Void & Fills
Gausa, M., Vicente, G. and Muller, W. (2002) Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture City, Technology and Society in the Informatio... Spain: ActarD Inc
The phrase ‘urban territorial’ stood out to me as its easy to believe that territory is simply where structures are owned and used by individuals solely for their use however I feel that in all environments specifically urban ones such as London the spaces between and around structures create their own purpose and therefor territory for those that use it.
Using this idea when it comes to choosing a site I will need to consider the way people move around the area and behave which may not be structural or obvious. Visiting at differing times and talking to people in the area will be key to understanding
Joint – The idea of joining my intervention to existing structures interests me as joints connect two things together. By joining two structures or areas even if the intervention is only small and physically the joint it could impact both spaces connected.
1:1 - Architects Build Small Spaces at the V&A
Sinibaldi, C. (2010) 1:1 - Architects Build Small Spaces at the V&A, The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2010/jun/10/v-a-build-small-spaces
In-Between Architecture by Studio Mumbai (Mumbai, India)
Michael Anstassiades: One evening we walked out of the studio and Bijoy said to me I’m going to show you something. We walked through this narrow slither, which was basically sandwiched between the outside wall of a warehouse and the boundary wall of a property and in there was a series of dwellings. The light was very low and the lights inside those dwellings were on and it was an amazing experience.
Bijoy Jain: What’s critical actually is we are taking the natural light coming from the roof, which is really how these spaces work also because they are so tight and constricted that they need to draw the light in from above. When we had the brief we had this idea of refuge, shelter, a place for contemplation, a place for worship and in many ways these dwellings have that quality where they have all these sort of built in.
V&A Museum of Art & Design, (2010) In-between Architecture - Studio Mumbai, London
Video Transcript: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/i/video-in-between-architecture-studio-mumbai/
In less developed cities such as Mumbai where shelters are simply built without building regulations. Minimum space needed to live making use of the gap they have claimed between buildings in the city.
Small pod like structures in small gaps on and around buildings may be needed in developed places such as London in future.
The inhabitants act as parasites with very little structure being owned or supplied by them but using those either side of their space
Life between buildings book suggested!
Spiral Booths by Vazio (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
Consists of inter-connected performance booths set around a spiral staircase. The staircase can operate as a corridor, as seating, or as a stage
Beetle's House, Terunobu Fujimori (Tokyo, Japan)
Beetle's House, Terunobu Fujimori (Tokyo, Japan)
Visitors can reach this ‘floating’ teahouse – built out of charred timber – via a ladder, and from it view the surrounding galleries
Border(Less) by Simon Mouritsen & BjøRn Odgaard
Berlin is a city of fragments and voids, caused by its tragic history. Voids left by the Berlin wall has in some cases been filled, though this does not mean the void does not exist today.
The project investigates the potentials of merging city fragments together by looking at the qualities of the border between two contexts, using the border between Kulturforum and Potsdamers platz fragments as a case of this strategy.
Interactive, W. (no date) Presidents Medals: Border(less) - Fusing city fragments through dwelling. Available at: http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Entry-30701 (Accessed: 25 April 2015)
Berlin is an interesting city chosen in this project as it has voids left all over the city. Although London does not have these gaps around the city as obviously where it reads 'some cases been filled, though this does not mean the void does not exist today.' has lead me to understand how even modern developments and built up areas may not have been designed as well as possible and the people interacting with them would benefit from add-ons to what exists.
The finished design where the facade of the building extrudes has lead me to want to look at parasite architecture as similar to this projects the structures appear to cling on the the facade of the main structure.
Factory by Aleksandrina Rizova
The project started with exploration of an object - a hand crafted method of production. Particular interest in chair making and deck chairs (specific for Margate) led to investigation of various joints, connections between members and tools involved in the process of making a chair. Detail models making and materiality interpretation helped develop an idea about interconnected elements, light and solid, void and mass. Following the build up of a simple tool (the mallet) ways of insertion and attachment were applied in the make up of the building in later stages of the project. The notion of the factory, being a stitching element in the cultural life of Margate, in-between the residential and commercial zone in the city, was to become crucial. The idea of the urban “joint” informed the way the initial inserts into the site were composed. The concept of solid and void led to a fragmented design which leaves enough space in-between and encourages public interaction with the activities taking place inside.
Interactive, W. (no date) Presidents Medals: Factory. Available at: http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Entry-22891 (Accessed: 25 April 2015)
Buildings In Small Spaces
Every city evolves differently, according to fluctuations in population and wealth, changes in industry and other social and economic factors. As old buildings are replaced, or new ones constructed, spaces between these buildings appear or alter; spaces that are either promptly integrated into the fabric of their environment or are left dormant and unused. Architonic examines how contemporary architects are capitalising on the benefits of these forgotten alleys, gaps and passages and transforming them into practical and desirable urban property.
Mind the Gap: architects fitting extraordinary buildings into small spaces(2012) Available at: http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/mind-the-gap-architects-fitting-extraordinary-buildings-into-small-spaces/7000665 (Accessed: 25 April 2015)
Small House by Unemori Architects
Architects: Unemori Architects
Location: Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Area: 67 sqm
Year: 2010
Photographs: Ken Sasajima
Small House / Unemori Architects (2013) Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/443758/small-house-unemori-architects/ (Accessed: 25 April 2015)
Alter concept Simon Bush-King Architecture & Urban Design, 2011, Simon Bush-King
Alter concept Simon Bush-King Architecture & Urban Design 2011 Simon Bush-King
In the Australian city of Melbourne, the development of underused back alleys and passageways began over a hundred years ago, when some of the small access lanes behind large properties were roofed and turned into arcades. The city’s ‘laneways’ are now populated with bars, restaurants and shops and their transformation into prime real estate is reflected in their increasing rental costs. When approached by a client looking to launch a pop-up retail venture, Amsterdam-based architect and urban designer Simon Bush-King and interior architect Sarah Rowlands proposed a way to use the narrow, dead end alleys near the busy shopping streets to house a temporary showroom.
‘Mind the Gap: architects fitting extraordinary buildings into small spaces’ (2012). Architonic. Available at: http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/mind-the-gap-architects-fitting-extraordinary-buildings-into-small-spaces/7000665 (Accessed: 22 February 2015).