RESULT
INTRODUCTION
Poblejoc, an interactive installation conceived during the Active Public Space workshop, has been designed as an Urban Game with the aim of activating public space. Poblejoc was created in the framework of the Superilla (Super-block) workshop, a pilot project of the Superilla plan for Barcelona, that was developed in the Sant Martí district. The plan aims to close traffic in a part of the city’s roads, allowing to use these new pedestrianised areas as public space.
The SUPERILLA project claims the occupation of the public space by the people, to subvert the leading role that cars have had over the last 50 years. The project is part of the new Plan of Public Space and Mobility of District of Sant Martí, promoted and approved by the City of Barcelona.
Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Confederation of Architectural Workshops, In collaboration with NOUMENA, took part to the Superilla-pilot project. The Horizontal Action was born in the framework of the Superilla project, with the aim of studying new forms of public space occupation. It started on September 5th, where different groups of students have designed and produced items from recycled materials, to encourage citizens to exercise their recovered rights in the public space. The Horizontal Action took place in the superblock comprised between carrer Tanger, Badajoz, Pallars and Llacuna, during 5th to the 22nd of September involving Atta33, Transfolab, Nodo and Fab Lab Barcelona workshops amongst other. – Within this event, we organised the Active Public Space Barcelona Workshop, focusing on the principles, implications and applications of ICTs for urban space; Poblejoc, an interactive installation, has been designed as an Urban Game with the aim of activating public space. – All the urban furniture modules of the Poblejoc installation were developed during a one-week workshop tutored by NOUMENA & IAAC , where 16 international students designed and fabricated the wooden structures. A bench incorporating a tree, an urban orchard, a market stall, a ping pong table and a screen, all mobile (on wheels), are the elements that were positioned in the Sant Martí district. They can be moved by the users creating different configurations, reflecting the citizens’ desires in terms of design superblock public space, hence activating it.
The space configurations are mapped through the use of a NERO Drone, in order to extract data on the space dynamics.
The installation has been developed in the framework of APS Active Public Space, an EU co-funded project with the aim of developing knowledge on Active Public Space, in collaboration with Hyphen Labs, Atta33 and NODO.
DESIGN
The design is defined by the base of the station and its capacity of drones, where programmed agents define a structural flow from the drone-ports towards the base. The path of these agents is rationalized into straight linear segments with predefined directions, which connect on distributed points in the 3d space, the nodes. The lines are materialized in 312 wooden sticks and the nodes in 87 unique modular press fit joints, in way to create 5 different kind of installations able to interact with the public space.
Screen: 40 kinds of nodes, 148 sticks, 4 panels.
Bench: 19 kinds of nodes, 59 sticks, 3 panels.
Green Pods: 21 kinds of nodes, 66 sticks, 26 panels.
Play Ground: 40 kinds of nodes, 104 sticks, 3 panels.
Trading Market: 33 kinds of nodes, 93 sticks, 7 panels.
Prototyping and Fabrication
In the last decade the logics of generating robot paths have totally shifted the approach from the conventional way used by the industry. Fabrication in architecture has computationally brought the process of automation to integrate principles of manufacturing in the design exploration.
Using a QR code, the users can download the application, which is freely available for Android and Apple phones, and use it to get more information on each module of the installation. By pointing their phone cameras to the physical markers of each module, digital information is overlayed on them regarding the program and location of different activities related with the installation, as well as related general information about the city.
By introducing this digital layer to the installation, the aim is to further engage the public in both the physical and the digital layer and to provide a second level of interaction, through information and social media.
Data visualized _ A.R. data visualizations
Screen tag: general info on the project; 3D model of the superilla.
Bench tag: twitter feeds with the #Superilla hashtag.
Pods general tag: info on urban agriculture in Barcelona.
Pods specific tags (one tag per plant): nutritional value and days to grow for cauliflower, lechuga, enciam, beans.
Table tennis general tag: map with sports locations around the area.
Table tennis specific tags: calories burned, optimum temperature and relevant time of the day to practice for swimming, cycling, running, table tennis, volleyball.
LECTURES
Areti Markopoulou
Tomas Diez
Chiara Farinea
Mathilde Marengo
Yvette Vasourkova
Karin Grohmannova
Bernhard Sommer
PARTICIPANTS
APS STUDENTS:
Michaela Solnicka
Katerina Pazourkova
Erina Filipovska
Federica Ciccone
Rossella Previtera
Carmela Basile Rognetta
Iskhak Enikeev
Karina Davlertyanova
Learta Stavileci
Giusy Terranova
Greta Solari
Alessia Borgia
Elisa Tozzi Juan
Valentina Ragno
Viki Sandor
more info at: activepublicspace.org, #superilla, iaac.net .
PROJECT TITLE
Superilla/PobleJoc
YEAR
2016
LOCATION
PARTNERS
Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)
FabCity
APS Active Public Space
Hyphen Labs
Atta33
NODO
CREDITS
Computational Design
Aldo Sollazzo
Digital Interaction
Angelos Chronis
Ece Tankal
Cristian Rizzuti
Design and Fabrication
Chirag Rangholia
Efilena Baseta
Laura Civetti
Aerial Mapping
Chirag Rangholia
Graphic and Photos
Federica Ciccone
Videos
Matteo Lomaglio
PRESS
The New York Times
El Nacional
El Pais
The Guardian
El Periodico
La Vanguardia
El Mundo
El Diario
CatalunyaPress
Ara Cat
Planetizen
Cities of the Future
BCN SmartCities
BBC news