Reflection

SOCIO-TECHNICAL PRACTICE: METHODOLOGIES,

 

HERE IS A POST RESEACH ANALYSIS FROM JULIAN ALMOND EXPLAINING THE  METHEDOLOGIES ,TOOLS AND THE TOOL KIT WE USED OR CREATED THROUGHOUT THE  AFORMAL STUDIO.  

WEEK 7_ The last presentations

The last week of presentations (24-29 August) was a very stressful week for the group because we had many submissions and presentations. On Tuesday (25 August) we had PechaKusha where we invited our volunteers and NGOs to the FADA auditorium to see our work. The PechaKusha proved to be the most interesting yet because the volunteers felt comfortable speaking out about their fears and their wishes for the continuation of the project. This made us realize the impact our work had on the community of Denver.

On Friday (29 August) we got to present again in Denver but this time we had to speak zulu to make sure that the volunteers and community members could understand our intentions. After the presentation the community members and volunteers walked through the hall at the Men's Hostel looking through our work and asking about our intervention.

The presentations were pinned up on the walls of the Men's Hostel. on the left we had to present construction with Jason Frenkel; on the left we presented our PechaKusha on a stage; on the two remaining walls we presented our group work and intentions for our site. 

The site models from Group A-F were laid on the floor to make up an overall 1:200 site model of Denver

Part 1- Presentation for PechaKusha

Part 2- Presentation for PechaKusha

Link: http://prezi.com/uvwcxpcyoj5k/untitled-prezi/

C.A.P_ Community Action Plan

One of our brief outputs was to come up with a community action plan that would help the community members from sector F , as a collective we came up with the idea of creating a tool in the form of a booklet with a step of steps by which community members can follow to help themselves fix real problems that they face. we also allow space in these booklets so that people can write or draw or take notes.

Here is the final booklet broken down into the steps:

The pamphlet folds out into a set of guidelines. Steps 1 through 7 speak of the various lessons we learned through the time we spent on site. In this slide

 

 

STEP 1:

Depicts the importance of engaging with a code of ethics before engaging the site . 

STEP 2:

This shows the importance of unpacking, or learning from the site and representing those lesson in a physical form. These may be models, recorded discussions or drawings. These recording may be used in order to convey ideas to various stakeholders.  

 

STEP 3:

 After these recording or mappings have taken place, these new found understandings of the site can be used to reinforce engagement and communication with the community. This data may be used in order to spark conversations and scenario planning. This information may also be a mechanism to reinforce and create relationships with the community.

STEP 4:

Step 4 is a combination of all that has been learned from steps 1 to 3. These lessons will help in identifying common principles through mappings and community collaboration. These principles learned can focus scenario planning.

 

 

 

STEP 5:

Identifying areas of microsites that access or do not access the principles learned from step 4. 

STEP 6:

In this step, the combination of the principles learned and microsite identified can give rise to precise direction to scenario planning. For example 

The principle, Need and Resource with the identification of various microsites gave us a scenario where the Resource water, and the need of "storm water drainage" became a possible pathways in identifying problems and solutions.

 

 

WEEK 6_ DESIGN IN PROCESS

This week Tuesday (19 august 2014) we had a presentation and feedback session in which we discussed our ideas around possible site interventions.

We spoke about the existing advantages and disadvantages of site and how we could use existing strategies to better SECTION F .

 

EXISTING FIGURE GROUND OF SECTOR F

 

THE EXISTING COUTYARDS

 

COURTYARDS THAT ARE CURRENTLY EXIST BUT DONT FUNCTION AS COURTYARDS

 

EXISTING COURTYARDS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WORKING,AS A RESULT THE SPACES AROUND ARE CLEANER,MORE SOCIAL INTER-ACTIONS AND IS SAFER.

 

 

IN THIS IMAGE WE IDENTIFIED THE RESOURCES AND NEEDS OF EACH OF THE MICRO SITES BOTH THOSE THAT ARE WORKING (SO WE CAN BETTER THEM ) AND THOSE THAT DONT WORK(FINDING SOLLUTIONS ON HOW IT CAN WORK).

Our main focus on site moving forward is creating social spaces with a catalyst which will encourage those around the courtyard to begin taking ownership of the space and keeping it clean which will start creating communities within communities. It also  allowed us to eliminate the narrow and dark path ways which touched on security within sector F.

 

THE PROCESS IN CREATING COURTYARD SPACES AND ELIMINATING DARK PATHWAYS AND CREATING MORE ACCESS POINTS TO THE SITE.

PROPOSED SITE PLAN FOR SECTOR F WITH A MORE FORMALISED ROAD,INCREASE IN COURTYARDS WITH A SITE SPECIFIC CATALYST THAT CREATES POSSITIVE SOCIAL SPACES ,INCREASE IN SITE ACCESS AND A DECREASE OF SMALL AND DARK PATHWAYS.

After the feedback we were advised to visit site and just ask the community members how they feel about us placing these courtyards with a catalyst on site and any other advice to guide us.

 

A COLLAGE WITH SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE COMMUNITY,BASED ON OUR COURTYARD PROPOSAL.

The community members we spoke to were very pleased with our ideas and helped us bettering it by adding they input which lead to a few changes.

 

 

IMAGES OF SOME OF THE INTERACTION PROCESS ON SITE.

UIA WEEK_GETTING FEEDBACK

In week 4 of the AT studio project we were to attend UIA ( International Union of Architects) which took place in Durban, South Africa bringing together architects around the world to talk about architecture and the issues we face as an evolving world.

It was decided that we should carry on the process of AT studio by creating pamphlet's of our current findings of Denver and to share them with the attendee's of the UIA. This  allowed for the rest of the world to have an input into this process to broaden our horizons and get feedback.

 

FINAL COMPOSED TEMPLATE TAKEN TO THE UIA.

 

THE FINAL PAMPHLET DESIGN TAKEN TO THE UIA.

 

 

 

HERE IS A SLIDESHOW (PECHA-KUCHA) ,SUMMING UP OUR WEEK AT UIA.

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK 5_ SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS

This week we were issued a new brief that dealt with heath implications in the Denver settlement. We had to investigate the primary health services that are offered.

We began by interviewing some community members on the health care system and whether it works or not and how we could improve it.

 

SHACKS INTERVIEWD

 

HOUSES THAT WE INTERVIEWED AND THEY RELATIONSHIP TO SITE ELEMENTS.

 

 

 

After our site visit we began by building an accurate working model of sector F. This model was built to help us understand the spatial and environmental nature of our site.

 

BUILDING SITE CONTOURS

 

 

CUTTING OUT THE SHACKS

 

PLACING SHACKS

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL MODEL IN PROCESS

 

Our construction brief required us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the public need of the Denver informal settlement, design a response and detail the response.

This week we outlined the main problems and came up with conceptual solutions.

 MAIN PROBLEMS THAT WE FOUND ON SITE

 

THE BENEFITS OF FIXING THESE MAIN PROBLEM POINTS AND HOW THEY SPILL INTO OTHER PROBLEMS ON SITE.

 

SOME OF THE FOCAL PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

 

 

Sewerage and storm water is a big problem on our site and creates a lot of problems with regards to health and smells on site.

 

Problem: Sewerage and storm water run off causing mud all over site and creating puddles that could have potential health implications.

 

Solution: Using the trees beds to create water beds capture run off water.

 

 

PLAN OF FOCAL AREA FOR CONSTRUCTION.

 

LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH SITE.

 

DETAILED DRAWINGS OF SOLUTION.

 

ZOOMED IN SECTION OF PROPOSED SOLUTION.

 

The second observation was the fact that none of the shacks had windows and after interviewing some community members we discovered that the driving reason behind it was due to the crime rate and violence in Denver .

 

Problem: no lighting and ventilation within the shack.

Solution: creating small holes within the structure big enough to allow for light and air to flow through but not big enough to allow for fire arms or a persons hand to get through.

 

 

EXISTING HEATING AND COOLING THROUGH A PART SECTION.

CHOOSEN SITE HIGHLIGHTING WATER CHANNEL.

 

EXISTING HEATING AND COOLING WITHIN A SHACK.

 

EXISTING LIGHTING IN A SHACK( ONLY LIGHT WHEN ONE OPENS THE ENTRANCE DOOR).

 

 

INTRODUCING LARGE BINS AND MAKING THE WATER BANK A SOCIAL AREA

 

USING PAVING AS A FORM OF THRESHOLD TO SEPERATE THE VEHICULAR MOVEMENT AND THE PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTS.  

 

 

 

The third observation was the fact that people who didn't live in Denver could never find them selves in the space due to the maze like layout. This brought about the question how does the police ,fire department or ambulance get through this space to help someone in need.

 

Problem: place finding.

Solution: giving each sub region within our site a color, a color that spoke about the space. Implementing the color by adding concrete matts at the entrance of each shack and painting it in the regions chosen color. the concrete matt would keep water out the house, add color to the place and introduce the idea of ownership into the space.

 



 

IN THIS IMAGE WE BEGAN IDENTIFYING THE PERSONALITY OF THE SITE AND THE SUB REAGIONS AND BEGAN GIVING IN A COLOR CODE THAT METCHED ITS CHARACTERISTICS.

 

 

EACH SUB REAGION WAS GIVEN A COLOR.

 

WE THEN BEGAN ADDING THE CONCRETE MATTS BY EACH SHACK TO C WAT THE FINAL PRODUCT WOUD LOOK LIKE.

 

A SIMPLE PERSPECTIVE SHOWING WHAT THE SPACE BEGINS TO LOOK LIKE.