Background
The rapid growth of the population constantly influences our cities and the ratio between open and built-up spaces.
Public spaces are an essential part of urban planning, functioning as “the lungs of the city” (Fredrick Law Olmsted), and an inseparable part of a democratic society in which citizens can express themselves.
Kinetic architecture, known from the sixties, has nowadays become applicable due to the development of technology.
It enables to rethink spaces that are constantly changing according to demand and urban planning while maintaining the democratization of the public space.
In order to create variations of kinetic spaces, several mechanisms were examined and assessment tools and methods developed.
To design the structure of the kinetic
system and to enable spontaneous dynamics in different urban spaces, pantograph mechanisms were created.
All of the above mentioned became possible due to the growing digital infrastructure which enables information to be managed and converted into spatial decisions.
The project offers a spatial kinetic system that regulates public spaces in crowded cities. The system is capable of responding to the rapid growth of the population and can change according to the public needs. Thus, on these existing land reserves, we can apply a different range of uses that vary according to demand and the planning vision.
If we will know how to plan these spaces for the hours of “inactivity”, we can make better use of space in crowded cities where every piece of land is valuable.
Apart from spatial efficiency, space saving and planning flexibility, kinetic architecture can enable democratic space management in digital tools. Additionally, it can give physical spatial expression to different groups.
This is an opportunity to create spaces that change physically and adapt themselves to the complexity of cities of the future.
To enable a system that could be implemented in different public spaces,
a kinetic modular system was developed. Various pantograph mechanisms were created in order to design continuous urban spaces.
The modules in the kinetic system consist of pantographs and surfaces. Each module can change the position of the surface and, as a result, define a variety of spaces.
Each module has a range of
movements from completely folded to unfolded. In each position, the ratio between the volume and the area changes to enable a different type of human activity.