The north side of Union Square
Permanent Flexibility in Public Square
Cities have historically been systems of unique history, set in a specific environment and societal context. We engage cities by shaping them with our desires and needs, but the cities did not engage with us. Today, the most advanced cities have become more intelligent. They have the ability to collect data via nodes across the urban fabric which effectively and seamlessly achieves goals and purposes. They make decisions based on the analysis of real-time data from city life, and for this reason we call them smart cities.
The public square is a central node of the city, as a gathering place for social activities, economic development, and transportation. Since antiquity, most of a city’s public events are held in squares. To maximize the activities of a city, the square has always maintained a large area of open space with minimal fixed facilities. That cause squares typically maintain an void and static identity when unutilized and idling. When not serving an active use, all benefits to the surrounding community ceases. This is a waste, especially in a high density urban environment.
In smart cities, a public square can solve these challenges by providing an interface between the physical and digital world. The Union Square is a multi-use public space locate in Manhattan. On a daily basis, function changes repeatedly to serve different activities in order to deal with the fast pace of Manhattan. Although the frequent functional transformations brings high spatial use efficiency to the square, but they also cause inevitable wast of space and energy during the conversion process. With the city becoming smarter, Union Square needs to become a collaborative space for New Yorkers. By provision of a smarter and more intelligent infrastructure based on user-data analysis , it enables dynamic communities that spur innovation and growth to enhance the citizen’s well-being.
Host Building: Union Square Pavilion
Design Analysis
Concept: An flexible infrastructure can switch between Community Center and Square Facilities
Space modification: "City Home"
The transform
From Gather to Scatter:
Right wing
Left wing
Concept Model:
Model study(from below): Existing pavilion, Stretch pavilion, Separate pavilion
Separate pavilion
In-between space (stage)
