Beatriz Ramo is teaching Architecture and Market at the AAS - Academie voor Architectuur en Stedenbow in Tilburg. The third edition of this research and design studio will analyze the role of the International Expos in the city and will propose a revision of the event, from its theme to its typology and location within the city. Rotterdam will be the site to implement the strategy and concept of the projects. Seven ideas will solve seven problematic areas from the Delftsestraat until Katendrecht.
Previous editions of the studio dealt with the iconic building phenomena (first edition) and with the potential of big amounts of shopping in the city (second edition).
See them in previous NEWS (09/01/09, 21/12/07)
more info: http://www.fontys-aas.nl
Expo '70 - Osaka, Japan. March 15 -September 13, 1970.
ARCHITECTURE AND MARKET (Summary of the Presentation)
CONTEXT:
The first International Exhibition took place in London in 1851. In 2010 Shanghai will be hosting the event under the title “Better city, Better life”. Even after more than 150 years, this event still counts as one of the greatest promoters of cities. Although the initial idea behind these occasions was to show innovative products and the latest inventions, through the years this objective has been very difficult to maintain as the latest technologies are no longer linked to architecture. However, Expos still occur but they have an old-fashioned flavour. While the content of an Expo itself has turned into something decadent and sometimes ridiculous, the event means a lot for the regeneration of a city. Highly subsidized, they are a unique chance to improve the urban condition of a city, from its image to its infrastructure. However, Expo sites themselves often stay abandoned after the event has finished. Due to rushed decisions and lack of planning the site is left with no clear function (i.e. Sevilla 1992, Hannover 2000). This represents a terrible waste of money and a lost opportunity that - more than ever - we should not accept.
CRISIS:
Thousands of words have been written about the current economic crisis. But there might be a positive aspect to it. This crisis may accelerate the emergence of a new architectural thinking that may generate intelligent and substantive ideas. In this period of financial collapse and extreme preoccupation with sustainability, strategies, rather than shapes, are the only valid answers to today’s demands. The International Exhibitions are very expensive and unsustainable. Therefore, more than ever, it seems necessary to rethink how these events work and how to achieve their maximum potential through a serious evolution.
How can we turn these events into a fully sustainable strategy? Could we give them a real contemporary character? In a globalized world, is there still a need for National Pavilions? How can these events inject activity directly at the heart of the city? How might they help solving the problems of a city?
In this course, we will consider new concepts for the Expos, from their themes to their implantation within the city. We will view the Expo as the temporary use of a building rather than finding a use for it after the expo has finished.
TASK:
This course will be a combination of research and design. Students will realize comparative research of former successful and unsuccessful Expo editions from London 1851 to Shanghai 2010, as well as future projects; they will define urban strategies for an Expo site, develop intelligent buildings that combine an Expo function and a programme for the city. (i.e: housing + expo, university + expo…etc), and write an explanatory essay. Each proposal should have a strong conceptual base, a convincing argument, and a supporting representation.
We will take Rotterdam as the site for our Expo 2018. Instead of proposing a specific area, the Expo will take place all over the city. Rotterdam contains large empty areas in its city centre that need to be filled.
The eight sessions of the course will be comprised of analysis, presentations, debates, site visits,..etc. Other activities, such as outside expert contributors, external critical sessions, related lectures, are being considered.
Students will learn the basics of performing comparative research. They will develop communicative skills through arguments and diagrams. They will be facing the challenge of designing a building that can host two very different programmes, which is one of the most important points concerning sustainability for architects.
From our position as architects and planners, we will accept the importance of the event itself for the city. Rotterdam 2018 will be the first case of a real contemporary Expo, fully sustainable, intelligent, and urban.