Master thesis - Berlin and WIP

I finally have an approach, a concept, I'm working.

There, some sketches and drawings from my thesis, and some other from Berlin, 2 weeks ago.

Tallin R+M

A quick glimpse of the workshop 6 in Tallinn (Sept-Oct 2012)

7 weeks, two projects and a week-long break in Berlin. 2 projects, 2 scales: the street and the district with GreBlis (De).

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 Roosikrantsi  Street

     1-week project of transformation of a street as an access to the city centre.

Expansion of the underground passage network including the street as a main entrance, reduction of the circulation, pedestrian-friendly treatment of the ground (unique pavement covering the whole space) and green spaces as attraction / expansion points.

 (Freedom square, before)

  (Freedom square, before)

  (Roosikrantsi - north part)

(Roosikrantsi - proposition)

Complete presentation here

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Mustamaë

     Renovation / transformation project of one of the districts of Mustamaë. Theses were the first districts to be build with pre-fab elements by the communists (system then used everywhere from Vladivostok to Berlin). Theses buildings were made for 30 years, then an extra 20. Today, after 50 years, they still stand, despite the poor quality of the concrete and the lack of thermic and acoustic insulation.

We choose to work at an urban scale first, since we don't believe the situation (isolation, lack of life) can only be changed by small-action project there.

 (Mustamaë - existing situation)

  (Mustamaë - proposition)

 (Mustamaë, district 3 - existing situation)

 (Mustamaë, district 3 - proposition)

 (Mustamaë, district 3 - new circulation network)

 (zoom in - extended typology 1)

 (zoom in - extended typology 2)

 

Our proposition is to re-use the existing system, trying not to destroy it too much, and densify it. Since most inhabitants are owners of their flats, it’s not an option for us to erase everything and start working on a blank page. We propose to bring a piece of city with various typologies and a street life in Mustamaë.

Using the existing buildings as a base, we develop blocks. Theses blocks contains various programmatic elements such as housing, commerce’s, offices, but also school and kindergarten, and a library. Between and around theses blocks, we propose a network of streets and plazas, bringing back human scale and small-scale life in the district. Although we rationalised the whole system and its links with the surrounding areas, we decided not to get rid of the cars. They are part of the city, and instead of taking them away, we propose to give them a proper and defined place in the streets.

During this exercise, we focused on some typologies examples. In addition to the existing prefab buildings, some social housing, group housings and individuals plots.

 (typology 1 - volumetric proposition)

 (typology 1 - volumetric proposition)

 (typology 1 - volumetric proposition)

We gave some formal and conceptual propositions for the individual housing system.
In theses blocks, our idea is to reduce the height of existing, and densify the area by building some 1-3 levels houses.
First step is to define the position of the future constructions by setting the roads, streets, plazas and parking spots. Then, after setting an infobox (future community point), we divide the area in plots of 10x4 meters. Theses plots are sold or given to former inhabitants (possibility to have one or more plots to build). Finally, the building of start. Different architects according to urban rules of the district design each house. Therefore we ensure that the diversity of the place will be respected and we avoid an uniform neighbourhood. In the same time, the prefabricated building is scaled down, proposing new spaces on its roof for inhabitants.

Since we want the new Mustamaë to be a piece of city, we decided not to give too strong indications. Height, maximal volumetric, possible materials, but no architectural indications or constraints.

Considering the actual flat occupation of 1,7 person per flat, our proposition would at least double the population of Mustamaë (at least +80%, ore if the flat occupation rises)

Again, you will find the presentation here and the up-to-scale posters there.

(Puddle, Tallinn. yeah, it was part of the workshop. I swear!)

Soon (tomorrow maybe?) the workshop of Lisbon, finished 2 weeks ago.

And oh, yeah, merry thing. yeah, you know.

Tallinn - Seaside in autumn

A quick selection of shots made a few weeks ago, when I was still in Tallinn. I went to have a walk in the north of the city, in the former military area. An old prison, Patarei, and a concert / sport hall built in 1980 for the Moscow Olympic Games.

It was a windy day, so no sketches, only photographs. This area is right now preserved in a stasis, no demolition of this patrimonial part of the city, but no renovation either. Some final projects of the first class of my master program took place in Patarei, the former prison.

(The triangle is Patarei, the big building going into the sea is Linnahall)

Soon, a quick presentation of our work (our works) here in Tallinn, before flying to Lisbon again.

Water + Riga + Berlin + Color // 100th Post

Petit message à l'attention des passants et lecteurs phrankofones, depuis un peu plus d'un an, j'étudie au sein du programme REISEUNI - ASG. Le principe de ce programme est de voyager, d'étudier à l'étranger. Depuis donc un peu plus d'un an, je vis et travaille en anglais. La majorité des lecteurs de ce blog est aussi à présent d'origine étrangère.

Pour ce 100e post, j'ai donc décidé de passer en Anglais. Ce blog sera donc désormais — sauf exception — en Grand Briton. éventuellement, je pourrais caler une rapide traduction en fin de posts pour les anglophobes, s'ils me le demandent. Ou pas, je verrais.

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So, 100th post on this blog, and first in English. Starting from now,  I'll try to post here only in English, since my life is abroad now, as are more than half of my (tiny number of) readers.

So to celebrate this change, and the 100th, I'm back to the origins. Not miniatures, but watercolors.

Last week-end, I was in Riga with some friends. No photos, since I didn't take my camera (and I didn't get my friends photos yet), but watercolors. Since I'm not carrying my paints and brushes with me all the time, I had to rely on my memory — and the crappy photos of my crappy phone displayed on a tiny crappy screen. You know, to check the colors.

So from Riga, a cocktail (called Blondie, ordered by a... blondie. Coincidence? nah.). We had cocktails in a bar on the top of one of the few skyscrappers of Riga, a Radisson hotel. Entrance wasn't free, but drinks were more than correct, and cheap.

Then, next day, hangover in a park, sitting in the sun, waiting for a guy. I can't say the name of the park, just that it's right in front of the radisson hotel I've been writting about before.

And our last in Riga, a tea pavillon in a park in the north-east of the city center, this octogonal wooden building is ust great, I even took some extra time later, in the bus, to sketch its plan and section for later.

The following week, I was in Berlin to attend the jury of the previous class of my masterprogram. First day was free (I arrived a bit too early), then jury, jury, jury. Therefore, only two small sketches, the first one from was made in front of Marienkirche (Alexanderplatz), a church I already sketched almost a year ago. The second one, way way more interesting, is from the academy of arts in Tiergarten (beautiful building, beautiful context, beautiful light)

And to conclude, a small gift. I did theses a few month ago, back in Kiel, when I was trying to figure wether it's better to sketch witch charcoal before or after painting with watercolor. So I sketched what I found in the kitchen.

(the best one? Charcoal, then watercolor, then hairspray. The Pear then.)

On theses paintings, I wish you goodnight, and see you next time!

BTW, there might be (there are) some mistakes. I don't know why, tonight Blogger refuses to check for misspelling. Maybe next time.