Unit 9

The City as a Theatre by Nurul Nadhrah Zainal, Y4. The project explores how a hybridity program of market and theatre can recreate social and cultural interaction, with deep-rooted history and significance to the city. The proposal, on a macro scale aims to become the socio-economic hub for and by the people of Sarajevo, and on a micro scale to provide the immediate residents living close to the site a space to gather and acquire sustenance. 8.17 Interior collage showing overlays of program 8.18 Collages of proposed ambiences 8.19 Cross section through the atrium highlighting deployable elements and relation to the external space. 8.20-23 Casting of Sarajevo site model, done in collaboration with the School of Architecture, University of Sarajevo during the unit trip.

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Social Club - Reproductive Space for the Gig Economy

Harald Trapp, Brian Hoy

After dealing with the productive city last year, Unit 9 is interested in the social reproduction of the working population, its activities and specific architectural typologies. To design is a new type of social club which tries to overcome the isolation and individualisation of the contemporary equivalent to the proletariat, the “entrepeneurs” of the gig-economy or the forced communitarianism of the socialist society of Cuba. Such an architectural typology, that aims at combining critical education with recreation would derive from a long tradition of Working Men Clubs in England and the constructivist Soviet Workers Clubs, which probably represent the most successful translation of the theories of Karl Marx into architecture.

The notion of the club implies the communal ownership by its members, as well as the cooperative management and operation of its activities. The traditional Workers Club served not only as a place of recreation, but also as a generator for political activity. The Social Club hybridizes communal living rooms, performance spaces, adult education, daycare centre, sports facilities and cafeteria/bar, including the exterior space to engage with the urban context.

The sites for the Social Club are either in East London or in Havana. The deprived areas of East London have replaced the working class neighbourhoods of industrial capitalism and are the home of workers in the so-called gig-economy, which lack spaces and places to build a community.

On the other end of the spectrum, a changing communist state like Cuba has to introduce intermediate elements to negotiate between a developing individualistic and the socialist society. Revitalising the tradition of the Social Club in Havana might complement the new production-model of the cooparativos, which have recently been introduced to support private economic initiative.

In both societies, the Social Club should stimulate and improve the selected area and work as a commons in its urban environment, to create a new shared place for meeting and exchange. The building should not only have a high programmatic intensity, but is supposed to complete, reveal and challenge the morphology of the neighbourhood within which it is situated.

Students:

Y4: Crocker-White James; Dahya Sonam; Gamouri Saman; Hahn Ryan; Krackovskaja Jekaterina; Susmani Michael

Y5: Bahreyni Toossi Caveh, Castro Paredes Leonardo Vladimir, Hadzikostas Marios , Gibre Daniel, Lamin Amin, Lim Hoi Yee, Manandhar Rajib, Paine Olivia, Slankard Kirk, Stennett Troy, Tan Kai Xin, Yildiz Simay

Visiting Crits:

Robin Phillips, Conibere Phillips Architects; Emily Walkden, Simpson Haugh; Sara Yllner, White Arkitekter; Robert Thum, Hochschule Trier; Tony Fretton, Tony Fretton Architects; Isaie Bloch, UEL; Stratis Georgiou, UEL

Special thanks to: Ruth Cherrington, Immo Klink, Alan Chandler, UEL; Aurore Julien, UEL

Website:

uelunitnine.wordpress.com

(Previous page: A single place of activity which could attract users of all ages by connecting activities and daily habits to create continuous interaction, Havana, Marios Hadzikostas 9.0 composite drawing showing program, views and materiality)

Homepage: a ‘sociable’ media club providing an architecture of locality and community whose premise questions the internet culture of today, taking inspiration both from the local ‘club’ and the global ‘hub’, Havana, Olivia Paine 9.1 aerial view evolving with technology 9.2 courtyard view of multidirectional nodes 9.3 exploded axo exploring part and whole 9.4 - 9.6 incremental growth sequence

Social Engine: a project connecting self-employed delivery drivers’ productive and reproductive spaces, providing a hybridisation of recreation and services, East London, Kai Xin Tan 9.7 sectional axo showing high programmatic intensity 9.8-9 construction phase axo showing concrete frame phase 1 & lightweight steel phase 2 9.10 section across the highway/flyover with new link bridge proposal 9.11 delivery driver internal view 9.12 external view approaching the club 9.13 relief model exploring form and geometry

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A single place of activity which could attract users of all ages by connecting activities and daily habits to create continuous interaction, Havana, Marios Hadzikostas 9.14 street view showing access through the block 9.15 view of ramp from board game area looking over football pitch 9.16 view from boxing ring showing ramp as auditorium

The Roo Community: a social club providing a platform for Deliveroo drivers to gather as well as co-working space and accommodation for a wide variety of needs, East London, Hoi Yee Lim 9.17 perspectival section showing the activity in the accommodation space and the co-working space in relationship with the surrounding landscape

A communal living room where locals can socialise and conduct their daily activities, sheltered from high temperatures or extreme weather conditions, constructed from inexpensive materials using local construction methods, Havana, Leonardo Castro Paredes 9.18 internal view of the ground floor

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