ARC 505C - Unprogrammed
Fall 2021
We reside in a world where architecture is challenged, on a daily basis, by programmatic uncertainties. As crises at both local and global levels render increasingly obsolete the conventional model of buildings designed for designated uses, Urban Heterotopia is an experimental project that aims to achieve programmatic flexibility while maintaining essentially a machine for revolutions.
The project concurrently looks at adaptability and unpredictability achieved by a dual system – a compound of a circulatory megastructure and a set of specialized modular capsules. The overall system allows for shifting adjacencies between specialty programs, novel re-combinations, and potential expansions to overcome programmatic stagnancy circumscribed by overly defined space. As a result, our traditional perceptions of programmatic conventions would dissipate, and novel means of registering manifold uses to architecture would consequently emerge.
The project has been retrofitted to hold a casino and a high school. The casino uses the entire structure as a random game generator, bringing to its visitors an infinite array of entertainments in unexpected combinations. On the other hand, the school utilizes the system for pedagogical experiments. Building users are granted unprecedented agencies in reconfiguring classrooms to stimulate individual learning while promoting cross-disciplinary research.
