Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Agora of Digbeth
I am to design and architecture for political and cultural institution that could emerge from and facilitate the seismic shift towards an autonomous political, cultural and civic identity.
It is about the importance of architecture as the constructed embodiment of civic purpose and regional identity.
The Agora is more than the public spaces of the city.
There’s a consequent need to redefine not an urban public realm that’s collectively owned and managed by the state, but a public realm of the city that is somehow expressive of the people, expressive of the general will.
From this standpoint, when something is public, its channels for common expression remain open, negotiable and debatable, political and urban in the sense that they witness people encountering other people, dialoguing with other people, arguing with other people, formulating an infallible general will.
Clearly the Agora was then the heart which kept Athens alive. It could be recognized by the human voices heard in the streets and especially at its most central reference point, the market place. The human voices bring a city to life.
This is the 21st century Agora, where people engage in the life of their locality. This multifunctionality can create a strong purpose and sustain new and existing markets, supporting retail trades that complement and enhance the experience of democratic engagement.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Critical Urbanism - The Canal Quarter
Final Sectional model that explores possibilities of different levels within Digbeth upon which the existing and future architecture to response to.
The New Agora of Digbeth
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