Contemporary Project Mario Esteban Galvis Jáuregui Tutor

MBArch | Contemporary Project Mario Esteban Galvis Jáuregui Tutor: Josep María Fort 2016-2017 2 Abstract This research focuses on the reflection about architecture as a frame for urban activities. In this context, the complexity and versatility of architectural elements are analysed, as they are placed in urban spaces to promote urban life. Throughout the last years in Barcelona, a​​ process of renovation of the public markets has been carried out; the renovation of the L’Abacería Central Market in Gràcia is one of the pending projects and will be executed in 2018. Consequently, the market will be temporarily located in Passeig Sant Joan, a place that in addition to being a public space for leisure, recreation and circulation, is immersed in a consolidated urban fabric of the city. It is precisely this situation which is considered an opportunity to develop this work; involving the understanding of the context, the conceptualisation of the market as an activity, proposing to place in the Passeig Sant Joan a frame that performs as a open but defined space, without a specific program but able to contain a variety of activities according to the needs, including the market, which also inserts scale to the space and becomes a point of reference and encounter.

Keywords: frame, urban activity, complexity, versatility, urban space, public space.

3 a mis padres. 6 Contents

Introduction 08

Chapter One: Framing the Context 11 Environment vs. Context 12 The Market as a Living Laboratory 16 Human Behaviour in Public Space 18

Chapter Two: The Concept of Framing 25 Etymology of Frame 28 Framing in Architecture 30 Categories vs. Types 34 Cartography as a Reseach Tool 36 The Cartography of Framing 40

Chapter Three: The Design of a frame 49 The Site: Framing the Opportunity 52 The Design Process 58 The Project 60

Conclusions 78

Bibliography 80

7 Introduction Urban life needs –among other things– complexity, versatility and randomness to make our urban spaces, quality spaces; in this task, architecture is a key part of this urban life generation since it is capable of become the frame within which these urban activities occur. The market, a key instrument for activity generation, promoting the encounter and exchange of ideas in the public realm, is seen in this research as an opportunity to reflect on the role of architecture and its possibilities to face a urban problem: a consolidated urban context that needs to be intervened, which triggers an acting opportunity to frame urban activity through reflection on concepts that describe both this urban activity and the tangible and intangible elements that shape the space and the social imaginary within the public sphere.

The main objective of this research is to inquire into the role of the architect in relation to contemporary urban situations and how the architect is able to comprehend the complexity of urban activities within a given context, framing them through design and thus contributing to the debate on urban issues while generating useful tools for architecture and urban design. In order to accomplish this objective it is firstly necessary to describe, recognise and apprehend the urban context, the activities and the people that interact in the public realm; paying attention to the relations among them; using the concept of market –as an activity rather than a building– to understand its influence as a catalyst for activity and meeting place that promotes social cohesion, the exchange of ideas and the encounter possibilities within the public realm.

With the aim of achieving the goals of this work it is also pertinent to define, confront, relate and categorise concepts through a cartography related to the central theme of this research: framing urban activity as a tool for urban design and architectural reflection on the public realm; it is also relevant to effectively seize the opportunity of the temporary location of the Abacería Central Market due to its renewal, on the Passeig Sant Joan between San Antonio María Claret and Industria streets by addressing this issue of working on a consolidated urban fabric and to use the reflection on the concepts that define this urban situation, in order to give an effective design response to a specific problem: an intervention that allows to temporarily shelter the Abacería Market and at the same time serves as a frame for different urban activities in the future.

It is important to acknowledge that the structure of this work presented here in three defined chapters, is actually a frame, chosen by the author that is intended to contribute to the understanding of this work. The first chapter, comprises an approach to the concept of urban context by making several distinctions among concepts as: space, place, environment, context, 8 activities and human behaviour in public space, in order to contextualise this work. In the second chapter, and to reflect more deeply on the problem, different conceptions of frame and framing will be defined, categorised and finally illustrated in The Cartography of Framing as a tool which will be useful for the subsequent design exercise and for describing and approaching the central issue of this research: framing urban activity. In Chapter three, the issue that gives rise to this research, the temporary location of the Abacería Central market on Passeig Sant Joan, will be formulated; and the opportunity for reflection and response –through design– that this ‘problem’ represents for the architect will be stressed. In addition, the theoretical concepts obtained in the previous chapters will be applied, giving an architectural response through a design exercise to the ideas and reflections raised throughout this work; always taking into account that the main objective of this work will be, through an architectural response, to frame urban activity that takes place in the public realm.

9

chapter one

framing the context Environment vs. Context

“I see a field, a small forest and a little river that crosses it on a shining morning. I see nature. Two people pass by that place: I can’t help seeing a world now.”1

Almost a decade has passed since 2008; year in which, to the surprise of many, the urban population surpassed the world’s rural population, that is more than 50% of the world’s population living in cities2 this fact places contemporary urban context as one of the most important issues to be addressed in the field of architecture and urban design today. It is imperative to understand that this urban context is our habitat and therefore it must be able to effectively absorb the diversity of activities that are developed through it. In order to understand the contemporary urban context, it is considered relevant for this research, to inquire firstly about what is, or what actually implies the context; to explore several notions and concepts associated with it as: space, place, environment, time and the human being. For the purpose of making a distinction between space and place, we can take as an example how Barros3, in her article argues that a place is seen as a result of the space, since this physical space becomes a place over time, through memory and meanings that people acquire and is constantly adding to that space to give it value, finally turning it into a place.

1 Original quote in spanish: “Veo un campo, un pequeño bosque y un riacho que lo cruza en una mañana iluminada. Veo naturaleza. Pasan dos personas por ese lugar: ya no puedo dejar de ver un mundo.” This text was published under the title:”Partido, Partido, Partido” in Contextos Magazine, No. 67. Pensar + Hacer, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, UBA, Buenos Aires, 2001., originally quoted in Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 2 Hens, L. 2010. The Challenge of the Sustainable City. Environment, Development and Sustainability, pp. 875–876. 12 3 Barros, C., 2000. Reflexiones sobre la relación entre lugar y comunidad. Documents d’anàlisi geogràfica, I(37), pp.81-84. However, as it has been necessary to insist on the distinction between space and place, it is essential to differentiate the context from the environment. As Lewkowicz and Sztuljwark state4: “The difference between the description of the environment and the understanding of the context derives from the point from which the observation is made”; this observation can be objective –measured by an object– or subjective –interpreted by a subject–, so these authors classify observation into two categories: strong observation and weak observation; strong observation on the one hand, is understood as the set of information, data and knowledge that can be obtained from the physical environment, data that can be obtained by means of a mechanical instrument such as a camera for example, an instrument capable of recording and which therefore gives us a reliable reconstruction of the environment (figure 1); the weak observation on the other hand, is constituted by all that we can think, perceive, judge; thus, it is the human eye that, in contrast to the camera, is able to see, to inhabit that environment, and it is in this precise moment when the environment ceases to be it and becomes context (figure 2); it is here, where “the architect then wonders by what he perceives from the place, and not by what the set of annotations that a measuring instrument can provide.”5 Figure 1. White House photograph. Source: ash crow flickr user. To insist on this need to differentiate the context from the environment is key to approach the reality in which our urban centres currently live, to be aware of the capacity that we have as human beings to perceive these sensations, understanding that as individuals each perception will be our own, each feature of that environment produces a subjectivity in the one that observes and experiences that place, this subjectivity will be translated in a different notion of context, which will enrich our spatial experience and will bring us closer to the idea that an architectural object therefore could not be placed in its environment, between things, nor is it limited to itself; the object will then be placed between the sense of things, related to people, history, materials, will finally be placed in the context.6

Figure 2. Ai Weiwei. Study of Perspective - White House. 1995-2003. Gelatin silver print. Source: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

4 Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 5 Ibid. 6 “An object is not limited to itself but related to a context or people, history, materials…” Branzi, A., 2007. Andrea Branzi. Mantovia: Omegna, p. 30. 13 From Social Psychology we can understand that the objects that configure our world are considered as such, when the human being is able to endow them with a meaning, therefore any urban environment has to be analysed as a social product rather than as a physical reality7, which –as mentioned above referring to the distinction between space and place– will be affected in time. Lewkowicz & Sztulwark put as an example in his book8, a space that has lasted in time, a complete block that for eighty years has not changed in any sense, no elements have been added nor removed, its edges have remained the same, just as its initial configuration and its visuals. But, although the environment and the physical conditions have remained, its meanings have changed, time has affected the environment and now, the context which the subject experiences not only in terms of space but also in terms of time is different (figure 3), for the very fact of being an environment that has not changed over eighty years; this example makes the temporality, an inherent attribute of architecture.

It is pertinent to ask then, how do urban contexts affect the construction of identity in individuals, groups or communities? The relation of individuals and groups to each other and to the environment does not suppose that the latter acts only as a physical frame within which interpersonal relationships take place, but this frame -–now context– gets in contact with individuals and becomes part of this dialogue, constructing meanings9, where the relations themselves and the individual-group-context interaction are more important than each element in itself10; where

7 Valera, S., 1993. El significado social del espacio. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Unpublished PhD. Thesis. 8 Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 9 “The relationship between individuals and groups, among themselves and with the environment, is not limited to considering the latter as the physical framework where the behaviour develops but also translates into a true symbolic” dialogue “in which space transmits to individuals a certain socially elaborated meanings and interpret and re-elaborate these meanings in a process of reconstruction that enriches both parties. This dialogic relationship, with a clear transactional orientation, is the basis of the social identity associated with the environment.” translated by the author. “La relación entre individuos y grupos, entre sí y con el entorno, no se reduce solo a considerar este ultimo como el marco físico donde se desarrolla la conducta sino que se traduce también en un verdadero “diálogo” simbólico en el cual el espacio transmite a los individuos unos determinados significados socialmente elaborados y éstos interpretan y reelaboran estos significados en un proceso de reconstrucción que enriquece ambas partes. Esta relación dialogante, de clara orientación transaccional, constituye la base de la identidad social asociada al entorno”. Valera, S., 1993. El significado social del espacio. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Unpublished PhD. Thesis. p.79 Figure 3. Sandys Row from the south, Spitalfields, London. Composition. C.A. Mathew (1912); AdamTuck (2012). Source: spitalfieldslife.com 10 “As far as the Relationship is particularly conceived by Bakema, the Dutch architect imagines a new type of society which is linked to a new sense of space, in a world which is considered as an all-embracing energetic unity where the relationships are more important than the things themselves.” Bakema, J., 1948. New Architecture and Freedom. Forum, (2), pp.48-50. Originally quoted in Zuccaro Marchi, L., 2013. The Heart of the City. Continuity 14 and Complexity of an Urban Design Concept. Delft: Delft University of Technology. PhD. thesis. p.376 the architecture has the ability to physically interrelate these elements, taking into account all the scales involved that will control these interrelations at different levels since, according to Bakema, it is the architect who has to design “as many as possible variations in space qualities”11, in this sense it is understood that a public space that is a place of encounter and transaction12, it is also the scene of a diversity of activities carried out by a heterogeneous group of individuals interrelating each other, through a frame –architecture– that generates the context and therefore it is able –or not– to produce as many variations as possible to strengthen these relationships.

This diversity of activities must be also understood from the recognition of the differences between those who inhabit the space in terms of culture, age, religion, politics, social, gender and many others, characteristics that precisely contribute to a much complex, intense and richer urban experience in the public realm. At the same time as designers, we must also be able to recognise important similarities between individuals, understanding how we move, how we behave, the scale we have, and how we relate13.

11 See also: “To make man familiar with space ‘endlessness’ will become the main function of the art of making space (architecture)”. Ibid, p. 377 12 Gehl, J. & Rogers, R., 2013. Cities for people. Washington: Island Press. 13 Is interesting how Jan Gehl describes the human being: a bipedal animal with a height of about 170 centimeters, a horizontal visual range and limitations in respect to what it observes at certain distances and angles. It indicates that we move at an average speed of 5 Km/h when walking and, while our feet can walk or run fast forward and move backwards or to the sides with difficulty; our eyes, ears and nose look forward. These guidelines are key to design in terms of scale. Gehl, J., Joahnsen, L. & Reigstad, S., 2006. Close encounters with buildings. Urban Design International, (11), pp.29-47. 15 The Market as a Living Laboratory For purposes related to the practical development of this research, consisting of a design exercise through which it is intended to illustrate the concepts that are obtained during the process, and having defined the impending remodelling of the Abacería Central market and its temporary location on Passeig Sant Joan as an opportunity for the reflections carried out here, it has been considered pertinent to introduce, subtly, the notion of market; treating it only as an example of the manifold possibilities of urban activity in the public realm.

To define market is very interesting; etymologically speaking, the word market, among other definitions, means: a place or event in which people meet in order to buy and sell things14. The market –understood as activity– has been present in many cultures around the world, in all shapes colours and flavours possible, developed in various ways over time. As described by Gómez15, markets, which had initially been informally established at the gates of medieval cities and developed on both sides of the streets, occupying the space of what would now be the sidewalks; they would later be placed in the squares, in covered stalls until the middle of the 19th century where they began to organise themselves under modern and imposing covered buildings that never ceased to be public squares, weaving a complex interior plot where the temporary condition of their shops and informality is inherent in them as they “transpire their interior activity towards their surroundings”16 As we can see, market activity as such continues to develop with the same basic features over time, framed in different ways but always maintaining that informal and complex character, full of activities, some of them proper activities of a market, others generated from it and other complementary ones that take advantage of it (figures 4, 5).

To understand therefore the notion of market is, in part, aim of this research; since to understand a market is not only to understand its architecture, its program, its spaces, the building –if it has one– to understand a market is also, and fundamentally, to understand human activity. The role that people play in it; in, out, along, around, through it. The market, seen as an activity, is also a container, a repository, a depot, a frame; which shelters different human activities, commerce, meeting, public, social; being also a landmark, a point of reference for its sellers, its

14 Cambridge University, 2017. Cambridge Dictionary. [Online] Available at: : http:// dictionary. cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/market [Accessed 7 February 2017]. 15 Gomez, E., 2015. COMERÇ, CIUTAT. PAISATGES ARRAN DE TERRA. Barcelona: Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. PhD. Thesis. 16 16 Original quote in Catalan: “transpiren cap al seu voltant l’activitat del seu interior.”. Translated by the author. Ibid. buyers, its users, its context, the neighbourhood, the city, the market is also in this sense, a frame. The market, seen as a frame to contain and be contained, to delimit and serve as a reference, will be market as long as there is activity in it; Whyte argues that “If you want to seed a place with activity, put out food”17, this statement corroborates the impact it generates in the urban context in terms of activity, but then, we can also conclude that: in order for the market as an Figure 4. (Left) Les Hallesin activity to happen, this frame must be “affected” by urban activity; as Kent argues: “Cities fail 1931, Paris. Source: Agence Roger Viollet. and succeed in the scale of human interaction”18, therefore this frame should be affected by the people, meeting, interrelating, developing different activities in the public domain. Figure 5. (Right) The Market Hall. Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Source: McQuaide Photography Flickr user. 17 Whyte, W.H., 2001. The Social Life of Urban Spaces. New York: Project for Public Spaces. 18 Placemaking, 2016. Project for Public Spaces. [Online] PPS Available at: https://www.pps.org [Accessed 10 February 2017]. 17 Human Behaviour in Public Space As Bakema states “study of Architecture is the study of people, not buildings”19, from this statement we can inquire about the study of human behaviour in the city and how it is able to give us valuable information for the design of urban spaces, as Gehl argues “familiarity with human senses –the way they function and the areas in which they function– is an important prerequisite for designing and dimensioning all forms of outdoor spaces and building layouts”20; and we can as well encourage our reflection on our work as architects, and on whether we really understand how we operate in an urban context.

In the book Cities for People21, Gehl inquires how cities have been historically managed, in almost all of them, traffic departments have been established to calculate the number of vehicles, gather information and make forecasts, traffic models and impact analysis; on the other hand, it is rare for anyone to have an eye on what has happened to city life and pedestrians, which has been taken for granted for decades (figures 6, 7). Nowadays, cities must be able to be compact, efficient and socially cohesive; and the public spaces must structure and enhance people’s relations within the public realm22. The public spaces are meant to be dynamic in order to offer a plenty range of possibilities to explore the city and at every stage of the design, the architect has to be concerned about human activities and behaviour in relation to the urban context in order to produce an effective approach, as Gehl states: “Life, space, buildings, in that order”.23

19 Bakema, J., n.d. Notes about theory. In Bakema Archive. Rotterdam: Al Roterdam. p.264. 20 Gehl, J., 2011. Life between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington: Island Press. 21 Gehl, J. & Rogers, R., 2013. Cities for people. Washington: Island Press. 22 Rueda Palenzuela, S., 2002. Modelos urbanos y sostenibilidad. In I Congreso de Ingeniería Civil, Territorio y Medio Ambiente. Madrid, 2002. Colegio de Ingenieros de caminos canales y puertos. 18 23 Gehl, J., 2011. Life between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington: Island Press. Figure 6. (Left) East 108th Street. September 28, 1959. New York. Source: Vivian Maier

Figure 7. (Right) June 1954. New York. Source: Vivian Maier

19 Activities that take place in the public realm perform a specific function within the city and according to the definitions mentioned above associated with market, these are related to actions or events that occur in the public realm: buying, selling, meeting, exchanging, experiencing, among others; and going to a market is a part of the everyday activities of an urban context, in fact this is one of the people’s necessary activities. According to Gehl24, activities can be classified by their functional and social relationship. The activities classified according to their functional relationship can be divided into two categories, the activities of stay (playing, cleaning, watching, etc.) and the activities of transit (walking, riding a bicycle, car, public transport, etc.). The activities classified according to their social relationship can be divided into three groups, necessary, optional and social activities (see next page). If a public space is of reduced quality, the necessary activities will not be affected, however the optional and social activities will decrease; but, when a public space is of high quality, these activities will be seen enhancing the public space in several moments25, therefore it could be said that the physical conditions of the exterior –public space– increase or decrease the number of users of the space and the possible relationships between them. This connection between the public space and the behaviour of the people allows us to see that the public space acts as a frame that creates the possibility for activities to be developed26. “environment seems to be extremely influential on human behaviours that the human associations with space become almost invisible; even though it is the human that defines the space at the very beginning of its existence”27, this statement is useful to insist on the necessity of architects and urban designers to reflect on all the aspects involved in a project, but also to be always conscious as designers, about the opportunity that we have to influence the possibilities of people’s relations in the space and with the space. Although the type of social activities depends on the context and with at least two people present in one place it is enough to produce such activities; it is obvious that these activities take place more often in places where people have common interests and is frequently for them to meet each other on the street; while in urban centres is more superficial and occurs through subjects who watch and listen to others passively, the simple fact of being among people and receiving impulses from others implies positive experiences and represents opportunities to increase contact28.

24 Gehl, J. & Rogers, R., 2013. Cities for people. Washington: Island Press. 25 Gehl, J., 2011. Life between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington: Island Press. 26 Hillier, B. & Hanson, J., 1984. The Social Logic of Space. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 27 Ngesan, M.R., Karim, A. & Zubir, S.S., 2012. Human Behaviour and Activities in Relation to Shah Alam Urban Park during Nighttime. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, pp.428-37. 20 28 Gehl, J. & Rogers, R., 2013. Cities for people. Washington: Island Press. Figure 8. Necessary activities. Source: Sally Walton. flickr user. Figure 9. Optional activities. Source: Zack Arias. flickr user. Figure 10. Social activities. Source: David Alan Harvey. flickr user.

necessary activities are compulsory activities, all the optional activities refer to those activities in which social activities are all those that depend on the activities in which those who are involved, are to a only who wishes to be involved, participates; if the presence of others in the public space and can be greater or lesser degree, obliged to participate in time and the place allow it; this group of activities referred to as resulting activities since they are them, daily tasks, going to school, work or shopping, includes go walking, play on the street, enjoy the generated after the other two categories already are part of this group and are related to walking. wheater, etc., and they are especially dependent mentioned; social activities occur spontaneously as a on the physical conditions of the exterior. result of people moving and meeting in the same space.

HIGH quality environment

LOW quality environment

21 In order to understand how social activity arises, it is interesting for example, to examine how a children’s game takes place (figure 11); although it is clear that the game can occur under planned situations, this event is usually not planned and arises as children watch other children play, which leads them to get together even if they do not know what to play, and meeting each other turns out to be the first requirement; besides, the fact of meeting other people in the street also implies valuable information about the social environment and the people around us because we all need to be aware of the world around us to function in a social context. Gehl mentions a common saying in Scandinavia: People come where people are, this can be seen while observing street painters for example, they attract a lot of people while they are doing their work (figure 12), but when they left, pedestrians passed by their works without even being distracted, which suggests that it is the activity itself and the human interactions in space that catch our attention, several studies show that human activities are the main object of attention and interest for people, life in buildings and between buildings seems, in almost all situations, more essential and relevant than the buildings themselves29 (figure 13). Figure 11. Children interacting in a public space. Source: Shin Noguchi

Figure 12. People’s best attraction is people itself. Source: Fran Simó.

Figure 13. (next page) A common scenario in the busy Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona. Source: Fran Simó.

22 29 Ibid. 23

chapter two

the concept of framing “In culture, a disconnection between the real and the sense [of things] is inevitable ...As inhabitants of sense, the real escapes us. As speaking beings or inhabitants of language, we are prisoners of this essential inadequacy.”30

To start addressing the concept of framing; from its etymological definition, its connotations in various fields, its place in architecture and, finally, the configuration of a cartography that includes the ideas, concepts and apprehension of frame considered relevant to this study; this reflection about the real and the sense has been used. Being aware of the fact that the real is somehow inaccessible to us –being ‘inhabitants of sense’– but that this condition is precisely what makes it possible to design a new project, will allow to tackle the concept from several approaches and will contribute to a broader conception of framing, without losing sight of the main focus: architecture. This disconnection between the real and the sense mentioned above, is actually what allows us –the architects– to design, for example, a building. Lewbowicz and Sztulwark31 aptly argue that if the word house were to completely cover the meaning of the notion of house, of what ‘actually means’ house, then there would be no possibility of designing a house; if the word house would perfectly define what it ‘is’, this “would already be constituted, built once and for all.”32 Magritte once wondered: “How can anyone enjoy interpreting symbols? They are ‘substitutes’ that are only useful to a mind that is incapable of knowing the things themselves. A devotee of interpretation cannot see a bird; he only sees it as a symbol.”33 It is therefore useless to try to define a concept, a symbol or a notion of something as if that

30 Original quote in Spanish: “En la cultura es inevitable que aparezca un desacople entre lo real y el sentido [de las cosas]. …Como habitantes del sentido, lo real se nos escapa. Como seres hablantes o habitantes del lenguaje, somos prisioneros de esta inadecuación esencial.” Translated by the author. Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 31 Ibid, p. 53. 32 Ibid. 33 Matteson Art, 2009. Matteson Art. [Online] Available at: http://www.mattesonart.com/the- 26 human-condition-1933--1935-with-articles.aspx [Accessed 10 February 2017]. something were the real thing; there is no definition of house capable of covering the meaning of what we designate with that word, since that corresponds to the one who perceives the notion of house and gives it meaning; but on the other hand, “if the word house had no reference in reality, if the world in which we lived, history, experience or any other source did not provide us with some elements of notion of home, then we could not project anything out of the very notion...”34 This relates to the scene depicted by Kahn35 of a man under the crown of a tree, telling stories to a group of young people around him; in passing on that experience, that tree was transformed into a school, although both the man and the youth group ignored it, and they also ignored the fact that there was a teacher and a group of students there; these examples allow us to realise that while exploring a concept and approaching it from different angles can be very productive to understand it in a way that is useful for the exercise of architecture, it might also be useless –if it is even possible– to intend to define it completely.

It is from this position from which the issue of framing will be addressed, not trying to ‘embrace’ it in its entirety but, instead, through frames that this research imposes itself, with the aim to be rigorous while being generous; assuming from the beginning the complexity and ambiguity that involves exploring a concept from several approaches and trying to categorise it in a way that allows, from there, an understanding, and a process to develop useful tools for the project, not only with the purpose of materialising the project as such –the physical frame– but, fundamentally, as a reflection exercise and as a inquiry that contributes to contemporary architectural issues.

34 Original quote in Spanish: “si la palabra casa no tuviera algún referente en lo real, si el mundo en que vivimos, la historia, la experiencia o cualquier otra fuente, no nos proveyera de algunos elementos de noción de casa, entonces tampoco podríamos proyectar nada por fuera de la noción misma…” Translated by the author. Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 35 Kahn, L., 2004. Forma y diseño. Translated by J. Rabinovich & J. Piatigorsky. Buenos Aires: Nueva visión Argentina, p. 9. 27 Etymology of Frame Although its origin is uncertain it is considered that probably was born of the English framu or framian with some influence of the French; framu or framian means to be helpful and provide support, also to benefit or to promote36 37. The meaning of the word frame can be applied in various contexts; A frame of something is its structure without which it could not have a shape, such as the frame of the human body (skeleton) and that of a building (structure) without which it would be impossible for them to maintain their composition. It is also understood as frame, the element that encloses an image, although it can be of different aspect according to the need, its objective is to frame the object, to distinguish the interior (object) from its outside and to emphasise its importance over the rest. In any case, as Picket38 mentions, frame is: “a structure which serves as an underlying support or skeleton, or of which the parts form an outline or skeleton not filled in”, then a frame is not full or completed as such if it is not the object or activity that completes it; so it can be considered that a frame is the beginning of something, which requires a body, a substance or an action to complete it, as it is the case of a painting or the human body. Among other definitions of frame, it is considered as an object that defines a space, frames and delimits the relationships that can occur ‘in’ it and on its outside but, it is important to consider that even if the ‘limit’ or ‘boundary’ of this frame itself and its interior-exterior definition can be ambiguous, inaccurate or nearly indefinable, if the act of framing is present the relationships with and within the frame will be as well.

In Spanish for instance, ‘marco’ (frame), is a piece that surrounds a picture or something similar or the limit in which a situation is framed39, probably comes from the Italian ‘marcare’ which

36 Oxford University Press, 2017. Oxford English Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http:// www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/74151 [Accessed 15 February 2017]. 37 Unwin, S., 2014. Analysing Architecture. 4th ed. New York: Routledge, p.76 38 Picket, K., 2003. The University of Chicago. Theories of Media. Keywords Glossary. [Online] Available at: http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/frame.htm [Accessed 15 February 2017]. 39 Original definition in Spanish: Real Academia Española, 2014. Diccionario de la lengua española. [Online] Available at: http://dle.rae.es/?w=diccionario [Accessed 14 February 2017]. marco: Del germ. *mark; cf. nórd. mark, a. al. ant. marka. 1. m. Pieza que rodea, ciñe o guarnece un cuadro u otra cosa semejante. 28 5. m. Límites en que se encuadra un problema, cuestión, etapa histórica, etc. means pointing out a person or thing to be distinguished from others40, is related also with ‘marco’ (mark) that includes the delimitation of territory and with ‘cuadro’ (in this case ‘painting’ or ‘canvas’) that is a pictorial composition generally delimited also by a frame. If we think about framing as a verb, it should be kept in mind that while it might seem redundant, it includes putting a frame to something, defining the ‘limits’ of something or serving as a structure. In sciences such as psychology, communications, sociology; framing includes a series of interpretation schemes with which people understand and respond to situations; these filters can be acquired or built over time and according to the situations that take place. It is thus that the decisions or reactions that people have, are determined by the frames related to a certain situation. So it can be said that the information to be communicated is directly affected by the previous experienced frames that have influenced people’s perception of a situation. Framing therefore can and usually is focused in a certain direction, as it is the case of journalism and politics, which frame the information in such a way that without altering the real facts, only the intentional is communicated, directly influencing the perception of people. It is thus, that the art of communicating depends on the way in which the information is framed, taking into account the intention implied in what will be communicated, seeking to influence the perception of people about ideas or concepts41. In this research, the frame is considered not only as an activity container, but as an element that belongs to the structure of urban life, which promotes encounters and activities and allows a variety of them. Framing urban activity is also a scenario that affects the perception of people (as in communications) but depends on the frames built by the experience of people and their experiences. If we focus on the etymological meanings of the word frame, the intentions of this work are more closely related to ‘the act of giving support’, ‘to be helpful’, since the project is intended to be an instrument to improve people’s lives and activities, sheltering different actions such as commerce (market), recreation (walking, festival) and routine (transit), among others, however it is vital to keep in mind that the frame will never be complete unless activity happens, that is when people uses it and recognises it as part of the context and the city to which it belongs.

40 Original definition in Spanish: Corominas, J., 1987. Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana. 3rd ed. Madrid: Editorial Gredos. MARCAR, 1488. de origen germánico; probablemente del italiano. marcare ‘señalar una persona o cosa (esp. una mercancía) para que se distinga de otras’, y éste seguramente del longobardo *MARKAN, comp. el ale. ant. mermen ‘atender, anotar’ anglosajón mearcian ‘señalar con una marca, anotar’. 41 Tewksbury, D. & Scheufele, D., 2009. News Framing theory and research. Bryant J, Oliver MB Media effects: Advances in theory and research, III, pp.17-33. 29 Framing in Architecture Architecture as a discipline can be understood from several approaches, thus, it can be observed through different frames. It is true, of course, that buildings are frames physically speaking, as they are a structure in itself, but that does not imply that architecture is the art of building but rather architecture and urban design are understood as complex disciplines that interpret human activity, history, culture, technology, and the changes in society42 and therefore also create frames conceptually speaking43, since these conceptual frames are expressed through their relations with physical frames, carried out in the city, as Branzi describes it: the city is constituted in “an assembly of objects” where its fundamental qualities are not expressed through mega structures but rather “through micro operations of environmental subsystems of objects, ...which create a habitat then dispersed in the city.”44

At the 1951 CIAM 8 conference Giedion mentions in his lecture, his visit to the playgrounds designed by Aldo Van Eyck, which transformed empty places into public spaces and from which he draws the following reflection: “One needs only to provide the opportunity and we -the Public, who are also maybe children of a kind- will know how to use it”45. This reflection points out the role of architecture as a frame, which acting as such, provides the opportunity for the activities to be developed; this does not refer to architecture as the element that disposes these activities but rather as a structuring and catalyst element for these activities. When we speak about frame and its dimensions, we can either refer to the two dimensions of a photograph, to the third spatial dimension in architecture, referring in each case to the physical dimensions of frame, but in addition to these, there are other not so obvious dimensions on which it has been previously commented, such as: time, type of activities, behaviour patterns etc. These involve movement, change, complexity, relationships; all of

42 Branzi, A., 2007. Andrea Branzi. Mantovia: Omegna, p.17. Architecture is not the art of building, it is a very complex discipline, interpreting history, technology, and the changes in society. Architecture never was the art of brick layers, it is a sophisticated intellectual activity. (Architects) we elaborate theorems, hypotheses and formulas which will not be applied immediately. They are destined to change or influence architectural theories, architects minds and perspectives. An important contribution in an era of change. 43 “Buildings can be frames structurally, but architecture makes frames conceptually too.” Unwin, S., 2014. Analysing Architecture. 4th ed. New York: Routledge, p.81. 44 Branzi, A., 2007. Andrea Branzi. Mantovia: Omegna, p.24. “ The city is an ensemble of objects, its fundamental qualities being expressed not to mega structures, or projects but through micro operations of environmental subsystems of objects, small families of tools, which create a habitat then dispersed in the city.” 45 Tyrwhitt, J., Sert, J.L. & Rogers, E., 1979. The Heart of the city: towards the 30 humanisation of urban life. Liechtenstein: Nendein, p. 48, 386. them, inherent attributes to the discipline of architecture, since as Urwin aptly states: perhaps their noblest purpose [of the products of architecture] is to frame the lives of people.”46

A frame by itself is meaningless, the frame is constituted as such at the time it frames something, this quality of framing therefore implies that there is a ‘framed’ whether or not ‘the framed’ is temporarily or even permanently absent47 and it is this symbiotic relationship that gives meaning to the act of framing, only after considering both we can recognize them, locate them, talk about relationships between them, at various scales and at all times: generating visual, marking the fact of being ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ between, or through, or the effect that the frame produces on the framed, contains it, limits it, makes it possible, distances it, etc.; this logic, these relationships will be repeated and applied to understand from a chair, a building, a public space to the city.

In the work of St. Jerome in His Study by Antonello da Messina (figure 14) we can recognise multiple frames, but also if we observe in more detail, we can see the act of framing that takes place in this scene. The painting itself is a frame, of course, and so are the opening in the foreground, which is actually a porch of the temple that is also a frame, as so are the study of St. Jerome and the elements that compose it. These frames, to be defined as such should, as mentioned above, frame something: the arched opening is the frame within the painting, that intensifies –even more– the attention on St. Jerome, who is being framed by his book, sitting at his desk, ‘inside’ his study, which in turn is framed by the temple. These frames, and even more the framing actions of these elements are key to dimensioning the scene, they provide us clues about the scale, the character (St. Jerome) and his objects around, the light and how it crosses the scene, which helps us to understand the depth of the elements and so on.

In architecture, the act of framing can be considered both theoretically and practically. If we analyse a project with a certain program, a football stadium for example, the architecture will act as a physical frame of reference as long as it is capable of providing that space with adequate infrastructure for the development of different activities related to the football show; but also, the same architecture, must consider the theoretical framework Figure 14. St. Jerome in His Study. Antonello da Messina c. 1460, oil on wood, National Gallery, London

46 Unwin, S., 2014. Analysing Architecture. 4th ed. New York: Routledge, p.75. 47 Ibid, p. 77. 31 that implies conceiving how that space will work during that show; understand how people perform? which is the center of attention? what does the experience of attending a stadium and live a football match in the context in which that stadium will exist implies?. 48 49

After having defined or rather, to have inquired about different conceptions of frame and of what in itself implies the act of framing, certain presumptions about what frame means are clarified; clarified not in the sense of distinguishing one from another; but rather, by having described, compared, compared, confronted one another, have a wider and clearer idea of what this term comprises. This undoubtedly leads to the complexity and ambiguity with which this research is concerned; complexity and ambiguity that in turn are not presented as a problem or obstacle but rather as a plus of this process, an aggregate that seeks to enrich the understanding of this framing urban activity through architecture and to consider the presence of these two concepts.

To illustrate these concepts, it is considered useful to take a look at the work of the Belgian painter Rene Magritte (Lessines, Belgium, 1898 - Brussels, 1967), who states about his work50: “There is no implied meaning in my paintings, despite the confusion that attributes symbolic Figure 15. The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe). La trahison des images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe). Oil on canvas, 1929. Source: C. meaning to my painting.” In “La Trahison des images” (figure 15) Magritte pretends to show the Herscovici, Brussels / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York mistake we make associating the painting like a representation of reality and “evidences the décalage between language and the thing it designates by questioning the equivalence between the word and the image, and between it and the object”51, this brings to light the existing complexity when associating as equals instead of equivalents, diverse means of expression such as words objects and images; this self questioning (of the beholder), could be the intention of the artist who pretends to show us the implied complexity in the interpretation we make of the exterior. As we previously spoke about different means of expression, an example that properly

48 “In more complex cases, the design of a house involves theorising on how the lives it will accommodate might be lived and producing an appropriate frame; the design of a church involves understanding the liturgy—the theory of how it is to be used for worship and ritual.” Ibid, p. 77. 49 “Thinking in this way, one realises that human beings surround themselves with frames, by which they organise the world architecturally.” Ibid, p. 79. 50 Excerpt from Magritte’s letter to A. Chavee, Sept. 30, 1960. Quoted in Matteson Art, 2009. Matteson Art. [Online] Available at: http://www.mattesonart.com/the-human-condition-1933--1935-with-articles.aspx [Accessed 10 February 2017]. 51 Magritte comment about the work “La Trahison des images” (Ceci n’est pas une pipe). Originally quoted in Biografías y vidas., 2017. Biografías y Vidas. La Enciclopedia biográfica en línea. [Online] Available 32 at: https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/magritte.htm [Accessed 13 February 2017]. illustrates Magritte’s insistence on inciting reflection on what a scene tells us is his work “La condition humane” (figure 16) which, from the very title, invites reflection. This insistence is unproductive if we are unable to understand the ambiguity present in this experience. As González mentions52: “To interpret an artist like Magritte one needs to possess the quality of questioning everything, even what we are interpreting as evident.” This implies an ambiguous, complex and interesting exercise of framing. When it comes to exploring Magritte we must take into account not only what is presented to us as the work itself; in this case that room or enclosure (or what at least, could be read as such, out of the clues that it offers like the wall, the floor and the light that enters through the arched opening), the black ball on the floor, the void in the wall, the easel and the canvas; but also to who is interpreting the image. The scene consists of a landscape of what appears to be the sea in the background, visible through the opening, in front of this arched opening –inside– a canvas on an easel, in which that background landscape is ‘reproduced’ and also ‘completes’, apparently, the rest of the landscape that the wall behind does not allow to observe. This, a priori, gives us the idea that the landscape is real and what we see ‘painted’ on the canvas is a representation of the ‘real’ landscape when actually the whole scene itself is a representation, which we, trying to classify we have framed differently; on the one hand the ‘real’ landscape in the background; and, on the other hand, in the foreground, the painting on the canvas. Magritte reinforces this idea of ambiguity​​ when facing the canvas without frame against the landscape, showing only slightly the edge of the canvas. It is in this sequence of interpretations and processes of mental framing –which occur simultaneously while the spectator performs its interpretation and which in turn are conditioned by past experiences– in which the viewer is inserted and in which therefore it makes sense, from my point of view, the title of the work the human condition (La condition humane), as a process of reflection, questioning ourselves and questioning what we observe, an attitude that makes us aware of the complexities and ambiguities that surround us and, if well conceived, can enrich our understanding and experience of the ‘real’.

Figure 16. La condition humane. The Human Condition. René Magritte. Oil on canvas, 100 cm x 81cm 1935.

52 Gonzalez Gomez, J., 2008. Departamento de Educación. [Online] Available at: https://educacion.ufm. edu/rene-magritte-la-condicion-humana-oleo-sobre-tela-1935/ [Accessed 11 Febryary 2017]. 33 Categories vs. Types From the Greek katêgoría, to late Latin as categorîa and in english category; category is understood as the term that allows to make divisions of groups to the elements according to the common characteristics that they possess53. That is to say, it allows to organise information by creating groups of homogeneous qualities in order to have a clear, defined order. The differences that the elements of a same category may have, lead to the creation of subcategories which then, allow to regroup these elements for a better differentiation or a deeper one. Categories are used in all areas, in favour of the organisation of situations; for example in sports, there are categories that organise the competitions, and sub categories according to the ages or the gender of its participants; in the work environment there are also categories according to the hierarchy, or the position of the worker. It is so that the categories can be applied to all the elements of the universe, according to the decision of who does it, as for example in architecture we have categories of the projects according to their function or program as housing, equipment, commercial, educational, etc. The same that could belong to another category that classifies them according to their materials: concrete, brick, steel, etc. It is important to understand that when an element belongs to any category, it does not cease to belong to another, this ambiguity that can be created when categorising is of great validity because the elements are connected with others of different categories, what makes categorising an interesting situation (figure 17). According to this, it can be considered that categories are a resource that allows to understand and organise the elements to study according to characteristics imposed, as Coromines mentions in its definition of category54, ‘I affirm, I attribute and I accuse’; as is the case of this work in which the elements that frame activities in public life are analyzed, dividing them into categories according to the way and the elements that contextualize the activities. Figure 17. Categories. If we define the word type, which comes from the Latin typus, it is a term that refers to a classification of elements, but discriminating or differentiating them from the aspects

53 Perez Porto, J., 2016. Definición. [Online] Available at: http://definicion.de/categoria/ [Accessed 11 February 2017]. 54 Original definition in Spanish: Corominas, J., 1987. Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana. 3rd ed. Madrid: Editorial Gredos. CATEGORIA, 1611. Tom. del gr. katêgoría ‘calidad que se atribuye a un objeto’, deriva. de katêgoreô ‘yo a rmo, atribuyo’, propiamente ‘acuso’, deriv. de agoreúô ‘hablo’. CATEGORIA, 1611. Tom. del gr. katêgoría ‘calidad que se 34 atribuye a un objeto’, deriva. de katêgoreô ‘yo afirmo, atribuyo’, propiamente ‘acuso’, deriv. de agoreúô ‘hablo’. that form part of a whole55; a type is a specific model or pattern that allows one to study in depth an issue 56. In other words, it is a term that characterises an element. A type is a model or a specific character of an element, a representativevsymbol of it, something ‘typical’57, so that it differentiates it from the other elements so they are in the same category (figure 18). From types, prototypes are derived, which is the exemplary model of an element even with which exactly a series of identical elements could be reproduced. What this means is that typologies can be applied to any aspect of reality but the link and relationships present between categories and their elements are not found in types because they separate the elements according to the unique characteristic that represents them isolating them from other types. In this work, framing urban activity is studied, that is to say, the capacity of an element to accommodate a variety of activities according to the needs of the users, and the difference between categories and types becomes fundamental for this research, and the reason why it has been decided to use categories over types is the relation that the former allows to have among the elements; in the same way that human activities are related, it is not sought to isolate, discriminate or seek the solely aspect that affects an element, but how to group the elements according to the way in which those elements frame the activities, taking into account that these activities and their actors will always be related, both among each other and with the context and other frames.

55 Original definition in Spanish: Perez Porto, J., 2016. Definición. [Online] Available at: http://definicion.de/ categoria/ [Accessed 11 February 2017] “La palabra tipos proviene del latín typus y es un término que hace referencia a una clasificación, discriminación o diferenciación de diversos aspectos que forman parte de un todo. 56 Although in English dictionaries, some definitions of ‘type’ can be found, none is as closely related to the connotation that it is given in this research, but for further readings and a broader understanding of the Figure 18. Types. term it is important to illustrate some of the most representative definitions of time as follows: Origin (of Type): Late 15th century (in the sense ‘symbol, emblem’): from French, or from Latin typus, from Greek tupos ‘impression, figure, type’, from tuptein ‘to strike’. The use in printing dates from the early 18th century; the general sense ‘category with common characteristics’ arose in the mid 19th century. Definitions: Type. Noun. 1. “A category of people or things having common characteristics.” 2. “A person or thing exemplifying the ideal or defining characteristics of something.”; 2.1. “An object, conception, or work of art serving as a model for subsequent artists.”; 2.2. “A symbol of someone or something.” Oxford University Press, 2017. Oxford English Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http://www. oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/74151 [Accessed 15 February 2017]. 57 Original definition in Spanish: Corominas, J., 1987. Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana. 3rd ed. Madrid: Editorial Gredos. Tipo, 1615, lat. typus. Tom. del gr. typos ‘tipo, modelo’, propte. ‘carácter gravado’, ‘imagen’ y primero ‘golpe, ;huella de un golpe’. Driv. Típico, 1765-83. Tipismo. Atípico. Cpt. Tipógrafo, 1611; tipografía; tipográfico. Prototipo, princ. S. XVII. 35 Cartography as a Research Tool If we consider cartography as “the science or art of making or drawing maps”58 we have to consider as well, all the elements involved in the elaboration of a map; the cartographic design implies not only the design of the cartography itself and its use as a communication tool, but also the decisions to be made by the cartographer: simplify the information, the symbols to be used, a graphic language, among others, that meet the intention of telling, what the cartographer wants to convey, since as a map, it always seeks to communicate.59 It is important to stress the difference between the concepts of data and information; data itself has no meaning, data is understood as a simple set of values or elements that we use to represent something; while it is necessary to understand or interpret this data to give meaning to it. Therefore, information is only the result of a data and an interpretation.60 Monmonier states that: “Not only is it easy to lie with maps it’s essential ...But the value of the map depends on how well its generalised geometry and generalised content reflect a chosen aspect of reality.”61 The reason a map could not necessarily reflect the reality is given by many different circumstances: dependent on the author’s personality and intentions (figure 19), a political or propagandistic purposes or even a ‘cartographic illiteracy’ as Schlögel mentions: “there are great authors that simplify everything and other much more detailed that, of so much trees they draw, the forest is no longer seen.”62 It is up to the the author’s judgement how to ‘lie’ with the map in the aim to give the user the opportunity to process the contained information. Although it is always important to keep in mind that behind any reality interpretation the author’s signature is always there, this concern is clearly summarised by Schlögel when he states: “As any human work, maps are ideological constructions and historic products.”63

A reason to deliberately ‘ignore’ reality is for example a metro map (Figure 20); the goal of such a map is to effectively communicate the user a certain information that would mainly be helpful for it to commute from one place to another.

58 Cambridge University, 2017. Cambridge Dictionary. [Online] Available at: : http:// dictionary. cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/market [Accessed 7 February 2017]. 59 Olaya, V., 2011. Sistemas de Información Geográfica. E-reader ed. 60 Ibid. 61 Monmonier, M., 1996. How to lie with maps. Second edition ed. Chicago : The University of Chicago Press. 62 Schlögel, K., 2007. Im Raume lesen wir die Zeit. Spanish ed. Madrid: Ediciones Siruela. Spanish edition: Biblioteca de Ensayo 55 ed. 36 63 Ibid. Figure 19. (Left) Universal Corrective Map of the World. Stuart McArthur. 1979.

Figure 20. (Right) New York City Subway Diagram. Massimo Vignelli. 2008.

37 In this sense Schlögel is right to state that: “The metro plane is precisely about discarding the ‘real geography’ ... Form is subordinate to function, and a ‘precise’ map in the ordinary sense would not be so adequate.”64 This kind of maps end up finally being more diagrams than a map itself. It is the designer who will have the responsibility to condense all available information and translate it into an appropriate cartographic ‘language’ where the most important value of the illustration is user’s interpretation of it and what type of information, connections and insight the user is able to obtain from it65 (figure 21).

Figure 21. Next page. The 64 Ibid. Cartography of Kitchenware. Source: Pop Chart Lab. 65 As it can be seen in a close-up of “the cartography of kitchenware” (see figure), being a communication tool its intention is; after collecting data and through interpretation, transform it into information, communicate this information visually and display it in an effective manner; with a certain purpose that is previously determined by the designer; in this case: the display of gastronomic diversity through a chart of about two hundred culinary tools, machines and manipulators; in the words of the authors of this cartography themselves, the goal of their work is to: “assemble, sift, cull, and arrange massive amounts of cultural data into meaningful works of art and information” and finally: “to render all of human experience in chart form” Pop 38 Chart Lab, 2014. Our Story. [Online] Available at: https://www.popchartlab.com/pages/our-story [Accessed 20 March 2017]. 39 The Cartography of Framing The Cartography of Framing will be defined by how the activities are framed. A map that has not been created yet, full of meaning because it is composed of different interpretations of frames, places –or no places– in which an activity takes place. The universal connection that unites these frames is human activity, no matter what, they are scenarios for people at a specific or undetermined time. In this cartography, the frame intervenes directly by linking manifold variety of activities; a tool that will allow to represent different connections and organise categories that define activities. As discussed above, it is known that cartography studies and elaborates mainly territorial and geographical maps, but in this case it is applied to create a different map, a cartography that frames the possibilities of framing activities. Why use cartography to frame the categories of this work? The reason is simple, it seeks to expose the relations of generated ideas in a simple and suggestive way disclosing at the same time the ambiguity and complexity of such relationships that are found during the process. The steps carried out through the composition of this cartography include: the compilation of diverse expressions of framing; the determination of the categories according to the way in which a frame actually frames activities; the selection of features that represent these categories significantly; the setting of elements according to the closest relation by their related characteristics (taking into account that they may belong to more than one category or be located between categories), the emphasis of the element according to its position and size to indicate the relevance for the later project and finally the connection and link represented by the relationships between the elements and their categories. Throughout this process it is possible to reflect on and obtain references to guide the design process. This exercise of composing The Cartography of Framing does not seek to classify the elements in a certain way, since the classification would be reductionist. As mentioned in previous lines it has been chosen to do it through categories rather than types considering that while the types treat each element as a specific model or pattern, categorisation is related in this work to what Corominas66 defines with “I affirm, I attribute and I accuse” and this is what this research aims to do, to propose categories of framing according to different situations. Therefore, the beauty of generating this cartography is that it works with a material that has been collected, analysed and put on the table from an individual approach, from an own frame, which does not limit the cartography but, on the contrary makes it challenging and invites others to complete it, change it, adjust it as a system or

40 66 See page 34. About the definition of Category in the section Categories vs. Types. collection of pieces that according to each category and the connection and relationships between them, serves as a guide to the understanding of framing urban activity.

The Categories of Framing Category { _ } The first category {_} relates those elements that frame through ‘tracing’ on surfaces; that is to say that, while marking these surfaces we are containing them and defining the frame. These strokes are expressed in different ways and for different purposes: imagine the jointing of two different surfaces, different by its color, its materiality, its texture, etc; this jointing will define the frame, since this change will mark the surface and therefore indicate the fact of ‘being’ ‘inside or outside’ or the passage from one to the other. On the other hand this encounter or crossing of surfaces could also mean a reference, establish rules of play or guide activities or actions whether planned, concrete, random or spontaneous. In this category, this ‘tracing’ also implies recognising elements that, when associated, mark a certain surface67, elements that can be either static or dynamic permanent or temporary, alive or inert.

The second category { | } relates those frames that are defined by the fact of making us aware of Category { | } being able –or not– to cross them. Although this ‘crossing’ is conceived in various ways, it could be synthesised basically describing two: the fact that this frame allows to be crossed physically, meaning that through it, one is able to recognise ‘being’ –or not– in an specific point and/or passing to ‘be’ in another; or by the fact that it allows –or not– to be visually traversed, that is to say that this frame makes conscious the fact that if it can be observed –or not– it is through it, the frame.

The third category {–} finally, relates those elements that frame through ‘being above’. These elements, although not necessarily solid, must be tangible, that is to be frames that can be advertised or experimented as such; surfaces that by being ‘over’ are therefore framing the space.

Category { – }

67 Here we can refer to for example one of the Gestalt principles: Closure. “Closure occurs when an object is incomplete or a space is not completely enclosed. If enough of the shape is indicated, people percieve the whole by filling in the missing infomation.” Community Colleges of Spokane, n.d. SFCC Graphic Design. [Online] Available at: http://graphicdesign. spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm [Accessed 11 February 2017]. 41 Along the process of composition of The Cartography of Framing diverse conceptions of ‘frame’ have been explored; different situations, activities or relationships where ‘the act of framing’ is revealed. These interpretations in turn, have been taken from various means of expression: etymology, culture, literature, art, sculpture, architecture, among others; in order to both extend the scope of this conception to other disciplines and to show this frame in different ways that, although different, can always be related to each other.

It is thus that, from this exploration, images and concepts for The Cartography of Framing have been chosen, so that they represent the categories defined in this work but also all the ideas, objections, and reflections exposed here about the frame. Although the cartography represents a synthesis of the whole process, it is considered relevant –in the same way it has been done with the various theoretical approaches around the notion of frame– to include as well, the set of images that graphically represent the concept of frame (see page 44) and from which have been chosen those examples that are believed to effectively express each category (see page 45). It is worth clarifying that this set is already a preliminary selection, a part of the universe around the notion of frame, but precisely, it is the objective of this research, approaching the concept itself through an own frame in the interest of contributing to the achievement of the outlined goals.

42 List of reference works for The Cartography of Framing Figure C.26. Langen Foundation by Tadao Source: Desmond Charles flickr user. Figure C.01. Listening Dimension by Olafur Ando. Source: Barnabas.juhasz. Figure C.52. Gehnt Market Hall by Robbrecht en Daem Eliasson. 2017. Source: Marios Hutchinson. Figure C.27. Parc de la Villete by Bernard Tschumi and Marie-José Van Hee. Source: Hufton + Crow. Figure C.02. Football field. Source: David Price flickr user. Architects. Source: Yellow Mao flickr user. Figure C. 53. Woodpile by Talmon Biran Figure C.03. Ice skating at the Rockefeller Plaza Figure C.28. Fruit market. Unknown. Architecture Studio. Source: Divisare. in New York. Source: Gerry Vandermaesen. Figure C.29. Composition No. II. Line and Color by Figure C.54. Sant Antoni’s temporary sunday market by Figure C.04. Your Invisible House by Olafur Piet Mondrian. 1913. Source: reprodart.com Ravetllat Ribas Arquitectos. Source: Adrià Goula. Eliasson. 2015. Source: Jakub Hunosoe. Figure C.30. Sketch of the Parc de la Villete Figure C.55. Floating market in Thailand. Source: Jesús Hernandez. Figure C.05. Deserted by Ben Young. Laminated clear by Bernard Tschumi. Source: BTA. Figure C.56. Rest and Reflect AIDS Memorial by float glass with cast concrete base and cast white Figure C.31. Tabriz Bazar in Iran. Source: Iran Traveling Center. Studio a+i. Manhattan. Source: Architizer bronze palm tree. Source: Ben Young 2016, Figure C.32. Door. Source: Rudolf Vicek flickr user. Figure C.57. Chiang Mai MArket in Thailand. Source: Lisa flickr user. Figure C.06. Serious House Installation by Hugo Reis and Figure C.33. Haus Rüscher by ARSP - Architekten Figure C.58. Bus station in Emsdetten by Filipa Frois Almeida. 2014. Source: Miguel Oilveira. Rüf Stasi Partner. 2012. Source: Amy Frearson. OX2architekten. Source: Detail Inspiration. Figure C.07. Section of the No Stop City by Andrea Figure C.34. House-garden for Constantino Nivola by Bernard Figure C.59. Rambla del Mar in Barcelona. Source: Ana Stroe. Branzi. Source: Archizoom Associati. Rudofsky. New York, 1949-1950. Source: Arquitectura de Málaga. Figure C.60. Los Manantiales Restaurant by Félix Figure C.08. Sergio García-Gasco and Pedro Figure C.35. Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. 2013. Candela. Source: Deutsches Museum. Almodóvar’s monument. Source: Ricardo Santoja. Source: James Attree flickr user. Figure C.61. Auvent by A+. Source: A+ architecture in Belgium. Figure C.09. Arcades by Troika. 2012. Source: troika.uk Figure C.36. La Casa by Bernard Rudofsky & José Antonio Figure C.62. Your black horizon by Olafur Eliasson. Wood, Figure C.10. Torii Gate. Lake Gashi, Japan. Source: Jeff flickr user. Coderch. Málaga. 1970. Source: ofHouses.com aluminium, translucent acrylic, LED lights. Source: Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.11. Frame of the movie Playtime by Jacques Figure C.37. The Unusual Footbal Field by Figure C.63. Eyes of the world by Cadaval & Tati. 1967. Source: Sociedad Central de Arquitectos. CJWorkx. Bangkok. Source: Architizer. Solá Morales. Source: Santiago Garcés. Figure C.12. Boys retrieving ball from balcony. Figure C.38. One-way color tunnel by Olafur Eliasson. San Figure C.64. 1m3 of light by Olafur Eliasson. Source: Johnnie Shand Kydd. Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2007. Source: Ian Reeves. 1999 Source: Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.13. Framed Ocean by Horacio Figure C.39. Glass Houses Bruce McCall, Cover of The Figure C.65. Breathing Room II by Antony Salinas. Source: Illusion Magazine. New Yorker, November 2016. Source: unrtd.co Gormley. Source: Sean Kelly Gallery. Figure C.14. Mondrian composition in White Black Figure C.40. Arch by Andrea Branzi. Concrete, ceramic Figure C.66. Fata Morgana by Teresita Fernandez in and Red. Moma 1936. Source: moma.org and paint. 2003. Source: Mori Building Co. Madisson square Park. Source: Designboom. Figure C.15. Visible Distance / Second Sight by Figure C.41. Arc de Triomf in Barcelona. Source: Francisco Martins. Figure C.67. House sweet house by Ron Gilad. Sourcec: domusweb. Jennifer Bolande. Source: Lance Gerber. Figure C.42. La Porxada in Granollers. Source: granollers.cat. Figure C.68. Just a black box by Tomaso Boano Figure C.16. Non stop Park by Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.43. Louvre Museum by I.M. Pei. Source: Dino Quinzani. and Jonas Prišmontas Source: Designboom. 2009. Source: Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.44. Intempèrie I by Perejaume. Figure C.69. Central Square Alley. Source: Howland Studio. Figure C.17. Sybil Road. Anfield, Liverpool. Source: Simon Harsen. 1993. Source: Joan Prats Gallery. Figure C.70. Tourist Information at Glories, Figure C.18. Model by Superstudio. Architectural Figure C.45. Acquedotto Carolino by Luigi Barcelona. Source: Jose Hevia. Record, 1974. Source: RNDRD. Vanvitelli. Source: Marieano de Angelis. Figure C.71. Botanical Garden Pavilion by Mike McKay. Source: dwell Figure C.19. Morning sun by Edward Hopper. Figure C.46. Stanza Silente by Massimo Uberti. Neon, 1952. Source: EdwardHopper.net Figure C.72. Wireframe installation at Fuorifarm by iron and silver wire, 2001. Source: Massimo Uberti. Cottone+Indelicato Architects. Source: Cottone+Indelicato Architects. Figure C.20. Supersurface from the short film ‘Life’ by Figure C.47. He by BAM studio. 2013. Source: BAM studio. Superstudio 1972. Source: mediaarchitecture.at Figure C.73. Rambla in Barcelona. Source: Warren Bodnaruk. Figure C.48. Extemporary Capsule by Paolo Mestriner, Figure C.74. Consolation0001 by Lorenzo Degli Esposti Figure C.21. Kids playing on the streets of New Studioazero, COR Arquitectos / Cremascoli Okumura York City. 1947. Source: Ralph Morse. on “The Thames and the City of London from Richmond Rodrigues, Maria Milano. 2016. Source: Nicoló Galeazzi. House” by Canaletto. Milan, 2014. Source: Picssr. Figure C.22. Frames on the street. Source Lucas Ninno flickr user. Figure C.49. Mikroskop by Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.75. Markthal Rotterdam by MVRDV. Rotterdam, Figure C.23. Iranian Desert. Source: Allie Jon. 2010. Source: Olafur Eliasson. 2014. Source: Daria Scagliola+Stijn Brakkee Figure C.24. Dancing at Las Ramblas. Source: Yuval Haimovits. Figure C.50. Lois, landscape frame by bergmeisterwolf. Figure C.76. Your body of work by Olafur Eliasson. Figure C.25. This must be the placce. Poster 2006. Source: bergmeisterwolf. 2011. Source: Anders Sune Berg. by Low Key. Source: Grandpa Store. Figure C.51. A market in La Havana, Cuba. 43 C.01 C.02 C.03 C.04 C.05 C.07 C.08

C.11 C.12 C.13 C.14 C.15 C.06 C.16 C.17 C.09

C.10 C.18 C.19 C.20 C.22 C.23 C.24 C.25 C.26

C.27 C.28 C.29 C.30 C.31 C.21 C.32 C.33

C.35 C.36 C.37 C.38 C.39 C.40 C.41 C.42 C.34

C.43 C.44 C.45 C.47 C.48 C.49 C.50 C.51 C.52 C.53

C.54 C.55 C.46 C.56 C.57 C.58 C.59 C.60

C.61 C.62 C.63 C.65 C.66 C.67 C.68

C.69 C.70 C.71 C.72 C.64 C.73 C.74 C.75 C.76

This is how The Cartography of Framing is finally shaped. The cartography is composed of six sets; three corresponding each one to the defined categories and; three representing the link between two or more categories, each of these sets has been assigned a color code so that their identification, as well as the connections between them, can be clearly visualised. In the category {_}, represented in cyan, and that relates different frames through ‘tracing’ there is among others, the work of Olafur Eliasson in 2009 in Berlin, “Non- stop park” (figure C.16); in which the artist was commissioned to redesign a neglected green space in Berlin and his response was a series of interventions in public space such as experiments with water, projections or mirrors, among others. But the first intervention actually was “sketching a new design for the park directly onto the site. Thick chalk lines, reminiscent of the white lines on streets or the markings on a football pitch, were traced across the existing paths, pavement, fields, and shrubbery. The markings reimagine the square in zones of movement related to the human body, superimposing onto the site an idealised city square, a utopian sports field, and a jungle of undergrowth.”68 This action of sketching, representing spaces, interpreting an activity, defining certain lines is finally, an act of framing. In the category { | } represented in magenta we have, among others, the work of Bernard Rudofsky; in this project, we can see Rudofsky’s insistence on respecting the nature and topography of the site, not only preserving trees, but also integrating them in the design69. In the image we can see (figure C.34) how Rudofsky highlights the dichotomy between the two elements –the tree and the wall– and at the same time makes us reflect on the relation between a living entity and a fixed object; it is this situation precisely that is considered to represent this category and therefore the frame: the fact that this wall, static, inert, frames the tree, not to limit it or restrict its activity but rather to encourage its development. In the category {-} in yellow, those frames that are ‘above’ or ‘cover’ a space are represented; as in the case of Lorenzo Degli Esposti’s drawing on the painting by Canaletto (figure C.74). What in this occasion is an imaginary collage, however helps to clearly display this category of frame, since this ‘imaginary reflective structure’ by the fact of being ‘above’ defines, contains and certainly frames a space. Through the work of Massimo Uberti, stanza silente (figure C.46) we can represent those frames that share several categories, in this case the categories { | } & {_} in purple, since through this work, where the artist uses light as an instrument drawing fine lines to achieve a stronger expression of the idea he seeks to communicate, it can be seen how the frame represented in this case by strokes of light, ‘draws’ both categories simultaneously. Within the frames, represented in orange and which share the categories { | } & {–}, is the monument “Pedro Almodóvar” (figure C.08), a monument by Enproyecto Arquitectura dedicated to the spanish film maker and director. In words of the authors: “the monument frames the Manchegan horizon [La Mancha is the location of the monument and Almodovar’s home town] as if it were a frame in one of Almodovar’s films. The vivid red coloring and the undulating textures is a nod to the iconographic imaginary of the director. Besides framing a viewpoint of the landscape, the structure can be used as an open-air stage”70 this piece, actually merges both categories by making us aware of the possibility of crossing it both visually and physically, being able at the same time to shelter or contain activity within it. Finally, in black, there are those frames that represent in one way or another all three categories, as is the case of the installation “1m3 of light” by Olafur Eliasson (figure C.64) where the artist: “in a dark room filled with fog, twenty-four halogen bulbs are positioned to delineate one cubic metre of light.”71 This installation shows how, although this ‘cubic meter’ is not solid nor has definite edges but rather, are the beams of light –which are frames– those that define it; it is still possible to perceive this ‘1 cubic meter of light’ and, therefore, the space contained between those frames.

68 Eliasson, O., 2009. Non stop park. [Online] Available at: http://olafureliasson.net/archive/artwork/WEK100335/non-stop-park-entwurf-fur-einen-park [Accessed 12 February 2017]. 69 Devesa, R., 2012. La casa y el árbol. Aportes teóricos al proyecto de arquitectura. Barcelona: Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. PhD. thesis. 70 Garcia Gasco, S., n.d. Pedro Almodovar. [Online] Available at: http://cargocollective.com/sergiogarciagasco/Pedro-Almodovar [Accessed 20 June 2017]. 71 Eliasson, O., 1999. 1 m3 light. [Online] Available at: http://olafureliasson.net/archive/artwork/WEK101382/1-m3-light [Accessed 12 February 2017].

chapter three

the design of a frame 50 This chapter explores, through a design exercise, the application of the frame in a concrete urban context: the Passeig Sant Joan in Gràcia, Barcelona. Framing urban activity comes from the reflection on how to approach an urban design project; in this case, intervention in a public space within a consolidated urban fabric. This design process is actually composed of different moments: reflections on space, place, environment and finally the context, the urban context; the activities that take place in this urban context, using the market –understood as an activity– as a living laboratory, and different approaches to human behaviour in the public space; which has led to the idea of treating this architectural exercise as framing urban activity. Exploring and reflecting on this concept of frame and the act of framing has been one of the main project tools to carry out this proposal, in addition the cartography obtained as a synthesis of the process have not only served to approach the project but has also been conceived to be useful and extrapolated in future architecture and urban design projects. Although this research is shown here structured continuously from the theory, the exploration of the concepts and finally the exercise of design; It is important to emphasise the following: this structure is precisely a frame chosen by the author to explain the process and facilitate the understanding of this work, while the design process, as well as the construction of ideas presented here, has been more a discontinuous and intermittent journey, of different moments, which in fact has enriched the process and conception of the project as an exercise of reflection on relations of people in the public realm, with each other, and with the context to finally frame urban activity.

51 The Site: Framing the Opportunity

“….art is not the end but the beginning. Art is not the end. The product is never the end but should be the beginning. Otherwise art has no life.”72

These words by Ai Weiwei adequately illustrate the purpose of this work on framing the urban activity. Although a particular architectural design is proposed in a defined space, that aims to illustrate the ideas that are presented here, that is to say: its frame; this architectural product does not seek to be the ultimate answer to the concerns raised throughout the process, but rather the beginning of these reflections73 and an opportunity to contribute to the debate on current reactions to contemporary architectural and urban issues.

Why Passeig Sant Joan as a test scenario? The City Council of Barcelona through the Municipal Institute of Markets of Barcelona (IMMB), proposes the remodelling of L’Abacería Central market, which is scheduled to start in 2018 and be finished two or three years later. During the remodelling of the market, the sellers who choose to continue with their work will be transferred to a temporary market, the same that will be located in the Passeig Sant Joan, between Sant Antoni Maria Claret and Industria streets, temporary location that has been chosen by the City Council And has been accepted by 95% of the market sellers.74 L’Abacería Central market is located in the quarter of Gràcia, which is inserted in one of the most traditional urban fabrics in the city; an area commonly with narrow streets and few story

72 Ai Weiwei. Quoted in Hirshhorn Museum, 2017. Ai Wei Wei Zodiac Heads. [Online] Available at: https://hirshhorn. si.edu/collection/ai-weiwei-zodiac-heads/#collection=ai-weiwei-zodiac-heads [Accessed 24 March 2017]. 73 As Michel Foucault states describing his idea of the “history of the present”: “The game is to try to detect those things which have not yet been talked about, those things that, at the present time, introduce, show, give some more or less vague indications of the fragility of our system of thought, in our way of reflecting, in our practices.” Foucault, M., 1996. Foucault Live. Collected Interviews 1961-1984. Semiotexte. 52 74 El Digital, 2016. Así será el nuevo Mercado de la Abaceria, en Gràcia. El Digital, 27 July. buildings (figure 22), but above all with a significant cultural tradition in which the market has become a trade reference of the quarter contributing to the commercial activity and the social life of the neighborhood given the fact that Gràcia is currently an active and highly vital area due in part to its characteristic squares, distributed along the neighborhood, that are containers of social, cultural and leisure activities, among others. L’Abaceria Central market, which was initially located in the Plaza de la Revolución, originated as an open market with few stalls, was later transferred to its current location, with the difference that instead of being an open-air market, would be converted into a market within a building (figure 23).

The fact that the original L’Abacería Central market is soon to be renovated and therefore will be temporarily located on the Passeig Sant Joan, an active public space, framed by an urban context, is an interesting conjuncture to test the objective of this research that is framing urban activity, considering that after a process of investigation about the theoretical background related to the subject and the concepts that have been exposed in this work, this conjuncture is an opportunity to show the architectural possibilities that this frame has to offer to urban situations; not only, in this case, a temporary market along the passeig –a market that, as has been repeatedly mentioned is treated here as an activity, and is planned to remain in the Figure 22. A view of Grácia quartier. passeig for two or three years– but also, the possibilities that this frame has to contain diverse activities and to last in time as much as the urban dynamics so allow it; in addition, prove its relationship not only with the passeig and the activities that occur in it, but also with the context in which it is inserted in such a way to always proof capable of being a plus –in the qualitative, rather than the quantitative– of life and contemporary urban situations of the city. Given that the next temporary operation of L’Abacería Central market on the Passeig Sant Joan during its renovation has been considered for this work as an opportunity to stress the reflections presented here in a concrete design exercise, although the proposed design is not conceived to frame a specific activity or program, it is pertinent to briefly mention some facts regarding the treatment of markets in Barcelona, in order to contextualise this proposal and to better illustrate the reasons why this situation has been considered as an opportunity.

The city of Barcelona has been working in recent years on the subject of markets with a multipurpose approach; carrying out a process of remodelling the historic markets through highly acclaimed projects, which have turned these spaces into architectural references of great quality and worldwide recognised; in addition, much emphasis has been placed on what the market means for buyers and sellers, for the neighbourhood, community and Figure 23. L’Abaceria Central Market. 53 city, seeking to place the market as a real public space for social gathering and cohesion, developing activities beyond those solely related to the activities of a market.75 On one hand, the Barcelona Model of Markets (El Model Barcelona de Mercats)76 has been an exemplary model with positive results in terms of the conception and treatment of the rehabilitated markets, at least in architectural and urban terms; however, it is important to notice that in terms of temporary markets that were set up during the remodelling of the original markets, the issue has generally been paid much less attention as, from my point of view, beyond assessing architectural and/or functional aspects, this circumstance has not been understood as an opportunity to propose spaces that, although temporary, provide the possibility of triggering urban diversity, understood as the variety of activities that can be generated in the urban context, and its capacity to increase the complexity and with it, the quality of the city beyond merely covering the need to temporarily shelter a market.

Having said that, it is necessary to focus on the space in which the design exercise will take place: Passeig Sant Joan (see pages 56, 57). The Passeig, which starts in Arc del Triumf and ends at Travessera de Gràcia, belongs in fact to two districts: L’Eixample and Gràcia, two representative urban fabrics of the city and at the same time different from each other (figure 24). It can be considered that the Passeig Sant Joan is divided into three sections, the first from the Arc del Triunf to Tetuan Square, the second from Tetuan Square to Avinguda Diagonal and finally the third from Avinguda Diagonal to Travessera de Gracia, being the latter, the site where the proposal will be located (figure 25).

Figure 24. Gracia & Eixample urban fabrics. The diagram shows the different urban fabrics –Gracia on the left and Eixample on the right– in which the project will be located; it is important to notice the difference both in scale and composition of each one. 75 Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2015. Mercats. L’experiència de Barcelona. Barcelona: Institut de Mercats de Barcelona. 54 76 Ibid. Parc de la Ciutadella

Arc de Tiomf

Figure 25. Situation Diagram. This image shows the environment in which the project will be located. The extent of Passeig Sant Joan from Traverssera de Gràcia towards Parc de la Ciutadella and its three main sections divided by Diagonal Ave., Tetuan Sq. and Arc de Triomf are also shown.

55 Figure 26. Current situation of Passeig Sant Joan (March 2017). 56 Figure 27. Current situation of Passeig Sant Joan (March 2017). Figure 28. Current situation of Passeig Sant Joan (March 2017).

Figure 29. Current situation of Passeig Sant Joan (March 2017). 57 The Design Process In the book Arquitectura plus de sentido, the authors point out that the current myth of the profession [architecture] maintains that it is enough with an inspired doing, technical knowledge or experience, to produce architecture; and so; no reflection, explanation, theorising or a conceptualisation of the operations put in play is needed, because with the operations is enough77. These reflections nowadays become fundamental, insisting architects, whatever their academic, professional, public or private backgrounds, about their role regarding contemporary architectural and urban issues, considering not only the architectural object to be designed but who inhabits it. After having explored the concepts of frame and framing, the urban context and, human behaviour and activities in the public realm from different perspectives; it is considered pertinent to give an architectural response to these reflections through a design exercise. The Design process seeks to propose new urban experience taking into account the current situation and all scales involved in the project: from the architectural piece to the city. Also seeks to stress the possibilities of the frame, as an effort to support the variety of urban activities and enhance complexity.78 The project seeks to be able to accommodate different actions, manifestations and expressions of individuals in different moments of urban life79, and therefore a collective expression through relationships; a space80 that uses as a primary and fundamental instrument for the construction of these relations, architecture. The idea of relations: user-urban space, subject-object, and the idea of relating collectively, namely the encounter in the public space, have been a subject of major concern throughout this work; understanding how these complex relationships are built and interwoven at all scales; as well as how in the urban space different uses are gradually mixing and

77 Lewbowicz, I. & Sztulwark, P., 2003. Arquitectura plus de sentido. Second ed. Buenos Aires: Altamira. 78 “But architecture is necessarily complex and contradictory …I welcome the problems and exploit the uncertainties. By embracing contradiction as well as complexity, I aim for vitality as well as validity.” Venturi, R., 1992. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. 2nd ed. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, p.16. 79 “Places which can be used for many different purposes offer their users more choice than places whose design limits them to a single fixed use. Environments which offer this choice have a quality we call robustness.” Bentley, I. et al., 1985. Responsive Environments. Burlington: Architectural Press, p.56. 80 Aires Mateus defined space for his installation in Bienal de Venecia 2010. “Space is a void, an airbag that must be contained to define a limit. This precision coincides with the indispensable existence of its surroundings, which gives it identity. Designing spaces is to design the possibilities of life, with material limits”. Translated by author. Original text: “El espacio es un vacío, una bolsa de aire que debe ser contenida para definir un límite. Esta precisión coincide con la existencia indispensable de su alrededor, que le otorga identidad. Diseñar espacios es diseñar las posibilidades de la vida, con límites de material”. Originally quoted in 58 Gonzalez, B., 2012. Contradiction. [Online] Available at: http://mycontradiction.com/blog/voids/ [Accessed 14 March 2017]. overlapping and thus give shape and a unique order to the city81. Relations that are supposed to catalyse life –activity– in the urban space, having as an element of support the architecture –container of activities– and thus will be relevant not for the conformation of a whole –the final project– but as they manage to join, multiply, strengthen each other.

81 “Intricate mingling of different uses in cities are not a form of chaos. On the contrary, they represent a complex and highly developed form of order.” Jacobs, J., 1992. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage. 59 The Project

“I always want to design a frame or structure that can be open to everybody. Only by encouraging individual freedom, or the individual power of the mind and, by trusting our own feelings, can collective acts be meaningful.”82

To approach the project in terms of design –in addition to all the process developed and illustrated in previous chapters up to this point– implies understanding why, for what and for whom the frame will be useful. As it has been described here on several occasions83, the fact of temporarily placing the Abacería Central market on Passeig Sant Joan is treated here as an opportunity; opportunity not only for reflection, the inquiry on concepts, and the production of ideas and useful tools for our practice, facts that have been also objective of this work; but also constitutes an opportunity for designing, for an architectural project. To finally materialise these ideas and concepts in a concrete project with a determined scale and in a specific context, as expressed by Aires Mateus in his definition of space quoted in previous lines84: “designing spaces is to design the possibilities of life, with material limits”; to translate these ideas and concepts into a ‘physical space’ and to design this ‘space’ with material limits, is also objective of this study and, above all, it is understood as part of the research process, research by design. Andrea Branzi’s “Portali Collection” (figure 30) helps to describe the purpose of the frame and its conception in terms of design; it is considered pertinent to transcribe part of Branzi’s description of his work, where he expresses the following: “Portali is a collection of 18 white ceramics, conceived as small environments all alike; these portals are placed in a vase always different (or a tree trunk). It is therefore a series of micro spaces, partly repetitive and partly varied, that

82 Quotes from a conversation with Ai Weiwei on 31 May 2010 and 1 June 2010, Beijing quoted in Tate, 2010. The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei: Sunflower Seeds: Artist’s quotes. [Online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/ whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series-ai-weiwei/artists-quotes [Accessed 22 February 2017]. 83 See section: The Site: ‘framing’ the opportunity, p. 50. 84 Originally quoted in Gonzalez, B., 2012. Contradiction. [Online] Available at: http:// 60 mycontradiction.com/blog/voids/ [Accessed 14 March 2017]. together create a colourful architectural landscape; the persistence of a simple thought that is renewed in time and space, as a metric or pentagram ...I think that one of the tasks of design is actually to provide the world not with unnecessary decorations, but autonomous spaces, micro-sites dedicated to what may seem superfluous, but without which everything becomes useless”85.

Figure 30. The image shows one of the 18 pieces of the Portali Collection by Andrea Branzi. Vase. Collection Portali. Source: design boom.

85 Original quote in italian: “Portali è una collezione di 18 ceramiche bianche, concepite come se fossero dei piccoli ambienti tutti uguali; dentro ciascuno di questi portali si colloca però un vaso sempre diverso (o un tronco d’albero). Si tratta dunque di una serie di micro- spazi, in parte ripetitivi e in parte variati, che nel loro insieme creano un paesaggio architettonico fiorito;…il persistere di un pensiero semplice che si rinnova nel tempo e nello spazio, come una metrica o pentagramma. …Credo che uno dei compiti del design sia infatti quello di saper aggiungere al mondo costruito non dei decori inutili, ma degli spazi autonomi, dei micro- luoghi dedicati a ciò che può sembrare superfluo, ma senza il quale tutto diventa inutile” . Translated by the author. Domus & Sommariva, E., 2008. I microspazi fioriti di Andrea Branzi. [Online] Available at: http://www.domusweb.it/it/notizie/2008/12/10/i- microspazi-fioriti-di-andrea-branzi.html [Accessed 24 March 2017]. 61 The proposed frame, by no means seeks to be a definitive answer to a ‘single problem’, since it is necessary to be aware that complexity exists86 –and also contributes– therefore in a urban space there is never only a ‘single problem’ since, as we know, it is not possible to define this problem completely, and there is not only one solution; it is from this point of view from which the proposal has been developed. After having found a few examples of how the issue of temporary markets in the city has been treated (refer to previous chapter) and seen several architectural examples of these, a concern has arisen as to what would happen if one of these prefabricated markets (figures 31,32) is located on the Passeig Sant Joan (figure 33). This concern does not focus on criticising this Figure 31. Ninot temporary market. Source: Barcelofilia. temporary markets model nor focuses on the design and performance of these type of buildings but rather, uses these examples to encourage reflection on what and how to propose a ‘plus’ for the urban space; how it can be added to a public space –in this case the Passeig framed by a consolidated context–, architecture that contributes to the quality of this space.

Far from a specific purpose, beyond hosting the temporary market or any fixed program87, the frame is aimed to boost the possibilities, to be able to contain multiple activities, to operate in different urban situations, while coexisting with the Passeig Sant Joan and its surroundings.

The frame seeks to negotiate with something; that something is the new space –that occurs when the Figure 32. Bon Pastor temporary market. Source: Barcelona Film Comission frame joins the Passeig– and thus this something, in turn, is able to negotiate with the city. This is why the frame is not a market design, but instead, an exercise to frame urban activity. The purpose is to encourage the development of activity in the proposed frame, whether it is a temporary market or a different activity; the final goal is to explore the possibilities of the frame in the urban context. Considering all the scales involved in the project; from the human scale (activity) to the Passeig, its surface, urban furniture, trees, shrubs, streets and buildings surrounding this section of the Passeig (urban context); is how finally the dimensions, the rhythm and therefore the scale of the frame itself has been determined. This, at first sight, could be approached as a small

86 “But an architecture of complexity and contradiction has a special obligation toward the whole … It must embody the difficult unity of inclusion rather than the easy unity of exclusion.” Venturi, R., 1992. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. 2nd ed. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, p.16. Figure 33. Collage of one of the temporary markets placed in Passeig Sant Joan. 87 Sadler states: “The benign professionalism of architecture and design had, in their opinion (the situationists), led to a sterilisation of the world that threatened to wipe out any sense of spontaneity or playfulness.” in this project it is believe that spontaneity, 62 playfulness and even ambiguity can always add quality to the space. Sadler, S., 1999. The Situationist City. London: MIT Press, p. 5. GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100

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or medium-scale project. However, the proposal is aware that, as in any urban operation, the consequences are significant for the city as a whole, since these scales must be controlled simultaneously throughout the whole design process, not with the intention of transforming the image of the city, but the way in which those who pass through this new space will inhabit it. GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 Regarding issues of form, as it has been commented in The Cartography of Framing section, the relationship between form and subjectivity has always been taken into consideration, in which different tests (figure 34) have been done in such a way that, formally, the frame maintains an abstract form, but can be recognised as a familiar figure since, as mentioned by Madanipour88: “The appearance of a place can act as a series of signs, with psychological and social significance. These signs and symbols can provideGSPublishe rVaestheticersion 0.0.100. 100 pleasure for individuals and groups …If a place finds a symbolic meaning shared by a large number of people, it has the potential to become a focus of local identity.”

The fact that the project is inserted in this consolidated urban space, with all the already mentioned challenges, also helps to give shape, proportions and scale to the frame. Although it is composed of different elements that mark the rhythm along the Passeig –19 steel frames, with a 24 meters span and 5 meters separation between each other– this is finally conceived as a single unit, that avoids to be a solid element or a conformed building, but rather, remains almost invisible, yet always perceptible, allowing to those who inhabit it and recognise it when they approach to always maintain the connection with the context and what happens around them while participating in any activity developed within the frame.

In conclusion, the frame is intended to be a defined but open space, container of activities (figure 35), without a fixed program; designed to be explored with freedom but establishing an organisation, a structure, that accompanies those activities and become a reference, a meeting point, for those who in several ways interact with it.

Figure 34. Shape tests during design process.

88 Madanipour, A., 2006. Roles and Challenges of Urban Design. Journal of Urban Design, 11(2), pp.173-93, p.187. 63 Sketching during the process

64 65 66

Figure 35. The frame as a container of activities. Exploring scenarios through the frame As mentioned in previous sections, the intention is to create opportunities; for this reason, the frame has been considered as an activity container which offers a variety of options on Passeig Sant Joan. To complete this research, a design exercise has been developed, in order to explore a sample of these activities happening in the frame, it is worth mentioning that they are only a part of the universe of activities that the frame can contain. In the next section the activities such as a market, a cultural event and also the current activity of Passeig Sant Joan, an open space in which you can transit or stop are presented.

67 Passeig Sant Joan Carrer de la Indústria Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret Carrer de Sant

Passeig Sant Joan

Situation. Floor Plan In the current situation, this section of the Passeig maintains the same formal criteria as the rest of the third section -–from Diagonal to Plaça Tetuan (see fig 25, page 55). That is, an organization in longitudinal bands parallel to Passeig. In the floor plan from bottom up, the following bands can be seen as follows: a bi-directional 0 5 10 50m bicycle lane; a row of benches; Passeig’s circulation space and; finally a garden area and petanca terrains.

G68GSSPPuubblilsishheerVrVeersrsioionn 0 0.0.0.1.10000.1.10000 Passeig Sant Joan

S S Carrer de la Indústria Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret Carrer de Sant

Passeig Sant Joan

Proposal. Floor Plan For the proposal, it is sought –aside the frame– to maintain the longitudinal layout in bands, corresponding to this section of the Passeig, maintaining the cycle path and a row of furniture, that instead of benches only, provides both protection for the bike lanes and alternates different heights along the Passeig to favour different uses. 0 5 10 50m In order to gain a greater circulation space, it was decided to add a continuous platform following the slope of the Passeig that occupies all width available, taking into account that several public activities will be carried out here, among them, a temporary market.

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 69 0 5 10 50m

Proposal. Elevation 0 5 10 50m

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 Proposal. Section

0 5 10 50m

G70SPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 cover membrane steel bars

water fountain

steel bars

urban furniture

structural steel profile platform

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 Proposal. Axonometric View 71 Market Activity. In the case of a temporary market, it can be seen that the available space suits well to accommodate the market. This proposal seeks to maintain it as an open market, with its stalls open and working to all sides for better operation and comfort for both buyers and sellers. As can be seen in the collage, in this case of a temporary market, the frame has been tested with a covering 0 5 10 50m membrane on top, both as functional and aesthetic feature, this membrane can be removed in case the activity requires.

G72SPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 73 Cultural activity. This case is intended only to illustrate the different activities that will be carried out within the frame and how it can precisely frame urban activity; from being the infrastructure to support different activities to act as a point of reference for the development of public activities in different moments of the city. 0 5 10 50m

G74SPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 75 “Passeig” Activity. Because the primary function of the Passeig is, to be a promenade, facilitate the circulation of people and pedestrian connections between different points of the city, it is thought reevant to represent the frame as container, also, of the Passeig as an activity. 0 5 10 50m

G76SPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 77 Conclusions Through the approach and reflection on the notions of space, place, environment and context –always linked to human behaviour in space and related to different perspectives of ‘frame’– it has been possible to understand the complexity of urban activities in the public realm and the possibilities of architecture to face an urban situation. It has also been assumed that the role of architecture is not only to add –quantitatively– buildings, programs or determined functions to a space but, fundamentally to understand the inevitable context in which an urban space is immersed and how those who inhabit it, are related through it, in order to respond qualitatively and in a more effective way to the problem raised. In regard to the context; it has been fundamental to differentiate this concept from the notion of environment, since when the one who ‘is’ in an environment becomes aware of space, perceives it and therefore inhabits it, it is no longer inhabiting the environment, but the context. On the other hand, defining ‘market’ and deciding to treat it as an activity has made it possible to understand what this activity represents for urban life, even though the scenario in which this activity takes place, differs according to its context and has changed in many cases throughout history; it is also necessary to understand how, through this activity, it has also been possible to recognise the manifold activities that are developed from the ‘market activity’, a useful exercise to understand and present more precise ideas about human behaviour in the public space.

Although from the beginning of this research it was said that precisely ‘defining’ the concept of frame was not an objective of this work; having been able to bring on the table multiple notions of frame, has undoubtedly been very enriching since, it made it possible to become aware of the vastness of a concept and how fundamental it is to work with a methodology for its analysis, calibrating the scope of the work in such a way that the ideas and conclusions that can be obtained from this process, are useful both for this work as well as for future studies that aim to explore related topics. This is how these notions of frame have been exposed, confronted and related to each other in order to understand them and later transfer them to the field of architecture so that, through several examples and the subsequent definition of frame categories proposed in this work, The Cartography of Framing could be composed; a valid tool both for the reflection on all the ideas around the act of framing, as well as for the proposed design exercise.

Even though the creation of The Cartography of Framing as a research tool has always been one of the goals of this work; it can be concluded that it has been fundamentally, the previous process of exploration and choice of the elements that define the cartography, 78 which in fact provides the most valuable experiences; it is for this reason that an attempt has been made, as far as possible, to include resources, ideas, connections and phases prior to its concretion; in such a way that describes how cartography has finally been reached, and above all how, from a discontinuos back and forth process, conclusions and tools have been drawn to deal with the issues raised here and to finally offer an architectural response.

As for the design process of the frame, several lessons have been obtained which, beyond being answers, have served –and are expected to be useful for those who continue through this line of research– to raise clearer and deeper concerns about contemporary architectural issues. Regarding the fact that Abacería Central market will function temporarily on Passeig Sant Joan –seen here as an opportunity to develop an architectural exercise– it has been learned that it is fundamental to understand the urban situation on which to intervene, the fact of ‘adding’ architecture to a space –in this case a consolidated urban context– obviously means to affect urban dynamics of that context, so it is necessary to reflect on that ‘adding’, avoiding to ‘add’ only quantitatively: a program, a space, a shape, an specific building; but rather, focus on how to add quality to that space.

I believe that ‘adding’ quality, even from architecture, does not always imply the addition of an architectural object, but this will occur –or not– as a result of reflection and understanding of the context, after having experienced that space. It is under these thoughts that it has been decided to finally opt for an architecture that does not seek to be ‘a building’, nor to dictate specific functions, nor to have a fixed program, nor to mimic itself in that environment; but on the contrary, a frame that seeks to belong to the context, to give scale to the space, to serve as a reference and meeting point and to be able to contain and interpret the complexity of activities carried out in the public realm with the ultimate purpose of framing urban activity.

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