Minidoc - Urban platforms

Claiming unused space in city center blocks

Author Ruud van Ginneken

Netherlands, Eindhoven, Volderhof

Authors Ruud van Ginneken and Frank Beurskens

Claiming unused space in city center blocks

Strengths: Revealing hidden spatial qualities of the cityblock by making cheap and well located space accessible and claimable for anyone interested. Visual contact between platforms, terraces and walking bridges makes the perception of the space constantly evolving. The actual space to rent inside the buildings is relatively small, but this space can be expanded by claiming the huge vacant space of the terraces. In the future the urban platform strategy can be expanded and connected to similar blocks.

Urbaninform.net Minidocs overview

• Every empty space will be occupied, Brasil, São Paulo - Diana Helene, Diana Helene - an enhanced strategy, giving architectural subsidies for existing social process by creating an architecture-tactic
• Design Indaba 10x10, South Africa, Cape Town - Rosemary Lombard, Design Indaba - Low Cost Housing Project
• commUNITY design, Sierra Leone, Freetown - Lisa Marie Kramer, - community involvement in construction as a catalyst for greater physical, social, and sustainable advancements
• Cite des femmes du REFDAF, Senegal, Dakar - Madjiguene Cisse, Madjiguène Cissé, REFDAF - Social Political City Project in Dakar Created by Women
• Casas del Quinto Sol Affordable Housing Prototype, United States, Valle del Cero - jose gamez, Jose Gamez, Brad Buter, Michael Ward, Jessica Thomas, Stephanie Orlich (UNC Charlotte) - Affordable Housing and Social Capital Prototypical Program
• PARK(ing) Day, USA (originated in San Francisco, now worldwide), San Francisco - Rebar, Rebar - To rethink the way urban public space is allocated and used.
• Underneath Cafe Viaduct, Brazil, Sao Paulo - Igor Guatelli, Igor Guatelli - to reinforce a precarious collective action
• DESI and HOMEmade, Bangladesh, Dinajpur - Anna Heringer together with BASEhabitat, Anna Heringer together wirth BASEhabitat and BRAC University Dhaka - DESI: Vocational school and teacher flats / HOMEmade: three two-storey family houses
• Dome as a family dwelling in Ananda Nagar, India, Bokao Steel City - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Dwelling for a single family
• Dome Cottage - A skill training for monks, Philipines, Davao - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Skill training & one person living space
• Dome as a meditation sanctuary, New Zealand, Grey Town - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Skill training and a collective space for meditation
• Dome for teenagers meeting space, Mongolia, Ulaanbataar - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Meeting space for and build by the teenagers of our childrens home in Mongolia
• School in Capalanca, Angola, Luanda - Paulo Moreira, - An engine for social and cultural development
• Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin, USA, 90068 - Eric Olsen, Superficial Studio / Eric Olsen - Flexible Water Disinfection
• regeneration, italy, roma - studio dAM, arch. marco scarpa, arch. paolo cannata, arch. linda gaia roncaglia - urban device to achieve social re.inclusion
• Spot a Lot - The Urban Outdoor School, Denmark, Copenhagen - Simon Enemaerke and Richard Hare, University of Copenhagen - Outdoor learning and city life.
• Steps 'n Slabs, Chile, Temuco - Ralf Pasel, pasel.kuenzel architects - Slum upgrading / low-cost housing in an informal settlement
• the costalero bench, Spain, Sevilla - Colectivo Ella, - Citizen claiming for public furnitures in public spaces
• ECObox - self-managed eco-urban network, France, Paris - atelier architecture autogeree, aaa team (Constantin Petcou, Doina Petrescu, Denis Favret, Giovanni Piovene) - Self-managed collective space in metropolitan context
• Alameda1574, Spain, Sevilla - Colectivo Ella, Colectivo Ella - Pressure on City Mayor to open public space (2 years late)
• The Rain Drain Bar, Singapore, Singapore - Team Joerg Rekittke et al, Joerg Rekittke, Christian Boucharenc, Triarini Insani Dewi, Poon Chit Hong Dominic - Providing clean fresh drinking water without any expensive infrastructure.
• le56, France, Paris - atelier architecture autogeree, aaa team (C. Petcou, D. Petrescu, N. Marchand, F. Ralaimongo, S. Pauquet, R. Binder, G. Barraud, T. Huguen) - Self-managed cultural and ecological interstice
• Bamboo Structure Project, Iran, Ramsar - Pouya Khazaeli, Pouya Khazaeli Parsa - Emergency shelters, Cheap housing
• Dome Cottage at Sankla Buri - Thailand, Thailand, Sangkla buri - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Living space for Volunteers at the Baan Unrak Childrens home
• city non static, United States, Los Angeles - Monored, Konstantinos Chrysos - urban center densification
• Save Our Slums-Bangladesh-, Bangladesh, Khulna - Tomas Degenaar, Tomas Degenaar - guiding informal development through landscape architecture
• Home Along The Riles (Railway), Philippines, Manila - Wilfred Mendoza, - provide a win-win solution to the people living along the railway and the train operator
• eutropia, Mexico, Mexico City - Emilio Garcia, Emilio Garcia, Ricardo Vasquez Ochoa -
• more or less house, spain, Alcala de Guadaira - ruben alonso mallen, l a p a n a d e r i a - concepts that enable the users interaction and participation
• lucha contra la exclusion social paz san lazaro, Spain, Mérida - esther garcia, - To regenerate the urban environment of disadvantaged suburb.
• Recycling waste for building- Manavsadhna centre, India, Ahmedabad - Yatin Pandya, Yatin Pandya, (Vastu shilpa Foundation) - Empowering the poor by recycling the waste for affordable buildings
• Manavsadhna Creche - Waste recycling, India, Ahmedabad - Yatin Pandya, Yatin Pandya, (FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H.) - Waste recycling for sustainable and affordable building for the urban poor
• Urban platforms, Netherlands, Eindhoven - Ruud van Ginneken, Ruud van Ginneken and Frank Beurskens - Claiming unused space in city center blocks
• DIGNITY BARRICADE, Brazil, Sao Paulo - ELEFANTE COLLECTIVE, Beto Shwafaty, Chico Linares, Daniel Manzione, Flavia Vivacqua - Urban Intervention and Communication Device
• the thing with the ping, Denmark, Copenhagen - andreas roschitz, - space extention project
• SANSAL healing module for the slum of San Salvador, El Salvador, San Salvador - Fabiana Toni, Azzurra Carli Architetto, Fabiana Toni (FT Studio), Sandra Gutiérrez Poizat (AdUR) - Slum urban renewal through acupuncture interventions
• Resuscitating the Fez River, Morocco, Fez - Bureau EAST, Bureau E.A.S.T. (A. Chaouni, T. Tajima, N. Elliott, V. Kann, D. Rijkhoff) R. Alissa (Water) M. Cenzatti (Industrial Districts) J. Ferri (Construction) B. Kaplan (Restoration) A. Toshkov (History) M. van den Heuvel (Craft/Design) F. Zemmouri (Economics) - Procedures for New Public Spaces in the Medina of Fez
• The Cook the Farmer his Wife and their Neighbor, The Netherlands, Amsterdam - Marjetica Potrc and Wilde Westen group, Marjetica Potrc and Wilde Westen group: Lucia Babina, Reinder Bakker, Hester van Dijk, Sylvain Hartenberg, Merijn Oudenampsen, Eva Pfannes, Henriette Waal - Community garden and kitchen as catalysts for transforming the public space and the neighborhood from within
• howtopedia, Switzerland, Zürich - Maud Chatelet, howtopedia - Online library for simple technologies and practical knowledge
• INFRACITTA, ITALY, ROME - TSPOON, Nina Artioli, Paola Fusco, Alessandra Glorialanza, Daniela Pastore, Davide Sacconi, Eliana Saracino - New concept of urban mobility infrastructure and public landscape
• Simple-Fast-Affordable-Home, Ireland, Killarney - Aivaras Prudnikovas, Aivaras Prudnikovas - Affordable housing in territories around/inside slums
• EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof), United States of America, Los Angeles - Eric Lindeman, - To provide a mobile shelter for those in need
• nohotel, The Netherlands, Rotterdam - Floris Schiferli and Tobias lehmann, Floris Schiferli and Tobias Lehmann - Temporary living space
• Counterpoint, Brazil, Porto Alegre - Betina Conte Cornetet, Architect Betina Cornetet + Architect Cristian Illanes + Architect Gustavo Jaquet - Alternative Economy - Prototype Building
• USS - Upgrading Slums System, Brazil, São Paulo - Elisabete Franca, Superintendency of Social Housing – Municipality of São Paulo - Information System for Social Housing in the City of São Paulo. Support decision-making
• RIKEA, Italy, Turin - Antonio Scarponi, Antonio Scarponi, Marco Lampugnani - Free market set
• UNTITLED, ITALY, ROME - VARDOPAN, - CRITICAL SUSPENSION
• Ithuba Skills College Hall, south africa, Magagula Heights - RWTH Aachen, Lehrstuhl für Gebäudelehre, Lehrstuhl für Tragonstruktion - Performance Hall for a Local Community College
• SleepingBagDress Prototype, Canada, Montreal - Ana Rewakowicz, Ana Rewakowicz - personal space occupation in various city sites
• Modular Dwelling Building Manual, UK, London - AAK JK, - Enpower the squatcity community with modern building design tools
• MUF, Spain, Madrid - helena casanova, Casanova+Hernandez - Urban farming as a catalyst
• Hatake-mi, Japan, Tokyo - Jeff Keiter, Imelda Bernstein, Jeff Keiter - Urban Agriculture as Community Building
• Floating Orchard, Mexico - Belgium, Mexico D.F. - Emilie Meirlaen and Cesar Sandoval, Emilie Meirlaen, Cesar Sandoval - Collective spaces in new farming typologies
• Community Greens - the new urban commons, USA, Baltimore - Kate Herrod, Kate Herrod - Create social capital, improve neighborhoods, and enhance the environment through the creation of new urban commons and pocket neighborhoods
• More for Less - Squat your space, Republic of South Africa, Shoshenguve - Otto Roman Barnert, Architect Barnert - Solve the squatter crisis through community participation
• squatting on your own land, USA, Pine Ridge Reservation - deborah gans, Deborah Gans , Fatima Rizvi - New settlement patterns and economies
• Pediatric Clinic for Africa, Uganda, Kampala - Wei Lun Xiao Min, Wei Lun Huang, Xiaomin Du - A model study for pediatric clinic to improve the health of mothers and children in Africa
• The requalification of Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro - Thais Meireles, Associação Chiq da Silva= Thais Meireles, Daniel Wagner, Carol Rezende, Gilberto Rocha, Maurício Duarte e Luciana Andrade - Information diffusion centre for a new housing policy
• SYSTEMIC TOURISM Self-manufactured Eco-shelter, Perú, Arequipa - Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc, Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc - Economic stimulation & re-activation agriculture, making the valley a touristic destination to stop urban sprawl
• Puzzle House, Spain, Sevilla - Luca Stasi, Recetas Urbanas / Santiago Cirugeda - Recycling unused empty lots
• Scaffolding, Spain, Seville - Luca Stasi, Recetas Urbanas - Building yourself an urban reserve
• Legislation and Temporary Occupation of Empty Lots, Spain, Sevilla - Luca Stasi, Recetas Urbanas - Improve More Dynamic Use of the City
• Dome for ecological awareness park, Ghana, Accra - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Reception for the children's eco park
• Dome for street kids in Durban, South Africa, Durban - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-Earth - Skill training and preparation for a bigger project
• Dome for a sauna on an ecological farm, Ireland, Derroran - Dada Krpasundarananda, Cal-earth - Sauna and skill training.
• THE ECO-CYLINDER - The Totem of plastic bottles, Worldwide, Worldwide - Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc, Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc - Recycling waste materials to create a functional tool available worldwide
• ECO-PARK - METROCULTURE, Peru, Arequipa - Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc, Ulrich Zanabria Ojeda, Darci Gutiérrez Pinto, Carlos Antonio Alonso Bartesaghi Koc - Creates a technological free park and open spaces for the city through the restoration of an old train station
• Q Drum, South Africa, Johannesburg - Pieter J Hendrikse, PJ & JPS Hendrikse - A rolling water container/transporter for developing countries
• Tlacolula, Mexico, Tlacolula - Dellekamp Arquitectos, Dellekamp Arquitectos (Derek Dellekamp), Gerardo Asali - Sustainable social housing
• UMCP Paraisopolis, Brazil, São Paulo - Franklin Lee, Gilson Rodrigues (President UMCP) + architects: Franklin Lee + Anne Save de Beaurecueil +Beatriz Fábregues+ Miguel Gustavo Fábregues - Green Public Space and Educational Community Gardens
• VO SHED, United States, Seattle - atelierjones, atelierjones - Small vegetable oil refinery (co-op)
• BCN party wall, Spain, Barcelona - guillem aloy, Guillem Aloy+Ekain Olaizola Lizarralde - How can party walls become facades
• Designing strategies for informal settlement, Argentina, Avellaneda - flavio janches, Blinder Janches architects - Improving the internal and external socio-physical integration in one of the slums of Buenos Aires city
• Productive Public Space in Kibera Nairobi, Kenya, Nairobi, Kibera, Soweto East - Kounkuey Design Initiative, Kounkuey Design Initiative - Slum Upgrading
• Open Air Theater Formiga, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro - matthias Hollwich, HollwichKushner - Architecture that integrates the Favela also physical into the cultural landscape of Rio de Janeiro
• Centro Comunitario Julio Otoni, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro - Pascal Flammer, Pascal Flammer - Community Center in a Favela
• Urban Hammerock, England, London - Gihan Karunaratne, Gihan Karunaratne Architecture + Design LLP - MOBILE ACCOMMODATION - URBAN HAMMOCK FOR THE HOMELESS
• SOLAR WATER HOME WARMER, Argentina, Boenos Aires - carlos hugo levinton, Carlos Hugo Leviton - Non Cost Energy Home Solution
• ECO HOUSE, argentina, guernica - carlos hugo levinton, Carlos Levinton - selfsustainable conurban high density house
• Executive Director- Project Locus, USA, New Orleans - Patrick Rhodes, Patrick Rhodes - Project Locus - Public Construction Project, Catalyst for Rebuilding
• School and Community Center Balkuy, Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou - kere architecture, Kere Architects - Environmental Architecture for a Better Quality of Living
• MICRO PLANNING social practices SAO PAULO, Brazil, Sao Paulo - Marcos L Rosa, Marcos L. Rosa (org.). A project of: Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft (The International Forum of the Deutsche Bank), Government of Sao Paulo, Emplasa, Imprensa Oficial - Learning from collective practices in Sao Paulo
• What is urbaninform, Switzerland, Zürich - Marije ten Brink, Rainer Hehl, Jörg Stollmann, Luna Maurer, Marije ten Brink - Explaining the purpose of urbaninform
• Urban Think Tank - Music Factory CCASM, Brazil, Sao Paulo - urban think tank, URBAN THINK TANK, Alfredo Brillembourg & Hubert Klumpner - Centro Comunitário de Acção Social pela Música
• Hausbau, Germany, Berlin - folke koebberling, Martin Kaltwasser, Folke Koebberling - Overnight building
• MYC4 - eradicating poverty through business, Denmark, Copenhagen - Mille Kristine Klink, - Creating prosperity through business and microlending
• ELEMENTAL, Chile, Santiago - fernando garcia huidobro, Elemental / Alejandro Aravena - A DO TANK OPERATING THE CITY AS A SOURCE OF EQUALITY.
• Bottle Houses, Bolivia, Warnes - ingrid vaca diez, Ingrid Vaca Diez - Low cost housing
• Manufactured Sites, Mexico, Tijuana, BC - estudio teddy cruz, - To suggest an idea of housing that goes beyond shelter.
• Beyond Design, Tanzania (and other developing countries), Moshi - Saija Hollmen, Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects, Ukumbi NGO - Reducing powerty by means of architecture
• School building in Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Liberia - Tobias Klauser and Andri Luescher, Tobias Klauser, Andri Luescher - Built with leftovers from the local forest industry.
• Proof the Roof, Netherlands, Rotterdam - Ruben Reyes Aguilar, Michelle Brodeschi , Esther Heemskerk, Marja Koledic, Palupi Laksmi, Ana Moori, Cassandra Pop, Malli Saravanan, Ruben Reyes-Aguilar & Federica Vazzana - Temporary installation
• Squat Exhibition IABR 2009, Netherlands, Rotterdam - Christiane Lange, Rainer Hehl, Jörg Stollmann - Knowledge Exchange

Urbaninform.net Platforms overview

• urbaninform and the squat exhibition - comments and suggestions
• redefining good urban governance - Discussion Group on Urban Interventions in Informal Settlements
• reappropriating public space - Discussion Group on the Impact of Local Stakeholders on Open Space Management

Urbaninform.net Playlists overview

• recent entries
• all projects
• 2009 competition entries
• 05 economic empowerment
• 04 assisted auto-construction
• 03 green infrastructure
• 02 community building
• 01 good urban governance