KulturPlazaDiploma project
KULTURPLAZA is the material representation of the contemporary interpretation of that which wouldstill be called “cultural center/complex” - taken to the next level.
KULTURPLAZA is based on the notion of complementarity; the site and the program, as well asthe elements of aesthetics and the project implementation, are bound specifically by this kind of arelationship.
The site, located in Campina, had been used until recently to host a group of industrial shops andwarehouses. They had once served as a pole of urban, and even social development as the industryfueled the developed of the city. Although the area has become a residential neighborhood it lacks anelement that would stimulate social life. As such, the KULTURPLAZA program assumes the role of afocal point to generate social and urban development – forcing the area to be modernized.
Today, social relations and human activities happen primarily at cultural events, art manifestations oraround the media. These premises have led to the inception of the KULTURPLAZA program, createdespecially to serve the needs of today's social individual and to increase the human interaction city-wide, maybe even on a national level.
The complex functions as a whole building, as a volume defined by the bounds of the land –horizontally – and by the depth of the ground and the height of the buildings – vertically. Whenimagined this way, the cuts into this volume – the green areas, the outdoor spaces – make up part of thefunctioning system of the complex; a whole floor of greenery, separated by the ground level and theinner garden of the basement, is offered along with outdoor patios and decks, causeways and bridges,as well as urban furniture.
Having freed up the ground floor the amount of landscaping pertaining to this complex is optimized.
The architectural volumetry is inspired by, and suggestive of, the silhouettes of the industrialworkshops, having massive exteriors yet spacious, lofty interiors that would host social and culturalactivities. The project is set to become an element that belongs to the site and the city, based primarilyon complementarity and the idea of the utilization of the “blueprint” of that which was already there.
The metallic structure, usually hidden away inside the industrial workshops, is now showcased. Thiscreates an impressive visual display, a metaphor of the oscillation of art and creativity between themind and the human emotion, towards the moment when the final product is realized. It encompassesthe mathematical rigor found in music, drawing and sculpture.
The choice and display of finishes – perforated Corten (weathering steel) and glass – represents themirror image of the neighboring industrial shop, with its brick core and its glass sides.
The perforated Corten is a tie-in with the rust-colored brisks that made up the shops and warehousesthat once stood on the site and at the same time it represents the the ruins on which the complex will bebuilt. The perforated steel is suggestive of the wear and tear.
In the end, the proposed solution reintroduces the site in the urban fabric bringing a complementarynote to the industrial, the world of objects made on an assembly line; it reintroduces the human elementwhich is primarily creative.
The building blocks of the frame are interwoven alluding to an allegory of music (a tip of the hat to
the German poet Goethe who proposed that architecture is “frozen music”), and to a metaphor ofthe cardiac rhythm, the heart being the industrial engine of the human body while also an emotionalepicenter, the guide of the soul, and the source of human creativity. The heart is the birthplace of art inall it forms and the proposed architectural solution closes the loop hosting the end product of humansensibility. The same as the ribs close-in to form the rib-cage and protect the human heart, these beamssurround and protect the “heart” of cultural civilization.
KULTURPLAZA is based on the notion of complementarity; the site and the program, as well asthe elements of aesthetics and the project implementation, are bound specifically by this kind of arelationship.
The site, located in Campina, had been used until recently to host a group of industrial shops andwarehouses. They had once served as a pole of urban, and even social development as the industryfueled the developed of the city. Although the area has become a residential neighborhood it lacks anelement that would stimulate social life. As such, the KULTURPLAZA program assumes the role of afocal point to generate social and urban development – forcing the area to be modernized.
Today, social relations and human activities happen primarily at cultural events, art manifestations oraround the media. These premises have led to the inception of the KULTURPLAZA program, createdespecially to serve the needs of today's social individual and to increase the human interaction city-wide, maybe even on a national level.
The complex functions as a whole building, as a volume defined by the bounds of the land –horizontally – and by the depth of the ground and the height of the buildings – vertically. Whenimagined this way, the cuts into this volume – the green areas, the outdoor spaces – make up part of thefunctioning system of the complex; a whole floor of greenery, separated by the ground level and theinner garden of the basement, is offered along with outdoor patios and decks, causeways and bridges,as well as urban furniture.
Having freed up the ground floor the amount of landscaping pertaining to this complex is optimized.
The architectural volumetry is inspired by, and suggestive of, the silhouettes of the industrialworkshops, having massive exteriors yet spacious, lofty interiors that would host social and culturalactivities. The project is set to become an element that belongs to the site and the city, based primarilyon complementarity and the idea of the utilization of the “blueprint” of that which was already there.
The metallic structure, usually hidden away inside the industrial workshops, is now showcased. Thiscreates an impressive visual display, a metaphor of the oscillation of art and creativity between themind and the human emotion, towards the moment when the final product is realized. It encompassesthe mathematical rigor found in music, drawing and sculpture.
The choice and display of finishes – perforated Corten (weathering steel) and glass – represents themirror image of the neighboring industrial shop, with its brick core and its glass sides.
The perforated Corten is a tie-in with the rust-colored brisks that made up the shops and warehousesthat once stood on the site and at the same time it represents the the ruins on which the complex will bebuilt. The perforated steel is suggestive of the wear and tear.
In the end, the proposed solution reintroduces the site in the urban fabric bringing a complementarynote to the industrial, the world of objects made on an assembly line; it reintroduces the human elementwhich is primarily creative.
The building blocks of the frame are interwoven alluding to an allegory of music (a tip of the hat to
the German poet Goethe who proposed that architecture is “frozen music”), and to a metaphor ofthe cardiac rhythm, the heart being the industrial engine of the human body while also an emotionalepicenter, the guide of the soul, and the source of human creativity. The heart is the birthplace of art inall it forms and the proposed architectural solution closes the loop hosting the end product of humansensibility. The same as the ribs close-in to form the rib-cage and protect the human heart, these beamssurround and protect the “heart” of cultural civilization.
