Everchanging singularity
SuperSpatial - Everchanging Singularity Proposal for Europan 14 - Site of Papaverdriehoek - Amsterdam NL
The future is uncertain. The economy undergoes changes at an incredible speed. This condition reflects on the city itself creating a constant state of instability. How can architecture deal with such transformations? Should it give up on specific spaces in favour of generic ones and produce endless square meters without spatial characteristic?
The intent of the proposal lies on the opposite belief that architecture should be able to work with the transitions in-between programs yet maintain a specific spatial character.
The site is in the metaphorical condition of being between a residential and a productive area. It is impossible to predict which need will prevail over the area in 10 years, or even tomorrow. The proposal works as a cluster of specific spaces, each designed by a different architect to recreate the diversity of the traditional street and then reassembled in the form of a building. The combination of form, dimension, position, connections, adaptability and view ensures the uniqueness of every space.
This multiplicity is monetised through the range of spatial characters offered, where different activities can take place. Each user can find a space able to fit his own needs and tailor it according to its degree of flexibility. This flexibility allows different uses in different time spans.
The density of the building avoids waste of space, fostering social connections through the sharing of the circulation elements.
Shared open spaces connect the different programs and their use can change at different speeds: a square can change its program three times in a day, a terrace can change its program twice during the week.
The value of the space is maximised through a 24h set of activities and the density creates dialogue in-between these activities.
The ever-changing performance of the building is the project itself.
Like in a contemporary New Babylon, the architecture is the infrastructure where a system based on the circular economy principles thrives. The architecture ultimately becomes the catalyst for circular processes and economic value.