[INVISIBLE CITIES]
INTRODUCTORY DESIGN PROJECT
STUDIO 2 - LSoA
// BRIEF
Given the vast scale of the research topic, that of global consumer cultures, I have decided to narrow the scope of my intervention for the introductory design project (IDP). This is to test the concept as thoroughly as possible without getting tied up with the complexities of the system as a whole.
The focus is on understanding the management of fundemental support systems within an existing urban context, testing the viability of a designed solution for water, food and energy within a 'typical' urban block.
[THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY]
The contemporary global network has facilitated a reduction in urban production on both an industrial and domestic level. The de-industrialisation of 'developed' cities, particularly in the UK, has rendered the urban landscape free of production and thus the causal relationship between the consumer and the product has been lost. Replaced by a swelling commercial core which only adds to the homogenity of our cities.
Additionally, our connection with the system is often experienced in isolation. With the promotion of the nuclear family, as the idealised social construct, the urban realm has developed to encapsulate this. Within a network of shopping centres, super markets and, more recently, the rise in online retailing; the physical constructs of our society have orchestrated a marketplace absent of social dialogue.
Within the urban realm, the global community is characterised by an geographic disconnect between environments of production and those of consumption.
This diagram was designed to communicate the inputs and outputs of a typical urban housing scheme, focusing on linearity, in that, the urban space acts as a machine to facilitate the the transference of global capital.
This diagram was designed to communicate the inputs and outputs of a typical urban housing scheme, focusing on linearity, in that, the urban space acts as a machine to facilitate the the transference of global capital.
[THE LOCAL COMMUNITY]
[Re] localisation has begun to take a hold of areas within our cities as the consumer becomes more aware of their wider environmental influence. The rise of makerspaces, urban agriculture and permacultural practices are beginning to influence the image of our cities, reviving links between the producer and consumer.
The fundemental concept here is that, by reviving links within the locale, the consumer is able to interact directly with the producer and thus, the system itself is maintained through trust. Local communities, through the application of diversity, modularity and the tightening of feedback loops, are much more resilient to change than the global economy.
Within the urban realm, the local community is characterised by an network of pro-sumer activities which serves to support a locally-oriented economy. These networks of production revive a dialogue between people and place which, through the etablishment of community, generates a more resilient environment.
[UTILISING THE STREET]
In establishing the importance of visibility it becomes essential to integrate production within the human experience of the city. The following diagrams aim to explain the idea that perhaps the best location for such is the interface between the internal and external environments.
This intermediate area frames the view of both the architecture and the surrounding context from the human perspective and thus becomes part of the physical interpretation of space. The suggestion here is that the 'productive medium' would serve as a temporary host for elements of production (food systems, water filtration and energy generation) which would briefly animate the facade before moving on to the next host. This scaffold-like structure would prevent the loss of architectural meaning within the urban environment whilst transmitting a message of localisation and resource awareness.
'Closed Loop' - This drawing was produced to visually communicate the connections between productive elements within a typical urban setting. The focus here is on closed-loop design through permaculrual practices which creates a system in which waste can be utilised as a resource.
Concept Elevation
The grid-like system generates a modular aesthetic which would be customised to match the scale and fenestration of the existing context. Whilst the transient nature of the design communicates the fragility of the capitalist system, the human animation within it, through maintainance and harvesting, revives an important link to the process of production within the street.
Concept visual - from the street
