Calibrating Obsolescence - Transitional Scaffolding for Urban Redevelopment
台灣 / taiwan
蘇卓霖 / SO, Cheuk-Lam
隨著對空間密度的需求不斷飆升,越來越多的老化建築存量被淘汰,等待重建。城市更新的程序持續延宕,光是計算徵地就導致了10年的閒置空間。該論文利用這種過時的情況提出了另一種重建方法,作為對在到期日之前將建築物完全拆除的浪費現象的批評。基於 Neil Gershenfeld 的“廢物”概念,即沒有足夠可重複使用的資訊,本論文提倡一種過渡性木製鷹架套件,為規定的混凝土結構框架提供新的定義。藉由將既有結構校準到廣泛的空間和規劃可能性,其旨在延長建築物的後生並減少時空和物質方面的浪費。這是政府、開發商和業主之間在城市重建中的軟談判過程,以替代非人道的硬措施迫使居民離開。居民參與重建過程是一種經濟賦權,反對大多數傳統更新項目中經常出現的高檔化。 |
With the ever-surging demand for spatial density, a rising amount of ageing building stocks are rendered obsolete awaiting redevelopment. The lingering procedure of urban renewal creates a 10-year vacancy just by counting land acquisition. The thesis capitalizes on this obsolescence for an alternative redevelopment methodology as a critique of the wasteful phenomenon of tearing down buildings completely before their expiry date. Building upon the idea of “waste” by Neil Gershenfeld as something without enough information to be reused, this thesis advocates for a transitional wooden scaffolding kit-of-parts that gives new definitions to the prescribed concrete structure framework. By calibrating the existing structure to a broad spectrum of spatial and programmatic possibilities, it aims to extend the buildings’ afterlife and reduce waste in both space-time and material terms. It is a soft process of negotiations in urban redevelopment between the government, developers and owners, as an alternative to the inhumane hard measures forcing residents out. It is an economic empowerment for the residents to take part in the redevelopment process, against gentrification that is often present in most conventional renewal projects. |
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作品說明Description (1000word) | |
01_ Thesis – Transitional Scaffolding For Redevelopment With the ever-surging demand for spatial density, a rising amount of ageing building stocks are rendered obsolete awaiting redevelopment. The lingering procedure of urban renewal creates a 10-year vacancy just by counting land acquisition. The thesis capitalises on this obsolescence for an alternative redevelopment methodology as a critique of the wasteful phenomenon of tearing down buildings completely before their expiry date. Building upon the idea of “waste” by Neil Gershenfeld as something without enough information to be reused, this thesis advocates for a transitional wooden scaffolding kit-of-parts that gives new definitions to the prescribed concrete structure framework. 02_ Agenda – Calibrating Architectural Waste By Kit-of-parts The thesis interrogates the wasteful reality of obsolete ageing buildings. By understanding waste in two terms, it not only creates a space-time vacancy during the acquisition of ownership for redevelopment, but also creates tremendous waste when the prescribed concrete frame is demolished before its expiry date. It questions what could be done in the 10-year window before redevelopment, and how could the excessive concrete waste be calibrated for an afterlife before the expiry date. 03_ Urgency – 10-Year Vacancy In Urban Redevelopment Around 10 years ago, some tenement housing was found burnt with malice fire. It is speculated that it is done by some evil developers, in order to speed up the process of urban redevelopment. However, these acts are not only immoral and inhumane, it does not necessarily brings benefits to either parties – government, developers and owners. There is a demanding need for an alternative urban redevelopment mode, by utilising the waste of the 10-year vacancy and the concrete structure. 04_ Agents – Soft Process Of Transitional Scaffolding Negotiations With the government providing GFA concessions and the right to build transitional structures, it acts as an economic incentive to encourage developers and owners towards agreeing the deal of ownership acquisition. To enjoy the GFA concession, the developer has to provide the structure for adaptation in return, serving both the residents and the neighbourhood. If the owner agrees with the sale, he has the right to enjoy the enhanced spatial quality and area in the window of time before reaching the compulsory land sale. 05_ Methodology – Adaptive Wooden Scaffolding Kit-of-parts It is a set of prototypical details of space, enclosure and joints that can be assembled and reconfigured. It sets its scope as a temporal, adaptive, lightweight structure to fit different obsolete sites in the larger course of urban redevelopment. By calibrating the existing structure to a broad spectrum of spatial and programmatic possibilities, it aims to extend the buildings’ afterlife and reduce waste in both space-time and material terms. It is a transitional architecture designed as a soft process for alternative urban redevelopment, as a negotiated deal between the government, the developer and the owners. 06_ Site – Urban Connector & Building Calibrator To demonstrate the system, Po Tak Street in Sai Ying Pun is being selected. The whole street is a half vacant site under a redevelopment process of acquiring enough ownership to force a compulsory land sale. In the larger scale, it acts as an urban connector that stitches the fragmented obsolete space back together three-dimensionally. In the smaller scale, it acts as a building calibrator that redefines the spatial use of the generic concrete frame by altering its property with the lightweight and transparent wooden scaffolding. 07_ Architectural Significance – Adaptive Building System One significance of the adaptive system lies in the flexibility offered in different conditions of structural, program and obsolescence pattern. Using the constraints to inform design decisions, it allows the system to adapt itself into multiple scenarios of spatial and programmatic opportunities. It challenges the ideas of scaffolding not just as a tool of construction or deconstruction, it is a set of systems that is a space in itself that is inhabitable and reconfigurable by the people. 08_ Urban Significance – Transitional Architecture For Redevelopment Another significance of the proposal is that it proposes an alternative urban redevelopment mode, rather than the usual obsolescence-demolition practice. From the year of 0 to 8, developers can start to collect the ownership, extending a scaffolding structure out for additional space. Depending on the pattern of obsolescence, they could even combine a few units to a larger space of a public program. In the year 8 where the ownership is enough to force a compulsory sale, they could choose to rely on this generated income instead of fully demolishing the building. 09 _ Adaptive Opportunities – Economic Empowerment > Gentrification The agenda of wooden scaffolding kit-of-parts is of course important in terms of adapting into different conditions of space, structure and program. But more importantly is the reason for doing that for urban redevelopment, which is about the adaptive opportunity and socio-economic agenda that drives the design. It is a soft process of negotiations in urban redevelopment between the government, developers and owners, as an alternative to the inhumane hard measures forcing residents out. It is an economic empowerment for the residents to take part in the redevelopment process, against gentrification that is often present in most conventional renewal projects. 10 _ Living in the Transitions – Existing // Space // Structure // Urban The project is about transitional scaffolding for urban redevelopment in different scales. It is about the transitions of the existing and transformed units as a social agenda. It is about the transitions of space as an external screen of wood over the concrete, which performs better thermally and environmentally. It is about the transitions of structure, adapting from the concrete column beam or party wall to the wooden scaffolding. It is about the transitions of urban spaces, where the system articulates the street edge and connects different levels. |