PORTFOLIO 2009 - City Hall

TALLINN CITY HALL, EE
architectural competition 2009, entry
in collaboration with Slider Studio Ltd

PORTFOLIO 2009 - Culture academy

VILJANDI CULTURE ACADEMY, EE
architectural competition 2008: entry
in collaboration with Vincent Saulier, Vladimir Doray

FINAL PRESENTATION

4TH EXPERIENCE - prototype

4TH EXPERIENCE - design project

Studies - rhythms and movements 2

My vision for this design is a continuous line of light that is varied by the rhythm of the supporting posts. This light line would create a virtual roof above the street. Unequal and “choppy” in rhythmic character, the posts also serve as a distraction of traffic in the village. Lighting posts vary in angles and finishing.

With the design I invite people to interact with the street lighting by allowing them to change the angle of certain posts. This interaction could also be seen as an independent and playful guiding system, where people - locals and travellers alike - leave messages for one another.

Studies - rhythms and movements 1

Looking through the material collected in fieldtrips I realised that due to the constant rhythm of the village, it is hard to make a decision for car-stops. To create interaction (more close experience of local identity) one needs to be guided off the main road to smaller tracks. I became fascinated of the rhythm of electricity posts. It was almost meditating. I wonder if was able to change the rhythm and/or angle of these posts, would I be able to create a surprise in visitors? Would it be enough to guidance? What kind of image would such environment create for the village?

I imagine this environment as a stage where people can improvise with streetscape, highlight various places in different times, guide people or leave a message behind. Change, movement and interaction are main keywords for the design proposal.

Local identity - tourism artifact?

My primary interest with this design research was to discover relationships a person could establish with the local community and the environment. Focusing on the villages of Lake Peipsi district in Estonia, I formulated three approaches to experience a place- the tourist, the traveller, and the visitor. Through these distinct role plays, evolving fieldwork and literature research, I was able to translate my observations and findings into appropriate design proposals.

The process of my the design was not linear. Rather than premeditatedly taking steps forward, I sometimes took several steps backward consciously. The documentation made through videos, photography, and sound recordings allowed me to experience the place time and time again. This constant review of the experiences often revealed new insights and understandings that I had missed at first sight.

Though, all my travel experiences to the village were informative, none of them seemed to completely reveal the essence of the place. Therefore, my design proposal seeks to establish a fourth experience, one that could combine the qualities and highlights of each prior experience. In that fourth experience, I wish to guide travellers unconsciously throughout the village by using functional street lighting as a tool for that.

VISITOR - rhythms of village?

rhythms of village
By looking at the video I am fascinated by the rhythm of posts.

Exploring rhythms, forms and enlosures of street lighting

VISITOR - sketches for design

guiding visitors off the main street by using reflections the use of reflective surfaces gives a possibility to combine views and multiply elements.sidewalks in the village
Sidewalk emphasizes people and their movement, road tightens for vehicles.

sidewalk for adventure

Sidewalk leads to off-road tracks, creates comfortable surface to walk and highlights viewpoints.

places in the street for people

With different materials, colours and heights, I create smooth obstacles on the road.