Swap on the River | E13 Winner
Winner of EUROPAN13 - Zagreb, Croatia.
Carlos Zarco Sanz, Sara Palomar Perez, Zuhal Kol, Jose Luis Hidalgo.
The project examines four underused but critical sites around the river and focus on the question of how intervention on four separate sites can have holistic effect to change movements and relationships of the entire river with the city. Therefore, the proposal introduces a framework of negotiation in which a constant conversation of the sites/their surroundings/programs is promoted through movement and exchange on/around the water.
Expanding into the vast urban/suburban territories of Zagreb, Sava River operates symbiotically between the human and natural spheres as a dynamic actor that shapes and effects the formation of the city and the daily life of inhabitants. Alongside its ecologic inputs, with the underused sites around it, Sava has the potential to become a predominant common ground for Zagreb and embrace adaptable, indeterminant, dynamic and transforming systems to respond to the new needs of the expanding city and its pluralistic users. The assumed task here is to create links and let new realities emerge through establishment of connections, allowing the riversides to be activated by new channels and networks between people. In the light of such understanding of the strategy of adaptability, the project stands as an exploration of opportunities to experiment the effect of relatively small, soft and temporal interventions as the shifting economic circumstances invite designers to a transformed disciplinary characterized by flexibility, dynamism, immateriality, and indeterminacy. The project aims to create working public architecture that operates in a multi-scalar manner considering its existing potentials and connections with the city while employing an incremental adaptable framework of negotiation/swapping introducing and including the river to the daily life of its inhabitants.
As the river runs through approximately 20 km adjacent to the city, the question raises as how intervention of on four separate sites can have holistic effect to change movements and relationships of the entire river with the city. Therefore, the proposal introduces a framework of negotiation in which a constant conversation of the sites/their surroundings/programs is promoted through movement and exchange on/around the water. Since this framework strategy requires tactics to be supported and operated in different levels, the project functions on three scales of interventions: XL-river and city; L-four sites and their surroundings; S,M-activator pavilions and their combinations. This multi-scalar approach develops a design mechanism which allows for change and adaptation but still enables the uniformity of the design as long as it serves within the main envelope of negotiation. The common concerns of each scale tactics are allowing flexible development; anticipating active participation of the user and ecology; conceiving continuous and legible spatial organization for more interaction; while considering the significance of open spaces as public spaces; and addressing these issues in multiple program scenarios in the process of new culture.
The River
Generating and east-west axis in the city on the river, the XL scale interventions include developing connections on water and land via walking cycling paths and water transportation. As the intervention and elements of this scale are supported by the components of the other scales, with the resultants of XL tactics, the river begins acting as a spine of public spaces connecting various programs and locations of the city while swapping/interchanging people, programs, pavilions and activities between the sites.
The Sites
Forming the L scale interventions of the proposal, the site interventions develop, prepare and transform the sites from voids into community grounds for temporal activities to take place, exchange and interact. As all sites are extended and connected to Sava River, they share common elements –paths, paved areas, piers for water transportation and tree plantation; but they differ programmatically due the relationship with their close surroundings and specific features.
SITE 1//
Being situated in the midst of various programs on all sides –housing and commerce activities on the south, sports and leisure activities on the north across the river, Site 1 carries a potential to be empowered through integrating its surroundings by links and additional programs. Since one of the planned bridges of Zagreb is adjacent to the site, this aimed integration can be managed through paths interconnecting the two sides of the river, and intermediary programs dissolving between a large scale housing area and a large scale leisure area –such as the pier for connection on water, paved areas among the trees as plazas and gathering places, urban agriculture and playground areas next to fishing and water sports platforms for the inhabitants and passersby. Through implementing these tactics, Site 1 prepares a well-woven common ground for temporal activities and pavilions to come along and initiate a mutual transformation.
SITE 2//
Having differentiated from the other sites with an existing building planned to become a cultural youth center in the future, Site 2 holds strong programmatic possible affections for the city and its surroundings. While similar to Site 1, Site 2 is also near to a planned bridge on the river and has direct connections to parks on the other side of the water, it is also adjacent to the main road leading to the contemporary arts museum and fair area. All these programmatic inputs can turn the site into a socio-cultural center feeding the negotiation on the river, other sites and the city with arts and leisure related programs and spread arts through exhibitions, workshops, performances to its surroundings.
Although, arts programs already develop strong links with the city, having situated in the geometrical center of the city, Site 2 also has the ability to create visual links. Through placing an air field of energy production kites encountering the predominant wind direction of Zagreb, the proposal aims to create visual attraction calling out inhabitants of the city to the riverside and produce energy to generate an infrastructural support to the city and river area.
SITE 3//
Located relatively close to Site 2, and amongst housing areas, sports fields and parks, Site 3 has a significant potential to serve for leisure and free-time activities of the inhabitants around. However, also being situated close to the industrial facilities and areas along the river, this site can offer remedial cleansing solutions to decrease the effect of industry on natural and social ecologies of the river, and can function as a buffer-zone between them. Through the implementation of floating netted pools of wetland plants and algae that move along the riverside of Site3, undesirable chemical water of the surrounding industry will be reduced; and water/air cleansing will be guaranteed for the continuation of social and ecological happenings of the site and of the river.
SITE 4//
On the out skirts of Zagreb, Site 4 has the maximum surface area with minimum amenities and connections. Having surrounded by agricultural fields and water treatment facility, the site itself serves for dredging and soil accumulation. With all these features, Site 4, in a way has the characteristics of a maintenance land supporting the city. This specific character can also be utilized within the negotiation framework of the project and therefore this site can support all the other sites by accommodating related programs and tools from each of them, such as a field to grow and change the water plants of Site 3 to recycle the waste for agricultural fields in the surrounding where possible; hosting a kite field like in Site 2 to create more energy support and for the river activities while attracting views from the airport routes; or preparing and sending agricultural goods to the densely populated surroundings of Site 1 (e.g. a market on Site 1 with products of Site 4).
On the other hand, since Site 4 carries programs from all the sites, have a much bigger surface area and closer to the airport, it also has a promising potential to host big events such as festivals and fairs.
Activators
Composing the S, M scale interventions of the project, the structures for temporary events –the Activators, are easily buildable, transformable, adjustable and attractive pavilions that activate the sites by injecting various programs. Consisting of nine structures with different roles and capabilities, the activators are pivotal for negotiation of programs, activities and goods in between the four sites. By visiting each site and being carried through water transportation, the activators foster conversation between the sites, convey programs from one to another, and adapt to the needs of the sites. While every single structure is able to host multiple activities through slight changes, combination of varying number of activators generate endless possibilities of events and uses.
To render the construction affordable and easy, the activators are formed and structured with standardized scaffold units. Being easily reachable from local facilities or as second-hand from construction sites, scaffolds are re-usable, easily mountable and transparent elements. Moreover, to generate closure or surface, the proposal utilizes malleable and adjustable materials such as textile and wood boards.
As the activators will be transported from one site to another, the structures enhance the east-west connection of the city though river, bring conversation and negotiation by swapping/interchanging and turn into public objects with memories carrying remnants from each transformation throughout the time.
Diversity/ Plurality
Although each structure already accommodates a multiplicity of programs on their own, different combinations of them can also occur according to varying scales of programs (S, M, L, XL) and create endless possibilities that collaborate and respond to the new needs of the expanding Zagreb, and its pluralistic inhabitants.
Sustainability
-Low Carbon Footprint // since the paved areas are minimal, the structures are recyclable and the proposal includes more tree plantation, the carbon footprint of the riverbanks during use would have reduced impact.
- Energy Production // Although the kite field provides leisure activities such as paragliding, and serve as visual attractors calling out people from the city to the riverbanks, they also generate energy from wind power and contribute to the energy consumption of the river related activities as well as the city infrastructure.
- Water Cleansing // Floating netted pools of algae and clusters of wetland plants are placed on the river to clean the river water from undesirable chemical waste and nourish the biodiversity of the river’s habitat.
Adaptability/ Indeterminacy
The project generate design mechanisms, strategies, tactics which respond to future indeterminate conditions of Zagreb’s urban contexts by emphasizing the indeterminacy of both the city/society or ecology through proposing adaptive frameworks and structures which are open to change, accommodate time and have a sense of place. Every component of the project has the ability to react and readjust according to the evolution of the city rendering the project alive and ever-changing constantly.
Connectivity/ Feedback from the City
While each intervention of the project (river, sites and structures) has a different scale, each and every one of them is developed according to the links and programmatic relations with the city. Each intervention obtains the inputs from the city, but at the same time affects and triggers new happenings in the city. Thus, they will activate their surroundings, unleashing a chain of programs. In a way, the city shapes the interventions as they shape the city.
Actors/Participation
Management of Use// The ‘negotiation’ strategy of the project requires continued thinking, conversation, coordination and welcomes everyone to take part in it. The management of interests, mobilities and programs would be decided by a communal assembly of inhabitants, public authorities and event organizers.
Management of Costs // Varying scales of interventions and different users would necessitate multiple investment scales; therefore, production and maintenance costs can be managed among different parties through the collaboration of public authorities, sponsors of events and festivals, and inhabitants (with crowdfunding).
Mobility
By generating a robust west-east link through the river, the project links and interconnects the mobility patterns of different scale interventions. While the riverbanks accommodates paths and routes for walking and cycling, the river becomes a predominant and active transportation element as negotiation of the sites requires portability of structures from one site to another.
Microeconomies
Reaction in the surroundings// The interventions of every scale would trigger local and urban movements in the city affecting and enhancing small economies around the river.
Buildability in terms of costs // All the structures consist of a very standardized easily findable (even second-hand) and relatively cost-saving scaffold pieces to assist the realization of the project.
Maintenance costs // The assembly of the managing parties (inhabitants, public authorities and event organizers) can decide to rent one or more structural units when possible to obtain income for maintenance.
Temporality
As the shifting economic circumstances invite designers to a transformed disciplinary characterized by flexibility, dynamism, and immateriality, the project stands as an exploration of nomadic/ephemeral/temporal opportunities. This kind of nomadic urbanites is crucial for a transforming area since they provide a framework for investigating theories of spatial practices as a means of examining problems within contemporary urban societies.
Performativity
All the activators of this project carry a duality or even multiplicity to exploit their own potential and to perform at maximum capacity.