Revitalization of an existing INFRASTRUCTURE ( with CRGArchitecture Cordula Roser-Gray) | OPEN SOURCE WORKSHOP

“Reclaim dismissed infrastructure to connect with the existing city:engage the public and community to propose innovative solutions for underutilized public spaces”.

Coded Space investigates the application of a repetitive spatial code that considers plasticity, reciprocity and redundancy at its core in order to address the revitalization of existing infrastructural systems and the affected communities surrounding them. Using a multi-scalar framework connecting macro and micro components the code allows for the systematic implementation of a multiplicity of programs loosely divided into the categories of exchange, path,recreation and productive infrastructure.

At the macro level a cohesive system of programmable plots and connective tissue generates a sequence of repetitive elements that can be altered or combined depending on placement within a site to ensure spatial continuity and to maximize the use potential for the surrounding community. In conjunction with the macro a malleable micro scale is identified through a combination of three categories surfaces (ground), poles (verticals) and canopy (ceiling) that
function as flexible elements, able to absorb as well as adapt to external forces applied by site, context and user.Expandable ground conditions, adjustable vertical connectors and a responsive canopy system create a new type of reactive environment that can be geared to site-specific and contextual challenges.

Generally seamless connections to the surrounding neighborhoods are as important as the development of a dynamic environment with the ultimate goal to encourage community empowerment and revitalization. Interaction of the residents with the new public space, ranging in scale from small community garden plots to large recreational areas and connective pathways, significantly enhances the existing public realm and foster civic engagement, ultimately eliminating urban boundaries and voids. This new public space typology, designed to simultaneously act as community asset and productive infrastructure, balances prescribed systems and unpredictable user and context- determined variables through adaptive response mechanisms implanted into the urban context.