Problem
The current problem facing the Canadian built landscape is the existence of numerous residential communities which lack a palpaple sense of identity. Current strategies for improving the quality of life in suburban areas relies on the principle that increased density will facilitate a greater sense of community. While there is certainly value to walkability, I would argue that increased density alone will not create more distinctive, identifiable, or ultimately desirable places. Toronto's inner suburbs are benefiting from improved infrastructure and transit. They are prime for growth. However, the current development strategies are commonly just as generic as the mid century model before it.
example: Emerald City Don Mills and Sheppard
Example: townhouse development in Don Mills
Purpose
Architecture should respond to the human desire for personal and community identity. Architectural objects have the capacity to act as identifiable physical markers which embody positive associations to place, through contextual yet innovative design.
Strategies
Strategy 1. Identify positive associations to the place in question
A ‘place’ can be at the scale of a city, a community, or a specific plot of land. The positive associations are entirely place based, being anything for historical or cultural significance, unique natural features, or personal or collective memory.
Tactics:
- conduct historic and demographic research on a specific place
- consult the community for stories and examples
Strategy 2. Attribute local meaning to designed physical objects
Make visible the invisible meanings of a place. Everything designed must have a reason connected to the identity of the place and it’s users.
Tactics (site specific):
- use the local materials of the site and surroundings
- interpret significant vernacular architecture
- interpret themes associated with the former history of the place
- uncover or reestablish lost natural features
- tell stories about significant events
Strategy 3. Provide ‘delight’
Architecture should provide the ‘delight’ in otherwise banal environments.
Some tactics for visual stimulation could include:
- use of colour
- use of texture
- use of depth
- use of rhythm
- use of lighting
- use of graphics and/or typography
- use of new technologies and materials.
Precedent Reviews
City Scale: Renewal Project for the Town of Hoogvliet - WiMBY!
Beginning in 2001, a team consisting of Crimson Architectural Historians and Felix Rottenberg were asked to look at solutions for reviving the town of Hoogvliet, a modernist suburb or Rotterdam. The team began to call the themselves WiMBY, which stands for Welcome into My Backyard; a direct response to the term NIMBY (Not in My Backyard). The group has adopted a contextual approach which values the identification of existing place-qualities, that are hidden or unnoticed, and amplify the visibility of those qualities through a series of architectural projects. WiMBY believes that we need to stop trying to come up with archetypal models for what makes good cities and towns, and develop unique approaches based on the place itself. This project is incredibly inspiring to me. I feel like this is exactly what I have been trying to say this whole time. For one, it is an architecturally focused strategy for renewing suburban communities, and does not dwell on issues of sustainability, density, or the popular planning models of the time. It is an acupuncture method involving numerous projects of various natures, sizes, and durations which together energize the whole. I would like to apply a similar approach towards a Canadian suburban context.
Neighbourhood Scale: Borneo Sporenburg, Amsterdam - West 8 and others
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There are a lot of inspirational aspects to this project, but within this discussion it is a prime example of the identification of place through physical architectural elements. Not only is the architecture dynamic and varied from house to house, but the iconic red bridges serve as landmarks which imprint on one’s memory. The architecture has provided clear visual associations with that neighbourhood. Residents are proud to live there because they have a sense of personal and community identity tied to physical objects and spaces. I hold up this example as proof that significant and visually compelling architecture can and should contribute to a sense of place and belonging. This project is also distinctly contemporary, it flies in the face of faux-historicism.
Building Scale: Integral House - Shim Sutcliffe Architects
This building was built for James Stewart a mathematician with a lifelong passion for music. The design was influenced by three driving factors. 1. The interests of the resident. 2. The unique natural context. and 3. the design intent and personal vision of the architects. The curving walls of the architecture reference integrals, a primary element of calculus. Besides functioning as a private home, the building contains a double height space which is occasionally used for small concerts. The house is located in the neighbourhood of Rosedale, Toronto, and backs on to a dramatic Ravine. The 5 levels of space respond to the steep topography, providing views out to the tree canopy at each level. The verticality and materiality of the mullions parallel the trees beyond, and make it feel as though there is little mediator between the inside and out. Many of the details of the building are curved and plantlike, further reflecting the organic nature of the the building and context. In this way, the project embodies and celebrates the unique characteristics of place, while directly drawing on the identity of the individual. Thus the building manifests both the genius loci of place and person. The scale of one building is less likely to imprint a sense of community identity, but perhaps within the music community in Toronto, it has become a special place to which they associate positive memories. This project is an excellent case study for Project 1, because it is a demonstrates place-making theory within a single structure.
I imagine my thesis to be a sort of 'placeless places' toolkit summarizing a series of place-specific strategies to make better (more distinct, more identifiable, more appealing) places for communities. Though my our design explorations regarding one specific community (right now I'm thinking about Mount Dennis in Northwest Toronto), I would like to show that distinctive place-based architecture can attract investment and provide opportunities for future incremental growth of a community.
More on why I am keen on Mount Dennis another time...
As noted in another comment to your work, despite the wording, there are two flaws with the ideas:
ReplyDeleteA) You really need to have an issue that relates directly with Architecture rather than urban form
B) You may wish to reassess the differences between strategies and tactics as they seem far too close.
Should you continue this as a thesis intention for this term, you should be concerned as it A) is intimately tied to residential (whereas your thesis should be applicable to any typology), and B) needs clarity (for example "delight" and "positive associations with the site" are eerily similar).
In the outline of your Purpose, why are you framing it around “architectural objects” as opposed to architecture itself? The connotations that you describe seem to relate to semiotic discourse – those embedded meanings drawn from objects. You may recall our discussions about Rossi (urban collective memory) and Jencks’ work on semiotics and (though tied more to larger urban matters) find that it resonates with your response at an architectural scale.
ReplyDeleteStrategy 1 is a bit vague as “positive associations” as that is a matter of perspective. What could be worthwhile is to both: A) establish a taxonomy or system to determine these positive associations, and B) elaborate on what to do based upon their identification. This might prove to be more conducive to your tactics, though the tactics you have put forth are less about direct actionable items and more preparatory. What you describe is tacit to understanding a site in general.
Strategy 2 I suspect should be worded better as it implies that the architect should “attribute local meaning to designed physical object” already on site. This strategy also is difficult for an architect to do if I understand the wording you have here. It implies that there is a connectivity but is vague in the architectural implication.
It should also be asked whether or not your first two strategies put forth are actually architectural. If one were to state that there is a problem and position and that there are clear strategies you would suggest architects employ to address this, you may wish to simply preface the statement by stating: “In order to address this problem, architects should…”
So by that rationale, if you state: “In order to address this problem, architects should identify positive associations to the place in question.” This really does not fall directly within the scope of an architect unless the statement is elaborated upon or refined. Architects can identify positive associations but that neither leaves them as sole arbiters on these matters nor does the statement offer clarity on what architects should do based upon this identification. Similarly the second strategy would read: “In order to address this problem, architects should attribute local meaning to designed physical objects.” This is problematic because the general population ascribes meaning, not the architect. The architect uses an awareness of contextual cultural values in order to create semiotic spaces rather than impose a completely foreign syntax assuming people will understand meaning in it.
Strategy 3 makes sense and is the one strategy that offers a glimpse of what architects can do in response to the condition/problem you raise however the “delight” component does not tie back to the address of “placelessness”. If one were to take the argument to the extremes, if one were to break from the monotonous homogeneity of suburbia by transforming swaths into an amusement park (think Vaughn suburban housing surrounding Canada’s Wonderland), does that really tie back to creating a grounded design with a “palpable sense of identity”? Please refine this by looking at the statement of the problem and your position on it. THAT will help make this uniquely YOUR proposition.