Transformer Workshop
Transformable Urban Environments
The workshop is a continuation of the previous Transformer studio, focussing on the urban scale. How would public activities, industries and landscapes change in a world that is made of the programmable, flexible material that the Transformer research is based on? A number of short animations illustrate how the Transformer City would work with regards to: public activities, such as shopping, sports, health care, agriculture, offices or transportation.
The animations led to some interesting observations. The Transformer city environment can create very effective and dense spaces. But it might at the same time create an environment, which lacks easy orientation. How can you find your way to work if every space and building between your work and home constantly changes position and even your office might not be where you left it yesterday? If the build environment is not static anymore, we could have to rely solely on information technology to find our way. Or we would need to consciously plan and fix landmarks within the ever-changing environment.
The same environment has a strong social impact as well. How can I get to know my neighbor if I have a different neighbor every day? How can something like a neighborhood still exist? Even though society might spatially become more mixed, the lack of physical neighborhoods might lead to further segregation.
Other discussions arouse around the future of landscape, the notion of artificial versus natural, the possible edges, new definitions of transportation and the necessary porosity of the Transformer world. The workshop raised more insight into the implications of the Transformer environment, which extended the base for the research and the following studio.
Tutors
Prof. Winy Maas, Ulf Hackauf, Pabo Roquero
Students
Izabela Slodka, Barbara Zajac, Brendan Bakker, Phillipa Elliott, Daniel Pulitin, Rui Xuan, Yuxiao Chen, Alejandra Martinez Micolta, Vladimir Ondejcik, Saba Zahedi Asl, Yi Tang, Louisa Au, Miguel Nicque
Guest Critics
Eline Wieland, Marino Gouwens