urban and programmatic boundary - manifesto and proposal for new public space
UNEXPECTED PROGRAM
"There is no architecture without program" is (still) the directive statement of my manifesto. Driven by this thesis, I am thinking about situations where program becomes a specific aspect, which shapes the space and has a maximum of impact on the space / perception of space.
And actually the situations where program is met in an unexpected way - those situations become seductive moments, where the particular use and occupation of the space becomes the recognizable identity. The space is no longer simply form, but is associated with program (mis/use, actions, performances...) which it contains.
unexpected programs / Rio: Living on a Wall & Munich: Surfing in the Bavarian Capital
The "unexpected" in this case is that a particular program is connected with a location, where it first seems to be "misplaced" - but the initial reaction of confusion is soon replaced by understanding, because the program shows that a particular space can be used and understood differently.
unexpected programs / Sarajevo: Cello Concert in Ruins & London: Dinner with Nelson
PROGRAM OVERCOMING THE BOUNDARY
If we put a fence around anything, it will become an icon. How can we use this notion and, instead of designing a fence (where we can put some "anything" inside) use the existing "fences" of the city to locate the project in? Are there boundaries in the city which define not only the physical expansion but also the programmatic dialogue within the city?
Boundary is the climax of every city. Disregarded in the planning, the boundary is a lonely place, no-mans-land. Space of negotiation or a space of total separation.
I took a step back and looked again at the city of Sarajevo, where I am proposing to situate my project in. The boundary of Sarajevo is the river of Miljacka, cutting through the city, together with the main city road running parallel through the city. The water is flowing towards west and the one-way-traffic of the road towards east - two opposite constant flows next to each other.
It is important for me to understand the city in plan in order to understand the conditions, hermeticism and porosity of the boundary it contains.
Sarajevo: River Miljacka cutting through the city
DEFINING THE BOUNDARY
I am right now looking at this particular stripe in the city and its spatial conditions. The boundary appears to be condensed, powerful and rich; we can start with the soft boundary of the water and go to the movement of the cars and trams on the road, to the hard edge of the (almost) closed facade front, to the pockets of space built in between the blocks or buildings.
The boundary is public. Accessible for everyone. Even though we can not walk on water. But we can use the bridges, stand in the middle and imagine we are standing on water. The boundary of the Miljacka bank is the most visible part of the city. Ironically, the boundary is the only "free" space in the density of the linear city of Sarajevo.
PROPOSAL
I think that if you say "There is no architecture without program" and your title is UNEXPECTED PROGRAM than you probably have to spend time really to define these series of programs. I do understand the link with the re-brief, when the architecture is used and abused that is the iconic moment for you but I don't see anymore the topic of absence and presence, and I am not sure how to link it here.
I don't mind which way you take, but I think it need to be clear and focused (now you have too many things and no one really emerging)
Basically, I think you need a hierarchy on the way you think and design, and from what you wrote, I think the questions are:
1- which program/s?
2- how is it unexpected? Is it because of the timeline, or is because the way different programs are juxtaposed together in space? It is not clear at all, how you are answering these questions.
3- all the other questions that you are investigating on your text are not a priority so I will leave them out (i.e. fence and boundary)
You are talking more in your text about boundary that can be island or bridge, but if you don't clarify first what is the UNEXPECTED PROGRAM, I think that the boundary is a rushed decision.
You need to focus much more on one thing, is it the UNEXPECTED PROGRAM? If yes, let's talk and see a formal proposition of that.