emanation of the commons | phase one & two

the emanation of the commons architecture in a city without majorities campus Sint-Lucas Brussels, KU Leuven international master of architecture 2021 spring semester tutors: Patrick Moyersoen & Jasmien Wouters by

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phase 1: PRESENCE IN THE CITY LANDSCAPE _ reading || site & references _ spatial vocabulary _ translation into the context phase 2: (RE)DEFINING COMMON GROUND _ understanding the topic _ vocabulary _ translation into visual _ into process phase 3: MAKE IT TANGIBLE _ reflection || new beginning _ narrative _ reading references _ into process

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PRESENCE IN THE CITY LANDSCAPE phase 1

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historical aspect – the underground connection between north and south stations by metro in 1950-1960s changed the layout of streets, buildings and layers of life in between

the connection which caused the separation

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reading || site

The city, however, doesn’t tell the past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightning rods, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls.

- ITALO CALVINO, Invisible Cities, p11

1930-1935

1971

1953

1977

1961

today

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reading || site

grid & order || big scale & freedom

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2 grid & order || context & layers

grid & order || approaches & irregularity

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grid and order of the existing buildings became a background to observe the life in between regular urban landscape. everyhting what doesn’t follow strict horzontal or vertical axles becomes interesting part of the life in the site.

therefore, the contrast for intervention is chosen

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reading || site

observation & experience Experience is the field where we collect the material and immaterial contributions that form our work; it is the starting point.

- Francesca Torzo, in Hasselt, 2012

impression: big scale | freedom open space: natural strong wind, rain

sound without view: police is hurrying bells of cathedral are ringing people are talking

finance tower as the dominant of the site

experience: layers | approaches | irregularity historical context cathedral and town hall tower in the horizon layers of life intimate moments connection betewen inside & outside activity and light: street at night & plynth during the day

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Experience is also the purpose: to offer people space to experience.

- Francesca Torzo, in Hasselt, 2012

Listen! Interiors are like large instruments, collecting sound, amplifying it, transmitting it elsewhere.

- Peter Zumthor, Atmospheres, p29

<...> architecture involves movement. Architecture is a spatial art, as people always say. But architecture is also a temporal art.

- Peter Zumthor, Atmospheres, p41

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reading || references

SUPERSTUDIO I Monumento Continuo, Arizona desert | 1969 SUPERSTUDIO I Villa Suburbana | 1968-1970

BERNARD RUDOFSKY | “Architecture without architects”

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contrasts transformed into the shape: light | darkness shared | private silent | loud imtimate | active moving | stable open view | closed involving | rejecting

contrast leads from observations, feelings, surroundings, variety of people

therefore, great hall as a contrast is not necessarily one big volume – it involves smaller connected spaces

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spatial vocabulary

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JONAS KISSLING | gypsum prototyping

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goal These were spaces you would enter and begin to feel you could stay there – that you were not just passing through. I’d be standing there, and might just stay a while, but then something would be drawing me round the corner – it was the light falls, over here, over there: and so I sounter on – and I must say I find that a great source of pleasure. The feeling that I am not being directed but can stroll at will – just drifting along, you know?

And it’s a kind of voyage of discovery.

- Peter Zumthor, Atmospheres, p43

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impression

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translation into context

experience

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ambition

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translation into context

intervention

principles of intervening into existing landscape finding the best way

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connection of different layers

what is the relation to the site?

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translation into context 01

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intervention covering the plynth and the street

how is the intervention is integrated into the context?

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translation into context 02

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sketch of the proposal to differentiate the spaces

what kind of connection to these spaces is important?

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translation into context 03

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what is the relation to the site?

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translation into context 04

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what are the main urban statements?

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translation into context 05

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translation into context final stop

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translation into context final stop

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phase 1: PRESENCE IN THE CITY LANDSCAPE _ reading || site & references _ spatial vocabulary _ translation into the context phase 2: (RE)DEFINING COMMON GROUND _ understanding the topic _ vocabulary _ translation into visual _ into process phase 3: MAKE IT TANGIBLE _ reflection || new beginning _ narrative _ reading references _ into process

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(RE)DEFINING COMMON GROUND phase 2 together with Raquel Prudencio

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namegiving | autumn | spring | carnival

adulthood | harvest | love | midsummer

death | winter

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understanding the topic

shared moments rites of passages

When it comes to open public spaces in a diverse city like Brussels, it becomes very important to analyse its variety and complexity.

Therefore, I see phase 2 as an opportunity to take a fresh look at the diversity of people, their needs and cultural habits.

Personal experiences have become an essential aspect, which take on a different meaning when they are experienced in a public place, in a group of people. The boundary between personal and shared moments is the most intriguing part of this phase. How do people celebrate their lives? How are their habits affected by space?

Or how do people themselves appropriate space? How do natural phenomena influence people’s lives?

Finally, polyptych is chosen as a tool for this analysis. It is considered as a group work, which connects main topics of human and nature life: circle of life: namegiving, adulthood, love, death circle of earth: midwinter, carnival, spring, midsummer, harvest, autumn / decay

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namegiving... what does it mean to give a name? to name = to give a sense

one of the very first acts of free will exercised by man was the act of naming name is seen as part of identity each name carries so much meaning the need to distinguish became essential the necessity of inventing common names in order to create a narrative

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understanding the topic

... in relation with space what gets first: name for the place? or action gives a name to the space? does the name change or form the identity of the place? unlabelled spaces give more opportunities We decided to go in a different path and relate the concept to space.

The purpose is to analyse: how does the namegiving influence on its use and reflect on how a space, given its Name can be interpreted in different ways, based on cultural values. The approach towards culture was a focus given that the city of Brussels is multicultural and this diverse appropriation can be seen within te same city.

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namegiving translated into concepts: free will / freedom beginning of the narrative external influences personal experience cultural values meaning / sense

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vocabulary

patterns of the square | street | stairs

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one NAME several meanings

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translation into visual

reference to understand the appropriation of public spaces: Loose Space: Possibility and Diversity in Urban Life

In cities around the world people use a variety of public spaces to relax, to protest, to buy and sell, to experiment and to celebrate.

Loose Space explores the many ways that urban residents, with creativity and determination, appropriate public space to meet their own needs and desires.

To represent this concept we thought about having the space represented in an abstract way, being more identifiable by their Names. The idea of situating the space into a context was brought by having an outline of some buildings in Brussels. These are not only typical historical buildings but they go from older, to modern and different styles, what we feel really represents the layers that Brussels has.

As previously mentioned a reference used as inspiration was the book Loose Spaces and in it we got several images that have people appropriating certain spaces in different ways and in different countries. It is interesting to see how people relate to spaces differently and what aspects of the culture lead to this. The purpose was to also explore the use of these spaces beyond their Name and whatever this designates towards it. Taking into consideration that people tend toward their needs and through these diverse uses we can see what is essential to the space and to their needs.

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People dancing on the East 3rd Street, New York

In Prosfygika, Greece, feast to resist government plans

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Children playing on Chisenhale Road, London

Filipino maids, working in Hong Kong without their families, gather in public spaces all over the city on their weekly day off. They chat, eat, play cards, read magazines and try out make up and nail polish

translation into visual

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Vegetables for sale, Noryangjin fish market, Seoul

People sitting on New York Public Library steps, mostly office workers eating lunch.

Getting married is a big step; wedding photos outside Parliament House, Melbourne, Australia

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Chinese dry food store, Grand Street, Little Italy

translation into visual

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Winston Churchill memorial defaced with ‘was a racist’ during London Black Lives Matter protest

people protesting against police brutality against people of colour and, generally, racism in Brussels

Climate activists form a protest camp near the statue of King Leopold II at Trone square (Place du Trone) on March 25, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.

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A statue of former king of Belgium Baudouin was defaced with red paint to protest his role in the colonisation of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

translation into visual

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Researching the topic of namgiving in relation to space, we were forced to think more about the diversity of people, their cultural habits and ways of appropriating space.

In connection with my project, I was again struck by a contrast or a paradoxical statement: one name has several meanings - we call the same, but experience it in many different ways.

The second phase leaves me with the idea of unlabelled - not strictly defined - spaces. On the other hand, a space that could be defined by people and their use.

Thinking about the great hall and the variety of people as well as activities that have been explored, I’m interested in creating a space without strict boundaries, where inner and outer spaces merge.

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translation into visual final stop

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collage as a technique enables to bring various moments into one place, expresses the multi-cultural society and different layers

A collage allows a lot of voices to be in one place.

- Tatiana Bilbao, 2019

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into process choosing the language

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into process discussing

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into process collaging

A collage also accepts processes, it accepts mistakes.

- Tatiana Bilbao, 2019

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into process celebrating

people celebrate their life in shared moments the process itself – became a sequence of shared moments together with Raquel – celebration

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phase 1: PRESENCE IN THE CITY LANDSCAPE _ reading || site & references _ spatial vocabulary _ translation into the context _ into process phase 2: (RE)DEFINING COMMON GROUND _ understanding the topic _ vocabulary _ translation into visual _ into process phase 3: MAKE IT TANGIBLE _ reflection || new beginning _ narrative _ reading references _ into process

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MAKE IT TANGIBLE phase 3

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Matthew Simmonds

Giancarlo Gareiss

two ways of the intervention as a contrast following the urban landscape the second is chosen

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reflection || new beginning

_ intervention matches the suroundings in the urban landscape – flat and strict roof surface correlates with the existing environment _ the inner and outer spaces of the intervention follows the contrast principle – different atmospheres are created _ intervention becomes a public space, which connects the existing layers – street level is integrated in the upper part of the site _ two clear spaces – ground floor & roof (top floor) – become relevant in more detailed proposal

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01 space

02 following the axis

03 access - circulation

roof

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square in relation to congress observation deck

b c

following axis of the gardens

a - path on the roof b - path under the roof c - path on the plinth

following axis of the buildings and congress station

connection between street and upper levels

ground floor

forming the square on the ground floor - connection to congress station

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narrative

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pond

forest

cave

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dunes

narrative

forest

light, rain and columns become key elements referring to the forest atmosphere – people are invited to find their personal way how to use the spaces, which can be imtimate and public at the same time

cave

several open to the sky spaces can work as gathering spots including cultural activities – the darkness around, sound and echo suggest new experiences

pond

openness and connection to the street allows to involve more natural elements in this segment – inviting and curious atmosphere

dunes

the landscape becomes the key element while experiencing this part – the segments can work as a playground for children

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These were spaces you would enter and begin to feel you could stay there – that you were not just passing through. I’d be standing there, and might just stay a while, but then something would be drawing me round the corner – it was the light falls, over here, over there: and so I sounter on – and I must say I find that a great source of pleasure. The feeling that I am not being directed but can stroll at will – just drifting along, you know?

And it’s a kind of voyage of discovery.

- Peter Zumthor, Atmospheres, p43

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narrative

the sequence of the spaces – separated by atmospheres but physically connected contrast felt by observing from the top and experiencing while being inside

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Carmen Kempf and Linda Sjoqvist I Unpolished | 2021

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reading || references

Junya Ishigami I House and Restaurant Cave | 2018

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clay

plaster

foam

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into process exploring materials

cement & cardboard

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into process making

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into process trying

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into process learning

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into process final stop

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into process final stop

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open to appropriation, to variety of experiences and activities, unpredictable – connecting

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the emanation of the commons architecture in a city without majorities campus Sint-Lucas Brussels, KU Leuven international master of architecture 2021 spring semester tutors: Patrick Moyersoen & Jasmien Wouters by

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