Advisors: Professor Linda Keane
Associate Professor Carl Ray Miler
Associate Professor Tristan Sterk
Terry Guen, Patricia Saldaña Natke and Ekene Ijeoma
the
Activating Voids, Socializing Cities TOOLKIT
By Lina Alsharif
Submitted to the Department of Architecture
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Architecture with Emphasis in Interior Architecture at the School of Art Institute of Chicago
MAY 2018
THESIS COMMITTEE
Advisors
Professor Linda Keane
Associate Professor Carl Ray Miler
Associate Professor Tristan Sterk
Terry Guen, Patricia Saldaña Natke and Ekene Ijeoma
Master of Architecture with Emphasis in Interior Architecture
The urban fabric of contemporary cities like Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is changing at a rapid pace, with new development that rises to meet the population needs of modern society.
This acceleration of development leaves behind a scattering of leftover void spaces. These voids present vital opportunities for social interaction as potential meeting points that allow people to be in direct contact with each other. Cites need to recognize such void spaces for their potential for social activation and memorable experiences for people in public.
are;
How can we unpack the potential of void spaces and weave social activities into our daily lives?
Can one create socialization thru construct?
The Master Thesis aims to create a VOID Toolkit that focuses on space as a magnet for social interaction bringing people together to make them aware of their city’s urban fabric and engage them culturally, physically, and environmentally.
“
Culture and Climate differ all over the world, but people are the same; they will gather in public if you give them a good place to do it”1
Jan Gehl
As discussed , this Master Thesis deals with neglected spaces of contemprory cities whose functions and designs have not yet been decided upon conclusively. It is also a space that is underused, misused or abandoned forgoten spaces within the city.
“Without content; empty; vacancy; gap: useless” (dictionary.reference.com)
Roger Trancik difined Urban voids as lost spaces in his book.1
“ Lost space is the leftover unstructured landscape at the base of high-rise tower or the sunken plaza away from the flow of pedestrian activity in the city. “
“The entry foyer space that establishes the important transition, or passage, from personal domain to common territory.“
“The inner block void – the enclosed “hole in a doughnut” – a semiprivate residential space for leisure or utility or a midblock shopping oasis for circulation or rest.“
“Lost spaces are the undesirable urban areas that are in need to redesign- anti spaces, making no positive contribution to the surrounding or users”
According to Trancik, there are:
“Five types of urban oids (with dierent degrees of openness and enclosure) play a part in the exterior city.”
“The primary network of streets and squares, a category that corresponds to the predominant field of blocks and that contains the active public life of the city. Streets and squares were places to be- to spend time in- as well as corridors throgh which to move.“
“Public parks and gardens are larger voids that contrast with architectural urban forms. Acting as nodes for preservation of nature in the city, they are incorporated into the urban grid. to provide relief from hard urban enviroment“
“The linear open space system, commonly related to major water features such as rivers,wateronts, and wetland zones.“
1
Erick Villagomez looked into the urban void more closely in scale and he defined these spaces as Residual spaces. In his book, he categorized them into 8 different typologies.1
1.Spaces between “The result after urban demolition”
2.Spaces Around
“The result of new development in old context when new positioned building creates intermediary zones between the public street an private interior space of the building”
3.Roof tops
‘Underutilized rooftop spaces of building’
4.Wedges “The result of intersection of conflicting urban grids or infrastructural lines”
5.Redundant infrastructure
“Infrastructure which is not in use anymore”
6.Oversized infrastructure
“Overestimated spaces for traffic”
7.Void Spaces
“Large underutilized sites surrounding buildings”
8.Spaces Below
“Spaces below infrastructural element such as : elevated railway lines, Motorway flyover”
1 Quotes are taken from Erick Villagomez, Claiming resdual space in the heterogenous city, (London: Routledge,2010) pp 81-95.
In our contemporary cities, many spaces are left neglected and unseen. For example private vacant lands around the urban fabric of neighborhood, they are spaces almost always not perceived by citizens of their potential as a public place, even though the amount of people passing next to them is signicant.
These spaces are the main focus of this Master thesis and their characteristics as well as how to unload their potential within the context urban fabric.
7,000,000
Central Province
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
1,401,000
The Historic Urbanization process in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia shows that a large part of the city urbanized informally. This tendency consolidated during the last 50 years when increased migration of countryside populations to cities accelerated urbanization. Riyadh experienced considerable demographic growth with increased birth rate, the growth of oil industry employment that brought new workers to the city, and the draw of opportunity that Riyadh presents over rural life.
The population growth increased from 125,000 in 1959 to around 7,000,000 in 2017. Daily activity and public needs are changing constantly, especially with large influxes of mixed-income populations.1
3,035,000
3,324,000 4,227,000 6,370,000 6,704,000
Void spaces in Saudi Arabia have peppered the urban fabric for decades, these undeveloped land or a.k.a “ White land”, existed because there was no property tax for leaving leftover parcels undeveloped.
White land is the name given to medium to large plots of land in towns and cities across
the country that the landowner chooses to leave vacant in the hopes that they will increase in value over time. However, beginning in 2018, the Saudi Council imposed an annual fee on undeveloped white lands. This White Land Tax, now encourages landowners to develop their voided property.
These Voids have not only reduced socialization for inhabitants but have also become a public burden and continue to drain on urban life. These voids do not produce places that might foster community interaction and enrich socio-cultural life in a city.
Urban Voids, although vacant, mostly were full of garbage and used for informal parking. like many other vacant lots in cities around the world, it was potentially a dangerous place which increase the risk to health and welfare of the community.
But the Void TOOLKIT views these vacant lots as opportunities for productive reuse of the existing need of the community.
The site of Al-Murabba’ Quarter, is located in the center of the Riyadh Historical region. It is the ideal example for the concept of urban voids Activation. The neighbourhood is composed by a large number of people with different cultural backgrounds. Such a rich context creats a unique area for the Void TOOLKIT implementation
The base map indicate the typology of the neighbourhood context suroundings.
Stratigy
A critical understanding of the role of urban void in urban revolution.
Void Typologies
A new way of looking to voids and how they are situated in the urban fabric
Magnete Structure They form a symbiotic relationship
Condition
A design project set in the city of Riyadh using the urban void as a activation tool.
Stratigy
A critical understanding of the role of urban void in urban revolution.
Void Typologies
A new way of looking to voids and how they are situated in the urban fabric
Magnete Structure
They form a symbiotic relationship
Condition
A design project set in the city of Riyadh using the urban void as a activation tool.
Pin-Point empty spaces where possible temporary pop-up interventions could accrue. At this initial stage, armed with the Toolkit, we identify land ownership and communicate with the property owner if it is privately or government-owned land, assisting with legal issues such as liability and contract agreements, and obtaining a permit.
Empowering all generation of people around the neighborhood to contribute and to be more involved in their community culture. . Creating a new way of socializing in the construction of the temporary architecture structure, gives the underserved populace the needed skills to achieve built destinations.
Start identifying different interested parties and agencies that could get involved in the activated spaces from nearby cultural institutions, charities, a non-profit organization, schools, universities, etc., to get to their community to participate in the activation process.
The VOID TOOLKIT Provides opportunities to reactivation of the urban voids. It is about making it accessible for public use, applying activities which would give an identity to a space. The toolkit focuses on space as a magnet for social interaction bringing people together. The toolkit strategically offers four processes, Enable, Initiate, Claim, coach.
Creating a new public space by removing existing obstacle and none needed elements on the vacant land, blurring the line between Private and public space.
Activation starts with a single Magnet or pavilion.
Constructing one of the “Magnet” structures creates a shelter and sitting area and immediately claims the space and promotes a new platform for conversation with engaged locals. This phase combines an employment plan for jobless people in the area with training to build and construct the Magnet structures.
The VOID Toolkit strategizes by preparing responses to three different void typologies- Enclose, Entwine and Expose. Each of these typologies is activated by the different arrangement of the Magnet structures to encourage new and interesting ways of experiencing the place. Either it is clustered for people to walk around it, expanded to walk through it, or scattered to walk about it.
The Toolkit makes provisions for an urban environment that addresses the challenges, enabling people to have access to a better social space. As a spatial intervention project, it uses Riyadh existing vacant lands to build a series of spaces for socialization, it aims to create spaces for people in an informal urban setting. With flexible programs that adapt to the changing needs of the neighborhood.
The VOID Toolkit propagates culture in the city urban fabric and generates activities on urban vacant lands bridging the gaps in the neighborhoods.
It will also encourage a positive influence on citizens perception on their own city, transforming the private and unused land into public and useful space that will have a strong social message. The result of the VOID Toolkit is architecture generated from conditions of a space activation that initiate new stories & experiences in a neighborhood urban fabric. offering a toolkit of interventions for public voids brings new vibrancy of life to a place, engaging locals and creating a sense of belonging to a community.
The Magnets structures phase opportunities to Rest, Play, Learn and Make around the city’s urban fabric.
Estarki. Urban living room that give people a place to rest and enjoy the outdoor
Elab. Urban games that bring purposeful activity to space, bringing the community together and creating local history.
Taalam. Exchanging experiences and allowing community members to share work that impacts their lives.
Esna’a. School of life, transforming a space into a thriving community asset with programs, classes, and events to spread experiences and skill to local communities
The Magnet structure is flexible that allows a space to be reprogramed for different use depending on the time and the function required.
Photovoltaic cells
The structure incorporates LEDs lights connected to a fabric of photovoltaic cells providing an off-grid lighting system that creates a luminous outdoor environment. This address the environmental issue of using alternative harvested by day to illuminate by night. The light output is related to the power intake, making it visible and creating awareness about energy use; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s most intense sunlight.
Fabric
The fabric stretch along the structure gives shades while letting air circulation. The fabric also acts as a canvas for local artist and crafted women collaboration to their community.
Platform
The Wooden platform acts as a canvas for local artist collaboration to their community.
Level Support
Exibility for the adjustment of levels and slopes of the various land where the structure is placed.
Skin
The skin surface provides a barrier from the environments and allows creating a place based on the needs of the program. It could be a Plywood, fabric or Acrylic sheet.
Metal clips
That attach the skin to the structure
Furniture
Modular urban furniture system that can adapt to the community growing need
The Magnet structure uses a simple assembly method; the parts come in a box for ease of transport and with detailed instruction of flexible configurations. 15 components make up the entire structure. 2x4 lumber is the main component. The structure consists of two main frames attached with horizontal supports by lap joints. The main idea is to make construction as easy as possible and to encourage people to participate.
Although small in scale, the interventions weave a socially catalytic urban fabric encouraging people to explore, move and seek destinations. As busy daily lives continue, layers of experience connect people to place and to each other in surprising ways.
Instruction for assembly and operation of the magnete structure
The VOID Toolkit strategizes by preparing responses to three different void typologies- Enclose, Entwine and Expose. Each of these typologies is activated by the different arrangement of the Magnet structures to encourage new and interesting ways of experiencing the place. Either it is clustered for people to walk around it, expanded to walk through it, or scattered to walk about it.
Looking through the activated space Looking to
VOID Toolkit strategizes by preparing responses to three different void typologies- Enclose, Entwine and Expose. Each of these typologies is activated by the different arrangement of the Magnet structures to encourage new and interesting ways of experiencing the place. Either it is clustered for to walk around it, expanded to walk through it, or scattered to walk about it.
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preparing responses to three different void typologies- Enclose, typologies is activated by the different arrangement of the Magnet interesting ways of experiencing the place. Either it is clustered for to walk through it, or scattered to walk about it.
EXPOSE
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Looking through the activated space
Looking to the activated space
Looking through the activated space
Looking to the activated
Bibliography
Books
Oswalt, Philipp, Klaus Overmeyer, and Philipp Misselwitz. Urban Catalyst: The power of temporary use. Berlin: DOM, 2014. Print.
Kee, Tris, and Francesca Miazzo. We Own The City: Enabling Community practice in Architecture and Urban Planning. Amsterdam: Valiz, 2014. Print.
Gehl, Jan, and Lord Richard. Cities for People. Washington DC: Island, 2013. Print.
Lynch, Kevin. The Image Of The City. The M.I.T. Press, 1960.
Trancik, Roger. Finding Lost Spaces; Theories of urban design. New york: Van Nostrand reinhold company Library of Congress , 1986. https://elibraryarchitecture.files.wordpress. com/2015/03/finding-lost-space.pdf
Casanova, Helena, and Jesus Hernandez. Public Space Accupuncture: Strategies and interventions for activating city life. New york: Actar Publishers, 2014.
Journals
“Population Study of Riyadh City (1437H).” ArriyadhDevelopmentAuthorityResearches andStudies , 2016, 6-43. http://www.ada.gov.sa/ADA_E/Researches_ ADA_E/index.htm?i=5
“Planning by Doing: How small, citizenpowered projects inform large planning decisions ”Feb 2016. www.gehlstudio.com
“Reclaiming the Right of Way: a toolkit for creating and implementing Parklets”.UCLA Luskin school of public Affairs, Sep2012.
Web References
ArRiyadh City Website “www.ada.gov.sa”
ArRiyadh Urban Indicators “www.arriyadh. com”
next.cc “www.next.cc/journey/tools/walking”
GIS land use Data, from High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh
May 11 2018