(n)certainties – Die Angewandte – Fall 2008

At the moment I start to think about residential (block system) housing area, Created ca. 1960-1990, mostly common in East-Europe.

Strategy of reassembling- rereading mono-perceptual residential areas
Problem/Task:
The environment is mono-programatic/perceptional/. Based on the modernistic understanding, that everybody should have the same conditions (means repetitive order, strict generic building typology).
These residential blocks have a strong division between an inside (living-) machine and an outside (infrastructure/communication/social interaction) machine.
The needs and wishes of the users never reflect on the environment. There is no interaction between the different in residential blocks packed boxes (living machines).
Since people from East-Europe have the choice where they want to live, there are us well more and more living people who still have no choice (finance, age, work). The social contract is disrupted.
My wish is to open these boxes and start an interaction between the neighborhoods, to reconnect the social environment.

Substances: unused components/modular concrete walls of housing area.
Protocol behavior:
fragmentation of existing blocks. Using the basic modules, from which these blocks were created. Rearranging by gluing or stacking together. Based on users wish. Neighborhood performance.
The growing process happens according to occupant’s reaction.
The residents softly changes they old housing area to the new quality spaces.
Scenario:
An urban “Skype” principle: The states of communication.
“I am at home”, “Pleas talk to me”, “Not visible”.
According to the expression stadium the transformation of the individual boxes happens and connects to the collective environment. The boxes open or closing according to your personal “Skype”-state. The collection of similar “Skype”-states in one area creates related environments. This means a “contact”-state reflects in the collective (arena, theater, park.) mood. A “don’t disturb”-state accords to unmanageable, closed areas.