Unit 6

Autonomous non-standard space

Isaie Bloch, Jakub Klaska

Vacant space in Prague has undergone a huge transformation during the past approximately half a century. While the central planning and shortage economy during communism produced a huge amount of vacancies in the historic core, the current political-economic system has been mainly producing vacancies through real estate speculation and overbuilding. Unlike most other former communist territories, Czech Republic has never truly undergone major modernist planning ideas. Resulting in a rather organic urban tissue filled with singular architectural oddities. For the new owners and managers of property, particularly in the highly lucrative part of the city, it was very hard to resist the pressure of commercial interests and the prospect of financial gain, causing many cases of speculative development to emerge. This resulting in a major lack of socio - cultural projects. These speculations have now become characteristic of Prague’s vacancies. Many vacant plots of land, as well as empty solitary buildings, are being underused simply in the interest of exploiting the invisible hand of the market. Unit6 will tackle those neglected and derelict spots in the city, which are of no interest to the municipality and developers due to their lack of financial development potential. As a result of all those vacant buildings, a lack of affordable housing and a high demand for cultural projects arose. People have taken this matter in to their own hands and started autonomous social initiatives. Both squatters and hipsters have been trying over the past two decades to infill the need for cultural programs into those existing physical spaces. In majority organised as fully autonomous groups, they manage to counter the establishment looking for profit trough speculation. Unfortunately those actions are constantly under treat of being physically evicted, constantly resulting in short term cultural projects.

Unit6 is interested in mixed used program with social agency and space for innovative technologies. So to create a more permanent non-linear platform for culture in Prague.

Conceptually, the unit will start speculating on new Spatial behaviour and Production methods in order to produce heterogeneity and differentiation through tectonic operations. These initial chunks will be abstract yet architectural objects. After this in depth research, students will have to re-evaluate the established part to whole relationship in correspondence to their building program.

Students:

Y5: Saina Motahari, Rohaine Dailey, Rachelle Ann Salazar, Dimitar Dimitrov, Michael On, Kyri Loizou, Billy Webb, Stephanie Intsiful, Garvan Joseet. Y4: Loic Adam, Kingsley Boateng, Jana Dockalova, Ng Kean Jhun, Hani Saab, Iara Silva, Andreas Stadlmayr, Francesco Ubiali.

Visiting Crits:

Harald Trapp, Gilles Retsin, Mark Lemanski, Carl Callaghan, Maria Segantini, Tony Fretton, Chiara Zaccagnini, Michela Carla Falcone, Katherine Clarke

During the first term, students will focus on the topological organisation of surfaces and volumes. This in depth study starting from given references will allow them to have a deeper understanding of how geometries are formed and what their inter-relationships are. The references are sub divided in multiple categories and strategies. Such as: Aggregation 6.2-3, Directional delamination 6.13, Multiple surface pealing 6.1, Single surface pealing 6.6, Surface pinching 6.4 and Volumetric pinching.

In this first part of the term, students are asked to work from a given references and produce a perfect digital replica. This will increase both modelling skills, spatial skills and design skills. Once the duplicate has been produced they will create iterations of their chosen reference.

A successful iteration will always include the core qualities (such as: delamination, pealing, multi directionality, pinching, etc) of the initial reference but will make large steps forward in terms of spatial organisation and design ambitions. All iterations need to have a human scale and need to include concepts of enclosure, surface vs volume 6.7, transitions, part to whole relationships 6.8, circulations, directionality, etc. These iterations can be either overall massing strategies or architectural chunks 6.5. By doing so students will be able to step away from the original object and come up with a catalogue of operations and spatial conditions which will later allow them to iterate those further into architectural proposals.

Student work by: Stephanie Instiful, Andreas Stadlmayr, Rachelle Ann Salazar, Billy Webb, Ng Kean Jhun, Kyri Loizou, Saina Motahari.

6.2 6.3

6.5 6.6

6.7

6.9 Michael on `s library of surfaces. These pieces were formed after an in depth study of surface delamination principles. The aim of this study was to create a variety of complex surface models using a minimum of operations on the geometry. 6.10 Michael On proposes a physical and virtual Crypto Auction house in order to reach financial and social autonomy. As new technology has given us the abilities of anonymous cryptocurrencies to facilitate payments without government or other 3rd party interference. The current advances being made with this technology and the advent of true decentralization are more important than ever before due to the increasing stranglehold which regulators have on traditional financial transactions 6.11 Short section, cutting through robotic fabrication space and digital workspaces. 2 Sets of undulating surfaces converge together in order to produce a semi-continuous

relationship of programs. Where the design space interacts with the fabrication space without physically connecting to each other. Rohaine Dailey. 6.12 Garvan Joseet `s proposal tackles the urban sprawl by offering a high dense co-housing and co-working scheme. The strong topology of the surounding park continuous within the multiple floors of this large building. In doing so housing and working spaces get organised throughout the proposal. A vast glazed curtain wall facing the park reduces the energy consumption of the building on the long run. Making this scheme financially and ecologically attractive for the client being the local government. 6.14 Autonomy is best served when all parties receive mutual benefits. Quote by Billy Webb. Proposing a scheme where Amazon would fill this void between commercial property developers and creative individuals.

6.9

6.11

a.4 6.12

6.13