Ville Dérivée | The City of Dérive
*maille pas cage — a grid, not a cage
Rubric
I. Project Concept
i. Problem and relevance of the project
ii. Solution
iii. Analogs
II. Image of the city
i. Location of the city
ii. Formal analysis of the image of the city
according to H. Wölfflin
III. Urban structure
i. General plan
ii. Section
iii. Fragments of the city
Project Concept
Problem and relevance of the project
The question of the appearance of the urban environment has never lost its relevance largely because of its absolute influence on human formation.
Literally everything affects a person: the surrounding architecture, the area of personal space in a residential house, his daily pastime and the way the city organizes it.
Even ecology affects not only physical, but also moral health — modern scientists have found an increased crime rate in cities with polluted air relative to more «healthy» neighbors, which is directly related to the impact of gas emissions on brain function.
Based on the marginal state of modern society, we can assume that the existing approach to shaping the urban environment needs urgent rethinking.
Solution
The main criterion of the city of the future should not be simply «automation» or abstract «increased comfort of life», but the realization of a new principle of social structure.
Such an arrangement should be based on the principle of comprehensive environmental friendliness: the urban population as a community, a healthy natural environment, an urban environment close to that of the home, the predominance of public transportation over individual transportation.
Analogs
«New Babylon» by Constant Nieuwenhuys
«New Babylon» by Constant Nieuwenhuys is related to Johan Huizinga’s concept of «Homo Ludens» and suggests the freedom of organizing space and leisure for the individual.
Nieuwenhuys worked closely with representatives of the The Situationist International, who saw freedom of activity as the root of the new social order. «Dérive» is a concept developed by the situationist Guy Debord, describing both the chaotic wandering around the city in search of its true points of attraction and an independent way of life from external circumstances.
«Ville Spatiale» by Yona Friedman
Friedman’s project is very similar to New Babylon, but presents a more traditional but flexible urban environment.
Friedman’s city does not force people to «act», but gives them the opportunity to live a more ecological life.
Image of the city
The image of my city is the folkloric Whalefish. This image reflects an independent island city roaming the seas and oceans.
In my search for the urban planning features of my city, I decided to «cut» the Whale and there it was — functional zoning.
Thus, my city became a floating closed megastructure with buildings inside it.
«Dérive» here is not only a reference to the work of Nieuwenhuys and the Situationists, but also a description of the ship’s behavior at sea — its chaotic wandering with the anchor unsecured.
Image of the city
Location of the city
In order to make the city free, it was decided to locate it in the Pacific Ocean, in neutral waters, a maritime space beyond the outer limits of the territorial sea, not subject to the sovereignty of any state or states, and in the common and equal enjoyment of all nations.
Formal analysis of the image of the city according to Heinrich Wölfflin
Heinrich Wölfflin developed an approach to evaluate an artistic composition by assigning it to one or another stylistic direction based on these attributes.
I use this approach to determine the degree to which the visual composition of my city matches the impression it should make on «first encounter».
Urban structure
General plan
The city has an area of 15 kilometers square and a population of 10,000.
The outer layer of my city contains housing blocks and landscaping, the city itself develops within the levels.
Section
In the first layer there is a large park, then greenery alternates with functional zones.
The volume of the city above the water is occupied by public buildings such as markets, cultural and educational facilities.
The volume below the water is the production level. Here are located a large inland farm and the city’s supply facilities.
In general, the main occupational goal of the inhabitants is to ensure the life of the city, they are not restricted in any other employment.
Fragments of the city
Residential development is individual. Any residential object can be built, the main physical condition is that it rests on a spatial grid-frame. The housing units form small «courtyards» — fragments.
Communication between levels of the city takes place through a system of elevators, ramps and escalators. Between objects of the same level — through horizontal transit. Transportation is urban and small individual (scooters and bicycles, boats for walking on the water).
Residential area
Business Center
Universal Institute
The image of a city as represented by a neural network
