2021/22, Master Project
École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles
Lecturer
Matthias Armengaud
Reading the book Neuromancer and creating glitch images of the Parc de La Villette in Paris was the beginning of this experimental project. Every student got their specific research topic and had to create a unique fictional scenario in order to question the site and create a project.
Research Topic Sport
The focus in research, according sport, is an analysis of running paths (through open source data from RunKeeper) and displaying the size and amount of sport equipments. After a site visit during a sunny holiday, the most visible outdoor sport activities were captured and categorized in sport type, type of equipment being used and environment. Resulting in the insight, that even beside runners, most athletes didn’t require a specific sport equipment. Bicycle Stands, Trees, meadows and paved paths were being used more intense and diverse than outdoor workout areas. More important was empty space in a ‘natural’ environment. Specifically in Parc de La Villette the south-east of La Cité des Sciences et de L’Industrie, which has plenty of trees, green surfaces and the Canal de L’Ourcq, was intensively used.
Scenario
The Insect Invasion was being used as an attack scenario in order to question biodiversity in an urban environment and living among insects. Insects attack the site in a dense grid, giving them the same importance and physical presence as Tschumi did it with his grid for the human race. Wherever an insect nest hits infrastructure and buildings it will affect the original use and make us think about how to change use or structures in order to not disrupt the insect life?
Main Project
The fundamental idea emerged through the thought of providing suitable habitats for diverse insects, while not excluding the human completely, but temporary. This, in an urban scale, was done by categorizing Surfaces. 2 tactics describe the approach to the main project whose topics are nature conservation (biodiversity), temporary density and emptiness. The first tactic is to identify and transform surfaces to enhance biodiversity and create emptiness. Therefore the Surface Catalogue introduces 7 types of surfaces which have different skills (emptiness, temporary usability, nature conservation relevance, barrier for humans). According to the Tactic Application Rules the surfaces are being applied to a site of 1km*1km. The distribution happens randomly but sticking to a 100m*100m grid. Each surface impacts the site in a different kind and by crossing the existing structures, new areas emerge. After applying, the second tactic can be used. Each surface which was categorized as temporary usable before, can now host temporary architectures. A new perimeter of temporary usable space is described in the Surface Map. The folies of Tschumi are being used for temporary events as well to question the Parc de La Villette. A new type of folie, the 4ha Folies, rises acceptance for nature conservation interventions by sensitizing residents and pedestrians for their urban environment. The folies represent the surface distribution respectively of the surrounding 4 hectar. The third dimension of the folie is being used as undetermined sport equipment and insect house to bring the research and scenario together in one representative structure.
Neuromancer & Glitch
Reading the book and using the glitch technique, though not primary used for the final project, triggered some interesting, surprising ideas and visions. E.g. a Glitch of the Tschumi folie was the impulse to use it for temporary events and thus originated the idea of inflating bubbles to have shelter for those occasions.
Research Sport
Biodiversity before and after scenario
scenario map
tactic for scenario
folies for scenario
