A Theater of People
When a person inhabits a space, he or she creates a system of negotiations. The space becomes contingent upon his or her presence or absence; its social character becomes defined by its level of occupation. Thus, an abandoned street, ominous and unprotected by public intervention, will remain abandoned and empty, while a crowded street will attract more people.
The goal of this project is to create spaces that encourage occupation. To this end, the complex has been designed around active voids – curving boulevards and open parks and public squares lined with residential apartments, cafés, restaurants, shops, trees and lanterns. The basic organization of the project is both scenic and scenographic.
The heterogeneous space invites visitors to explore it through a system of obfuscation and revelation. They must walk through the complex in order to understand it. Sequences of vistas provide visitors with a series of choices between possible routes, each of which is determined by their own momentary inclination.
The residential spaces, low and multifaceted, look out over the street, emphasizing the public role of the residents whose presence facilitates a healthy, secure street life. Community involvement in the complex is visible in the children playing in the parks, in the interaction at the local grocery and in the people leisurely walking the boulevards. The life of the community resides in the health of its streets, in the charged voids that reinforce the social character of public life and tie people closer together. |
