The very idea of a designed public space the Palestinian refugee camp of El Fawwar is controversial. Does it go against decades of insisting on poor living conditions to express the ‘right to return’? The simple act of clearing space for community use is politically charged.
Additionally, in a ‘anti-city’ where nothing is privately or publicly owned and there is no one governing authority, who is responsible for the maintenance of such a space?
The vision for a square was eventually realised after a participatory design process, and despite initial misgivings from some in the neighbourhood, was being used even before completion. The wall surrounding the square is a prime example of Venturi’s double-functioning element. It encloses the square, creates an ‘own-able’ space, offers the possibility of participating in the life of the square or passing by on the other side of the wall; it protects neighbouring homes from the many footballs which get kicked around; it forms seating and back rests in certain areas of the square; it provides structure from which to hang fabric coverings under which the women can sit during women’s events; it creates break-out spaces which feel private in front of the houses..
Mobile incubator unit created from a container whose mission is to facilitate sharing of food, stories and lives between refugees and host community across Europe. The presence of the mobile kitchen is temporary; its aim is for the communities reached to set up groups to carry on the exchange following the departure of the kitchen.
Temporary occupation of vacant 3.4 hectare hospital site in Paris. 2/3 of the site allocated to accommodation and emergency shelter for the marginalised (migrants, homeless); rest of the site rented out to start-ups/artists’ workshops/artisans/cafe/workshop/rooms for hire. Companies who came to inhabit the site at relatively low rent were specifically chosen to create diversity and had to buy in to the social ethos of the site, which includes participating in council meetings, developing the environment of the site, sharing/preparing activities for site residents.
The occupation was meant to last 2 years (2015-2017) but contract was extended by 3 years due to delays in plans for the redevelopment of the site into a higher density eco-quartier. Site owners have benefited from not having to pay the cost to maintain large vacant site; the community has benefited from the activity and bustle generated on site, the environment, as well as the specific activities offered; migrants and homeless have benefited from the shelter but also importantly the juxtaposition of activities across the site which they can engage with in a safe way (and legally – some are not entitled to work, but they can give hours of their time helping out across the site in exchange for goods e.g. food or clothing); artists have benefited from the gathering of diverse people, low rents in an otherwise unaffordable part of the city, and the sense that their projects are making a real difference to others on site; start-ups have benefited from a low-cost platform to grow from and have had the chance to make connections and forge partnerships which they would not have had the chance to beforehand.
There was no masterplan for the temporary occupation of the site, the occupation happened gradually and organically. Given financial constraints, the intervention is characterised by a light touch. The council (made up of residential and commercial residents) meets to discuss improvements to be made to the site and then puts these into practice.
It was always understood to be a temporary project, but its legacy can hope for permanence: social ties created; mindsets in the neighbourhood changed with regards to social accommodation and the value of others; businesses started and partnerships forged; marginalised people reinserted into society and employment. Additionally the designs for the new eco-quartier have drawn lessons from the successes of the site, integrating these into the new masterplan where possible.
The Cite des Electriciens was a gridded block of housing built to accommodate miners in the Bassin Minier of Northern France (this type of housing is known as ‘coron’). Fallen into disrepair and with poor sanitation, its future was controversial.
Should it be destroyed as a ruin of uncomfortable past or preserved as important heritage? The UNESCO World Heritage Site listing in 2012 sealed its fate, with a project started to redevelop the site. What future though for the site? Disused yet historically important sites such as this one tend to have one outcome: redevelopment into a museum. The region is already rife with facilities dedicated to telling the story of coal mining and its impact on the local landscape. This redevelopment could simply have been another name on that list. Located in a small town with otherwise little to offer, a new museum could have seen a lot of money invested with little return.
The project here opts for an alternative, more sustainable route. Whilst it does take its opportunity to offer an interpretation centre for the heritage of the mining region, it also ensures that the project relates back to the mission of the original corons: to house the mining workforce. The project reinstates this aspect of social housing by refurbishing some of the old properties into new social housing. Furthermore, it diversifies this small community by introducing two other types of accommodation, still within the refurbished corons: some housing for artists taking up short- or long-term residency on the site, and holiday lettings. The diversity of the offer, as well as the interpretation centre provide a dynamic mix for the site whilst securing it as a sustainable development.
The landscape is fully connected to the site’s use: the built form naturally creates courtyards which have been allocated various uses. The garden adjacent to the interpretation centre provides play equipment for children, available not only to residents, but also to visitors to the centre and the wider local community. The rest of it is given over to allotments, each plot allocated to the social housing residents. There are no barriers on the site, anyone is free to wander round all the plots. Current and future residents therefore become part of the landscape, part of the story of what is aptly names an ‘interpretation centre’ rather than a museum. A further garden connects past and present, growing an array of plants representative of what mining residents grew in the past. Many of these would have been imported seeds, taken from the miner’s country of origin and replanted in the north of France for a taste of home. The fruit and vegetable grown here now is used in the site’s cafe kitchen (when it is open spring-autumn). The third garden is intrinsically linked to the current occupation of the site as it is managed by the artists in residence. Finally, the garden fronting the street is designed as an urban square, slightly raised compared to street levels, and providing a soft threshold between the built-up areas and the landscape beyond.
Interpretation centre and workshops held by the artists and Managing Trust animate the site and make it an ongoing destination for schools during the week and families at weekends on top of the small number attracted to it for its role as museum. In this, the project has enabled a previously derelict site to be the centre of community activities, of social engagement, and introduction to art, landscape and built environment.
Design development stemmed from close observation of cultural context: traditional Chinese criss crossing timber construction; traditional Chinese roof tiling; steps, alleyways and scaffolding throughout the city; ref to adjacent tree nursery in the rhythm of the structure; orientation of building and pitch of roof. Diversity of character from each angle suggests observation of diversity in the culture.
From most angles, the dark brackets joining the timbers add an extra layers to the rhythm of the pavilion. From others, there appear out of place. For a structure which references traditional Chinese timber construction, it’s a shame there is such a reliance on metal fixings.
There are very few buildings which actually move me. This is one. The historical significance may be a factor but I love the geometrical rigour; the simple yet effective threshold spaces; the sensory experience created through balance of textured and smooth, variation of temperature according to material or position, changes in volume and light, the quiet and calm or the sound of rain; and the human dimension communicated not only through the message on the water but also with the use of a human-centric form of measurement, the cubit.
This project resonates quite deeply with the issues with which I’m grappling for my D4 design project, an independent living centre for autistic adults.
RIBA Studio Diploma 