Spatial Transformation in the Age of Obsolescence I - Globus Provisorium in Zurich

INTRODUCTION

Never before the world has seen such levels of connectivity and interaction between people as it is happening in the beginning of the XXI century. Urbanization, democratisation of air travelling and widespread access to telecommunications make us global citizens. Cultural exchange happens everywhere at any time. Post-colonial, post-industrial times require parallel, alternative ways of thinking to deal with the legacy of all kinds of built structures. Reuse, refurbishment, transformation, demolition, substitution. What is our attitude as architects? What is the role of architecture in such a fast-changing world?

Welcome to the age of obsolescence.

ABOUT EXCHANGE. ZÜRICH (SWITZERLAND) VS GUANGZHOU (PRD, CHINA)

In two semesters we analyse and compare two different sites in two cities, to trigger a design attitude that is focussed in interculturality and exchange between Switzerland and China.

Zürich is the economic capital of Switzerland, and one of Europe's most important financial centres (25% of the employment in the city is generated by the finance sector). Industries such as biotechnology, medical sciences, aerospace and automotive are also successful in Zürich. Higher education institutions enjoy worldwide recognition (ETHZ, University of Zürich and ZHAW). There is also a rapidly expanding creative sector. Zürich is a city of innovation, which promotes small businesses in a tertiary sector economy.

Guangzhou has been the country’s pioneer in opening to the rest of the world. The city is ranked third in population, and it is the industrial, financial, transportation and trade centre of southern China. These days, it benefits from the proximity to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and Zhuhai (The Pearl River Delta, or PRD, an economic hub with a population of more than 40 million). Guangzhou enjoys the status of special economic development zone since 1980. The area is heavily industrialised (steel, textile, machinery, paper mills, cement, chemicals, sport appliances, and many others). Its economic growth has been continuous for the last three decades, with intense infrastructure development and building construction.

Zürich’s constructions are regulated with strict building codes. Major planning decisions are determined by consensus, and areas to be developed are often approved or rejected through direct democracy. Respect about the existing city and its historical trace is remarkable, but the population also values innovation and contemporary buildings. Architectural competitions are common.

China’s recent 30 years of urbanization and modernization is a miracle. The overly built ups have left a great rate of obsolescence, such as factory compounds, abandoned villages, etc. As land becomes more and more precious and the country is entering another phase of development, industrial upgrade and urban regeneration are becoming an increasingly challenging agenda for the highly developed Chinese regions and cities. Forward-thinking Guangzhou has suffered radical urban changes during this period of rapid industrialisation. In spite of that, history, traditions and culture are interlaced with modernity, and the city has been capable of reinvent itself, both showing respect for its past and optimism about the future.

Are Zürich and Guangzhou sharing a future scope in the context of a globalised planet?
Are these two cities going to follow similar or opposite paths?
What are the stage of development and the meaning of obsolescence in both areas?
What is the role of architecture as an experimental action in both contexts?
How can one analyse these two very different background conditions and explore new, creative common ways for the future?

SITE – FALL SEMESTER 2015

In the Fall Semester you are requested to intervene in the site in Zürich of the Papierwerd Area, centrally located in the Bahnhofquai in Zürich, on the riverside, close to Zürich HB (central train station).

Two bridges link the building with the Limmat-Quai (on the Westbank of the river):
-  Bahnhofbrücke bridge (pedestrians, cars, trams), on the North.
-  Mühlesteg (pedestrian bridge), on the South.

The site is currently occupied by the so-called Provisional Globus Building, the “Globus Provisorium”, is a palimpsest tracing layers of uses, memory and history.