Discussion
The aim of this project is clear, which is to create a sharing hub that will pool the rich resources from institutions and revitalise the district. It will be a creative idea incubator for students around the site, and also attracts people outside to work and enjoy. With this as the fundamental ideology and the generative modelling parameters set beforehand, qualitative and quantitative analysis and design were processed.
In iteration one, detailed zoning based on analysis of site context was done. This approach became the foundation for zoning in later iterations, and raised the question of potential segregation produced by clear zoning. This is also a starting point to discuss how to blend people via the mixture of programs, and how to vitalise urban spaces effectively.
Iteration two gave a result of a potential urban super block typology as an attempt to respond to the question raised in iteration one. The typology generated is a hybrid of urban green, office and commercial, basically all the urban public activities. When giving this response, not only quantitative analysis derived from simulations was done, qualitative analysis of urban space quality and experience planning was also made along the design development. With the reciprocal analysis in these two approaches, a potential urban super block typology was resulted to aid further design development.
Iteration three moved one step further from iteration two, to apply the resulted urban typology to the whole site for an utterly blend and mix of programs, and in turn, the people who participate in the programs. There is no more clear distinction of zoning in this iteration, but all parcels are connected via the urban green pocket space throughout the whole site. Even though similar typology was applied across the whole site, this act was done under control. Alteration of the typology was made according to the size of the urban plots. Zoning is also one of the controlling factors for program variation across different urban plots.
The idea of developing typology for super block is from the act to promote pedestrian culture back to our context. Urban development is largely shaped by transportation method and human demands. In the early 90’s when automobiles started to dominate transportation means, a clear separation of car and pedestrian, and a collective living typology within high skyscrapers was promoted by Avant Garde then. Nowadays, with technology development in drone and autonomous cars etc. gradually become full-fledged, this will shape the urban scape again. Besides, the tide of retrospect to those close communication and interaction among neighbours in the olds days also act as a catalyst to reconsider the way to enhance social bonding, as well as the live activities on the ground level.