sPACES OF FLOW

'HISTORIANS HAVE NOTED THAT ECONOMIC CLUSTERS ALWAYS REQUIRED ACCESS TO ABUNDANT STRATEGIC INPUTS FOR SUCCESS. IN THE 1800S, IT WAS WATER AND RAW MATERIALS. IN THE 1900S, IT WAS ELECTRICITY AND TRANSPORTATION. IN THE 2000S IT WILL BE BANDWIDTH AND HUMAN INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL.'

THOMAS FRIEDMAN IN “ SO MUCH FUN, SO IRRELEVANT” ARTICLE RETRIEVED ON 4.1.2013 NYTIMES.COM

THE SPACE OF FLOWS WAS FIRST COINED BY SOCIOLOGIST AND THEORETICIAN MANUEL CASTELLS TO "RECONCEPTUALIZE NEW FORMS OF SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS UNDER THE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL PARADIGM"; A NEW TYPE OF SPACE THAT ALLOWS DISTANT SYNCHRONOUS, REAL-TIME INTERACTION. AT THE GLOBAL SCALE, THE “SPACE OF FLOWS” GAVE RISE TO WORLDWIDE NETWORKS OF INFORMATION, TECHNOLOGY, INTERACTION, IMAGES AND SOUNDS, LINKING CITIES AND CAPITALS IN TERMS OF ADVANCED SERVICES, PRODUCTION CENTERS, AND MARKETS, AND PRODUCING A HOMOGENOUS GLOBAL URBAN LANDSCAPE.
 

THROUGH ARCHITECTURE AND PROGRAMMATIC, EXPLORATIONS. I TRIED TO RESPOND TO THESE SHIFTING IDEAS IN THE BOURJ HAMMOUD WATERFRONT. AFTER 60 YEARS OF ISOLATION, THE CITY IS LOOKING TO RECLAIM ITS INDUSTRIAL WATERFRONT BY INJECTING NEW USES THAT RECONNECT THE AREA WITH THE LOCAL RESIDENTS. THE PROJECT, THROUGH A FOLDED PROMENADE, WILL STUDY HOW AN INNOVATION THINK-TANK CAN REINVIGORATE THE EXISTING INDUSTRIAL FABRIC AND OPEN UP NEW PROSPEROUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LOCAL URBAN COMMUNITY AND GIVE BACK THE WATERFRONT TO THE CITY.  

PHYSICAL AND VISUAL CONNECTION MUST BE PROVIDED IN ORDER TO CONNECT THE CITY TO ITS WATERFRONT. BY BRIDGING THE 2 SITE CHOSEN THE FLOW OF PEOPLE IS REDIRECT TOWARD THE NEGLECTED LANDFILL. TRANSFORMING THE DUMP TO A DESTINATION, FROM LANDFILL TO LANDSCAPE, THE SPECIFIC AREA IS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL, CORTEN IS THEN USED AND FOLDED AS AN OUTER SKIN REFLECTING THE SURROUNDING AND ENVELOPING AN INNER PROMENADE OCCURRING IN AN OPEN PLAN TO INCREASE “HAPPY INCIDENT” AND HELPING YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO GROW.

ACADEMIC: DES VII
LAU - BYBLOS
2014