Leonie FitzGerald - Statement of Intent

Boundary_informality - The inherent dynamics of Asian city street life, display an informal architecture (see image overleaf). Boundaries, that are restricted in Western cities, melt into each other. Borders between inside and outside flow as shops and stalls spread onto streets. The streets become alive especially at mealtimes as urban dwellers utilise pavements and alleys for cooking and dining. Rem Koolhaas admires how the paradigm of Lagos often seen as a ‘non-city’, functions whilst rapidly expanding, despite lacking conventional ‘Western’ systems. The sprawling nature of Lagos derives from a lack of clear spatial extents. Within the urban fabric however, occupants build self-constructed walls to influence social character (e.g. to deter crime by securing ‘property lines’.) Informal public space thrives in the congestion as marketplaces form frequently.

Boundary_society - In Dublin, the River Liffey is the dividing entity, physically but also socially. Owing much to the former concentration of money and the location of important social figures in history the south was and still is, considered more affluent, albeit with exceptions. A social environment can manifest just as clearly as a built environment within bounded constraints. Stockholm also demonstrates distinct boundaries. Each island, be it medieval ‘Gamla Stan’ or modern urbanised ‘Sodermalm,’ displays different social characters and how boundaries inspire contrasting zones.

Boundary_perception - Combining rhythmic movement with composed views Mies van der Rohe shows how the simplest of boundaries, like walls or even changes in light dynamics can direct progression through a space or thresholds. The wall can become an entity in itself - territory rather than a dividing line. In Zumthor’s Thermal Baths, exterior boundaries disappear in the internalised world before remerging at the journey’s end. Boundary can appear more unconventionally - Sverre Fehn’s Nordic Pavilion roof allows the interior to expand vertically to the outside.
When does a building need to expand/retreat/be public/private?

Boundary_flexibility - Informal architecture demonstrates economy of means. Overlapping functions, often in unexpected areas like the street, show flexibility. Closer to home, train stations are not just for journeys but often instead, meeting places. Koolhaas introduces cross programming in ‘Delirious New York’ suggesting unexpected functions (e.g. running tracks in skyscrapers). Herman Hertzberger recognised the dynamic ways we inhabit spaces designing flexible housing for his Diagoon Housing. There is a transient quality to our lives to be recognised in the built world.

Boundary_approach - At the Open House debate by the Irish Architecture Foundation, 2009, there was antagonism towards architecture as mistakes of the Celtic Tiger were lamented. I want my thesis to respond to issues present in current urban society and the economic climate. Architecture flourishes when there is understanding of how a place works. Too often this is wrongly assumed. Participatory projects like that of Ballymun Regeneration have a didactic influence, overcoming barriers by realising community involvement instills pride and derives truly desired qualities. I want to employ community ideas in the instigation of my thesis. I want to explore if a particular attitude towards flexibility of functions in a public building can be a sustainable approach to a community – a site specific hybrid. At a time when unemployment is extensive and people seek new skills I’m considering a library and further education center. Markets are intriguing also; often transitory, springing up sporadically. They come together often informally, at boundaries between inside and outside, whilst drawing communities together. Libraries and markets both represent the power of the collective – the amalgamation of ideas and people. Boundary can be explored and appropriated at different scales. I find the prospect of studying an ‘isolated’ urban area between particular boundaries exciting. Modern interpretation of local in the context of globalisation and the digital world means a local place or entity can function at the scale of the microenvironment whilst extending past local boundaries.

1. Koolhaas R, (2000) Mutations: Harvard: Project on the city, Barcelona: ACTAR

2. Adjaye D, (2006) David Adjaye: making public buildings: specificity, customization, imbrication London: Thames & Hudson