‘Through Istanbul’s turbulent history, the city have changed drastically. Many objects that are carried and used on a one to one basis have however remained the same. It is poignant perhaps to look at old photographs of Istanbul and mourn the loss of many of intimate local urban environments, swallowed by the cities massive expansion. But many of these objects endure.  In a sense, the knife sharpeners, food sellers, shoe shiners, ottoman tea distributors, blind men with scales and the intricate packs people carry create an intimate architectural environment unique to Istanbul alone.”

How could architecture stem emerge from a person’s body, what kind of forms and functions could it pursue and how could this translate into the urban environment of Istanbul.

My First step was to look at different pieces of equipment that people use, and speculate on possible systems which could be attatched to the body, first for purely aesthetic purposes and then to collect.

Survival kits, water, solar and metal collectors were all designed and a number built to a 1:1 scale.

The building was to be a hub were these body modification’s would be specified, built and tested in a ‘market of the future’ scenario. People would navigate the structure, which itself would have a number of systems based on the collectors which would be constantly evolving, the water collection was suggested on the north west facade but other systems would be introduced over time.

Inside it contains a number of shops and clinics in which different artisans, shopkeepers and surgeons perform a range of alterations from the small to the extreme.

Its aim would be to create a new and constantly changing class of inhabitants in the city. Those with new equipment and ‘mods’ would invigorate the street level environments in Istanbul, referencing the equipment from the past and moving it into a uncertain future

Mark Simpson

Designed by: Kelvin IP

My project stemmed from a doomsday imagination of Istanbul.

Imagine we have lands covered by the water because of the rising sea level…
Imagine we have nowhere to go…
Imagine we might have to live in somewhere without lands forever…

People suggest moving away from the Earth, and living in another planet like Mars. Some say living on a giant floating platform and let ourselves floating on the water endlessly…I raised a question, “If we do love the Earth, if we like the way we lived, why do we have to leave this lovely planet? Why don’t we rebuild the Earth again? Why can’t we stand up again on our continent?”

I designed a machine consisting of different functions works like a vertical city, the bridge-like structure collects the wastage from the city, purify the waste and then drop them into the water. The idea is basically to reclaim the land, filling up the earth, printing out a new city. The machine is similar to a ‘3D Printer’ we commonly used for architectural model, but this is for printing out a city, not printing out an architectural model. This machine could be multiplied and spread like spider web around the whole Istanbul, or even the entire world.

Some experiments testing on how to drop those purified wastage.

In order to attach this visionary scheme more into the reality, it was finally proposed to be built in the shipyard at Istanbul as an experimental project. It works like a test bed. Istanbul people will be invited to live in the system. The ‘filling system’ will be tested. At the end of the experiment, a central park will be ‘printed’ out. Contemporarily, it gives a big green space that the densely populated Istanbul is now lacking of. In the long run, this is an experiment for Istanbul city to get prepared for the doomsday.

Kelvin Ip

My scheme originated from an article I found entitled ‘Noahs Flood’. It questions the story of Noahs Ark on the basis that a natural dam was burst through 4000 years ago creating the Bosphorus Strait and local flooding. The author suggests that Noahs flood was not global, but merely a local flood  that at that time would have been seen as catastrophic. This led me to think, ‘what if rising sea levels are a sign of things to come?’, ‘will we one day need to build  a boat to escape the rising waters?’. However if we were to build a structure to hold the whole world, surely we’re more developed now. What could we build today?

In 2704 BCE there were no streets, no sewers, no MTV in those days. The paths were riddled with drunkards, the air was polluted with the stench of faeces, and blasphemy was the war cry of the neighbourhoods. This was not Gods intention. There was no 8th day of creation for sin.

And then there was Noah, a modest man who told stories of a great flood which was coming to rid the world of evil.  The crowds jeered and protested while others ignored and walked on. But what if Noah was alive today? Would we see him as ‘that weird man’ who stood on a box down oxford street talking down a microphone about a day when the sky will open and we will all be judged before thee?

In 1800 there were narrow spaced streets, no sewers, no MTV in those days. The paths were riddled with drunkards, the air was polluted with the stench of faeces, and blasphemy was the war cry of the neighbourhoods. Have we changed at all since Noah? Are the melting ice caps the beginning of the end to our world? Will we one day ignore ‘that weird man’ on Oxford street, just as Noah was ignored all those years ago. Will we go on living our lives while low lying land is washed away on the other side of our television screens. Or will we listen, build on the water and cheat our fate.

So this is where it all stemmed from. What would we build today if the situation occured. Would we build up?- Failing communities in redeveloped shanty towns in India suggests tower blocks inhibit social cohesion. Or would be spread out?- We are already on the brink of useful land and deforestation would wipe out hundreds of ecological beauty.

So my answer is to build on water, and live off the land. I want to propose a floating master plan which is replicated according to levels of wealth and resources, depending on where in the world you are. The land will be used for livestock and forestry, while the world will continue to live on water.

Form finding investigations looking at the shapes created when Sodium Acetate is left to solidify in a mould. Here I have moved away from instantaneous freezing, and now want to see if there are intricate shapes which can only be formed through setting a liquid. The results are very organic and irregular forms which I found quite interesting. In one particular example you could still see a fingerprint left in the clay mould adding a textural quality that freezing does not.

My site plan showing the potential growth of the floating village on water. It resembles a typical town plan with a central core for the public, periphery of industry and surrounded by residences.

This is my CJ Lim inspired paper model showing a conceptual illustration of the ambience I wanted to create. The floating village is noisy, yet calm. People sail through the markets choosing from the finest range of fresh products  whilst stray dogs wander around the community, jumping from deck to deck. The fishermen line the decks like an army of soldiers, ready for a days catch, unaware of the complex systems which lay beneath them.

Natalie Gall

Unit 6 was invited to a lecture given by Renowned architect Renzo Piano about his first UK building, in the new piazza at the heart of Central Saint Giles.

Genius architect…Brilliant use of space.

Chig x