project 2: Acts of a deprogrammed ritual

from 2021 BARCH Y2 Studio Book- A Queer Club Haus

Aim of course

SEMESTER 1 PROJECT 2

ACTS OF A DE-PROGRAMED RITUAL

BACKGROUND:

In project 1.1 “Narratives and Rituals of a new…” you explored rituals that express your personal/individual acts to celebrate, commemorate or acknowledge something new, performed within your private spaces. However, is it possible to perform this ritual in a public space in a group? Moreover, what kind of spatial configurations could each of these acts produce? And can they be reconstructed to form new kinds of spaces? We have learnt in our previous lecture that program is more complex than what we are accustomed to. It relates to both the physical, material aspects of space and the psychological and phenomenological aspects as well. Bernard Tshumi extends this by stating that program is never neutral, he goes on to encourage us to dismantle and redirect it. We also know, based on our immediate Johannesburg context that a space can host many different act-ivities based on factors such as time, context, culture etc. Servant spaces can also be served spaces and thresholds can also be more than separating or connecting space

Task: This brief is divided into 3 parts each exploring an aspect that builds the project but can stand as a separate project in its own right. Part 1:Dismantling the Ritual/program Draw analytical drawings (lines, planes and volumes) of the movements based on project1.1 (do not redraw the ritual, but translate the ritual into spatial elements- lines, planes and volumes). The use of these practices in architecture means that design must fit the human body, rather than the people fitting the building. Human dimensions inspire the dimensions of the building(space). These will become your architectural space forming elements for part 3 of this brief. Part 2: Site Choose an open public space (park, square, street) close to your current residence. Document this space using black and white photographs. The space must be big enough to accommodate 15 people at a time Part 3: Redirecting the Ritual/programme Using the analytical drawings from part 1, design a space or a series of spaces to accommodate 5-10 people performing aspects of your ritual within your chosen public space. Remember, you are not recreating the ritual, but designing spaces that host new activities/ programs based on the analytical drawings of part 1. The space/s must be flexible with moving elements to allow it to change its activities at any given time. Question notions of floor, wall, roof, opening, thresholds in your proposal. This does not have to be an enclosed space. Consider time in the design proposal. How can the space change due to different time frames (day time versus night time, summer versus winter, Friday versus Sunday etc). The proposal may not exceed 100 square metres.

Outputs/Requirements: • Part 1: A1/2 Poster of analytical drawings of the movements of ritual as line, planes and volumes (3D) • Part 2: A1/A2 Poster of BW Site photographs well curated • 3x monochromatic conceptual models (1:200) • Part 3: Site plan (1:200), Floor plans (1:50), long and short sections (1:50), presentation model (1:50) in context • 3x Axonometric drawings of proposal (1- exploded proposal as it, 1- proposal during communal use, 1- proposal transformed into a flexible space) • 2x perspectives (from eye level view)- experience and materiality.

“A PROGRAM IS NEVER NEUTRAL [...] THE FIRST THING AN ARCHITECT NEEDS TO DO IS TO DISMANTLE THAT PROGRAM

AND REDIRECT IT.”— BERNARD TSCHUMI, PRAXIS 8

Objectives: • Develop and present ideas from inception to a final product • Communicate design intentions • Conceptualisation Assessment Criteria: • Translation of analysis into spatial propositions • Curatorial ship of site photographs • Strength of Design proposal and representation thereof • Quality of presentation of all outputs