"HOW CAN A SITE SUSTAIN ACTIVITY 24/7 ?"

THE SITE

Problems:

The site is devoid of human activity.

There is no landscaping or landscaping attributes (e.g. lamps, benches).

The lush green border around the site works like a fence during summer, it blocks the view inward and inhibits human presence.

The site is a vacuum in an area full of program.

CONCEPT STATEMENT

"...On successful city streets, people must appear at different times...or else parks will be used only sporadically...and this simplification of use - meaning fewer users, with fewer different purposes and destinations at hand - feeds upon itself...a kind of unbuilding, or running-down process is set in motion...the infusion would obviously have to result in the presence of maximum numbers of persons at the times when the district needs them most for time balance..."

This is a collage from Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities . The book promotes an almost volatile, effervescent city life of streets lined with mixed-uses that create activity at different times in the day which leads to a constant presence of users / inhabitants. All this makes for a diverse and vital city life where strangers step out of their individuality and participate in the public life.

The concept - proposal builds upon this.

A website works 24/7 and is continuously evolving (e.g. a wiki page where the user is free to add content and to make it public worldwide). By taking the concept of hyperspace and linking it with real space the site will permit a widespread and ever-changing spectrum of activities throughout the whole of the day. Thus it will be continuously changing and allow the interweaving of human interaction (a lecture hall, next to a performance space next to individual study-rooms, etc). This functionality will create a trace of human activity; a new user will have the option of seeing the previous activity and form. Just as time leaves a trace into a building’s physicality and identity, so will continuous activity leave a trace on the site.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

To extend the notion of an online social community by providing a user-customizable space that will enhance that community (through joining and participating in activities public or private). Thus the concept of Spacebook: (where) everybody can see the activities on the site, the users can join activities that are or will be taking place, create their new activities and (physically) link them with other activities. A new activity hive is born.

01: ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE

Questionnaire results

An online questionnaire has been created. Its goal is to establish if there is user-demand on the site, what the users want and when they want to do it.

Having this information helps create an estimate on the spread of activities throughout the day.

Online questionnaire

Questionnaire results

02: INTERFACE FLOW CHART

The are future plans of making Spacebook a part of Facebook so to tap into the already gigantic user database.

'Interface Diagram'

Spacebook - Function - diagram

'User - Interface'

Spacebook - Interface, part of Facebook.
Spacebook - Interface, part of Facebook.
Scenario of user demands.
Spatial result of scenario.

03: PHYSICAL SITE SYSTEM:

'Bubble System'

1. A grid of points drive a network of inflatable "bubbles" linked together by a network of valves.
2. The bubbles hold the roof & floor system.
3. One of the point-bubble inflates. The local bubbles deflate.
4. Roof has desired height. Roof structural nodes lock into place. Bubbles equalize and support the elastic floor.
5. Possible section of created "site". Various open / closed spaces for activities.
6. Axonometric result.