. e" I
RUBBERBANDING URBANISM
LORAH. KIM
BachelorofArts in Architecture UniversityofCalifornia atBerkeley, 1997
Submittedthe toDepartment ofArchitecture inPartial Fulfillment ofthe Requirements ofthe Degree of Masterof Architectureat the MassachusettsInstitute ofTechnology, February 2002
author LoraH. Kim January18, 2002
certifiedby - WilliamL Porter TheMuriel and Norman Leventhal Professor of Architectureand Planning
certifiedby 111amJ. Mitchell ProfessorofArchitecture and Media A s dSciences Deanof the School Architecture of and Planning
acceptedby V /AndrewScott AssociateProfessor ofArchitecture Chairmanof Departmental Committee onGraduate Students ROTCH
MASSACHUSETTSINSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY @2002 Lora H. Kim. Allrights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduceandto distribute PR 2002 FA 16 publiclypaper and electronic copies of thisthesis documentinwhole or in part.
LIBRARIES CD MeejinYoon AssistantProfessor ofArchitecture
FrankDuffy Assistant Professorof Architecture Principal,DEGW RUBBERBANDING URBANISM ANALTERNATIVE STRATEGY FORURBAN DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT FORNOTODDEN, NORWAY
LORAH. KIM
SUBMITTEDTOTHE DEPARTMENT OFARCHITECTURE ONJANUARY 18,2002 IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OFTHE REQUIREMENTS FORTHE DEGREE OFMASTER OFARCHITECTURE
ABSTRACT Thecomprehensive planning approach isa method that necessitates parceling activities, zones, and the connective infrastructure. Buildings thus become dumbboxes thatare repeated andplaced intheir work parcels, live parcels, or playparcels. The space between theboxes, eitherbecomes neglected space or traffic space. Thisstratification andseparation isa product ofthe blunt expediency inherent inmodern development. (Kwinter and Fabricius. "Generica," 525) In the past, it took decadesor centuriesdevelop to cities; now,it typically takes 5-15 years. (Ibid) This efficient and fast machine predicts social and local processes asthe master plan calculatesevery step. There islittle regard for time as a major factor in this production, interms of time as economic and political support systems that may change behindthe development project, and secondly, time as a component thatmay allow for unexpected behavioral andorganizational patterns toemerge. The current strategyflattens the complexity ofour contemporary urbancondition, andthe result isa stale, static, and culturally unsustainable urbanism.
Notoddeniscurrently using this orderly processofstructuring urbanism to revitalizethe newdowntown. This master plan exposes how the end architectural forms andurban patterns become static and lifeless. As a result, even when there is financial and political support for innovation asthere are in Notodden, it seems we are stuckto repeatthe sameapproaches andforms. The example ofNotodden's master plan wholly exhibits the paradigm crisis in which urban planning is"exposed asanachronistic, dangerous andintellectually spurious." (Graham andMarvin, 110) However, thepotential ofNotodden, Norway, thesite of exploration, liesin the transformationofthe new city, not through the current master plan, but through the specific programmatic negotiations andarchitectural developmentofthe currently proposedBlues Center. Architecture becomesthe urbangenerator, andthe Blues Center, which is transformed froma performance sitein August for the annual NotoddenBlues Festival,intoa music, media and skills center. This first project becomes thecatalyst forcultural, socialandeconomic change forthis urban area. Byprioritizing andfocusing onthe potential energy ofthis principal vision, it generates other unexpected programmatic andplace-making concepts that need to be conceived this afterprimary organizational, cultural, and economic forceisconstructed through aRubberbanding Urbanism.
Rubberbandingurbanism isan original concept that demands participants ofthe urban development process toperceive theexisting urban scape as adjustable and negotiable.Within this urban scape, there are flexible boundaries orbands that can stretch beyond traditional parcel lines and overlap with other bands. As the notionof bands have no set definition attached tothem yet in urbanism, it iseasier tosee them more abstractly atmany scales:aspredefined programs, ascurrent parcelsorboxes, oras infrastructure, building, open space. The goal is to rethinkand reinvent density, function, and time in an urban and architectural context while allowingfor negotiation ateach step. Because theproposed sitein Notodden isbarren, this seems appropriateasa development idea.This method actively attempts to "...[privilege] notthe formal, morphological attributes ofbuilding, rather but [create] arepertoire ofoperatives affected bytime patterns ofconnectivity, and changingpopulations ofmultiple components. "(Graham andMarvin, 110) The bands are dotted so that theysuggest flexibility until other bands present constraints orparameters. Asbands overlap orstretch, new hybrids canbe created. Spaces,programs, andscapes can then be designed through this unpredictable and constantlynegotiable process. Throughouttheprocess, participants create the rules and protocols asthey go.
ThesisSupervisors: WilliamPorter;William Mitchell Titles:Professor ofArchitecture andPlanning; Professor ofArchitecture andMedia Arts and Sciences BillPorter and Meejin Yoon for their depth, provocation, andcritical insight onthe design projects.
BillMitchell and Ellen Dunham Jones for inspiring me to believe that urban- ismand architecture matters.
TuridHorgen for introducing meto Notodden, Sissel, Torgeir, IBM CAS.
FrankDuffy, Stanford Anderson, Reinhard Goethert, Axel Killian, Larry Sass, PaulLukez, and Andrew Scott for motivation andencouragement.
Mrs.Marvin E.Goody and IBM Center ofAdvanced Studies for support of myresearch and work.
TorgeirBjornvold, SisselandAnita Halmoy, Olaf Forberg,JanVerwijnen, EsaLaaksonen, Somervuo, Heikki Peter Ullmark, and Lisbeth Birgersson for generouslyoffering time and knowledge during my trip through Scandinavia.
Ashby Moncureand Eric Schwartz forgreat care and attention.
Alexis,Rachel, Rori, Luke,Singh, Sam, Eelco, Noelle, Farren, Ken and especiallyFranco and Amina for encouragement andassistance during thesis.
EL,MS, JY, SJ, LBQ's, JH, TCC for making MIT.
MyParents, ParkerHouse,Samantha, Ed,Mary, and Bee for constant love andsupport.
Andespecially mysister, Clara for believing inme. 05 TITLE
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cc: 08 INTRODUCTION:ANURBAN CRISIS PROBLEM SITE- CONTEXT CURRENTPROPOSAL
20 ALTERNATIVESTRATEGY RUBBERBANDING PERSPECTIVES SCAPES PROGRAMS-TIME
36 ARCHITECTUREASA CATALYST FORURBAN DESIGN: DESIGNING MUSIC + MEDIANOTODDEN RUBBERBANDINGATAN URBAN SCALE PHASINGATTHE ARCHITECTURAL SCALE PLANS:PROGRAM ELEVATIONS:MATERIALS SECTIONS:NORTHERN SUN WALKTHROUGH: IMAGES
56 CONCLUSIONS SOCI0-CULTURALIMPACT URBANIMPACT
60 BIBLIOGRAPHY
64 PRESENTATIONBOARDS
Allimages and work are by the author unless otherwise noted. street education,andview bands. Inventing new leisure and DIAGRAM:Stretching existing commercial, public, r&d, PROCESS development. bandsand locating the site of initial architectural bands.Finding potential from the overlap ofthe AN URBAN CRISIS PROBLEM SITE& CONTEXT CURRENTPROPOSAL
THEPROBLEM Theidea of the comprehensive urbanplan, as guarantor ofsome single, orderly ' progress' offering 'benefitsforall' through the layout of urban activities and their connective infrastructure, hasbeen the majorcasualty here. The classic urban planning tradition ofequating order with equilibrium anddisorder withdisequilibrium canhave little place within the volatile and complex dynamics ofthe postmodern metropolis.Such approaches havebeen shown tobe reductionist andnaively functionalist.. .through controlling'urban morphology andbuilding typologies...' (Graham and Marvin, 110)
This"orderly" process of structuring urbanism isa method that necessitates parceling activities, zones, and the connectiveinfrastructure. Buildings thus become dumb boxes that are repeated and placed intheir work parcels, liveparcels, orplay parcels. The space between theboxes, either becomes neglected space ortraffic space. This stratificationandseparation isa product ofthe blunt expediency inherent inmodern development. (Kwinter and Fabricius."Generica," 525) In the past, ittook decades orcenturies todevelop cities; now, it typicallytakes 5-15 years.(Ibid) This efficient and fast machine predicts social and local processes asthe master plan calculates everystep. There islittle regard for time as a major factor in this production, interms of time as economic and politicalsupport systems that may change behind the development project, and secondly, time as a component thatmay introduce unexpected behavioral andorganizational patterns. The current strategy flattens the complexity ofour contemporary urbancondition, and the result is a stale, static, and culturally unsustainable urbanism.
Developers,whohave traditionally governed anddictated this arena, are mastering themethod ofduplicating thesetypes of developments ontovarious urban sites. From Houston's downtown tothe working centers near OrangeCounty airport inSouthern California, wetoo often see this pattern ofreproducing partitioned urbanism, "packageddevelopments" (Graham and Marvin quoting Knox, 122), and boxed-in architecture. (Kwinter and Fabricius."Houston," 547) The proliferation ofthe US model has lead to similarurban developments outside theUS even where isfinancial and political support for innovation. Thisis the case in Notodden, Norway, where despitehaving the necessary support systems toproduce innovation, thecurrent urban development scheme, renderpredictable andgeneric possibilities. Thecopying and pasting ofthese types of developments, whennot questionedorredefined, render design atboth the urban and architectural scale irrelevant. (Kwinter and Fabricius. "Generica,"525) This "paradigm crisis" (Graham and Marvin, 110) demands analternative approach that will leadto innovativeurban growth and architectural constructions overtime. Forthis project, aninnovative strategy attempts toun-package thepackaged development byconstructing urban patternsand flows that rethink the segregation ofprograms, reforms relationships between existing and new infrastructures,architectures, andlandscapes.
Houston,Texas America (McQuittyand Montag, 522, Mutations) (JordiBernado, 244, Mutations) Theold docks: once asite of great activity, now abandoned infrastructure :3i Themaster plan for the redevelop- mentof Notodden, Norway focuses onNotodden's south edge. The siteis approximately 1,500feet longby 1,300 ftwide, owned by two major corporationsinNotod- den,the municipality, anda devel- oper.In 1997, this group received 73million Norwegian Kroners to provideanew economic, educa- tional,and cultural plan for this industrialworker town of approx- imately10,000 people. (Interview withDeveloper, 2001) JuneThe siteis surrounded bya fjord on the eastand south, while the existing city ofNotodden liesto the North. Thesite is mostly barren except forold docks on thesouthernmost edgeof the site,theconnection fromthe project site to the existing downtownthrough mainthe street, andthe cluster ofindustrial com- plexestothe west of the site. r -w
Arhiet'Suten aserPanode f oode, ora; 3300 Manyof the large companies which dominated lifein Notodden inthe past have since moved out. Therefore, thejob marketissparse. Most of the people 45 driveminutes to Kongsberg oran hour away to Oslo to find work.Others who are unemployed areskilled only in factory work theof now derelict factories. (Interview with Developer, JuneIn 2001)addition, recent competency also testsshow that Notodden's averageyouthlower on theexams than young people inother Norwegiancities.(Competency Scoresby translatedVice Mayor, from InterviewJune 2001)There isa low moral in the city.(lbid) Therefore, municipality the hasa new initiative: to re-skilland provide jobs to Notodden's citizen's within the city itself. In order to re-establishpride and status as aneconomically sustainable city,the clients have astrong desire tocreate new opportunities forthe peopleof Notodden. Furthermore,theyaim to develop aperformance space for the bluesfestival that is held every August throughthe establishment ofa Blues Music Center by2003. Through theseinitiatives, they hope to improve Notodden'simage within the city, then the region,andpossibly the country.
Thetotal timeframe forthis development is 10to 15years. The phases include inthe development areas follows:1)to install hi-bandwidth under the mainstreet and proposed (2001-2002), site 2)refurbish thestreet with landscaping,streetfurniture, and sub-street heating by2002, 3) build a newterminal forbuses (fully financed from municipality),4)develop ablues music center by 2003 from state funds, 5) develop family housing, within 2to 3 years,6) build a supermarketandshopping mall (they are currently looking for investors), and 7) build a workingcenter. (InterviewwithDeveloper, June2001)
Becauseit isa real site with real stakeholders andreal, immediate needs, there exists the potential tofurther developtheproposal. The reality and timing were important factorsinchoosing asite because I hoped todevelop anacademic thesis that I couldpursue theoretically andpractically after this master's workiscomplete. Existingindustrial work center Postcardfrom Notodden: aworker town. Image ofmunicipal, commercial to Nowmostly derelict somebut businesses occupy these buildings. left,worker housing onright, and above treesthe are manager housing (Imagefrom visitors map of Notodden) Mapof Scandinavia: Notodden, Norway RegionalPlan of Notodden THEEXISTING NOTODDEN PROPOSAL
Giventhe aims to becomeacultural and music center, aswell as to re-skill and educate itspeople, the master planis problematic andreveals little about these priorities. This image demonstrates thecutting and pasting of generic,packaged forms and patterns onto this Norwegian landscape inwhich urban patterns and architectural formsare segregated equally into living, shopping, cultural, and working zones. Itis difficult to distinguishthe shopping,working, and blues center from each other because they vary little in scale, size, and shape. The problemwith these types of developments isthey are uncommitted toa vision. Irrespective of orientation, to context,tovision, these packaged forms are derived from a primarily functional and reductionist approach.
Secondly,it isdifficult tosee how the blues center which is primarily forperformances andevents inAugust, willcatalyze economic, social and cultural growth throughout theyear. This program isa wonderful place to begin,but the current architectural proposal becomesmoreof a stadium type developmentthatserves asingular purposetypically during aspecific time of the year. In the end, it mayprove to be culturally, environmentally, and economicallyunsustainable. These types of projects "...are frequently obsolete and are torn down, in favor of yet newerones, in as little as seven years... (Kwinter and Fabricius, "Generica," 527)
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CurrentProposal segregatesand programzones Into housing -shopping - "PackagedDevelopments", leisureand culture -work. (imageby Alex Maclean, 220, Mutations) Thirdly,the proposal does not take into account the complexities of modern living, working and playing. Itdivides andseparates uses in an orderly manner which does not enable what digital technology andcontemporary society nowaffords us. The clients are supportive ofthe idea that productivity isnot associated witha particular place ofwork. More specifically, theclients aim to 1) develop competence, 2)build communications andtransportation infrastructure,mostly inthe downtown andin main street, and 3) finance packages forcompanies torealize their goals.(Interview with Developer, June2001) Through thedevelopment ofinfrastructures andfinancial support systems,they encourage individuals toredefine theidea the method ofwork with the hopes of enabling these individualsandthe city to catch up to otherparts of Norwayand Scandinavia. Nevertheless, inthis 2001 proposal,theboundaries ofliving, working, shopping, andleisure are traditionally conceived; andthus do not enablethe flow of living, working and playing easilyfromone space toanother.
Toconclude, themaster plan of Notodden, Norway, stems from the logic of the American business cycle, "the logicof short term efficiencies: agility, turnover, scale," where property, resources, andurban impact isof low priority.(Kwinter and Fabricius, "Generica," 525)
Evermore scientific inmeans and pragmatic inits ends, development seeks no other gradientbutthe oneof least resistance:eitherthe continuous predatory-stopgap activityof "efficientmarket theory" orthe "fast, cheap and out of control" breeder logic of self -regulation capital. In both cases, localeconomies have discovered thatthey can fill niches far more quickly ifdevelopment isleft to unconsciousreflex and if their fieldofactivity iscleared ofany of the obstacles associated with premeditationordesign. (Ibid)
Tochoose amethod ofleast resistancedemonstrates thesorry state of our urban condition. Innovation isnot a priority,and if innovationhappens, it occurs purely by chance. Recently, ourcities have taken too many chances withtoo little reward. As a result, the master plan is a set of bland, efficient, boxed-in architectures thatare unawareofculture and physical context. Itdoes not enable social, intellectual andspontaneous activity to occur.This master plan exposes thedisjointed relationship between theinitial aims and end results. Even whenthere is financial and political support for innovation asthere are in Notodden, itseems we are stuck to repeatthe sameapproaches andforms. The example ofNotodden's master plan wholly exhibits the paradigm crisisin which urban planning is"exposed asanachronistic, dangerous andintellectually spurious." (Graham andMarvin, 110) an U0npIuIIU; ort,phOto Dy Lora Airporiempioyee raveis inwugn airpurt un suuum. Thismode of transportation istypically used by many airport employ- ees;Oslo Airport, photo by Lora Kim ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY RUBBERBANDING PERSPECTIVES SCAPES PROGRAMS-TIME
Thepotential of this site liesinthe transformation ofthe newcity, not through the current master plan, but through thespecific programmatic negotiations andarchitectural developmentofthe currently proposed Blues Center. Architecture becomestheurban generator, andthe Blues Center, which is transformed from a performance site inAugust for the annual NotoddenBluesFestival, into a music, media and skills center, becomes thecatalyst for cultural,social and economic change forthis urban area. co Cultureiscrucially important. Itis the often forgotten glue that may holdthings together incities. It is in thecultural arena that the battles ofthe future will be fought -won and lost. Thus acultural perspective needstomove center stage in the planning ofour cities. (Verwijnen, Preface, Quote by Charles Landry fromCreative Cities Conference)
Byprioritizing andfocusing onthe potential energy of thissingular vision, itgenerates other unexpected programmaticandplace-making concepts that need to be conceived thisafterprimary organizational, cultural, andeconomic forceisconstructed. (Easterling)
Thescope ofthis thesisisto: 1)Design analternative strategy ofthinking about amore flexible and open-ended urban planning approach: Rubberbanding 2)Design aculturally and economically sustainable, context driven architecture thatwill catalyze growth and ideas inthe future for Notodden, Norway: Music and Media Notodden ALTERNATIVESTRATEGY: RUBBERBANDING
RUBBERBANDING-tostretch, to overlap, tobind in order to find new relationships, newoverlaps, new orders PERSPECTIVES-viewpoints andopinions rubberbandingperspectives -tostretch and overlap diverse viewpoints andopinions from traditional and non-traditional participants inthe urban planningprocess, primarily those voices inthe cultural and sociological arena SCAPES-building, open-space, landscape, infrastructure, andeverything inbetween rubberbandingscapes - to stretch and bind different scapes toinvent hybrid scapes PROGRAM-work, culture, living, leisure, retail, sports, etc TIME-24-7 cycle, as opposed toonly 9-5 or 5-8 rubberbandingprogram and time - drawbands around various program and time intervals to invent potential and unexpected activities
Specifically,"rubber" implies having flexibility and adaptability; "band" refers tosomething other than a boxor a parcel, and has inherent qualities ofstretching, overlapping, snapping, binding, etc; and the "-ing" refers to a process that is ongoing. Itis a concept that describes flexibility and adaptabilityinthinking about an urban problem and creating flexible and adaptable responses to it over time. In the process, scapes, perspectives, programs,andtimes are re-negotiated.
Inorder to perceive ourexisting urban scape as adjustable, wemust begin by seeing them through negotiable bands. These flexible boundaries, can thenstretch beyond traditional parcel lines and overlap with other bands. As the notion of bands have no set definition attached tothem yet in urbanism, it iseasier tosee them more abstractly atmany scales: as predefined programs, ascurrent parcels orboxes, oras infrastructure, building, open space. step.Because Thegoal is to rethink and reinvent density, function, and time in an urban and architectural context while allowing fornegotiation ateach theproposed sitein Notodden isbarren, this seems appropriate asa development idea.This method actively attempts to "...[privilege] notthe formal, morphologicalattributes ofbuilding, but rather [create] arepertoire ofoperatives affected bytime patterns ofconnectivity, andchanging populations ofmultiple components. "(Graham and Marvin, 110) The bands are dotted so that they suggest flexibility until other bands present constraints or unpredictable parameters.Asbands overlap or stretch,new hybrids can be created. Spaces, programs, andscapes can then be designed through this andconstantly negotiable process. Throughout theprocess, participants create the rules and protocols asthey go.
Inshort, Rubberbanding meansto stretch, overlap and bind individual existing program bands inthe urban-scape inorder to discover new meanings, uses,and temporal speeds.(Bonomi, 450)This occurs both sectionally andin plan, and at both an urban and architectural level. ~;- 1~~~
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F i 119 PERSPECTIVES
Beforerubberbanding physical contexts,thefirst negotiation thatneeds tobe made isthe inclusion ofvoices outsideofthe planning, architectural, anddevelopment professions. At the Creative City Conference inHelsinki, CharlesLandry held that
"themodern urban malaise isa complex crisis, which cannot be solved by traditional urban planning andpolicy. The hard sciences ofurban planning need to be reformed and enriched bymobilizing cZ theexperiences ofdifferent disciplines andpeople currently marginalized fromdecision making..."
Traditionalpower play within the practice ofurban planning, have been detrimental the tounfolding ofnew forms ofpolitics, power, and social processes. (Sassen) Bypredicting and shaping every step or our urban layout, they limitthe possibilities ofnew types of operations. Theframework needs toallow for an unbundling of the exclusiveauthority over territory and people. (Sassen)"Thenew, diffuse urban space, inperpetual expansion, fragmentedandheterogeneous, oftenconstitutes a challenge forarchitects, urbanists, andpoliticians, forit does notmatch traditionalthe forms of appropriation, between social life and territorial rights." (Simeoforidis,418)Due tothe roleofdigital technologies changing the natureofthe workplace andhome, evolving the nature between publicand private, and the dynamics between theindividuals who have the power to makedaily negotiations inthese areas.
Bythe inclusion of otherplayers, particularly those from the cultural and sociological arena, we may be able to re-prioritizethese rights and invent long-term, more creative and culturally sustainable solutions. This multifaceted perspectiveisvital for changing thepriorities ofmodern development. Itneeds another perspective thatis on the outsidetohelp change it,to re-prioritizetheplan. "Complexity anduncertainty areunavoidable terms, which mustbe accounted forin any hypothesis about the future of cities. The city-the urbanized territory-does not resultfrom the direct action of certain institutional agents operating autonomously, butis the product ofa complex interactionbetween totally different subjects, whose viewpoints andrespective interests areoften in conflict with eachother." (Simeoforidis, 419) MusiciansandArtists Perspective: NotoddenPublications for BluesMusic and Annual Festival inAugust, from Website for NotddenJazz -- ...... - 11111---_...... ba
SCAPES
Thesecond negotiation,redefinesthe notions of buildingspace, open space, green space, transpor- tationspace, etc. The objective isto perceivethe urbanscape as a connected tissue (Graham and Marvin,32) because wenow live in a "smooth space,"where "...different temporality andspatiality confronteach other and converge, multiplestrata oftemporal speeds." (Bonomi, 450) However, typi- callyin many urban plans including themasterplan of Notodden,notions ofspace, program, and time aredivided. Land is separated intobuildings and roads.Rowan Moore writes, " ... Eachspace tends tobe separated off...each element creates a self- sufficientartificial, allembracing experience thatis bothcontrolled and controlling. The space between themis seen as background, assomething you seethrough acar windowwhen traveling from onesuch space toanother." (Graham Marvin,and 122)Therefore, the urbanpotential dies as the urbanenvironment isintended forseparation and parcellization.Whatoccurs inbetween, across, through,by- isirrelevant. Inorder to invent new paradigms,wemust begin by seeing the potential ofan "urban world where architecture isdeclared aslandscape, infrastructure asarchitecture, and landscapeasinfrastructure." (Graham and Marvin, Infrastructureusedas diving board and place of leisure 110) activitiesinthe Netherlands (BasPrincen, 403, Mutations) a - -- a -J
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Finally,wemust redefine relationship the between program and time. It is imperative tosee time and program in a24-hour cycle,nota 9-5, or 3-10, or 10-8 cycle, so that resources andspaces can be adjusted tothe way we trulylive, work, and play. "The era of the second modernity andof the post-Fordist societiesischaracterized by uncertaintyandindeterminacy: 'indeterminacy, information etc.have today through electronic media, communica- tionstechnology become the invisible and ubiquitous background ofeveryday life...'" (Simeofordis, 419) This backgroundisdynamic and flexible sothat individuals areenabled tomake individual choices about how they design orhisher day. "It is an individual re-appropriation ofthe modes and times of collectiveexchange, freeing themfrom the particular rules the offamily framework andfrom the invasive normalizing rules of the "architecture ofentertainment," torediscover individualized andintimate interpersonal (Varra, relations."429) Technology andsociety are allowing individualstoredefine the rules that potentially freeus from traditional programs and traditionalconcepts oftime, in order for us to livein an integrated andenabling environment.
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RUBBERBANDINGATANURBAN SCALE PHASINGATTHE ARCHITECTURAL SCALE PLANS:PROGRAM ELEVATIONS: MATERIALS SECTIONS:NORTHERN SUN WALKTHROUGH: IMAGES SOCIO-CULTURALIMPACT
Fl' RUBBERBANDINGAT AN URBANSCALE
1)Choosing important existing boundaries such as the police station, the museum, theskills center, the main street,the two docks, the commercial zones; defining them as culture bands, municipal bands, leisure bands, workbands, education andskills bands, view bands, etc
2)Then stretching those bands; seeing overlaps and intersections thereby defining new edges, new programs, andnew boundaries
3)Negotiating specific interests from different parties
4)Defining anurban agenda: culture and education (determined frominterviews andmaster plan)
5)Finding where the culture and education bands bind with work bands (for economic stimulus). This overlap occursbetween theexisting docks and industrial complexes. Theexisting overlaps with culture, education, and work,with existing infrastructure (thedocks) and the edge of the site, createsinteresting potential fornorthern light,adjacencies toexisting work and skills buildings, and allows for growth torubberband between theexisting downtownandthe future downtown.
6)Zooming back out to rubberbandpotential future developments
7)Phasing #6 bynegotiating atan architectural scale to determine finer overlaps and binds 4 A C-- -cm ineuiree alagrams snow me ruooermanoing roman uroan scaie kp.j ),ma a smailerscaie (p. *Q), ano u movingback out to a larger urban scale in order to choose the initial architectural site: hilighted inwhite. Step7, GROUND FLOOR PLAN : Numbers correspond tophases described onthe right PHASINGAT AN ARCHITECTURAL SCALE
1)PERFORMANCE DOCKS:re-inventing theuse of the docks to createa new symbol for Notodden especially atnight when the performance docks are lit: rubberbanding infrastructure, landscape, and architecture, Branding Notodden
2) CONSTRUCTINGTHE MIXED USEMEDIA BAND: R&D workplaces, Media Skills and Library, rubberbanding programand time with different potential users(work-day-night)
3A)RESTAURANT / CAFE/ BAR :rubberbanding use,users, with time 3B)PRACTICE SPACES INTHE SKYBRIDGE : rubberbanding program and infrastructure
4) DEVELOPINGAPERFORMANCE-OUTDOOR THEATER PARK:rubberbanding landscape, architecture and times ofyear
5) LOFTSAND LOADING DOCK: Rubberbanding transient spaces with permanent spaces
Forthis thesis project, I developed steps 1-3. Atthis point, steps 4and 5 are only conceptual. S 6 6 4 6 4v 4 1
pedestnan
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exibitspace
sittngarea
cafe-bar
production- performance r&dwork- spaces skdRs-center
media-skiis library erformance- Ecturedocks outdoorperfor- mancespace lofts-studios
bikeracks
skybridge-prac- tce rooms
Tableofactivites and new spaces. Refer to GroundPlan. - GROUNDFLOOR Seepage 38 for details
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WATERLEVEL PerformanceDocks, the anchorfor the first intervention andurban vision FOURTHFLOOR SkillsCenters, Media Produc- tionArea, Quiet Spaces
THIRDFLOOR CollaborativeWorkspaces
SECONDFLOOR * refersto quiet spaces. Floorsare structured around themaking oflarge open col- laborativeenvironments and quietzones for sleep, email, rest,reading, aphone call, conversation;linked to stair- wells.Skin is 8mm U-glass withaluminum frames PedestrianandAuto Entry, North Elevation Receptionist'sDesk,Work Spaces behind CirculationPath and Sitting area Passagewayforautomobiles PracticeRooms that hang from the Skybridge andSkybridge Insidethe Skybridge AutoEntry Viewof Quiet Spaces that extend beyond skin Viewof Restaurant - Bar Performancesatnight, Reflection onWater Pathto Entrance ofPerformances Docks Viewfrom above into R&D and Skills Center SoutheastView of Alternative Design Proposal 51
Practic Rooms @VN@ cc~
LwNorthern Sun Angles:
latitude59 N longitude10 E altitudeangle in winter= 6d Insummer= 59d
North South Sketchingoverlaps, pushing and pull- ingspaces tocatch the low sun NORTH SOUTH
1 performancedocks 2 stage 3 exhibitspace 4 r&d 5 production/skiIlcenter 6 quietspace 7 stairwell 8 lightwell 9 circulation 10 landscape 11 exteriorplay room 12 entryto cafe-bar 13 medialibrary 14 cafe-bar
SCALE:1/64"=1=I-' MATERIALS 6"wide cedar boards. Sometimesthere is space between theboards so that light from the insidecan shine through.
Typicallycedar boards are applied onthe North Elevations.
(imagefrom Anders Wilhelmson, "shelterfor farm machinery", NorthernFactor, 133)
8mmu glass,16" o.c. aluminum frame.
Typicallyapplied onthe stairwells- quiet spaces,andon South Face of building.
(Imagefrom Rogers Marvel Archi- tect,The Studio Museumin Harlem,A+U Sept 2001) ead" NORTHELEVATION
SCALE:I64=1'-V CONCLUSIONS
SOCIO-CULTURALIMPACT
Theexisting proposal's initiative todevelop aBlues Center isa very positive beginning. However, inorder for changetoreally have alocal and potentially global impact, the Blues Center needs toaccount foreveryday urban patternsinstead ofonly performances inAugust inorder to evolve into an economic and educational force. As aresult, this project should only notserve as a performance place in August for the annualblues festival, but shouldalso act as a lecture -theater hall at other times of the year. It should also be a skills and media production center,and as mentioned above, provide research and development spaces for yet another audience. The hope isthat there will be a social rubberbanding of people ofvarious ages and status'. This first important seed could providethe beginning stages ofa new work and culture for Notodden andbrand anew image. Inaddition, with the assistanceoffestival organizers andmusicians, these voices may make agreat contribution andprovide insight in renegotiatingandconstructing innovative ongoing projects inthe city.
Culturaldevelopment isa long-term strategic concept thatenables citizens to learn, perform, and produce. The megamalls and the hybrid movie theater-retail centers donot have that power. Infact, the strategy to "reclaim derelictAmerican city centers" throughout the1990's "has been to reinvest the "downtown" asan entertainment- drivenshopping district seeded bymovie theatre complexes andluxurious new sport stadiums. (Simeoforidis, 420)Many of these forms and investments haveproven tobe un-sustainable tothe site and culture asthey aredeveloped asshort-term strategic concepts. Therefore, it becomes easy to tear down or neglect these forms becausethey have little value thetocommunity; theyare perceived asreplaceable. However,
Historically,creativity and innovation have been the lifeblood ofcities. Yet there are special reasons for thinkingabout the problems ofcities today in terms of creativity and innovation -orthe lack of it. Today manyof the world's cities are facing agonizing periods oftransition. Old industries aredisappearing - valueadded incites is created less through what we manufacture andmore through the application of newknowledge to products, processesandservices. The factors thatonce shaped city development -transport,rivers, proximity ofraw materials -have become less relevant.. .Aswe approach the21st centurythere is a widespread understanding thatit will be the creativity and innovativeness ofour cities thatwill determine thefuture success ofEurope and elsewhere... (Verwijnen, Preface) 57 URBANIMPACT
Thisproject tries to recover place through aspecific avision. (Sassen) The vision for Notodden, Norway isto improvethe skills theof labor force, raise the morale ofthe community inorder to beproductive inthe localand globalmarket, create performance spaces throughout city,and lastly create aplace that can recordandproduce musicand performances afterthe musicians and audiences aregone. The vision isto create amusic and media city.The first step is the development ofNotodden asa music, media and skills center that is open year round and openfor the temporary visitors inthe summer and the local youthandworkforce throughout theyear. It becomes aplace to learn competitive skills or just to email inthe media center and library, to workonmedia production in theR&D spaces, tosee performance related exhibits onthe first floor, to practice instrumentsinthe skybridge, tohear aperformance inthe winter inthe what used to be the docks, skateboard with friendsinthe performance parkunder the midnight sun in the summer, orin the samespace attend ablues performance inthe late afternoon. Thesecond step is to allowfuture developments torubberband offof this initial organizational andphysical force sothat new and spontaneous workand cultural processescanemerge. (Easterling)
Rubberbandingis,in this way,astrategy that attempts toengage complexity the andindeterminacy ofthe city, (Verwijnen,30,quoting Stan Allen) and overturn contemporaryurbanapproaches: toabandon themaster plan andensuing boxed, packaged, generic urban patterns. This newurban strategy isdesigned to evolve as people andprograms evolve; and aims for the rubberbanding ofdifferent social groups, age groups, and time cycles in orderto create the possibility ofspontaneous andinteresting interactions.
AsEasterling suggests through the metaphor ofthe Appalachian Trailin Organizational Space, the strengthofthe trailwas that it wasa line of force. This "effectedasimple but radical reversal inthe flows of commerce and populationmigration. "(Easterling, 28) Music and media are the catalysts toradically reverse the low morale, lackof productivity, andlocal economies inNotodden. Itis the force that radically can reverse the proposed genericurban design into one with vision. It isthe force that becomes the urbangenerator ofinnovative urbanism andarchitecture over time. 01 Thefinal objective isto overturn the generic-ness ofthe existing models ofurban design and growth. Places of work,live, culture, and play do not need to beseparated from each other as is conceived intraditional Fordist models.Urban forms do not need to be duplicated from one site to another. Instead the globalization ofurban developmentneeds tobe considered inanother light, as a liberating and creative force.
Beyondthese territorial givens, the metapolis isthe bearer ofa new reality: the globalization ofthe urbancondition. Itrepresents freedom, emancipation fromthe pressuresofhistory and geographical location,thedistribution ofnew scales and programs, thedownloading offormalist exercises, the developmentofbusiness strategies, theabandonment ofthe architectural object, the intermixing of variouscultural references, thedevelopment ofnew materials, thequest for the new." (Simeoforidis, 419,quoting Infussi)
Globalizationfreesus to inventaswe go. We must invent ifwe hope to create places that are not just economicallysustainable butalso culturally sustainable. Designing place for the multiplicity of localized work, social,and artistic cultures over time is vital in making this happen. And as we build on this, we recover place fromthe globalization ofthe generic. Andreu,Paul. "Tunnelling". Anyhow. Cambridge, MA: MITPress, 1998.
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Castells,Manuel. "The GreatTwenty-First-Century Paradox:an UrbanWorld Without Cities?" Buell Lectures: Columbia SchoolofArchitecture and Planning.New York: Columbia University, 2001. http://www.arch.columbia.edu/Buell/mmarchive/s_2001/castells/castells_fs.html
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Interviewwith Olaf Forberg,Developer ofNotodden Project athis office in Notodden. Conversations onGoals of Projects,Background Information. Norway:06-07-01.
Interviewwith Vice Mayor Odd Johannsen ofNotodden athis office in Notodden. Conversations onProblems andHopes for Notodden. Norway: 06-07-01.
Interviewwith Heikki Somervuo, Project Manager ofArabianranta Village onsite in Arabianranta andOffice. Conversations onProject Development andBackground Information. Helsinki, Finland: 06-01-01.
Interviewwith Peter Ullmark atChalmers Institute. Conversations onthe Open Space Project, Mobility Project, and New Work City. Goteborg, Sweden:06-05-01.
Interviewwith Jan Verwijnen atthe Kaapeli Cafe. Leader the Pro-Kaapeli Committee. Conversations onStory of Cable Factory and Tour of Cable Factory,Theoretical Issues about the Creative City, and the ArabianrantaProject. Helsinki, Finland: 05-30-01.
Johannsen,Odd. Notodden Competency Statistics 2001.
"Kaapeli:Museum, Dance, Theater, Athletics, Lofts." www.kaapelitehdas.fi
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Kwinter,Sanford and Daniela Fabricius. "The American City." Mutations. Barcelona, Spain: ACTAR, Arcen reve Centre d'Architecture, 2000.
Kwinter,Sanford and Daniela Fabricius. "Generica." Mutations. Barcelona, Spain: ACTAR, Arcen reve Centre d'Architecture, 2000.
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Palonheimo,Maijaand Salminen Timo. Art and Design City Helsinki (ADC). "Helsinki Virtual Village Real Estate Technology". Powerpoint Presentation at PressConference atMedia Center LUME, Helsinki. December 12,2000.
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Vervijnen,Janed. and Panu Lehtovuori. Creative Cities: CulturalIndustries, Urban Development andthe Information Society. Helsinki, Finland: University ofArt and Design Helsinki UIAH Publications, 1999. 0, CA) PMELOCATION KAPt IN THEHEART OF caINFORMATIONSOCIETY a -
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DESIGN Theconcept manifests Ina performance, media production, andskills center that will revitalize the urbanfabric and re-skill the peopleofNotodden. The architecture creates adii betweenvarious programs, existing landscapes andbuiltforms, and old and new symbols. This thesis will serve as an example ofan alternative stategy to mastet planning and separatedurbanism. 67 Ss uraL
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