MSc 3/4

Public Realm

| The Urban Foodcycle | Gwen Huisman | 2010-2011 |

 

 

 

Ideology.
The city and its food producing countryside diverge more and more, both in distance as in conscience en relation. The same goes for the city dweller and its relation to the countryside. This design for an educational centre for urban farming – The Urban Food Cycle – seeks to inter-connect the city dwellers and make them aware of food production and the importance of farmland. In this building people work on, and are taught in, the fine art of food production suited for the contemporary and future city. In this way visitors are connected and are given back their identity and sense of community. Frequent use of the building will stimulate social cohesion and temporarily abolish the‘liquid society’ (Zygmunt Bauman); strangers become acquaintances.

Concave voids.
The exterior of the building is modern and abstract, reacting on the built environment, whereas the interior uses another vocabulary, aiming on human interaction and mutual relations. The system of voids is designed and tailored for each individual floor, depending on the need for natural light and openness. The voids form the counter shape of a core that gives visitors overview, the edges of the floors harbour the more intimate spaces for close relations. De inventive load bearing structure makes big voids possible.

Connection between different landscapes.
De public landscapes (odd floors) are connected by escalators, visitors move trough the service floors (even floors) in glass tunnels, unable to call there. The more introvert program is located in the service floors. These floors are connected tot the public floors by large stairs. The stronger the relation, the larger the stairs, forming a ramp or grandstand.

New typology.
The large-scale and flexible use of the public floors, and the design and dimensions of the void, dictate a load bearing structure consisting of few elements. The construction is a sandwich of open and structural floors. The structural floors consist of 4 intersecting trusses spanning 28,8 meter. This gives freedom in the lay-out of the public floors: only 8 columns are needed. The generous height of the structural floors makes use for several small scale spaces possible. The installations are also integrated in these floors. The position of the voids is defined by the space in between the 4 trusses. In two floors, the voids cross the constructive lines, connecting to the facade. In this case two trusses are used. The space in between the double-skin facade is used as panorama-promenade for visitors.

Future transformation.
The design of structural floors is a new typology, that can adapt to dynamic future demands and harbour a range of functions. By removing the ‘interior’, the ‘carrier’ can be used as frame for other program, like 50 m2 dwellings with collective spaces. More thorough but relatively easy measures (closing of voids, changing the facade) can be taken in order to adapt the building to even more functions.

Gwen Huisman, 2011

 

Public Realm

| Urban Centre | Janet al Saifi | 2008-2009 |

 

 

Border Condition

| Carolyn Leung | 2009-2010 |

 

 

 

Public Territory

| Sander Apperlo | 2010-2011 |