Engagement of architecture - blending into the city

These two terms: Engagement and Autonomous; has been revolved in the Author’s mind about the position of architecture. Should architecture be more like a gigantic icon on an urban fabric? Or just act as the extension which blends into the fabric? Indeed there are different theory and interpretation onto the position and there is no correct and exact answer.

With his eyesight, he found that it is nonsense to stand on absoluteness of autonomous, in the goal of having simple idea and storyline. Urban condition is complicated and architecture cannot become sole and separated discourse. Self-standing architecture becomes autonomous, without relationship to the city fabrics. Story of different architecture becomes unique and without relationship.

The Author favours with engagement, but not in an absolute stance. He imagines architecture not only as an extension of the urban fabrics, but as transition, linkage, circulation among different physical existing objects in the existing fabric. Architecture could morph into the landscape by different language and yet with same syntax.

He thought about one of the examples by Cedric Price. His idea is very pioneer even in the present day’s eyesight. Pottery Thinkbelt erases architecture into system, in which it engages to the city. The core idea to use architecture to revitalize the abandoned industry zones also acts as a way to relate architecture to the urban fabrics

In this project, he proposed using the existing road and rail network as a basic infrastructure of the new educational institution to revitalize the area and replace the old manufacturing economy in the triangular area of North Staffordshire Potteries.

The master plan of the potteries thinkbelt

Three transfer areas, which are located at the corner points of the triangular site, are purposed to be places for good and equipment exchange from the national road network and international network to the potteries thinkbelt rail system and vice versa. On the other hand, there are rail-dependent educational units called “Rail-bus” which could be mobilized on the existing rail network.

The axonometric perspective and diagrammatic section of Madeley transfer area

Another pioneering and anticipated design idea is the concept of using cybernetics, which supports the idea of new knowledge mode and impermanency to the whole project. There is an interactive network of static and mobile structures where the information data were sent through computer/electronic circuit from a static building to those mobile learning units.

He challenged the idea of symbolizing the "image of the city". He attempted at devaluating the monumental value of a building, and created an educational industry which encompasses the whole North Staffordshire with more than 100 sq km. With such tactic the individual blocks and structures, rail and crates are blended into the whole pottery thinkbelt. Because of flexibility and mobility, the insignificance of the individual components shifted his focus rather on the design of the whole system of the educational industry, e.g. the infrastructure network, system of the mobile units, as well as the configuration of housing units. Also, the idea of using cybernetics also images the future world which impermanency has become more dominant where architecture should accommodate with it.

Collage showing the perspective view of Madeley transfer area and battery housing block

So, with these tactics Price has successfully designed an architecture that blended totally within the system, in which he became revolutionist at his time. Yet, it could not be realized.

The author thinks that with the present technology, architecture could act like this way – engage more with the territory and the urban fabrics with the use of advanced technology.

Utopian Turkey

How does Turkey look like? For people living in East Asia, most of them do not really recognize this country, including the author himself. Even though they know where Turkey is, they could misunderstand that Turkey's capital is Istanbul, of which should be Ankara.

The author has been Ankara and Istanbul for a week in order to get familiarized to the country for his graduation project. During the trip used the both European and Asian perspective to look at the cities and attempted to understand different views on different sides.

When the author arrived at the first stop - Ankara, he felt that the city was totally different from Netherlands - Netherlands are flat, can hardly find any high and low land. The infrastructure and road networks are also so systematic and under control. Rectilinear street grids are common prototype of a city. Ankara, city built within the highland, has organic configuration of urban fabrics. City has informal and formal buildings with crowded people and traffic. Yet, these phenomenon is not new to the author as there were similar condition in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Its old centre, Ulus, chaotic but with varieties, recalled author's memory when he was at Stanley in Hong Kong. Both have maze-like small streets, temporary extension of shop front. Yet, the traffic condition reminds him about some cities from mainland China, chaotic and unorganized. Crossing road is a dangerous game. There is no differences when we arrived in Istanbul. But with the mountainous terrain, its rich history and its special geographical location with a harbour divided into European side and Asian side, it becomes famous around the world.

In the architectural discourse, Ankara and Istanbul both have informal urban settings. Gecekondu is the typical informal houses, especially in Ankara. While Ankara, once it was established as capital city, was already planned as a city with western utopia notion. However, with several masterplan undergone, the informality of the city still becomes dormant. Only the forest farm, as a place to facilitate cultivation of technology and mind, successfully performs the idea of utopia. Yet, in this post-modern era of Turkey republic, could the forest farm continue its legend of utopia notions? or would this notion need to be re-valued to suit the present situations? This is the question the author should be answer during this graduation year.

Panorama view of Ankara with Gecekondu in front and Toki buildings at the back

Street market in Ankara

Ayasofya museum in Istanbul

Night view of Ayasofya

Indoor market in Istanbul

Parametric design through deepFormation

Hyberbody studio - deepFormation 2.0
I was in Hyberbody studio - deepFormation in 5 months with other 3 group members. The project objective is to extract the morphological properties of ink pattern in the liquid to generate form within the temporal sense. During the process, the methodology of data abstraction and processing is studied.

From point clouds to project proposal

Point clouds were the most important element in the design process. Point clouds were extracted based on the frame lines and also the density of the ink pattern by using parametric software. Then the form is generated according to the point clouds with defined connection algorithm. After all, defined components with plates and surfaces were established.

Finally,combining with the human scale, structural possibility and the relationship with the environment, the parameters of the components were further refined and optimized. Adjustment of the existing landscape according to the similar algorithm was proposed for the possibility of the entire project that emerge with the whole site condition.

CREDITS
-coordinates-

deepFORMATIONS. MSc2 Design Studio, HYPERBODY, Delft University Of Technology 01.02.2011 to 20.06.2011
-students-

Herman Luk_Hong Kong; Frank van Brunschot_Netherlands; Yilin Zhou_China; Can Liu_China
-director/instructor-

Marco Verde Eng, MArch http://www.marco-verde.blogspot.com/

Further information:
Portfolio: HYPERBODY, deepFORMATION, ink-liquid morphology: RE'LINKED

香港公共空間的演變Transformation of the mode of public space in Hong Kong

中文撮要:
由於香港的經濟體制及社會架構的改變，香港公共空間在這幾個十年亦隨著不斷演變。街道空間本是傳統的公共空間模式，隨著香港轉變為國際後工業社會，西方文化的入侵以及全球化帶來了根底上的變化，如蘭桂坊式的街道文化，商場文化等。

The dorminant mode and form of public space in Hong Kong have been constantly transforming during these decades. The ground reason is because of the social and economical advancement, as well as the changing need of citizens. While the street area was used to be the major public space for local habitants in Hong Kong, unrecognizable public spaces such as shopping malls and recreational spaces in residential clusters become dominant in 21st century of Hong Kong.

The evolution of the economy during these decades has been the main reason of the change of the mode and form of the public space. After second world war, Hong Kong became manufacturing port, which requires only intensive labours with specific manufacturing skills such as machine controlling, sewing and making plastic flowers,etc. At that period, the localized society and community with local culture were still the main composition that structured the Hong Kong population. With this reason, street level market were still the major type of public spaces, which enhances the local interactions between the hawkers and the consumers. Also, while the classes were not strictly defined, citizens with different social background were easily emerged together within the street level public spaces. In this sense, this type of public space is self-generating, participated by local community and changed according to the local residences.

街道空間 Street style public space  (Photo attribution by dhelling01)

Yet, when Hong Kong became post-industrial service economy, emergent of international culture brings up transformation of traditional public spaces. One of the examples is Lan Kwai Fong, which has experienced the transformation of the nature of the district which resulted from the invasion of western styles bar and cafes by westerners. In this case, the street traditions are totally evolutionized with changing cultural types.

Another type of new public space could be found in the globalized mega shopping malls, which is located everywhere in Hong Kong. This type of public space creates the issue that it is no longer to be solely owned by the local residences and change according to the local needs, but on the other hand controlled by the single authority. The freedom of using these public space is limited by the authority, including the more restricted rules, restricted time of using. On the other hand, the authorities who own these "public space" could make revenue by renting it to other parties.

Finally, pedestrian bridge system in Central is one of the phenomenen of the change of society in post-modern city in Hong Kong. These bridges connect different office towers and malls with segregation of the road traffic, allowing fast paces of pedestrian movement. Yet, these kind of public spaces discourage human interactions and reduce functionality.

中環行人天橋系統 Central pedestrian bridge system

With different characteristic of public spaces during these few decades, we can see that the advancement of the economy could change the type and mode of public spaces in Hong Kong.

Lecture from Patrik Schumacher

Last Friday, there was a lecture by Patrik Schmacher in Berlage institute, which is about "Autopoiesis and the societal function of architecture". Although the author found it really bored about the lectures, he still went there because of his fascination about "parametricism".

In the more then 2.5-hour-lecture, Schumacher summarised and briefly explained some of the topic from his recently published book, which the main key points are "Autopoiesis, the societal function and parametricism". Although the author kind of does not fully understand the topic, he had a positive attitude towards the lecture.

Autopoiesis - self-creation?
The author does not have any clues about this word as he heard of the word only the first time. (Though he was get used to that, as architects like to use some unknown and fancy words to describe something could be more understandable.) But as his understanding, autopoiesis of architecture describes the process of the architectural development from the ancient time in which is based on sets of comprehensive architectural theory. And during the lecture, Schumacher raised the question about the next development phrase of architecture after post-modernism. Surely, as he is the "parametric-men", he suggested that parametricism would be the next.

Societal function of architecture?
However, much of the time on the lecture has been focused on the discussion of contemporary societal function of architecture, which the author found that is not that interesting at all. All of these discourse only shows his argument about how distinct the architecture is from other societal parties such as art, politics, science, etc.

In between, there was audience questioned about the way Schumacher to perceive the architectural development, based on his own statement that the development was similar to DNA development, which is a process of elite selection. Indeed, the author has no doubt that it could be a potentially interesting topic, though seems the issue is a bit too surreal.

Parametricism
After long hours, he started to show some projects by his office. As he mentioned with the photos along, he is fancy about the interior space with simultaneous participation, which forms a network of multiple activities.

Comment
In conclusion, this lecture gives the author a chance to look at different angle of views towards how the thinking methodology of a star architect is to accomplish this kind of unique style, although apparently the lecture did not focus on the theatrical side of the parametricism. Instead, he talked more about the relationship between architecture and socio-sphere, which the author did not expected to see it from a guy who did a lot of fancy architecture.

西九文化區的爭論Controversies over West Kowloon Cultural district (WKCD)

(English version please scroll down)

西九文化區設計競賽結果已經塵埃落定，輿論也漸漸淡忘。但此時此筆者仍想發表他的一些意見。

三個方案中，似乎是兩間外國建築師樓之爭，而本土建築師樓卻明顯地陪跑。後來勝出的卻給建築師業界批評。在競賽結果公佈當天，筆者從身邊的朋友略有則聞另外一間建築師樓很不滿意競賽結果，他們覺得那一間建築師樓設計出來的方案很保守，而且缺乏新意。

然而，城中公園這個概念不失為一個出眾的亮點，皆因香港市區隨了維多利亞公園外沒有一整大片的綠色區域，而其他國際級大都會如倫敦及紐約她們亦有區域廣闊的公園。可能政府覺得照辦煮碗可以藉以提高國際地位。

但筆者愈想便愈不對勁，個人認為香港比較缺乏的是整體文化內涵及培養文化的空間，難道創造一大片綠地就能提高文化素質？另外，文化區的總體規劃也過於簡潔及空泛，只強調規劃的彈性，缺乏主題。對比另外一間的建築師樓，深入了解香港本土文化後而定立設計，倒有心思。兩者比較之下，相形見拙。

顯然地，就競賽結果反應了香港政府似乎不想藉著利用西九文化區這幅地去發展本土文化及提高香港的文化素質，只是引進M+博物館等迪士尼式的發展策略，放棄讓真正的本土文化帶進正式場合。既然如些，那就讓它變成自由行的景點，讓他們在門前拍照吧!

討論了十多年，推倒重來，結果卻還是一樣。


Although the result of WKCD design competition has been announced for a long period of time already, the author still wants to express some opinions on this topic.

2 out of 3 entries are from 2 foreign architect firms, while the local one is trivially futile. The author heard about some criticism about the winning entry from some friends who worked in the losing architect firm. They commented that the entry design is too conservative and lack of creativity.

Nevertheless, the "city park" design can be a sparkling idea because other than Victoria park, Hong Kong lacks of mega-scaled green park. With reference to the number of green zone in London and New York, having one along the new reclaimed district in Hong Kong could potentially enhance the international image.

But the author is suspicious about the move in planning a mega-scaled green park along the shoreline of the new reclaimed land, which cannot motivate the local cultural development and educations. Furthermore, the emphasis of flexibility of the master plan design is in the way too simple, boring and lack of central idea. Comparing with the other firm which design had profound research of local culture, the current winning one is a kind of an unfinished work.

Apparently, the decision of the selection reflects how many ambitions and motivations the government have in order to give chances for the development of local culture, which is none. M+ museum is only a way of Disneyland mode development, which is a spot for taking photos by some mainlander tourists.

After 10 years of discussions, and turned the engine again, the result is still the same.

"London makes me feel homesick"

Author feels very refreshed, after staying in London for 5 nights. Ironically he feels very homesick once he's arrived in UK, after his 6-month stay in Netherlands. Perhaps because of the city life of London, which is really very similar the one in Hong Kong . The funniest thing is that the left-hand traffic and the same type of socket and plug makes him feel homesick also.

Apparently London and Hong Kong share many similar things, such as overcrowded underground metros, congested pedestrian streets, speedy walking pedestrian, glassy tall buildings (especially in Canary Wharf). However, author is in favour of the quality of space in London, since the sense of space is better and feeling more comfortable when comparing with Hong Kong. Also, you can see the juxtaposition of different period of buildings, from neo-classicism to post-modern, which implies the "timelessness" of the city.

However, Hong Kong, as a colony of UK before, got something really similar to London. Like the ex-Hong Kong Club, etc. But now it is rebuilt with glassy, high-tech buildings and becomes a "high-tech" city, a city of future. Except some likely are not destroyed like the legislative council, other then that all the traces have been totally swept out.

Perhaps after several decades, while London continues to be "Timelessness", buildings in Hong Kong will be totally rebuilt again and no more trace of the "present".

Old and new Hong Kong Club (Courtesy 香港誌 and Wikipedia)