Experience_Represent_Manipulate: metropolitan space fragmented

Proceedings, International IAPS-CSBE & HOUSING Network 2009 1

Experience_Represent_Manipulate: metropolitan space fragmented

Çiğdem Eren* Arzu Erdem** İpek Baycan*** Zeynep Aydemir*** * Dr., Department of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University ** Prof.Dr., Department of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University *** Student, Graduate Program of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University

Abstract The city that we know, is changing; especially its physical structure and meaning through the material processes directed by economical, technological and political and conceptual transformations. Consequently, cities are the main area of focus for a multitude of interdisciplinary research. In order to understand the many layers of the global metropolis or to explicitly represent their underlying mechanisms a variety of paradigms and hence relevant tools of analysis have been generated. This paper aims to discuss a particular design experiment where the problem is defined as a mean to enable a thorough analysis and evaluation of the ever changing dynamics of a metropolitan setting, and to propose/device a creative approach of intervention while adding/designing the new. The paper is based on a workshop that is organized by the Istanbul Branch of the Chamber of Architects for undergraduate architectural students from a variety of institutes of higher learning located in Istanbul.

Introduction Our dictionary expands parallel to the increasing speed of change constantly transforming our physical sphere of existence. The city that we know, is changing; especially its physical structure and meaning through the material processes directed by economical, technological, political and conceptual transformations. We are trying to identify and understand these processes by new conceptions about their dynamics and underlying mechanisms. As a consequence of a multitude of overlapping events and realities, we are encountering a new urban reality, the metapolis, possessing a new type of agglomeration made up of multiplied, heterogeneous and discontinuous spaces and topologies (Ascher, 1995). The territory of this new setting, or the former metropolis is, therefore a complex system of simultaneous relationships and events, determined on the basis of the greater or lesser effectiveness of the possible combinations between successive layers of activity and definition which characterize it, and the large-scale structural networks that articulate it: layers and networks between processes of action and reaction occur, and between which also appear zones of fading. Such an entity, constructed on the basis of interactions between layers, networks and backgrounds refers to other synthetic combinations that allude to this progressively abstract and informational dimension of the contemporary city, which can be compared, in its more physical sense, to these trinomials: voids/fills/ articulations, constructions/landscapes/infrastructures, volumes/free spaces/arteries Gausa, et.al, 2003a). Istanbul, as a global metropolis in transition, possesses similar dynamics. All of the above mentioned trinomials take a variety of forms within the city. It is synchronously local and global. It is both old and new. As Sassen proposes, the global city is precisely the synthesis of these two scales; the old and the new (Sassen, 1991). In addition with its ten million plus population, ever accelerating expansion, unique history and multi_layered/multi_cultured existence; it becomes one of the most trivial examples of

Keywords: fragmented metropolis, experienced space, urban ecology and design Dr. Çiğdem Eren / Istanbul Technical University, Department of Architecture / +90 212 2931300 / +90 212 2514895 [email protected]

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its kind. Hence, it becomes a very popular example for urban research. The aim of this paper is to discuss the objectives and outcomes of a short term design studio where the focus was on the specifics of two urban fragments depicting a trinomial nature and hence defined by the existence of volumes, free spaces and arteries. The primary studio objective is to provide a tool to understand the spatial consequences of globalization in the urban context and to explicit the underlying patterns of urban ecology to be sustained. In order to provide a sound understanding it is particularly important to discuss the phenomena of globalization which is seen as the main generator of this transformation processes mainly with its economic and cultural expansions. Keywords that are generally associated with globalization thus include connectivity, interdependency, time-space compression, flexible accumulation, integration, competition, fragmentation, complexity and chaos. The spaces we encounter in a metropolitan setting are defined by juxtapositions of static and dynamic matter. The ongoing debate of representing metropolitan information sustains its validity almost in all educational contexts. Positions taken in such a debate vary from the most structured and hence, didactic to the critically experimental. Fragments of the metropolis are identified and represented giving emphasis to the tangible where in reality, ironically, the experimented medium is dominated and thus experienced by a vast number of overlapping dynamic phenomena. In the educational context, architectural design studios aim to address the issue by incorporating hypothetical or real projects where the objective is to propose the new within the dynamics of a specific metropolitan setting. In order to support the position of debate it is required to clarify its primary postulates: the new understanding of the metropolis_in_transition is based on the idea that in urban ecology sustainability is interaction, and energy is information, and technology is vehiclisation. Cities are hybrid mechano_organisms that possess unique ecological behaviors. Instead of old nostalgic or pseudobucolic ecology_ which freezes all the qualities to be preserved in order to sustain its identity_ it requires an ecology is based on re_qualifying based on the virtue of being reformulating. The position, hence, requires being proactive rather than being timid or defensive. The aim is to maximize entropy recovered in the form of information (to make the urban system more efficient) and minimize the entropy exported to the environment (Gausa, et.al, 2003b). It is important to develop tools of knowing about the city. Design is to know, and this knowledge opens up possibilities to construct new worlds. Unfolding the folds of urban structure is the main idea behind intervention. The particularity of the approach stems from its intention: the aim is to provide a mean to replace the alienating experience of creating separate spaces that remove themselves from the rest of the urban dynamics_reality and that rearticulate the laws of gravity. The overall aim is to develop an understanding of a place related phenomena within the urban context, and to device a tool for enhancing its quality through design. In this respect; the idea is to attain continuity of the intangible character (information flow, pedestrian movement patterns, overlapping schemes of social interaction…) of the urban fragment at hand.

The workshop: experience_represent_manipulate The subject of this paper is a particular design experiment where the problem was defined as a mean to enable a thorough analysis and evaluation of the ever changing dynamics of a metropolitan fragment, and to propose/device a creative approach of intervention while adding/designing the new. Relatively, it is based on a specific workshop instructed by the authors and was included in a series of parallel workshops, Urban Dreams, organized and sponsored by the Istanbul Branch of Turkish Chamber of Architects for undergraduate architectural students from a variety of institutes of higher learning located in Istanbul. Eleven students of varying academic levels participated in the workshop that was held as a fulltime event for five weeks, in July 2009. The theme of our workshop is inspired by Steven Holl‟s theoretical work, namely, The Phenomena of Relations within the City, based on his proposal for Milan Triennale XVIII (Holl, 1988). As described by Holl in his aforementioned text, „… spatial perception and development in an urban setting require a three dimensional, sectional approach that gives primary importance to the views of


perambulating residents who traverse shifting ground planes, experiencing the city from multiple frames of reference… ‘. In this way, new volumetric spatial compositions can be defined and projected solely based on the accumulated experience of the ambulating designer, as the city dweller. Throughout the workshop, the emphasis was placed not only on understanding the specifics of the settlement patterns, morphological attributes and architectonic characteristics of the dominant architecture but overlapping actions and behaviors of mobile components such as pedestrians, cars, information as well. The primary objective is to capture the essence/spirit and the character of the place or the metropolitan fragment at hand. The collaborative studio_ which brought together academicians and practitioners of architecture was held at the Istanbul Technical University‟s School of Architecture. The two sites chosen as the venue of the workshop, Bostancı and Mecidiyekoy, are unique environments within the metropolis of Istanbul dominated by voids, free spaces of varying characteristics and an overlapping multi-layered web of transportation systems. Mecidiyekoy has a central location in the European site. The area is dominated by office blocks and commercial activities. It is also one of the major nodes of transportation. Systems passing through the area bring in people from all over the city, all through the day. It is literally located at the crossing point of the subway system, many lines of intercity commuter busses, pedestrian paths and cars. The other fragment of study, Bostancı is located on the Asian side of the city, and contrary to Mecidiyekoy, is dominated by residential entities. The existence of the ferry port, bus stops, train station and two major traffic arteries within the vicinity, makes Bostancı one of the important transportation nodes of the city. The short term design studio concentrates on these two specific fragments. As for the theme, students were asked to design an annex to complement and/or enhance the experienced spatial quality of an existing situation while dealing with the challenges of temporal/permanent dichotomy. The adopted method can be defined in four stages, consecutively allocated to activities for representing the experience of place, abstracting the topological relations observed, developing a program to enhance spatial experience and presenting the work or proposal as a series explicit graphic or verbal representations. The aim is to experiment with multimedia tools while searching for satisfactory operational representations of the particular urban phenomena.

Figure 1, map of Bostanci


Experience The workshop starts with a personal inventory of the situation that requires each student to spend time in both of the fragments. The aim is to get a feeling of the space and to explicitly represent the experience through a variety of representations. Since the aim of the job is to design architectural objects of mobile, permanent or temporary nature to support the existing public networks without hindering the flow of activities, students are asked to focus on the dynamics of the place as well. Through discussions on subjective experiences, the group tries to summarize the similarities and differences of their observations. The students are encouraged to exemplify their experiences by photos, audio recordings, movies, graphics, texts or free hand sketches. Since the studio group includes students from a variety of academic levels, another objective is to discuss not only the content but also the potential ways of representing urban experience. Our corollary could be defined as is in order to provide a sound reading of an urban fragment, the focus should be on the relations that correspond to metropolitan concepts such as speed, density or multiplicity. In this respect the dynamic components of a fragment are given priority over static components such as built entities. The aim is to enable a relationship based on empathy rather than abstraction with the subject of focus as the urban fragment. As the outcome of this step, the students modeled their collective experience as a cartographical representation indicating nodes, flows, paths of activity and information. As can be followed in the following figures, the maps denote information on the use patterns and dynamics of urban ecology (Figure 1, Figure 2). After collecting and documenting urban data at both of the fragments, the students commence with their design activities as pairs or individuals. Throughout the workshop two movies particularly engaged in representing urban information of different nature, sounds, are also discussed. Crossing the Bridge by Fatih Akın and Lisbon by Wim Wenders are chosen for their unique synopsis and cinematography. The discussions on the movies focus on the transformation of formal sounds or music in Akın‟s case, or ordinary informal sounds in Wender‟s case to cinematoghraphic data.

Figure 2, map of Mecidiyeköyy


Represent In order to explicit the topological relations dominating the fragment of focus, the second step requires representation of the in-situ experience as multiple frames of reference. The idea is to enable a mean for experimentation with the real. Following Steven Holl‟s model, potential topological relations that exist in a complex metropolitan fragment are matched with the site of focus. Here, the idea underlying idea of the exercise could be clarified as to recognize how singular objects of architecture is enmeshed in the existing situation of urban reality, and how through new articulations of space new possibilities for social interaction could be granted. As can be followed in the figure, the hypothetical topological relations are abstracted as icons, and matched with the real situation by photographic documentation and simple perspective drawings (Figure 3). It might be necessary to highlight that the aim is not to generate new descriptions of existing realities for mimetic purposes, but to device tools of abstraction to enable forceful propositions about future realities. The focus through the process is not on addition of new artifacts but new effects or dynamics for metropolitan sustainability. Through this exercise it is aimed to highlight that architectural objects within the urban setting are not necessarily perceived as individual objects, but as phenomena identified by their topological relations to their surroundings. As the figure below indicates, being over, under, against, another object is critical in perceiving and remembering the architectural entity at hand. Representation is an essential part of the operation, since the decisions regarding the new design (or any particular object to be added to enhance the existing situation) will be justified according to this iconographic representation. Here it is also critical to mention that the recorded data is not limited to the visuals of topological relations, but intensity of light, noise, information flow is also highlighted in the representations.

Figure 3, abstracted representations


Manipulate As mentioned in the previous paragraphs both of the sites are dominated by chaotic activities and dense transportation systems. Many different kinds of transportation come together at both of the sites: commuter buses, cars, taxis, pedestrians… In addition to these at Bostancı there is the ferry and train, and in Mecidiyekoy subway and overpassing motorway. Given this complex collage of movement systems, it is required to work carefully to make sure the circulation, the bypasses and the pedestrian movements work smoothly. While superposing the information generated in the first two steps of the process, this becomes the generating logic for new proposals. While manipulating the existing situation, the students elaborated 3D modeling techniques to represent the conflicting and complex urban reality. In the figure below potentials of existence under the motorway is explored (Figure 4).

They were also encouraged to perceive the urban fragment as a multi-dimensional and dynamic reality and hence problematic to capture as 2D representations. Rather than concentrating on conventional 2D representations [as plans and sections], they used digital media to create animations or layered representations to express the situations complexity. In the end, they came up with a wide variety of unique objects that reflect their creativity. In the figure below proposals for the object to exist under the motorway is visually represented. This particular object has multiple functions: it directs the chaotic pedestrian flow, functions as an individual cocoon, serves as a platform for rest according to its current position. The team also developed a hypothetical system for creating energy to move or transform the object from one state to the other. The pressure_sensitive pads that are located along the pedestrian routes collect and transform the kinetic energy to electricity hence enabling motion of the cylindrical transformers (Figure 5).

Figure 4. potentials

Figure 5. details


The proposals included a variety of configurations enabling a multitude of functions or experiences for the potential urban users: as the likes of mobile cocoons to pedestrian bridges equipped with information technologies to support communication. In one of the proposals for Bostancı, the student focused on a pedestrian bridge that not only connects alternative transportation nodes _hence enabling continuity of movement_ but also serves as a information platform. In the end, the pedestrian bridge traverses the parallel transportation arteries while enabling information exchange. This idea incorporated a variety of possibilities related to the speed of the passing pedestrian The objective is to provide an urban medium for information exchange where data related to Art Biennales, International Cinema and Music Festivals or activities related to 2010 could be exhibited. The particulars of the proposal could be observed in Figure 6.

Almost all of the proposals reflect creativity in exposing latent potentials of the fragments of concentration. Through the workshop, the students were highly encouraged to not to aestheticize the negative aspects of the situation but to form an emphatic relation with its reality.

Concluding remarks Our time is marked by the inherent conflict between architecture‟s desire to sustain its status as the discipline that regulates urban and territorial hierarchies and the consequences of the new phenomena, which almost demolishes architecture‟s ability to impart a perspective to space and experience. We either surrender to affiliate architecture with new technologies and virtual realities, or retreat into a hermetic world to secure architecture‟s traditional forms or conventional boundaries. This trivial situation encourages us, academicians, to reconsider the reality. In this paper, an attempt to incorporate individual experience of the ambulating designer is manipulated to enable continuity of urban use patterns within a chaotic urban fragment. The objective of the studio to implement a tool for analysis of complex urban phenomena is exemplified in two unique fragments of metropolitan Istanbul. Since these fragments are both defined by overlapping webs of transformation systems but yet, differ in spatial configurations, they enable critically different implementations for the adopted design tool. Through the stages

Figure 6. bridge


of the work, personal experiences are as important as the mutually agreed upon attributes. Through this approach, new volumetric spatial compositions were defined and projected almost solely based on the accumulated experience of the ambulating designer, as the city dweller. Programmatic content of the new architectural objects designed stemmed from the evaluation of existing urban situations or fragments as referred to in the text.

References Ascher F, 1995, Métapolis,ou l’avenir des Villes (Editions Odile Jacob, Paris) Gausa M, et al, 2003a, The Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture (Actar, Barcelona) pp 430-431 Sassen S, 1991, The Global City, (Princeton University Press, Princeton-New Jersey) Gausa M, et al, 2003b, The Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture (Actar, Barcelona) p 187 Holl S, 1988, “The phenomena of relations within the city” MIT Design Quarterly 139

Acknowledgements The authors wish to express their gratitude to Istanbul Branch of Turkish Chamber of Architects for their support in the above mentioned work.

Experience_Represent_Manipulate: metropolitan space fragmented

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