Archive for the 'architecture' Category

This is another reading response for the course Urban Design Theory given by David Monteyne at the University of Calgary.

The readings I have chosen for this week are about the ecological, social, and participatory aspects of urban planning and design. A common theme–which may be utterly obvious–is that urban (design) processes are complex and are therefore to be treated by designers and planners with great care and compassion. While this complexity may call for professionals, I argue that it requires the public as protagonists not mere participants. At the end of this little text I argue for an–also possibly utterly obvious–intervention that integrates those aspects. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a reading response for the course Urban Desgin Theory given by David Monteyne at the University of Calgary.

The main theme throughout the readings for me was the significance and the divergent interpretation of open streets and squares as public spaces. It was particularly interesting to read how Baudelaire (as discussed by Berman [4]) sees Paris’ boulevards as a place where people of different classes would eventually come together again, whereas Engels understood Manchester’s thoroughfares as a “hypocritical plan” to hide the misery and poverty present in workers’ districts [1]. What troubled me reading this, is that his description of how Manchester is structured along class divisions, still applies to most cities of the world. People living in gated/suburban communities and those living in poorer neighbourhoods are not really bumping into each other on great common boulevards—instead, they probably stand bumper to bumper separated by steel, glass, fumes and noise. Read the rest of this entry »

Today it occurred to me (again) that urban planning and city lifestyle weaves itself like a red thread through many contemporary issues. In the previously mentioned CBC radio programme it was discussed that among other factors, the location where one lives in the city and the fact whether certain services and shops are within walkable (or public transport) distance seem to have quite an impact on one’s health and happiness. Tonight the editor and founder of WorldChanging Alex Steffen gave an inspiring and motivating talk about interesting ideas for how to address global warming and the general disconnect between humankind and earth. Check out his TED talk on similar things. He talked about all kinds of ideas, products and services that make a contribution by contributing less waste or emissions and by using up less resources. Great examples are sharing of cars, tools, and even handbags. When asked what he considers the three major innovations, he responded with a list of interventions and named urban planning as the first one. While i am not sure whether it is interesting what some urban planners are doing, i certainly think that what they should be doing is worth taking a closer look.

Im hiesigen Forum Gestaltung ist gerade die Wanderfotoausstellung Last & Lost – Bilder eines verschwindenden Europas zu sehen:

Es sind beeindruckende, Geschichte bewahrende und erzählende Bilder von Ruinen einer von Krieg und Vertreibung, industriellem Niedergang und zivilisatorischer Naturbeherrschung gekennzeichneten europäischen Epoche: Industriebrachen, leer stehende Dörfer, verfallene Kasernen, aufgelassene Grenzanlagen und nicht entzifferbare Grabinschriften.

MichH und ich haben uns heute die Ausstellung angeschaut. Es sind besonders sehenswerte Fotos dabei. Der Reiz des Verlassenem und Zerfallenem hat eine eigene Ästhetik, obgleich eine gewisse Traurigkeit mitschwingt. Was könnte mensch alles aus diesen Räumen entstehen lassen! Ich war ein wenig erinnert an die verlassenen Gleise der New Yorker Hochbahn.

Während in Magdeburg gerade Entscheider in leger-elitärer Atmosphäre ihre Sicht auf die Stadt der Zukunft austauschen, findet Ende dieser Woche im niederländischen Utrecht ein Camp for Oppositional Architecture statt, das sich mit vielen Facetten von Architektur, Stadt und Raum für widerständige Praktiken auseinandersetzt. Die Architekturzeitschrift mit dem sympathischen Namen An Architektur veranstaltet das Camp, um architektonische Alternativen in Zeiten zu konzeptionieren, in denen Architektur fast ausschlieszlich kapitalistischer Verwertungslogik gehorcht. Im Gegensatz zum oben genannten Kongress scheinen alle Veranstaltungen des Camps freien Eintritt zu haben. Mit dem Camp wird auch eine Kunstausstellung eröffnet, die wie das Camp selber in den Räumen von Casco, dem Büro für Kunst, Design und Theorie, verortet sein wird. Neben Poster und Flyer gibt es auch einem umfangreich und ansprechend gestalteten Reader als PDF zum Download.

Ich spiele ja mit dem Gedanken übers Wochenende nach Utrecht zu fahren. Hat wer Interesse mitzukommen?

Während die Städte von Werbung überflutet werden, geht nicht-kommerzieller Raum zunehmend unter. Die Installation City Wipeout von Pasi Kolhonen verdeutlicht dies, indem es den Betrachter ermöglicht, auf Fotos die Stadt bis auf die Werbung wegzustreichen. Übrig bleibt ein Kommerzteppich, der den urbanen Raum dominiert.

via we make money not art: City Wipeout

Appropriation is not just limited to software. In a Simpsons episode appropriation for and of architecture is shown: first, the famous architect Frank Gehrig is turning rumpled paper into a concert hall. Second, unrespectful skateboarders “mis-use” its curves (via).

Considering appropriation of built architecture as turning the use of public space upside down, a vast basket of urban activities during the recent years and decades pops up: Parkour, Graffiti/Streetart, Culture Jamming, and Critical Mass – to name a few. A growing number of people seek to challenge the existing mode of living and moving in the city. They don’t do this just because it is fun, but also do this as an act of resistance.

Looking at the motorized and concreted Santiago many types appropriation can be seen. Last Sunday i was biking around in Santiago and encountered quite a big gathering of skateboarders in front of the Moneda. They were asking the president for skateboarding parks where they could show and improve their skills. Upcoming Saturday there will be a big bicyclists manifestation in Santiago with the motto Compartamos la ciudad (let’s share the city). And then their are very practical appropriations of land and buildings, e.g. the Casa OkupArte AKÍ.

Appropriation is everywhere. It is organically questioning from the bottom what is dictated from the above. It shapes democratically what should have been democratically in the first place. Furthermore it has the effect that it either makes the professionials – architects, politicians, designers, programmers, …. – angry or – which is even better – think.

Giancarlo De Carlo once said: “In reality architecture is too important to be left to architects.”

Twelve years ago the sequel to SimCity, a rather successful computer game, was introduced with an isometric view on a city, which was to be ‘managed’ by the player as the mayor. It was possible to put a building behind another, to rotate in 90° steps and to zoom in and out. SimCity 2000 had about 184 different Objects (buildings, powerplants, harbours…) and four types of transportation. Another great improvement was SVGA that gave more detail and more color to the city. Every standard object could take up as much space as 128×128 pixels. Well, back then this was good stuff.

A Polish group, called M-City, has taken this isometric architecture onto street level. As I have entered their site I was overwhelmed by their creativity and slickness. Until this point I just knew that it was possible to combine stencils, yet I didn’t know how far you could take the concept of constructing a large piece by joining ’several’ smaller parts. The people of M-City have done about 100 architectural objects so far and:

“Thanks to such a technique printing the stencil is much easier, moreover it allows printing a single fragment of the building. All of the buildings can be joined in multiple ways with author’s imagination as the only limit. It’s easy to customise the buildings by mixing the roofs and elevations - parts of different stencils. All of the objects have a brighter left face and a darker right face which adds them the depth and vividness. After the sketch is done it’s being enlarged to A2 format and laminated on both sides. The late guarantees long-term resilience of the stencil, proofing it against absorption of the paint. As the layers of the paint get too thick it’s easy to tear them down and use the stencil again (some of the stencils were used hundreds of times). Finally the stencil is being cut out.”

The image of the city - as it is presented by their stencil walls - is not necesserally a realistic one. Instead of depicting a nuclear powerplant and a police station (as in SimCity), the group sees the architecture of their cities as:

“… a promotion of groups of people who work together for society. These include independent media, charities, non-governmental organisations, off theatres etc. Most of the project realisations are on especially chosen walls and matching the historical or architectural context of the surroundings.”

Their site is very well-made, you can find tons of material like pictures, movies and texts on their work. Yet, the slickest thing of them all is the konstruktor, which enables you to create your own City with all the items that were employed in several Polish cities.

Btw, I have found this group via the visual resistance blog, which seems to be a good ressource, too.

All stencil images from http://www.m-city.org