Richard Rogers & Partners Function: Office Building Year Built: 1986 6.1 London London is one of the leading global cities. The financial district, being one of the most powerful area, is home to the Lloyds building. While most financial buildings are not known for its public space this one has created a very intriguing one. The building is located on Lime Street, in London’s main financial district. 6.2 Richard Rogers & Partners Based in London, Richard Rogers & partners have been around over 30 years and have award winning buildings across Europe, North America and Asia. The practice is experienced in designing a wide range of building types including office, residential, transport, education, culture, leisure, retail, civic and healthcare.
6.3 The Lloyd Building The Lloyd’s building also known as the Inside-Out Building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd’s of London. The building glorifies its services for the building, such as ducts and lifts on the exterior to maximize space in the interior. Its main public space is located as an overhang along the ground floor of the building. Richard Rogers and partners created an industrial outside space for the public to experience, as the main building is all private. The space the ducts and lifts create for the user is stunning.
The Lloyd’s building also known as the Inside-Out Building glorifies its services for the building, such as ducts and lifts on the exterior to maximize space in the interior. This design feature allows for unique and truly a one of a kind experience for the outside public space
As seen above, the building was designed to keep the public and private as two separate spaces. A general rule for this building when you first enter the site is that the stairs that go up lead to the private office space and the stairs that go down lead to the open public space.
Similar to the 8 house, the Lloyds building has a gradual change from private to public. The open space to the left is used to hang out while the space known as the overhang is for circulation around the building and leads to the retail spaces.
The ground floor public space circulates around the building with thrilling and unique spaces similar to this one.
7.0 the docks of fashion and design Location: Paris, France Architect: Jakob + Macfarlane Function: Fashion School Year Built: 2009 7.1 Paris Paris is a city known by many as the capitol city of fashion and design so for them to have a whole public building dedicated to it seems about right. The docks of fashion and design building sits along the banks of la seine river on the east side bringing new life to the neighborhood. 7.2 Jakob + Macfarlane Locally based in Paris Jakob + Macfarlane architects is a multidisciplinary and multicultural architecture firm. They describe themselves as a workspace that “explores digital technology both as a conceptual tool and as a means of production, using new materials to create a more flexible and responsive environment”. This being one of their most well-known works along with the restaurant in Pompidou Centre, the firm is young and up-and-coming.
7.3 Les docks The dock of fashion and design is one of Paris’s new hidden gems within the east side of the city. Its bright green exterior makes it stand out as a new center for the fashion and design community. Not only does is include galleries, retail shops, and the French fashion institute but it also open to the public as a new young and hip hangout spot with its rooftop bar and restaurant. The main design feature to the building is its green exterior skin that acts as the main circulation space for the building. Its external skin covers a renovated concrete shipping depot originally built in 1907.
The main feature of this building is its river inspired glass covered steel tube structure. The front facade serves as the main circulation from floor to floor.
The roof was created through wooden deck materials to go with the dock like feeling and the grassed areas are for the collection of water. The whole roof is dedicated for the public as a getaway and relaxed atmosphere with stunning views of the river and Paris’s east side.
Designed around the 1907 structure, a mix between old and new inspire very exciting spaces for the user. The new design breaks away from the squared old structure creating a contrasting yet unique space.
8.0 freitag store Location: Zurich, Switzerland Architect: Annette Spillmann/ Harald Eshsle Function: Freitag Store Year Built: 2006 8.1 Zurich Zurich is a small city but also the main one in the country of Switzerland. One of its well-known buildings within the city is the Freitag store which is the world’s tallest shipping container structure. The Freitag store is located in an industrial site next to a major highway and railway line. The industrial looking store fits right in. 8.2 Annette Spillmann/ Harald Eshsle Spillmann Echsle is a small firm based in Zurich known for their industrial looking architecture. Their most successful work is the Freitag store for its innovative recycled material design.
8.3 The Containers The Freitag store known for their fashion design tarp bags uses similar modest materials for its building. Made up of shipping containers, the Freitag store in Zurich stands 9 containers high and uses a total of 17 containers. Its main design feature besides the use of shipping containers is the outlook post on top of the structure. The main stairs lead up in through the store of tarp bags and to the top where you can get a clearer look at the industrial side of the city.
With one of its design features including a roof lookout, the freitag store becomes a popular spot for an exclusive view of the industrial city. The walk going up and in the rusty containers become the true experience as you are in a confined tight space with no other choice but to feel the building materials.
9.0 cube house Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Architect: Piet Blom Function: Hostel Year Built: 1977 9.1 Rotterdam Rotterdam is a relatively small city located south of Amsterdam. In the late seventies the city council wanted to revitalize the downtown area and build social housing to bring more of a lively environment. Piet Blom was given the job to fulfill that. The cube houses was tested in Helmond and soon after implemented along Overblaak street in Rotterdam. 9.2 Piet Blom Born in Amsterdam Piet Blom became known as an innovative architect with wacky ideas and always questioning the standards of living. In 1977 Piet Blom got an assignment to study the area around the Old Port, which was empty since World War II. The development plan called for a high density urban living combined with other activities. The architecture had to be playful and was intended for the less well off.
9.3 The House The cube house are a set of unique shaped houses designed with the concept “living as an urban roof� in mind. The high density housing represent a forest full of trees with its conventional house turned 45 degrees. In total, there are 40 of the cubes attached to each other. Throughout his career, Piet Blom explored the concept of living in high density on a high level, so the ground remains available for various urban activities. He achieves that in the Cube house with a major street running right through his building and a pedestrian type bridge for circulation through the building itself leaving for an active and social space.
A maze full of stairs and ramps are used as the main circulation for the building. It connects all the residents together while also creating areas for social interaction and activities.
The plan alleviates the high density housing with open patio and courtyard spaces along with the massive ramps and staircases. The courtyard space is used for social gatherings, planting, and relaxing. Compared to the 8 house there does not seem to be a gradual change from public to private space. The public courtyards and circulation intertwines within the housing.
Even the entrances into the cube homes seem to encroach onto the public realm of the building. As its original purpose, the residential homes might seem unsafe and too integrated with its neighbors with no sense of privacy. But as its current function, a hostel, it looks to thrive as the perfect spot for outsiders to socially interact and communicate.
The courtyard space is one of the most intriguing spaces as its cube home hovers over you in a dramatic fashion. One feels as if an earthquake had just occurred and all the houses were knocked over. The dynamic shapes formed in the middle allow sunlight to come in for a bright yet still enclosed area.
10.0 science center NEMO Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Architect: Renzo Piano Workshop Function: Science and Technology Museum Year Built: 1997 10.1 Amsterdam Well known for its rivers and canals, most of Amsterdam’s buildings are designed with this in mind. The science and technology museum, NEMO is located on a small stretch of land in the port of Amsterdam, straddling the entrance to a road tunnel. Surrounded by water, the building has a ship-like form and pre-oxidized copper-clad facades, referencing the surrounding port. 10.2 Renzo Piano World renounced architecture firm, Renzo Piano workshop is an international practice with offices in Paris, Genoa and New York City. They have won over 70 design awards throughout the world and take pride in successfully competing against the top firms.
10.3 NEMO The science and technology center is a fun and active building, inside and out, for children and adults of all ages. Its main design feature includes a pedestrian ramp that leads up onto the building’s sloping roof. This roof serves as a public piazza for locals and visitors in a social focused neighborhood. The pedestrian ramp allows for a gradual and slow stroll to the roof where social events, panoramic views of the city, and leisure time to play and relax are encouraged. Very active throughout the day and into the night NEMO is a perfect family oriented space.
Similar to the cube house, NEMO has a major highway running right under the building. This seems to be a design feature that is integrated in a lot of the buildings in the Netherlands.
The pedestrian ramp allows for a public space for the neighborhood to hold small events and socially communicate. It includes a water fountain streaming down the stepped roof, area for people to sit, fun games, and great views.
11.0 memorial to the murdered jews of europe Location: Berlin, Germany Architect: Peter Eisenman Function: Landscape Memorial Year Built: 2005 11.1 Berlin Berlin’s past history sometimes influences its culture and even architecture. In an area where pieces of the Berlin wall still remain, the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe is placed in a very sensitive and appropriate area. Close to the city center and located between the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz, the area where Adolf Hitler died, the memorial allows the public easy access onto the site. 11.2 Peter Eisenman Peter Eisenman is a well know American architect, designer and writer. His work is widely used in the education world and has influenced a lot of architects since he has started to practice. He has also worked on large building projects in his career, including the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin and the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.
11.3 The Memorial The memorial dedicates a whole city block of 2,711 concrete slabs in a grid pattern format on a sloping field. The activity that goes on in this memorial is interesting as it includes both people who come to remember the fallen and people who love to use that space as a playing field. The space is intriguing to both users as it has a cold cemetery and playful curiosity feeling to it. According to Eisenman, concrete slabs are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole landscape aims to represent an ordered system that has lost touch with human reason. Peter Eisenman explains that “The public is able to enter and walk through the field from all four sides. They experience the wave-like form differently from each different position.� The aim is to create a disorientating feeling of groundlessness and instability. The result becomes both a moving and publically enjoyable space.
With the 2,711 concrete slabs placed in a grid like manner, the sculpture as a whole becomes a landscape of both an emotional and playful space. The freedom to walk in, out and onto the concrete slabs allows it to be one of the most enjoyable public grounds in center city.
The mix between the uneven floor and the concrete slabs enclosing in on you makes it an interesting space to walk through. Every space you walk on becomes a different experience
12.0 revitalization of the crucifix bastion Location: Prague, Czech Republic Architect: MCA Atelier Function: Restaurant Year Built: 2011 12.1 Prague The city of Prague is filled with history. Most if its architecture was built before the past two century. The Revitalization of the Crucifix Bastion project is located in the outer town of Prague, founded in 1348 by Emperor Charles IV. At the time there was a need for a fortress along the area for protection but now the fortress has become a divider between two sides of one city. 12.2 MCA Atelier MCA Atelier is a local firm in the city of Prague aiming to bring new life and function to historical structures through innovative architectural interventions. MCA Atelier came in wanting to rethink the way we look at the fortress. Instead of it being a point of separation they designed their project to be a connection between the two sides.
12.3 The Restoration The design of the crucifix Bastion is part of a larger planned idea of connecting the green areas and public spaces of the university campus at Albertov with the neighborhoods of the New Town and Vinohrady. What was once ignored and unused has become a public outdoor space for cultural and functional events. The area includes a landscape of Public Park, cafe, and gallery on top of and along the medieval fort. As archdaily describes it, “a place with high visibility (both seeing and being seen), a place for connection of both sides of the city, a place for stopping, resting, reflecting, thinking; a local acropolis reached by paths from all sides. A destination, a point of encounters, a place for meetings, reminiscence, a concentration of the human arts, a place for resting in the sun, a picnic on the grass, a seat on the bench beneath the tree; a place of protection, of safety�.
The revitalization of Crucifix Bastion is a hidden gem located outside the tourist central city. It is an escape for the people of Prague for social events, relaxation and education of its history. The project is beautifully designed with concrete, stone, and rustic metal to compliment the historic fortress.
The main cafe area overlooks the small towns in the surrounding area giving users a breathtaking view. The area is open to the public with easy access from both sides of the fortress opening it up for the people to walk through and get to both sides.
13.0 CET building Location: Budapest, Hungary Architect: ONL [Oosterhuis_Lénárd] Function: Cultural Center Year Built: 2013 13.1 Budapest Being one of the biggest cities in the central Europe, it reestablishes itself with the presence of the new CET building. While the Danube River both separates and unites Buda and Pest, the CET aims to visually connect the two sides of the river. 13.2 ONL [Oosterhuis_Lénárd] Based in both Rotterdam and Nagymaros, Architect Kas Oosterhuis and visual artist Ilona Lénárd are directors of the multidisciplinary design office ONL, where they try to combine architects, visual artists, web designers and programmers together. ONL considers them as “an office where reality and virtuality meet”.
13.3 The CET Building CET (Central European Time) also known as “the Whale” is a mixed use cultural center for the city of Budapest. The CET building reuses three old warehouses and connects them through a glass material architectural skin expression, in the form of a whale. The CET building becomes a platform for the neighboring University and local communities to display their artistic body of works to the public. It is a public driven building looking to enhance and encourage locals and young adults to express them.
CET Building or as the locals call it, the whale, reuses old abandoned warehouses with a new experimental glass facade to create one combined building to hold cultural events and activities. It continues the water front boardwalk along the river and extends the adjacent university campus towards the river.
As you enter the structure you get a taste of both the old and new with its glass skin hovering over you and the old brick warehouse along the sides of you. Its massive center circulation space allows one to stroll through the building and get a taste of free dances, fashion shows, arts and craft workshops, painting, and antique shops.
14.0 caixa forum Location: Madrid, Spain Architect: Herzog & de Meuron Function: Museum Year Built: 2008 14.1 Madrid Known for its artistic culture the Caixa forum stands in the museum area facing the Paseo del Prado and botanical garden. The area the current building occupies once used to be on the location of the central Electrical power station and a gas station. The idea of leaving the brick walls of the former power station gives a taste of its past industrial look in Madrid. 14.2 Herzog & de Meuron Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the founders of the architectural firm, Herzog & de Meuron, is based in Basel, Switzerland. Best known for their work in London with the Tate Modern and bankside power station, the firm was able to come in and take on a similar project in Madrid.
14.3 The museum The Caixa Forum arts Center is formed from an old power station that used to occupy the site. Taking the base of the old power station out, left the main public spatial feature, the area underneath the main building. As the old power plant looks like it has been lifted and floating in thin air, it creates a space for the public to either pass through or hang out. The building itself includes a restaurant on the top level, an auditorium below ground level and galleries in-between the two on the other levels.
After surgically removing the base and inside of an old power plant, the idea of creating a public space underneath the building became an easy decision and important one for the neighborhood as it stands as a crossing point for tourists and locals.
After removing the base a more contemporary and playful base was inserted in the form of triangular shapes creating an invigorating space for the public. It becomes much unexpected as you move from the outer old power plant space into this new contemporary space. You feel as though you have just traveled through time.
The contemporary public space continues into the interior lobby space using the same aluminum material. The lobby is an open area that includes a book store, locker area, information desk, and a free small gallery space.
The main public beautifully sculptured stair case leads to the restaurant on the top floor, auditorium below the ground floor and galley space on all the inbetween floors.
15.0 city of arts and science Location: Valencia, Spain Architect: Santiago Calatrava & Felix Candela Function: Multi-Cultural Urban Field Year Built: 2005 15.1 Valencia The city of arts and science is on its own modern strip of land southeast of center city Valencia, sitting on the end of the former riverbed of the river Turia. Since it was built, it has created a new, more modern cultural center for its city contrasting the old center city. Because of it, people from all over come to visit Valencia and get a taste of both the old and new parts of the city. 15.2 Santiago Calatrava & Felix Candela Both Spanish born architects played significant roles to the planning of the area. Felix Candela died in 1997 before the city was complete and Santiago Calatrava now known worldwide both worked together to design this massive city as one unit.
15.3 The City The city of Arts consist of 7 major structures including L’Hemisferic-an Imax cinema and planetarium, El Museu de les Ciencies- a science museum, L’Umbracle- a landscaped walkway, L’Oceanogrfic- an aquarium, El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia- an Opera House and performing arts center, El Pont de L’Assut de L’Or- a suspension bridge, and L’Agora- a covered plaza for sporting events. The whole strip makes up a public landscape of cultural events and activities. The design of the landscape is dictated by an open space strip for circulation from one building to the other. The use of water was influenced by the former Turia River which would flood the area before it was rerouted.
El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia- an Opera House and performing arts center is a beautifully sculpted building. Its open plan allows for the public to experience the building exterior on almost all levels, having a terrace that wraps around the whole building and massive stairs that lead to the base of the building.
L’Hemisferic-an IMAX cinema and planetarium entrance leads you under the ground level circulation experiencing the building in an unconventional manner.
L’Umbracle- The beautifully landscaped walkway creates a dialog between person and nature as he/she walks through it. The plants in the garden are carefully picked to change colors with the season.
Museu de les Ciències PrĂncipe Felipe- The science museum allows you to stroll through the museum from one end to the other, underneath curved columns that create a beautiful perspective.
16.0 metropol parasol Location: Seville, Spain Architect: Jurgen Mayer Function: Piazza Year Built: 2011 16.1 Seville Seville, located in the southern tip of Spain recently became relevant on the map with the design and construction of the Metropol Parasol. Located at La Encarnacion square, in the old quarter of Seville, the wooden structure brought life back to a declining center. Before the structure was built, the square was starting to close its retail stores, graffiti was starting to become an art form on its historic walls, and garbage was piling up. It was then planned to turn the area into an underground parking garage, untill ruins dating to the roman era was discovered. The city then decided to develop the area again by holding an international competition. 16.2 Jurgen Mayer German architect, Jurgen Mayer is the founder of the architecture firm, J.Mayer H. in Berlin and has his worked published and exhibited worldwide. He had won the international competition of Seville toredevelop the area with his intriguing design
16.3 The Piazza The Metropol Parasol is a timber constructed museum, plaza, and outlook post. It is currently the largest timber wood structure built. The project became a new icon for Seville, a place that identifies them as a fascinating cultural destination. The waffle-like structure also holds a underground museum to walk through the roman ruins, a pathway through the ground floor structure that holds retail space, a restaurant on the roof, and a walkway along the roof of the parasol. The wooden panels rise from a concrete base in a tree like form to create covered canopies.
The structure is held together by a concrete base that rises into a timber constructed canopy crisscrossed and fastened between pieces and last coated with polyurethane for water protection. Because the timber wood is connected in a waffle-like form, light is easily penetrated through the structure as is other natural elements such as rain.
Columns could only be placed in certain areas as they did not want to disturb the ruins currently occupying under the parasol. From these points grew the canopies that come together at the top.
As seen in the sketch above and image on the next pase the structure rises way above a normal 5 story building. Its scale is sometimes decieving when seen in picture form. It almost feels as though it defies gravity.
The Metropol Parasol provides a public ground for the growth of local businesses and culture.
The beautiful structure offers a range of attractions to the public such as an archaeological museum, a farmers market, an elevated plaza, multiple bars and restaurants underneath and inside the parasols, as well as a panorama terrace on the upper level.
At the upper terrace you get a panoramic view of the whole city and a chance to walk all around the top of the Parosol through designed walkways. The piece defines its own relationship between itself and the historic city. It does not let the historic city define it yet at the same time it does not necessarily disrupt it. Its mixed use program redefines the culture of the area.
17.0 Conclusion Before I went to Europe, I had a list of architecture I wanted to study in each of the cities I was visiting, which I choose through basic research I found on the web. But I allowed myself the freedom to change those picks as I started to explore the city itself and discover other Architecture that best represented what I was studying. My research started with spending the first two or three days walking around the city and letting my noes take me where it wanted to go. After my days of exploration I would pick one building to study and sketch it for the next three to five days. For the most part there seemed to only be one or two logical options for me to choose from. I found it extremely difficult to find architecture that served the city as much as it served its function. Most of the time I knew exactly which building I was going to end up studying after the first 2 days based on my experience walking in through its architecture. For the most part the original building that I wanted to study did not have the public space element that I thought it would. As I look back I realize that I only stuck with four of the original Architectures and discovered nine amazing new one.
Looking back on the thirteen different projects, another fact that I discovered is that eight out of the thirteen were designed by local firms. This included Oslo’s Opera house, Copenhagen’s House 8, London’s Lloyd Building, Paris’s Docks for Fashion and Design, Zurich’s Freitag store, Rotterdam’s Cube House, Prague’s Revitalization of the Crucifix Bastion, and Santiago Calatrava’s City of Arts and Science. This emphasizes the importance of local architects having a say in the design of their cities structures. An architect that locally works and lives in a city will figure out the public necessities for the city more easily than an outside person coming in and trying to analyze the city. The local architect will also take into consideration the local culture and will be more sensitive not to disrupt thriving neighborhoods.
17.1 Creativity vs. Sensitivity Comparing the design of a couple of the works researched on this trip there is a major comparison between the ones that are creative with its architecture versus sensitive towards the culture. Two big projects that fit on opposite spectrum of the scale are Snohetta’s Opera house and Jurgen Mayer’s Metropol Parasol. Not to say one approach is better than the other, but there is a difference in the way the architecture is used and who uses it. The Oslo Opera house stands on the sensitive side as it literally takes the hiking and skiing culture of Oslo and implements it onto the exterior of its building, making the sloping ramps the main public space. As for the Metropol Parasol, there seems to be no connection to the existing site or culture. The piece has a totally different aesthetic, materiality, and experience compared to the
surrounding architecture. Some would say it is a destructive piece that goes against the history of Seville, while others would say it is a destruction needed to revitalize the city center. It introduces a new, more modern culture to the city of Seville. The square and the local retailers are now thriving and the graffiti on the buildings around the square have stopped. Even though both projects take a different approach to their design, they both have a positive impact on the surrounding community. Snohetta’s Opera House brings Oslo’s culture of climbing to the city center at a smaller scale while the Jurgen Mayer’s Metropol Parasol brings back a new life to a once declining city of Seville. Other projects tried to be in the middle by being both bold with their designs
and using the present culture and site as an inspiration for design. One example is the CET building that brought a new modern-look to Budapest but also incorporates three historical warehouses to the design. The mixture between the old squared brick warehouses and new glass curvature exterior celebrates the past but also embraces the future.
Herzog & de Meuron left part of the sites history by reconstructing around the former power station. They cut out the base and created an entrance and a public area in the replacement of it. In this case the architects were sensitive to the sites history but did not fail on the creativity of design.
In Madrid, Spain the Caixa forum similarly mixes old historic architecture with contemporary materials and design.
The Freitag store takes an unconventional approach by selling their products out of a carefully designed stack of shipping containers. The idea not only describes the recycling designs of the stores handbag but also the industrial look of Zurich.
ungulates with the texture. It becomes a choreographed daily life of a diverse group of people each dancing freely yet coherently with each other. The performance on this public stage is ever changing, interactive, romantic, and simply fun. 17.2 Open Space vs. thought-out Interactive Open Space It is easy for an architect designing a building to leave a large amount of the ground square footage open and call it public space for the community to use. Great architects will design buildings so the function, form, and freedom to the public, a underrated design feature, work coherently with each other. The free to the public space scales the exterior, flows in and out of the building, immerses itself within the function, camouflages with the materiality and
The city of arts and science landscape, in the more modern part of Valencia, has a massive ground of open space for the public. While it may seem to some as wasted space, to others it may fit to the overall master plan. The space feels as though you are walking through a place out of this world, where the architecture and landscape is too big to comprehend with one look. The open space makes you walk for at least a mile to be able to see the whole site. It takes days to explore and experience all of its architecture and site. But it is hard to say that the public uses all of
the site. Usually people are in a hurry to explore each building so only the shortest path from building to building is used more frequently. This leaves all the other space for the most part untouched and under used.
the roof itself become an interactive space that allows the public to actually scale the building, get views of the whole city and provides an area for families to meet and interact with each other in an outdoor science park setting.
Compare Valencia’s city of Arts and Sciences landscape to Amsterdam’s, Nemo building, there seems to be a difference in how the two architects view public space. The Nemo Science and Art building have a designed public space along the exterior of its Architecture. The stepped path to the roof and
You immediately notice the difference in the amount of people to square footage that occupies each of the public spaces. In the City of Arts and Science landscape you feel like an ant in a world too big to comprehend and in the Nemo building you feel like an important piece to a large social community.
Free to the public should be taken seriously because down the line when the function and form of a building starts to deteriorate, it is the freedom to the public aspect of the architecture that will keep the architecture from falling. It is the memories of a group of coworkers who came to public space and ate their lunch together every day there, the women that met the man of her life there, and where a new young family brought their children to play and explore that will fight for it to stay open. It is the millions of locals that pass through it to get to work every day that will want to recycle the building for something else. 17.3 Is there such a thing as too much freedom to the public? You would think that any public space for a community is good space but when you start to analyze it closely, you find out that sometimes too much freedom in the wrong area can lead to bad experiences. This comes from a poorly analyzed site and design of specific architecture spaces. One example is Paris’s Docks of Fashion and Design. The building was designed around concrete shipping depot originally built in 1907. This building was designed
so the public could enter and leave the building freely day and night. On the ground floor this is especially incorporated under the whole building. The only problem with this is that this is a space with a dark spot where eyes are not always watching it. It has the same feeling as if you were under an elevated train track, where it is open enough for the public to utilize but hidden enough for illegal activity to occur. Walking through the ground floor of this building in Paris, you start to see graffiti on the wall, a scent of urine, and bottles of beer smashed on the ground.
Another different example where the architect might of gave the public a bit too much freedom is Rotterdam’s cube house. Originally designed for private residence, the building incorporates public space in, out and through the building. While the Public space for the current function as a hostel is perfect for a social interaction between total strangers, back when it was occupied by residential families it was not an
ideal living space for residents that wanted their homes to be a private space. The designed public space currently encroaches onto the front steps of the residences homes. You could hear and see the public as if they were standing right next to you. There seems to be no middle ground or area for transition.
Two good examples of architecture that separates the private and public space efficiently are the house 8 in Copenhagen and Lloyd Building in London. House 8 is another example of a beautifully crafted public space but what separates it from the cube house is the design transition between public to
private space. BIG Architects implemented a smooth transition as they designed an open courtyard playground that is open to all of the public, a ramp that circulates around the courtyard used only by the public residence, an open but private backyard area for each resident, and last the private home. As seen below, there is a smooth transition from public to private that allows residence to have their own private space within a larger interactive and well planned public space.
The Lloyd’s building designed by Richard Rogers and partners have a similar transition in a business office setting.
As seen below there are three types of public space that gets more intimate and private as it transitions from the outside to the core, private offices. You have the open outside space, the overhang space underneath the building that circulates around the building and retail shops that are only open during the day. And at the core, separate from the public’s eye is the offices for the different firms and businesses.
Designed public space integrated well within architecture comes in all different forms and sizes as seen in these thirteen projects all across Europe. This research, Free to the public, hopefully gives you an insight to the possibility
on what architecture could be and do for the growing urban community. This could be in the form of an exterior, circulation, interactive open space, textures and materiality, spatial experience, landscape, or a sculpture. It is our responsibility as architects to research our cities and implement cultural public space to its structure for the pleasure of locals and outsiders to enjoy on a daily basis. In a world where we are getting connected closer to each other through the social web and farther away from physical social interaction, we should show the importance of a balance between the two by forcing social interactions through the design of intimate architectural spaces.
Special Thanks to the John Stewardson Memorial for the unforgettable experience
The 112th John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship Travel Research 2013