Introduction presentation

“

The central premise of USER-CENTERED DESIGN is that the best designed products and services result from understanding the needs of the people who will use them —Design Council

USER-CENTERED DESIGN AS A KEY FOR (RE)DEVELOPMENT p1 presentation 02 | 04 | 2014

explore lab 18 Tsveta Ruseva 4257537

research and design site East Europe Bulgaria Sofia City centre Site location

research proposal

problem statement

The researched area was built in the beginning of the last century a period of poverty and housing shortage.

Refugees have taken residence in the neighbourhood and build their own houses.

The lack of any urban planning and decent building technology skills have resulted in poor quality buildings and a lack of communal spaces.

problem statement

poor maintenance and obvious neglection potentially dangerous buildings people are moving out abandoning the property vacant or already demolished buildings squatters bad reputation

problem statement

BUT the area has a top location being part of the city centre

+ well developed public transport infrastructure

+ large range of educational services. From a kindergarten to a university.

+

commercial points – big shopping centre, big supermarket, everyday market and petrol station

research question

How do policy goals and dweller’s preferences overlap?

How this can be used as base to define a strategy for redevelopment of a neglected city centre neighbourhood?

research sub-question

•

What are the living preferences of the city centre dweller?

What are people’s motivations behind choosing to live in the city centre?

•

How much are people willing to pay – price-quality relationship?

Can affordability be a key to urban regeneration?

•

How does the Housing Market in Sofia answer to the needs and lifestyle of the people?

•

What are the municipality of Sofia’s plans for the city centre?

city centre as residential environment

diversity of employment opportunities

high level of entertainment facilities - cultural, culinary, shopping etc.

proximity of friends - social life

research project goal

Insight in the living preferences of the city centre dweller, the municipality policy goals for future urban development and the housing market in Sofia Understanding of the changing needs and lifestyle of the people Development of an urban and architectural strategy for redevelopment of a neglected city centre neighbourhood

research methodology

research question

How do policy goals and dweller’s preferences overlap?

How this can be use as base to define a strategy for redevelopment of a neglected city centre neighbourhood?

municipality policy goals

dweller’s living preferences

housing market in Sofia

• past city centre urban concepts

• general meaning of home

• general characteristics

• future urban ideas

• preferences for the city centre as a residential environment

• demand for city properties

• building laws and regulations

• living preferences

• price range

• affordability price-quality relationship

research methodology

research goal

literature study

literature study

literature study

interviews with experts

interviews with dwellers

interviews with experts

Paper on dweller’s housing preferences based on relevant literature and interview analyses which results in conclusions on the meaning of these preferences for a residential architectural design.

research methodology

Literature Study • collect and analyse articles, books and publications Theoretical knowedge about the users living preferences, the housing market and the likely development of the city

Interviews • qualitative research - conduct interviews with dwellers whose preference for residential environment is the city centre - conduct interviews with experts in different fields with interest in the researched city location

design proposal

design goal

To define a theoretical basis for an architectural design of a residential building located in the city centre To design various dwelling types based on the preferences of future inhabitants and the way they wish to express their identities with their homes.

The design should be developed consistent with the current building regulations

site location East Europe Bulgaria Sofia City centre Site location

Sofia

population 16.4 %

Sofia

1.3 million = 100000 people

education

housing stock

age

37 %

43 %

university degree

high-school graduate

9%

10 %

primary school diploma

never finished primary school

0.4 %

13 %

0 - 14 15 - 64

70 %

> 64

17 %

= 100000 units

607473 dwellings which are 15.6 % of the whole housing stock

40 % of the dwellings are located in mass housing blocks

illiterate

ethnic groups

employment 72 %

2.6 people per dwelling

66 %

8%

96 %

1.5 %

0.6 %

1.9 %

63 %

96.6 % 97.1 %

economically active people

employment rate

unemployment rate

of the Sofia residents define themselves as Bulgarians

of the Sofia residents define themselves as Roma

of the Sofia residents define themselves as Turkish

of the Sofia residents define themselves as others

of the dwellings have toilet inside

of the dwellings have bathroom inside

industry 16.7 %

* all data is from the census in 2011 by National statistical institute Bulgaria

of the dwellings have computer & internet connection

of the country industry is located in Sofia

infrastructure of the site

Bus Tram Trolleybus Train track Train stop Metro line Metro stop Site location

surroundings

Site location 1. High school with intensive study of herbrew

1 2

2. Orthodox church “Sveti Nikolay Sofijski"

3

3. High school with intensive study of asian languages

4

4. Sofia synagogue

7

5. Banya Bashi Mosque Sofia

5

6. Shopping centre CUM in a building of an architectural value 7. Shopping centre Halite - old refurbished building 8. Sofia Catholic Cathedral 9. The first modern shopping Mall in Sofia built 2000

8 9

6

photos of the site

Silhouette street view -1-

Silhouette street view -2-

current sutiation

empty plot empty building single family house apartment building auxiliary building

new urban ideas (promoted by the municipality)

residential commercial office

urban design concept transition from traditional closed block to open block system - difference in height - divers and integrated types of forms - no facade conformity - avoidance of standardisation - no rigid street plan - highlighted block corners - green zones - squares

reference project Atelier Christian de Portzamparc | Quartier Massena

AGE 1

AGE 2

Portzamparc sketches of an open-block theory

Impressions from the neighbourhood

OPEN BLOCK Urban plan

project planning

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mentors 1. Design mentor, 1st mentor • Robert Nottrot 2. Research mentor, 2nd mentor • Andre Mulder 3. Building technology mentor, 3rd mentor • To be determined

travel plans A trip to Bulgaria is required to gather the relevant literature and conduct interviews with the people from the researched target group and selected experts . A visit to the local municipality and the location itself will be useful to elaborate an accurate site analysis and to collect the basic building regulation data.

The trip will be around 2-3 weeks in the end of April beginning of May.

bibliography 1. Articles about the Housing market in Sofia (in Bulgarian) 2. Stephen Finlay, Isabella Pereira, Ella Fryer-Smith, Anne Charlton, Rebecca Roberts-Hughes, The way we live now: what people need and expect of their homes (Ipsos MORI & RIBA, London 2013) 3. Paul A. Bell, Thomas Greene, Jeffrey Fisher and Andrew S. Baum: Environmental Psychology, Taylor & Francis, 2005 4. Ch.Alexander, S.Ishikawa, M.Silverstein: A pattern Language, Towns Buildings Construction, New York, Oxford University Press, 1977 5. Janine Meesters: The meaning of activities in the dwelling and residential environment, A structural approach in people-environment relations, IOS Press BV, 2009 6. Irene Cieraad: At Home, An Anthropology of Domestic Space, Syracuse University Press, 1999 7. Julienne Hanson: Decoding Homes and Houses, Cambridge University press, 1998 8. Kevin Lynch: The Image of the City, The MIT Press, 1992 9. Stappers, Pieter, Szita, Jane: Designing for, with, and from user experience, StudioLab Press, 2010

Sources of the images: Silhouette street view -1- : https://www.google.com/maps Silhouette street view -2- : https://www.google.com/maps 1. High school with intensive study of herbrew: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.701496,23.308551,3a,50.9y,326.71h,94.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1syLsROAJl24dNL8DsToab5A!2e0 2. Orthodox church “Sveti Nikolay Sofijski": http://4coolpics.com/pics/0405/232770405948.jpg 3. High school with intensive study of asian languages: http://i.frognews.bg/images/18_sou.jpg 4. Sofia synagogue: http://www.faktor.bg/uploads/images/Sofia-sinegoga.jpg 5. Banya Bashi Mosque Sofia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Banya_Bashi_Mosque_Sofia.jpg 6. Shopping centre CUM: http://www.prodes.bg/_upload/sgrada1.jpg 7. Shopping centre Halite: http://www.andrey-andreev.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/64.jpg - halite 8. Sofia Catholic Cathedral: http://api.ning.com/files/QhSpIHPIrnlVGmxiZxa4h2kH1ZH8i2RT9tbgmN9yl6Fu9dGQx9AGUYQjTLZg5n0p9ochDhctyhQO54V4sU0lSw-GxNLM24*y/file.. jpg?width=721 9. The first modern shopping Mall in Sofia: http://www.mirela.bg/dynamic/i/articles/php/622/26622/3_3.jpg Portzamparc sketches of an open-block theory: http://www.arthitectural.com/atelier-christian-de-portzamparc-quartier-massena/ Urban plan Atelier Christian de Portzamparc | Quartier Massena: http://www.arthitectural.com/atelier-christian-de-portzamparc-quartier-massena/ Impressions from the neighbourhood: http://www.arthitectural.com/atelier-christian-de-portzamparc-quartier-massena/

thank you

explore lab 18 | 02.04.2014 Tsveta Ruseva 4257537