The investigation of the juxtaposition between predefined space and its relation to human scale and use, shows the evolution of space and its purpose.
The definition of a space is not a resolution of program but the execution and activities of its users. Collaborating between multiple scales of influence to create a unique experience is what creates a use of a space. The convergence of human scale with spatial implications of texture, urban conditions and movement allow for a network of glimpses into that specific location.
Looking at a space by location and its adjacencies allows for the adaptation of ideas to grow and expand through narrative use. The story of a place can be told by the materials and the use carved away from its original skin. These layers building upon one another begin to create a pattern and its own texture of use through human interaction with space and building. Movement is a major component to understanding these types of relationships in the way that it allows a person to use their body to experience the area. Whether it be through walking, driving, or biking; analyzing how these three actions both relate and change your perspective of a space is crucial to understanding a place. Common walking paths and signs of human use in a space that was not intended to be used in a certain way begins to open doors to how a person can comprehend spatial characteristics and uses. The network of transportation systems that have been implemented within our current environment both acts as a means of connection but also as a barrier. What can these dead spaces underneath these large networks turn into? These dynamic spaces can begin to feather a more efficient means of movement and human action.
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Paty...
ReplyDeleteWoah, your incite about potential uses of dead spaces underneath and around transportation networks is also fascinating to me. I really like this as a site because "ground" becomes complex. Interventions on here have multiple ground planes in which to interact with, hang on to, and manipulate. It is no longer a question of in/on/or above, but also through/under/beside/etc.
I think that the human factors aspect of your thesis is fascinating, and I think it offers a great deal of potential for further investigation of human behaviors. I agree that the three different activities that you are looking to address offer very different perspectives, but I think that the challenge will be to make sure that you look at the problem objectively. This could also develop into a look at the wider transportation systems in Pittsburgh, and how walkers move through the city as opposed to bikers and drivers. It would also be interesting to study paths that aren't prescribed and speculate as to why people choose the path that they do.
ReplyDeletePaty,
ReplyDeleteDefinitely an interesting start (and the conceptual sketches are intriguing). My advice: find a site that allows you to explore all these ideas in a single location. That way, instead of designing the entire system, your project becomes the design of a cross-section in which all these systems occur and interact.
Look at the work of Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapses. Look also at Lateral Architecture in Toronto, and Meta Brunzema in Brooklyn.