Theme: Fixing Variation, Modalities of Discrimination
“The notion of “fixation” is contrary to the open nature of processes. In the past decade “process” and “analysis” have become the new paradigm of architectural thinking enabling architects to build and operate through complex systems and complex models. Yet any attempt to fix its limits, to end a process, declaring it exhausted or inefficient is always problematic. It always encounters a sort of cultural resistance based on the wrong assumption that “fixing” means failure as it looses the inherent exuberance of potentials. In other words fixing is the same as assessing which in turn is about validity, acuteness, sagacity and insight. Something architects have lost the ability to perform.
In general, discrimination is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences between things. We are interested in any difference that makes a difference: the creation of an instrumental layer of information. Rather than in themes we are interested in strategies.
“Fixing” can be achieved trough different modalities of discrimination:
1. Technical constrains (quantity)
2. Contextual demands (quality)
3. Emergence of opportunities (novelty)
4. Political critique (ethically)
5. Cultural mediations (morally) ”
“The notion of “fixation” is contrary to the open nature of processes. In the past decade “process” and “analysis” have become the new paradigm of architectural thinking enabling architects to build and operate through complex systems and complex models. Yet any attempt to fix its limits, to end a process, declaring it exhausted or inefficient is always problematic. It always encounters a sort of cultural resistance based on the wrong assumption that “fixing” means failure as it looses the inherent exuberance of potentials. In other words fixing is the same as assessing which in turn is about validity, acuteness, sagacity and insight. Something architects have lost the ability to perform.
In general, discrimination is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences between things. We are interested in any difference that makes a difference: the creation of an instrumental layer of information. Rather than in themes we are interested in strategies.
“Fixing” can be achieved trough different modalities of discrimination:
1. Technical constrains (quantity)
2. Contextual demands (quality)
3. Emergence of opportunities (novelty)
4. Political critique (ethically)
5. Cultural mediations (morally) ”
Militari is a district of western Bucharest (sector 6), that was built in the 1960s by soviet workers, after completely razing the village called Militari. The social housing buildings of the area, host around 100 000 inhabitants.
The district is very compact and it was built using the 3 parallel boulevards-geometry. It is connected by the metro system, buses and high-speed tramways, with the city center and the main rail station.
Militari developed rapidly after the end of the Communist Era (1989), and transformed itself into one of the most prosperous regions in Bucharest. The area hosts one of the largest shopping centers in Bucharest and the Polytechnic University.
Although the area showed great economical evolution after the commercial development, it also created great social diversity between these areas, with the commercial area acting as a ‘seperation border’ for the two social housing parts.
The district is very compact and it was built using the 3 parallel boulevards-geometry. It is connected by the metro system, buses and high-speed tramways, with the city center and the main rail station.
Militari developed rapidly after the end of the Communist Era (1989), and transformed itself into one of the most prosperous regions in Bucharest. The area hosts one of the largest shopping centers in Bucharest and the Polytechnic University.
Although the area showed great economical evolution after the commercial development, it also created great social diversity between these areas, with the commercial area acting as a ‘seperation border’ for the two social housing parts.
The commercial area is amazingly isolated from the rest of the area, mainly from the social housing areas. This is mainly caused from the difference of ‘scale’ of the large shopping centers and the more local small-scale shops of the social housing.
Due to this difference, the movement of the the local inhabitants towards these shopping centers is rather nugatory. The main flows towards the malls comes from other parts of the city, creating a great social gap between the parts of the area. The inhabitants of the area are only part of the social housing and its activities(commercial, leisure, etc), and the non-locals are only part of the large scale commercial and leisure activities.
It seems also that there is a lack of connection between the main activities off the area, like the University and the housing and the housing areas themselves, due to this ‘seperation border’ that is the new commercial area of the Militari. The abandoned rail tracks, that once were used for logistics transportation, are also part of this border.
The aim of this project would be to connect the parts of this area, in terms of adding uses in the rail area(selected project site) and connecting them with the existing ones, trying to minimize this social diversity and disconnectivity.
The first part of this project, started with setting up a system for the uses to be applied in the area, continuing with the flows created from these uses and the spaces created by them, to come to a certain proposal.
By studying deeper the flow systems of the area and their possibilities-variations, more specific spaces will be created that will finally be interpretated in URBAN and GREEN uses.
As an attempt to create a ‘average’ condition for the area, the density and height of buildings would be important. The categorization of the volumes would help to create the ‘hybrid’ buildings, using as a module the smallest volume of the area. The hybrids are created by choosing the average height of the side areas(on the two sides of the areas the hybrid would be applied) and the combination of the uses.
After applying the rules of the hybrid buildings and the uses, the flows of the area would generate the buildings. In some cases, the buildings would have passable roofs, generated from the average heights of the surrounding buildings.
The buildings along the rail host mainly leisure, commercial and culture uses, and are interrupted by small green areas.
Using also the previous system of the uses, to achieve the connection of the uses of the 2 sides of the area and the 3 axis. The ‘new’ uses would refer to: university housing, leisure activities, commercial activities, housing, culture activities and green areas.
The flow variations, concern different connections of 3 main axis’s and different distances (i.e. speeds and densities) of these connections. The flows refer to pedestrians, bicycles, cars and public transportation. Before applying these variations on the site, it is necessary to analyze the spaces created from these flows and to name the intersection points as main nodes (the nodes that will be placed in the area_uses), sub-nodes (the nodes created by the intersections of the main nodes) and existing nodes (existing main buildings/uses, roads and other). The spaces created from these nodes depend on the density and the ’shape’ of the flows. The spaces created from these flows are named in three categories that refer mainly to URBAN and/or GREEN spaces.
The rules for the spaces, specify what happens in these areas, when it comes to pedestrians, bicycles, cars and public transportation. The spaces mainly create 1.building plots, thus buildings, 2. public areas and 3. green areas. These are the nodes (as reaching points for the flows) or the specific types of spaces for the flows (as stops along the paths of the flows). This sets up also the rules of what happens when the flows pass through existing areas, buildings, public spaces or green areas.
For the flows to be applied on the side, it is necessary to take into consideration the kind of connections needed for the nodes. For example, connecting the existing metro and tram nodes with main nodes on the rail, the first variation would be appropriate. After applying all the variations and analyzing the qualities of the spaces they create on the site, the next step would be to choose the variation or variations that would take into consideration the objectives that were first set for the site. That is managing to connect the existing situation and activities, both with the new ones but also between them. So finally the rail area would act as a connection and not as a ‘separation border’ for the general area.
The final proposal consists of built spaces, public spaces and green areas (inside the rail area and in the existing area). Following all the rules set before, other than the mix of uses, the result would generate also a mixture of these spaces (as a result from the flows) making the area act as a connector_nexus, for movement and activities, both for the local inhabitants and the outside visitors.
Due to this difference, the movement of the the local inhabitants towards these shopping centers is rather nugatory. The main flows towards the malls comes from other parts of the city, creating a great social gap between the parts of the area. The inhabitants of the area are only part of the social housing and its activities(commercial, leisure, etc), and the non-locals are only part of the large scale commercial and leisure activities.
It seems also that there is a lack of connection between the main activities off the area, like the University and the housing and the housing areas themselves, due to this ‘seperation border’ that is the new commercial area of the Militari. The abandoned rail tracks, that once were used for logistics transportation, are also part of this border.
The aim of this project would be to connect the parts of this area, in terms of adding uses in the rail area(selected project site) and connecting them with the existing ones, trying to minimize this social diversity and disconnectivity.
The first part of this project, started with setting up a system for the uses to be applied in the area, continuing with the flows created from these uses and the spaces created by them, to come to a certain proposal.
By studying deeper the flow systems of the area and their possibilities-variations, more specific spaces will be created that will finally be interpretated in URBAN and GREEN uses.
As an attempt to create a ‘average’ condition for the area, the density and height of buildings would be important. The categorization of the volumes would help to create the ‘hybrid’ buildings, using as a module the smallest volume of the area. The hybrids are created by choosing the average height of the side areas(on the two sides of the areas the hybrid would be applied) and the combination of the uses.
The buildings along the rail host mainly leisure, commercial and culture uses, and are interrupted by small green areas.
Using also the previous system of the uses, to achieve the connection of the uses of the 2 sides of the area and the 3 axis. The ‘new’ uses would refer to: university housing, leisure activities, commercial activities, housing, culture activities and green areas.
The flow variations, concern different connections of 3 main axis’s and different distances (i.e. speeds and densities) of these connections. The flows refer to pedestrians, bicycles, cars and public transportation. Before applying these variations on the site, it is necessary to analyze the spaces created from these flows and to name the intersection points as main nodes (the nodes that will be placed in the area_uses), sub-nodes (the nodes created by the intersections of the main nodes) and existing nodes (existing main buildings/uses, roads and other). The spaces created from these nodes depend on the density and the ’shape’ of the flows. The spaces created from these flows are named in three categories that refer mainly to URBAN and/or GREEN spaces.
The rules for the spaces, specify what happens in these areas, when it comes to pedestrians, bicycles, cars and public transportation. The spaces mainly create 1.building plots, thus buildings, 2. public areas and 3. green areas. These are the nodes (as reaching points for the flows) or the specific types of spaces for the flows (as stops along the paths of the flows). This sets up also the rules of what happens when the flows pass through existing areas, buildings, public spaces or green areas.
For the flows to be applied on the side, it is necessary to take into consideration the kind of connections needed for the nodes. For example, connecting the existing metro and tram nodes with main nodes on the rail, the first variation would be appropriate. After applying all the variations and analyzing the qualities of the spaces they create on the site, the next step would be to choose the variation or variations that would take into consideration the objectives that were first set for the site. That is managing to connect the existing situation and activities, both with the new ones but also between them. So finally the rail area would act as a connection and not as a ‘separation border’ for the general area.
The final proposal consists of built spaces, public spaces and green areas (inside the rail area and in the existing area). Following all the rules set before, other than the mix of uses, the result would generate also a mixture of these spaces (as a result from the flows) making the area act as a connector_nexus, for movement and activities, both for the local inhabitants and the outside visitors.
Project by: Maria Papaloizou
Tutors: Lluis Viu Rebes_Jordi Pages i Ramon (Max de Cusa Arquitectes _ Barcelona)
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