https://ali-fard.com af/dr Sat, 15 Jan 2022 22:48:57 +0000 https://ali-fard.com en https://ali-fard.com/Projects Mon, 20 Dec 2021 16:38:42 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Projects https://ali-fard.com/Grounding-Cloud Sat, 15 Jan 2022 22:48:57 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Grounding-Cloud &nbsp;grounding.cloud&nbsp; https://ali-fard.com/Urban-Reciprocities Sun, 09 Jan 2022 22:11:00 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Urban-Reciprocities Urban Reciprocities Strategies for rethinking two spatial byproducts of Sudbury’s 20th century urban developmentSudbury, Ontario | 2020 Design Team: Ali Fard, Chenjie Xiong, Tian Wang <img width="2317" height="1583" width_o="2317" height_o="1583" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ed9d7c35fc12352800f4e834ff8d091dbffdc28bfb32122e9eab2bdb93f20bea/SUD1.jpg" data-mid="129569968" border="0" data-scale="77" data-no-zoom="true" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ed9d7c35fc12352800f4e834ff8d091dbffdc28bfb32122e9eab2bdb93f20bea/SUD1.jpg" /> The proposal aims to activate and integrate two sites representative of the Sudbury’s previous urban trends as landscapes of potential for the future growth of the city. The massive rail lands immediately to the south and west of the downtown represent an immense developmental potential. As icons of the industrial development of the city, these lands are not as heavily used as they once were. Currently they amount to impenetrable valleys that physically and psychologically cut the core of the city off from its Southern parts. In addition, the tract of land to the north of the New Sudbury Conservation Area, between the rail tracks and Lasalle Blvd is one of the lowest points in the city and currently in danger of overdevelopment. Straddling Junction creek as it meanders its way through the city, this area is currently thriving with renewed life in its wet ecology. We believe this site is more valuable to the city as a working wetland that if it were to be developed with single family housing. <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f8ec52905b1cb5b404bc327d8367d8a9867d8fee89944c976704bdf4bf3cbb07/SUD2.jpg" data-mid="129569835" border="0" data-scale="84" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f8ec52905b1cb5b404bc327d8367d8a9867d8fee89944c976704bdf4bf3cbb07/SUD2.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/31ae54d2751fe96b75f95b2c87fe2294b455175c753e81d881525ce839b32df3/SUD3.jpg" data-mid="129569836" border="0" data-scale="72" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/31ae54d2751fe96b75f95b2c87fe2294b455175c753e81d881525ce839b32df3/SUD3.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2b025c34595638dc67c3a07bc8ce91df4b792b014c2d952ebf6ee6d235a4db31/SUD4.jpg" data-mid="129569837" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2b025c34595638dc67c3a07bc8ce91df4b792b014c2d952ebf6ee6d235a4db31/SUD4.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b591a5067b76597e659b21586fbd40944aded5894bf383fcb8da7233b7a6cf9e/SUD5.jpg" data-mid="129569838" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b591a5067b76597e659b21586fbd40944aded5894bf383fcb8da7233b7a6cf9e/SUD5.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/47f3502a16e6d2e3b5129b784b00c55cc3d87942f48e095c8155296376a0e868/SUD6.jpg" data-mid="129569839" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/47f3502a16e6d2e3b5129b784b00c55cc3d87942f48e095c8155296376a0e868/SUD6.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/61d7ff08412585aa7d9884981c00ea19ee8586cd62ff5aecdb6901cc07cf9e86/SUD7_rev.jpg" data-mid="129569840" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/61d7ff08412585aa7d9884981c00ea19ee8586cd62ff5aecdb6901cc07cf9e86/SUD7_rev.jpg" /> <img width="2480" height="2480" width_o="2480" height_o="2480" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/47a84f1bcc7742f3f3fceadd3b75013726afa52fbcdeeead83ad1267b2a01db9/SUD8_rev2.jpg" data-mid="129569842" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/47a84f1bcc7742f3f3fceadd3b75013726afa52fbcdeeead83ad1267b2a01db9/SUD8_rev2.jpg" /> The symbiotic (un)development of these two sites can catalyze a new urban future for Sudbury that is ecologically sensitive, environmentally regenerative, and socially productive. The rail lands developed as mid-density urban counterpart to the downtown, and the low-lying land designed as an ecological and socio-environmental infrastructure for the city, and the connection between them—which consists of mainly existing trails and paths—can reinvigorate the downtown area and greatly influence the form and type of development we can expect in a mid-sized Northern Ontario global city. https://ali-fard.com/Zaferaniye-Lofts Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:34:26 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Zaferaniye-Lofts Zaferaniye Lofts Multi-Unit Apartment Building with Gardens and Active FacadeTehran, Iran | 2015 <img width="2395" height="3000" width_o="2395" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8a5186bb90fd4b360793e52398d7ebd4b46b9a08313c508222dd47cba3516869/1.jpg" data-mid="129015125" border="0" data-scale="65" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8a5186bb90fd4b360793e52398d7ebd4b46b9a08313c508222dd47cba3516869/1.jpg" /> Zoning and setback requirements inform the formal strategy of the building while accommodating a generous ground-level garden and amenities that are rare for this building type in Tehran. The unifying southern facade screens summer sun while allowing for user control over privacy and passive ventilation. <img width="5479" height="3300" width_o="5479" height_o="3300" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e6ee40f6b8ae832e16540bfd1fd23398f16bfedf954c32227fe4d33a12b4cd5/2-01.jpg" data-mid="129015126" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9e6ee40f6b8ae832e16540bfd1fd23398f16bfedf954c32227fe4d33a12b4cd5/2-01.jpg" /> <img width="4961" height="3508" width_o="4961" height_o="3508" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/32c29b3701e137617920459b31ccefda24a1e13b958414d3b7ab68657d7d5139/Formal_Strategy_1-03.jpg" data-mid="129015129" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/32c29b3701e137617920459b31ccefda24a1e13b958414d3b7ab68657d7d5139/Formal_Strategy_1-03.jpg" /> <img width="4961" height="3508" width_o="4961" height_o="3508" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c8a5b6852aee0892dec131d76c5c434590d377c168e82e54b4af080d2af4375f/Formal_Strategy_3-03.jpg" data-mid="129015131" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c8a5b6852aee0892dec131d76c5c434590d377c168e82e54b4af080d2af4375f/Formal_Strategy_3-03.jpg" /> <img width="2477" height="1796" width_o="2477" height_o="1796" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0b6f2edeb89d00c2ede0a0c0bb668c5451a4543162f7388aa39da7eaf936d7a3/3.jpg" data-mid="129015127" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0b6f2edeb89d00c2ede0a0c0bb668c5451a4543162f7388aa39da7eaf936d7a3/3.jpg" /> <img width="1500" height="898" width_o="1500" height_o="898" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f1c1ec7aa402edcbd68d50739ee26a58152b1b5121c8d1eddfdc4dd8e776ec60/4.jpg" data-mid="129015128" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f1c1ec7aa402edcbd68d50739ee26a58152b1b5121c8d1eddfdc4dd8e776ec60/4.jpg" /> <img width="5100" height="3300" width_o="5100" height_o="3300" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8e171884f736f3ef0b93ea9daf711cf536b6c5476b2ce7080aab73e93051b51d/Unit_Exploded-01.jpg" data-mid="129015136" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8e171884f736f3ef0b93ea9daf711cf536b6c5476b2ce7080aab73e93051b51d/Unit_Exploded-01.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="1261" width_o="3000" height_o="1261" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/04fc85602665dab978f01e1db9d9e8d61059dd0c1ab7d541a025fd1937eff10f/Unit_Interior.jpg" data-mid="129015138" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/04fc85602665dab978f01e1db9d9e8d61059dd0c1ab7d541a025fd1937eff10f/Unit_Interior.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/Re-Public-Guggenheim-Helsinki Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:45:33 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Re-Public-Guggenheim-Helsinki Re.Public Extending the urban realm of Helsinki through the museum as a public platform and mediatorHelsinki, Finland | 2014 <img width="3000" height="1750" width_o="3000" height_o="1750" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cbdf759a4318070bacc9fd50c984258c2fc60bea33b47817cacfcbd96d0ed104/Render_BE.jpg" data-mid="129156054" border="0" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cbdf759a4318070bacc9fd50c984258c2fc60bea33b47817cacfcbd96d0ed104/Render_BE.jpg" /> The new Guggenheim must perform as more than just a museum. As a new public platform Guggenheim Helsinki can act as an extension of the city where the global art culture intersects with the day-to-day pulse of the city. In addition to hosting artists, visitors, professionals, and scholars of the art world, this public reimagination of the museum can become a destination for the general public, a place for gatherings, ceremonies, day trips, and procrastinations. Through a range of public events Guggenheim can mediate the relationship of Helsinki to its waterfront, re-establishing a link that has been essential to the growth of the city. <img width="3969" height="6444" width_o="3969" height_o="6444" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48c7c0475693e541419ebb6941886d8d26982a4b3ea44b4a4d3a55a5636a8560/exploded_strategy.jpg" data-mid="129156050" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48c7c0475693e541419ebb6941886d8d26982a4b3ea44b4a4d3a55a5636a8560/exploded_strategy.jpg" /> <img width="1651" height="2080" width_o="1651" height_o="2080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ab8e19d56fc55989bda44f6980f5ed1c2652e1977d8c1aabcd9df04b93df09da/Render_Gallery_2-01.jpg" data-mid="129158151" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ab8e19d56fc55989bda44f6980f5ed1c2652e1977d8c1aabcd9df04b93df09da/Render_Gallery_2-01.jpg" /> <img width="4206" height="7016" width_o="4206" height_o="7016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a339bcd28c3931f0320ed848a13cf2ab851de54011db06d26dd07d1ddc4fbb7/Gallery_Sectionals.jpg" data-mid="129156051" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3a339bcd28c3931f0320ed848a13cf2ab851de54011db06d26dd07d1ddc4fbb7/Gallery_Sectionals.jpg" /> <img width="2473" height="1650" width_o="2473" height_o="1650" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4506fc9c10054b8ec6fe0fd7b6f2bda23cfa9a9a804960dae141bec2f4bdef42/Siteplan-1-500.jpg" data-mid="129156062" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4506fc9c10054b8ec6fe0fd7b6f2bda23cfa9a9a804960dae141bec2f4bdef42/Siteplan-1-500.jpg" /> The new gallery spaces offer a range of different spatial conditions that are more responsive to a variety of collections and media, ultimately generating a series of flexible rooms that can accommodate a range of shows and functions. The larger space of the museum is imagined as a four-seasons event space, activating both indoor and outdoor spaces as a public-facing, free-to-use urban realm. The inherent openness of the scheme catalyzes the evolution of the museum complex along with the city and its population. <img width="1650" height="2081" width_o="1650" height_o="2081" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/44e8b1c2d9b78c6be2c246742e3a819c0d62008233839e37bc57b845e2733992/rain_plans.jpg" data-mid="129156053" border="0" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/44e8b1c2d9b78c6be2c246742e3a819c0d62008233839e37bc57b845e2733992/rain_plans.jpg" /> <img width="2494" height="1650" width_o="2494" height_o="1650" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a87b4475bbbe7f8941faf269b321e3cbb49ebbe08d51f3cfe23ace32914cef27/Render_SV_1_2.jpg" data-mid="129156060" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a87b4475bbbe7f8941faf269b321e3cbb49ebbe08d51f3cfe23ace32914cef27/Render_SV_1_2.jpg" /> <img width="4000" height="1992" width_o="4000" height_o="1992" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eabab1391a5cf63715e22a05165079bdf421de10c1a57908a89c28fe5b30a2d1/Render_CY_1.jpg" data-mid="129156055" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eabab1391a5cf63715e22a05165079bdf421de10c1a57908a89c28fe5b30a2d1/Render_CY_1.jpg" /> <img width="3012" height="1500" width_o="3012" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8b0fa0b9f3a0bba698a9ad34b56d18269f6bdefd4da92b406db481ae6d3fb38b/Render_landscape_2.jpg" data-mid="129156059" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8b0fa0b9f3a0bba698a9ad34b56d18269f6bdefd4da92b406db481ae6d3fb38b/Render_landscape_2.jpg" /> <img width="3754" height="1650" width_o="3754" height_o="1650" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d7a3b62425ebc4f4c115ff34358fb4150dbc7f27bd1ffbcfd0996222c1d354e8/Render_SV_2_2.jpg" data-mid="129156061" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d7a3b62425ebc4f4c115ff34358fb4150dbc7f27bd1ffbcfd0996222c1d354e8/Render_SV_2_2.jpg" /> <img width="3551" height="1650" width_o="3551" height_o="1650" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/da4e4a78dd4af1a54c51aa0bbb7dd5f746186432d1306831cc7df7c250ffe8a2/Render_INT_1.jpg" data-mid="129156058" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/da4e4a78dd4af1a54c51aa0bbb7dd5f746186432d1306831cc7df7c250ffe8a2/Render_INT_1.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/Infostructures Sun, 31 Oct 2021 03:33:49 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Infostructures Infostructures New Spatial Typologies for an Emerging Information EconomySub-Saharan Africa, Kenya | 2011The rampant diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been a defining factor of 20th and early 21st centuries. The Internet and its networks of distribution have become the backbones for commerce, media, education, and research. The ubiquity of mobile devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, has extended our connectivity to coffee shops, parks and other public spaces. Yet, our fascination with the seemingly immaterial and virtual characteristics of information technologies has prevented deeper research into the physical geography of information networks. The prevalent reading of digital networks as the 'always-on, always-accessible network' tends to ignore a set of power relations, which have resulted in a polarization of information distribution. The submarine communication cables that connect continents to each other have largely followed the telegraph lines of early 20th century, hence establishing poles of high and low information connectivity. These cables are the not-so-visible proof of our dependence on concentrated sources of information. These very real and physical 'communication highways' establish links between information super hubs, while controlling Internet’s dissemination of information. As access to information becomes a common and increasingly necessary feature of cities around the world, developing countries and emerging economies have begun to acknowledge ICTs as important factors for development. This has given way to a rush towards securing 'info-resources'. The recent landing of multiple submarine cables at Africa's coasts is testament to this push for connectivity. Developing countries of Africa see ICTs as agents for development. <img width="1000" height="500" width_o="1000" height_o="500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48a3321657ed0b0c18869f7475155a855b2925bf41a9dcdd2f11e24785433f5b/MAP_1-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856066" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Global network of information vs. hunger, education, oil production and arable lands" data-caption="Global network of information vs. hunger, education, oil production and arable lands" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48a3321657ed0b0c18869f7475155a855b2925bf41a9dcdd2f11e24785433f5b/MAP_1-01_o.jpg" /> The African Condition There are two major trends in Africa's move towards ICTs. One is the proliferation of mobile use within the continent by the general public and businesses alike, and the second is the establishment of technology clusters aimed at attracting the larger IT businesses such as Business Process Outsourcing and software companies. Although mobile communication and its proliferation in Africa has been the topic of numerous and varied discussions, the full effects of technology clusterization in African cities are still to be studied. Technology Clusterization As cities of the developing world vie for entry into the global information market, highly engineered spaces of data efficiency are inserted within contexts which until recently were ignored by not only information networks but also other infrastructural developments. Due to heavy dependence of information technologies on more traditional infrastructure such as power, water and transportation, introduction of information infrastructure in developing countries is usually manifested through establishment of IT parks (Knowledge parks, Internet villages, Technology campuses). Typologically, the local performance of such parks is limited. Devised as hyper connected enclaves fitted with walls, security fences, armed guards and defensive urban design, these 'info-bubbles' attempt to bypass the barriers and constraints of local geography, by systematically ignoring the local condition, while aligning themselves with global flows of information and economy. The current investment of Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, among other African countries, in developing IT clusters indicates both the enormous potential for ICT growth in the region, as well as the lack of a future-oriented plan for public engagement as part of a more widespread information economy. This clusterization will result in further polarization of access to information networks and a deepening of the digital divide already prevalent in most of these contexts. <img width="1000" height="585" width_o="1000" height_o="585" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4e46f6d802f3905b4d6543f84eaafc68c5a2b49fb0e88a65f79ac4190405d1f3/Map_2_o.jpg" data-mid="127856067" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Regional information distribution plan: Lagos-Mombasa Corridor" data-caption="Regional information distribution plan: Lagos-Mombasa Corridor" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4e46f6d802f3905b4d6543f84eaafc68c5a2b49fb0e88a65f79ac4190405d1f3/Map_2_o.jpg" /> Infostructures Infostructures presents an alternative to the clustering of information technologies in IT parks by envisioning a new breed of public spaces to address the formal and informal possibilities of insertion of high technology within the unique urban context of African cities. The stretch from Lagos, in Nigeria, to Mombasa, in Kenya, is chosen for a regional investigation. This decision is based on three conditions: First, the tremendous interest and investment of the region in entering the global information race, second, the growing young English-speaking urban population, and third, the recent connections made to the global information network by Nigeria and Kenya. <img width="1000" height="196" width_o="1000" height_o="196" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/05efb43d9e937f0c022d69759a7645203419ed90afbaeb2b737776a05bc046fe/Type_Symbols_o.jpg" data-mid="127856070" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/05efb43d9e937f0c022d69759a7645203419ed90afbaeb2b737776a05bc046fe/Type_Symbols_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="448" width_o="1000" height_o="448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9dea56e3e6a3ce0ebe5d52991d82c820c0ef86502c8642af2add2ac976bcea79/typologies-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856071" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Matrix of building typologies" data-caption="Matrix of building typologies" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9dea56e3e6a3ce0ebe5d52991d82c820c0ef86502c8642af2add2ac976bcea79/typologies-01_o.jpg" /> <img width="1001" height="436" width_o="1001" height_o="436" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/df891ed1846dd3fc0d9f46980f430cc427133afb2398eb40a4ae21cce298fa55/Type_Sample-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856069" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="One of the nine building typologies" data-caption="One of the nine building typologies" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/df891ed1846dd3fc0d9f46980f430cc427133afb2398eb40a4ae21cce298fa55/Type_Sample-01_o.jpg" /> Inspired and influenced by existing digital network typologies, which provide models for scalable networking of localities, a regional distribution plan is established for the Lagos-Mombasa Corridor. Three major types of information spaces (Cores, Hubs, and Nodes) are introduced, each dealing with a specific type of activity, from data-heavy regional centers to rural access points. A matrix of building typologies further breaks down the three major types into nine typologies (Cores: Market, Park, Arena; Hubs: Digicenter, Digiport, Incubator; Nodes: Basic, Standard, Advanced). By incorporating specific sets of inputs and outputs (digital consumption and production), each of these typologies, ranging in scale from wireless access poles in rural areas to large urban markets in city centers, use ICTs to make digital information accessible to a wider segment of population. In addition to providing access to information, these networked spatial constructs incorporate renewable energy production, environmental management systems (such as rain-water collection), educational digital workshops, and workspaces for e-commerce. When we consider the requirements of access to information technologies, such as electricity, education and places for maintenance, a new spatial economy emerges which is as much a product of the local condition as it is the product of the technology. <img width="1000" height="700" width_o="1000" height_o="700" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/032872fec53b8f902bc50eb136527cf4d7e4b3fd8ebb910278444ad5be2ab666/UON_BirdsEye_o.jpg" data-mid="127856072" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="NDL bird's eye view" data-caption="NDL bird's eye view" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/032872fec53b8f902bc50eb136527cf4d7e4b3fd8ebb910278444ad5be2ab666/UON_BirdsEye_o.jpg" /> Case Study: Nairobi Digital Library (NDL) Imagined as the main branch of a regional digital library, NDL's strategic location on the main fibre line, and its proximity to the University of Nairobi, the National Theatre, the National Museum, and a major broadcasting company, brings together a set of activities from research and education to entertainment and communication. NDL will house a small data center, reading areas, private booths, and other forms of access to information, from local literature to global news and market information. Above, a digital park is developed to provide free public Wi-Fi and access to the digital library archives, as well as charging stations for mobile devices such as cell phones and laptop computers, powered by a number of solar canopies. A data-free courtyard in the center of the building provides for breaks from the sometimes-overwhelming world of information flows. <img width="1000" height="501" width_o="1000" height_o="501" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7491ff71a4ba779bf928d10345da3586467dd7b7b0af22a3bc13edcbaee75824/UON_Plan_Axo-02_o.jpg" data-mid="127856076" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Plan and exploded diagram of NDL" data-caption="Plan and exploded diagram of NDL" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7491ff71a4ba779bf928d10345da3586467dd7b7b0af22a3bc13edcbaee75824/UON_Plan_Axo-02_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="383" width_o="1000" height_o="383" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/99af3fe67b4798b201b2bc60177c8c90124059855633503055c95826a6977abe/UON_Exterior_o.jpg" data-mid="127856073" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="NDL top level" data-caption="NDL top level" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/99af3fe67b4798b201b2bc60177c8c90124059855633503055c95826a6977abe/UON_Exterior_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="384" width_o="1000" height_o="384" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/76b2b0dab089503bf7e65f9700170d0c6ca8f1025000d8fbaa550bd6950d42b5/UON_Interior_o.jpg" data-mid="127856074" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="NDL interior" data-caption="NDL interior" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/76b2b0dab089503bf7e65f9700170d0c6ca8f1025000d8fbaa550bd6950d42b5/UON_Interior_o.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/Parallel-Networks Sun, 31 Oct 2021 03:33:46 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Parallel-Networks Parallel Networks Water as a Productive and Connective Blue NetworkNew York | 2011Design Team: Ali Fard &amp; Ghazal Jafari New York’s relationship with water has been essential to its historical development and growth. Traditionally, water for New York has been a source of connectivity and largescale economic and industrial development, which have slowly transformed the once diverse water’s edge into industrial hardscapes. The partial migration of industrial operations from the waterfront to the outskirts of New York’s populated region has been motivating the conversion of the water’s edge to a new extended urban space. This spatio-economic transformation, coupled with an awareness of environmental complexities, is offering a new potential for re-imagining a resilient, yet productive, landscape capable of accommodating a diverse range of urban programming. The five boroughs of New York are separated by an expansive body of water, consisting of the Upper Bay, the rivers, and canals. This blue network is home to overlapping ecologies that are often understood and analyzed in isolation from each other. Ecologies of shipping and service industries, marine transportation, wild life habitat, urban recreation, and cultural activities, are constitutive elements of New York’s blue network and act as a liquid connective tissue. The operations and activities of these networked ecologies shape and transforms the spatial characteristic of New York’s wet landscape, or what is referred to here as the Sixth borough. <img width="1000" height="810" width_o="1000" height_o="810" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f44a44a48ce172709e9b1364ec8e015bcbc990c6a711fc870888cefbaea2f7aa/master plan-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856055" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Plan of the Blue Network" data-caption="Plan of the Blue Network" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f44a44a48ce172709e9b1364ec8e015bcbc990c6a711fc870888cefbaea2f7aa/master plan-01_o.jpg" /> By analyzing the overlapping ecologies of the sixth borough, this project attempts to highlight a series of opportunities for synergetic operation of these networks. Parallel Networks proposes a process of spatial production, which not only allows for the co-habitation of these networks, but also leverages extra economic, ecological and cultural values. This strategy introduces a new understanding of these overlapping networks: the operations and spatial transformations of these networks are highly interconnected and inherently inseparable. Unlike typical urban infrastructural development, this project is envisioned as a flexible landscape that is grown, shaped and defined over time as a result of the operation of an expandable and mobile cellular network. Hence, rather than fixing the infrastructure to the ground and in time, the project explores the means by which a flexible system can stimulate and intervene in the existing natural processes of the wet landscape, to gradually grow a flexible infrastructure as a platform for symbiotic activities of the current networks. <img width="1000" height="1143" width_o="1000" height_o="1143" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b4bd24b46f4dba119241b78a46e547b55b13c0234a360c2edde7ee6031b0d1f3/Pods typology-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856056" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Typologies of the cellular network and its systematic logic" data-caption="Typologies of the cellular network and its systematic logic" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b4bd24b46f4dba119241b78a46e547b55b13c0234a360c2edde7ee6031b0d1f3/Pods typology-01_o.jpg" /> Ecologies of the blue network New York’s growing shipping industry along with its related businesses and training facilities are in need of space close to water and industrial areas. These include mooring ducks, structures for servicing and maintenance, parking areas for barges and tugboats, educational centers and other facilities. In addition, the distribution of goods and materials to the regional warehouses and retail centers is currently performed mainly by trucks, which aside from obvious environmental pollution, has proven to be a less economic and less efficient mode of transportation when compared to water-based shipping modes. Once a major producer of oyster, New York’s water bodies will be saturated with marine traffic soon. Furthermore, this water body is surrounded by hard-edged landfills and has lost its flexibility in dealing with water fluxes and flood events. As a result, the sixth borough is not protected against the continuous rising sea levels and is prone to seasonal and storm-related flooding. Possible inundation, coupled with increasing water pollution, threatens the remainder of wildlife habitat in the region.On the other hand, New York’s population is set to reach 8.7 million by 2020, and 9.1 million by 2030. Similar to many other North American cities, there has been a gradual shift in New York’s waterfront character. The industries, which have long occupied the water’s edge, are migrating and the leftover industrial brown fields are being designed to host NYC’s growth. New York’s waters can once again be publicly activated to act not only as a connector but also as a destination for a variety of activities, such as energy production, recreation, and education among others. Through this transformation, water will be imagined as a new public space, able to deal with flux and change, and easily adaptable to future uses. Parallel networks New York City, like many other metropolitan areas, is founded in a context that is environmentally and socially in constant flux. Therefore, the Blue Network needs to take into account not only what is necessary for the region’s economic livelihood, but also the environmental factors and socio-cultural transformation of the region. This is possible through coupling or bundling of transportation infrastructure with water-based urban programming for production, recreation, living, protection, research, and re-habitation. As this is an expansive infrastructural project, a systematic thinking, instead of an all-encompassing super-structural remedy, can effectively enhance the performative qualities of the network. In this proposal this systematic thinking is manifested through a cellular infrastructure. This cellular system allows for incremental implementation by various public and private entities, while allowing for easy maintenance, since each cell can be removed and repaired without jeopardizing the overall health of the network. The cells of the Blue Network are translated to floating pods of various scales and functions, able to accumulate and disband, and to be moved from one location to another. This system promotes a need-based growth over time, allowing for opportunities to experiment, while keeping the integrity of the network intact. Furthermore, pods are designed to forge symbiotic relationships with the context they are located in. <img width="1019" height="512" width_o="1019" height_o="512" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/184005acf54755e9ff0633d9eec0dea5f7dbb99f7adb53e962358a8e2b560aee/Plans_together-2-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856059" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Plans of the two test sites. Left: NY Gaia, Right: Bronx Blue Terminal" data-caption="Plans of the two test sites. Left: NY Gaia, Right: Bronx Blue Terminal" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/184005acf54755e9ff0633d9eec0dea5f7dbb99f7adb53e962358a8e2b560aee/Plans_together-2-01_o.jpg" /> Two test sites are introduced for a more detailed examination of this design strategy. NY Gaia, located in Upper New York Bay, is a productive landmark, a center for clean energy production, and an operational node for marine transportation activities around NY. The Gaia will feed other cleantech industries with energy, through wind power and bio-fuel harvested from large-scale algae cultivation. In addition, much needed maintenance and training facilities for marine transportation will be located adjacent to reef islands, which are artificial islands that grow over time. <img width="1000" height="472" width_o="1000" height_o="472" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dc117b9abef97ac57a538177ed1e7b3578f6213ecd0eb9cbdd238efdb2b0cfa1/Reef island chronology 02-01-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856060" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Chronological development of the reef islands of NY Gaia" data-caption="Chronological development of the reef islands of NY Gaia" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dc117b9abef97ac57a538177ed1e7b3578f6213ecd0eb9cbdd238efdb2b0cfa1/Reef island chronology 02-01-01_o.jpg" /> The performance of pods in this area can be summarized in the following order: Collection pods collect CO2 from tunnels of New York City. The collected CO2 is brought to reef Islands to nourish the algae pods. Algae pods are relocated to potential cleantech industries along the shore for energy production. The algae is also used as a fertilizer in nursery pods that hold and accelerate brine shrimp and oyster production. Brine shrimp pods are relocated to Gowanus Canal to nourish the potential aquatic farming. Oyster shells or spat is dumped in Upper NY Bay to feed and build natural islands that are both a flood defense system and a marine habitat stimulator. Islands form around wind turbines, which are located in the middle of the bay to free the urban context of their noise pollution. <img width="1000" height="667" width_o="1000" height_o="667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0a8d658cba5ca0ad1af1059d3a7313c3bb6a017ced26874a3fae013f3a08c8d8/reef island rendering_o.jpg" data-mid="127856058" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="NY Gaia bird's eye view" data-caption="NY Gaia bird's eye view" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0a8d658cba5ca0ad1af1059d3a7313c3bb6a017ced26874a3fae013f3a08c8d8/reef island rendering_o.jpg" /> Bronx Blue Terminal (BBT), located at the mouth of Bronx River will provide the Bronx with a ferry terminal. In addition to being a transit hub, BBT will act as a recreation, research and education node within the blue network, building on the educational programs already underway in the area. Habitat preservation and regeneration is another part of the mandate for BBT. <img width="1000" height="642" width_o="1000" height_o="642" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8f1159f89f3b49896be17188a1785c5cc5fb93162e2413f7f087d8310fba11c0/floating wetlands rendering_o.jpg" data-mid="127856054" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Bird's eye view of the Bronx Blue Terminal" data-caption="Bird's eye view of the Bronx Blue Terminal" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8f1159f89f3b49896be17188a1785c5cc5fb93162e2413f7f087d8310fba11c0/floating wetlands rendering_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="532" width_o="1000" height_o="532" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ea58252d62c882e036fe76c154bff59749e50b82d10fa98b7a249800c2bd244b/floating park section_5_o.jpg" data-mid="127856062" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Detail drawing of one of the BBT arms" data-caption="Detail drawing of one of the BBT arms" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ea58252d62c882e036fe76c154bff59749e50b82d10fa98b7a249800c2bd244b/floating park section_5_o.jpg" /> The performance of pods in this area can be summarized in the following order: Floating wetland pods recreate a natural habitat that has been replaced by landfills along the Soundview Park shore in the past. Planted with remediating plants, this floating park can also remediate the water of metals and other toxins. This complex creates a potent field of research for the study of wetland ecosystems, hydrology, vegetation and native wildlife species. The ferry terminal extends out of Soundview Park, creating two paths of recreation with activities including fishing, observation decks, kayaking, sailboat mooring areas, bike parking, beaches and seating. Floating recreation pods, accessible by kayaks and boats, complement these recreation paths as "off-shore" recreational nodes. The symbiotic operations of these parallel networks, mediated through a cellular infrastructural system, act as a catalyst for the development of a blue network between the five New York boroughs. A network which is as much a performative waterscape as it is a connective urban tissue. <img width="1000" height="344" width_o="1000" height_o="344" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c77b0700b98c4340f164b378b3b4d96476cbb2215cb766dc4a57127eb9b72891/Bronx_Terminal-01_3_o.jpg" data-mid="127856061" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c77b0700b98c4340f164b378b3b4d96476cbb2215cb766dc4a57127eb9b72891/Bronx_Terminal-01_3_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="664" width_o="1000" height_o="664" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f4709e341c34610c529e34ebb1d80e19709e459b1e519944255a5bc2550659ee/ferry terminal rendering_o.jpg" data-mid="127856052" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="View from Soundview park towards BBT" data-caption="View from Soundview park towards BBT" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f4709e341c34610c529e34ebb1d80e19709e459b1e519944255a5bc2550659ee/ferry terminal rendering_o.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/Passive-Performative Sun, 31 Oct 2021 03:33:44 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Passive-Performative Passive &gt;&gt; Performative Connective Interventions as Urban CatalystsMontreal | 2011Design Team: Ali Fard &amp; Ghazal Jafari <img width="1001" height="251" width_o="1001" height_o="251" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ccb66c0ebd17e8e49afe2fd448368cfdf88615b38b291a8006ea11894ba89b48/diagram-02_o.jpg" data-mid="127856048" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="The YUL-MTL corridor is a gateway to Montreal as well as an essential connective belt for the province." data-caption="The YUL-MTL corridor is a gateway to Montreal as well as an essential connective belt for the province." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ccb66c0ebd17e8e49afe2fd448368cfdf88615b38b291a8006ea11894ba89b48/diagram-02_o.jpg" /> The YUL-MTL corridor between Trudeau International Airport and downtown Montreal, is a thickened infrastructural corridor, composed of various networks of movement, including auto routes, railways and waterways. As catalysts for urbanization, these conduits have helped the transformation of Montreal into a leading transportation hub within Canada, and have been an important factor in the industrial expansion of the 19th century and the suburban development of the 20th century. The proximity of Trudeau International Airport, with its 100,000 daily travellers, has essentially transformed the corridor into an international gateway for Montreal, acting as an introduction to the city for about seven million visitors each year. YUL-MTL is also a working corridor, providing essential links between the Port of Montreal, the airport, and the western parts of Canada. <img width="1001" height="532" width_o="1001" height_o="532" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/43565785462c6c9a6fffe5263f8414762fa432905a6479579198b7a4b6c5d877/Master plan-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856039" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Proposed network plan. Local interventions in key areas will act as connective public spaces." data-caption="Proposed network plan. Local interventions in key areas will act as connective public spaces." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/43565785462c6c9a6fffe5263f8414762fa432905a6479579198b7a4b6c5d877/Master plan-01_o.jpg" /> While the highway system, rail lines, and other urban conduits of YUL-MTL provide vital regional connectivity, on the local scale they have split the urban landscape, creating fragmented urbanities and passive residual spaces. In addition, the transformation of the industrial landscape of the corridor has left in its place brownfields in urgent need for rethinking. The recent efforts of the Ville de Montréal and the ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) towards a revitalization plan for the corridor provide a vehicle through which the role of the corridor as a regional connector can be supplemented by local engagement and development. <img width="1001" height="1104" width_o="1001" height_o="1104" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3dc14f4b2b80752be713e0bfec631774ed902a5f773dd871e1ec80226ca7bea6/context plans-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856038" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Four test sites along the YUL-MTL corridor" data-caption="Four test sites along the YUL-MTL corridor" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3dc14f4b2b80752be713e0bfec631774ed902a5f773dd871e1ec80226ca7bea6/context plans-01_o.jpg" /> This proposal exists at the intersection of regional and local performance of the corridor. Rather than a passive regional connector, we propose a performative network, which acts both regionally and locally to generate a catalyst for sustainable development of the corridor. Urban conduits are coupled with renewable energy production and distribution, making use of the right of way and the residual spaces, to host wind farms capable of generating the power needs of the corridor operations (Energy Parks). Local connections are introduced sequentially to stitch the various modes of transportation together at strategic locations. These connections cross urban gaps generated by transportation infrastructures, to produce a porous and continuous urban landscape, and are programmed to complement the planned local developments. <img width="1000" height="239" width_o="1000" height_o="239" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/898da26a3c69b95db1074f6ab8abf8e17ea392239f1fa9ce5e67de7b4821e4dc/MUnits-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856041" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Mobile unit typologies (M-Units)" data-caption="Mobile unit typologies (M-Units)" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/898da26a3c69b95db1074f6ab8abf8e17ea392239f1fa9ce5e67de7b4821e4dc/MUnits-01_o.jpg" /> Based on the dimensions of shipping containers, M-Units are designed as movable units that can travel between Links using the existing rail infrastructure. Once there, they can be deployed along the open spaces to accommodate a variety of urban functions. They can accumulate or disperse based on a set of daily or seasonal parameters which may include weather conditions, intensity of use, events, etc. <img width="1000" height="778" width_o="1000" height_o="778" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/888a5404b95fa23674df6d01bf8ddb2ce746f6f84e0451da73ee6626642ff0a8/3d diagram02-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856047" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Turcot Park and Turcot Complex" data-caption="Turcot Park and Turcot Complex" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/888a5404b95fa23674df6d01bf8ddb2ce746f6f84e0451da73ee6626642ff0a8/3d diagram02-01_o.jpg" /> Two areas, Turcot Park and Turcot Complex are investigated further to act as examples for the possible localized urban interventions along the corridor. More than local conditions, these interventions, as a networked whole, provide a regional unfolding of the city as one travels along the corridor. This scenographic unfolding is complemented by a materiality reminiscent of the industrial history of the corridor and the various productive landscapes that have replaced the brownfields of the past. This project hopes to strengthen Montreal's position as a hub of innovation and a City of Design, through the emblematic and performative rethinking of YUl_MTL Corridor. <img width="1000" height="406" width_o="1000" height_o="406" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cf0def99a87ca4c80067d8f35b5a960f9eb998e666a005079408bec3c991443d/Turcot bridge plan-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856045" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Plans of the two levels of Turcot Park" data-caption="Plans of the two levels of Turcot Park" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cf0def99a87ca4c80067d8f35b5a960f9eb998e666a005079408bec3c991443d/Turcot bridge plan-01_o.jpg" /> Turcot Park Turcot Park is imagined as an occupiable bridge over the infrastructural conduits of the highway, rail line, and the water canal. Both spaces above the bridge and under it have been programmed with urban activities that correspond the future development plans of the adjacent lands. <img width="1000" height="615" width_o="1000" height_o="615" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/649907afeb8af5e698d6ff9d561cbe8e07277559262a4ef6e3fb0c33496287d3/Perspective_1_Bridge-faded_o.jpg" data-mid="127856042" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Turcot Park as viewed from the highway. Various signage and information platforms integrated into the bridge communicate information about the corridor to passing cars." data-caption="Turcot Park as viewed from the highway. Various signage and information platforms integrated into the bridge communicate information about the corridor to passing cars." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/649907afeb8af5e698d6ff9d561cbe8e07277559262a4ef6e3fb0c33496287d3/Perspective_1_Bridge-faded_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="645" width_o="1000" height_o="645" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a2736346a7a93eaf73c7ce13db34ae8aab7ebfca0472b2429bd8bd0c45c9a58e/Perspective_2_Bridge_o.jpg" data-mid="127856043" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Turcot Park bird's eye view" data-caption="Turcot Park bird's eye view" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a2736346a7a93eaf73c7ce13db34ae8aab7ebfca0472b2429bd8bd0c45c9a58e/Perspective_2_Bridge_o.jpg" /> Turcot Complex Due to its proximity to downtown Montreal and the proposed Airport Shuttle line, Turcot interchange presents a great opportunity for development of a gateway to the city of Montreal. An Airport station is proposed along with a convention centre and performance hall to tap into the international traffic of the corridor. <img width="1000" height="622" width_o="1000" height_o="622" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/501e099d0f68fb649999924141796f7fb41fafd9824862a4a053546c51485403/turcot plan-01-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856046" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Turcot Compex plan" data-caption="Turcot Compex plan" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/501e099d0f68fb649999924141796f7fb41fafd9824862a4a053546c51485403/turcot plan-01-01_o.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="964" width_o="1000" height_o="964" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dcc127f2dada918164fab9a7e930fe31f619e7ee7949bd22d8f7962364e41020/Perspective_Interchange_o.jpg" data-mid="127856044" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Turcot Complex in winter" data-caption="Turcot Complex in winter" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dcc127f2dada918164fab9a7e930fe31f619e7ee7949bd22d8f7962364e41020/Perspective_Interchange_o.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/6970 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:37:40 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/6970 6970+ Public Realm Design for Two Urban Blocks Salt Lake City | 2013 Design Team: Ali Fard &amp; Ghazal Jafari Salt Lake City's growth and development is closely tied to its mining and industrial past, from the early days of the gold rush and mining activity to its current status as the largest industrial banking center in the United States. However, the city has tried in recent years to diversify its economic base to include service and tourism industries, as well as the creative sector. In doing so, various development projects have taken on the task of revitalizing the downtown and establishing SLC as not only a business center but also a cultural nucleus. With a growing downtown population, a thriving business community, and a vibrant new retail core, the city is in many ways experiencing a renaissance. The SixtyNine Seventy project presents an opportunity to unite the growing business/retail center and the enduring historic core of the city with an active cultural and creative nucleus that will enhance the metropolitan aspirations of the city. <img width="1000" height="593" width_o="1000" height_o="593" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8f0a8434a64325e566055c39e9087d44c104a6b9c34d8d67f78c07c03343c74f/PLAN_o.jpg" data-mid="127856020" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Site Plan" data-caption="Site Plan" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8f0a8434a64325e566055c39e9087d44c104a6b9c34d8d67f78c07c03343c74f/PLAN_o.jpg" /> 6970+ This project proposes a connective and activated public realm for the two blocks of Sixty Nine and Seventy. The site, as it currently stands, is dominated by office buildings, surface parking, and garages, which tend to engulf the more historic and cultural buildings of the area. While there are a number of formal connections to and from various parts of the site, a series of informal connection have also been created based on ease of movement and access, possessing an embedded intelligence which needs to be considered when proposing new connections. 6970+ proposes three main strategies: 1) Connectivity A new ground cover strategy visually stitches together the various circulation spaces into a cohesive and easily recognizable movement surface. In addition, the various informal paths and trajectories that exist within the site are formalized into safe, well-lit spaces for circulation.As a result, a major East-West trajectory emerges which connects the various cultural programs within the site together. This mid-block cultural corridor is regularly intersected by North-South connections, hence creating a porous system of urban circulation that not only connects the various disparate cultural buildings within the site, but also connects the site to its larger context. <img width="1001" height="457" width_o="1001" height_o="457" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/74eda728e7cd5071b7036226842b7e038eb2072ce5cd89f26eb810367e2d73b8/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-04_o.jpg" data-mid="127856026" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Various layers of intervention + programmatic activation strategies" data-caption="Various layers of intervention + programmatic activation strategies" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/74eda728e7cd5071b7036226842b7e038eb2072ce5cd89f26eb810367e2d73b8/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-04_o.jpg" /> In addition to the physical connectivity infrastructure, a new digital information system is introduced, creating a larger connection between the activities of the site, the city, and even the global flows of information. Info-Stations are placed in strategic locations at intersections, major public spaces, and along the cultural corridor,to provide WiFi hotspots as well as information regarding the events within the 69-70 site, ticketing services for these events, city-wide navigation maps, and interactive public transportation schedules. These info-stations and other urban equipment within the site (for seating, lighting, etc.) also provide mobile device charging capabilities through integrated solar panel energy generation.Together, the digital information system and the physical circulation spaces constitute a connective urban fabric that produces and reinforces internal and external connections. <img width="1001" height="814" width_o="1001" height_o="814" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/64ccae6172c873ceefbc1bf1fe252f5b13680ed2b4eec0c1a82ce2a56700256b/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856023" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Regent Plaza" data-caption="Regent Plaza" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/64ccae6172c873ceefbc1bf1fe252f5b13680ed2b4eec0c1a82ce2a56700256b/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-01_o.jpg" /> 2) Activation of open and residual spaces The 69-70 site features a large number of residual and undefined open spaces dominated by surface parking. 6970+stimulates the site by transforming these left-over areas into an active network of public spaces, which we call the cultural corridor. Optimizing the existing parking garages within the area minimizes surface parking, and the facades of parking garages are transformed into active surfaces by introducing green walls, media screens, art walls, and rock climbing walls. In addition,a main public plaza is introduced in each block. The Regent Plaza (inspired in part by the current plans for the UPAC complex and the goal of transforming Regent St. into a retail corridor) is programmed as an open cultural space. Reflecting the cultural programming around the area, Regent Plaza can be used as an event space for film screenings (by utilizing the western wall of the parking garage on Regent St), outdoor concerts in the summer, and ice skating in winter.The Main Plaza is carved out of the back of the future building expected at the corner of 100 and Main streets, and creates a mid-block open space for small gatherings, weekend markets, or just a nice place to have lunch on a workday. <img width="1001" height="814" width_o="1001" height_o="814" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0705a5adc827d0a2dbd2ed5c286ef36e3e2f290ec0378b77a6512e985aab702d/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-03_o.jpg" data-mid="127856025" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Main Plaza" data-caption="Main Plaza" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0705a5adc827d0a2dbd2ed5c286ef36e3e2f290ec0378b77a6512e985aab702d/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-03_o.jpg" /> In addition, a series of mid-block passageways are introduced as semi-open and seasonal spaces, which can be programmed through a variety of cultural activities such as art shows, presentations, and other public gatherings. While their main task is circulation, these passages are imagined as pockets that can also be programmed. <img width="1001" height="814" width_o="1001" height_o="814" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4c8ddb121325a7da01cc29808ea1fc711d7d9d511f41bb989f74dc3184906c07/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-02_o.jpg" data-mid="127856024" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Main Street, showing connections to mid-block passages" data-caption="Main Street, showing connections to mid-block passages" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4c8ddb121325a7da01cc29808ea1fc711d7d9d511f41bb989f74dc3184906c07/Section_Perspectives_Use_Scenarios-02_o.jpg" /> 3) Extension of Use It is important to take into consideration the climatic conditions of SLC when designing open spaces in the city. Hence, the public realm envisioned for the 69-70 site makes use of various heating and cooling strategies to facilitate outdoor programming throughout the year. Heating is provided through in-ground steam valves that generate steam from the run-off water and melting snow to warm up smaller urban pockets, such as Main Plaza in the winter months, while mist poles create a playful cooling effect in Regent Plaza in the summer. In effect, these microclimates extend the use of public spaces seasonally. Given the nature of the 69-70 site, and the cultural, entertainment, and dining oriented activities of the area, it is important to implement a strategy for the night-time activation of the site. In 6970+ this is done through a lighting strategy that creates a set of lively circulation spaces, as well as guiding the pedestrian traffic to specific locations of the site through in-ground lighting techniques. <img width="1000" height="499" width_o="1000" height_o="499" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d0f74867d6c93c86fea5d7c30a94440bdf1d72c6725b65572ce98b40ba21c6b1/Regent_Plaza_View_o.jpg" data-mid="127856027" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="View of Regent Plaza in the summer" data-caption="View of Regent Plaza in the summer" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d0f74867d6c93c86fea5d7c30a94440bdf1d72c6725b65572ce98b40ba21c6b1/Regent_Plaza_View_o.jpg" /> The Active Surface The three main strategies mentioned above are implemented through an Active Surface. Imagined as a container that facilitates a variety of temporal activities and events throughout the year, the Active Surface is defined by its spatial flexibility and operational diversity.As a concept, the Active Surface is imagined as a pixelated surface in which each pixel is programmable and responds to a local condition, be it climatic, programmatic or interactive. Pixels are easily interchangeable and create a dynamic and flexible structure for (re)organizing the site and its various design elements. The interaction among pixels generates a whole, which is greater than the sum of its parts by responding not only to specific local conditions but also to larger contextual issues of place making and ecological sensitivity. In practice, the property of each pixel has been defined by introducing a set of variables. These variables include material properties (hard surface or vegetation) as well as operational and geometrical properties. The pixelation, therefore, transforms from a flat condition to three-dimensional form to incorporate a variety of urban equipments, some with singular uses, such as seating and lighting, and some with more complex operational capacities, such as structural support or micro-climate generation. <img width="1001" height="715" width_o="1001" height_o="715" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/61b85b94b3e112c252dc892a7a56988776add494092870fec7bb7d87e48c1b54/DETAILS_o.jpg" data-mid="127856018" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/61b85b94b3e112c252dc892a7a56988776add494092870fec7bb7d87e48c1b54/DETAILS_o.jpg" /> Material Strategy The industrial history of Utah and SLC and their relationship to mining and stone quarries is reflected through the materiality of 6970+. The materials used in the design of 6970+ can be sourced locally from within Utah. The multicolored paving stones of the Active Surface (Limestone, Sandstone and Granite of various shades) are quarried within Utah, while the Corten cladding of the various urban equipment will be sourced from the iron mines of Utah and manufactured within the state. In addition, a new digital layer is added to this materiality through the integration of various information and communication technologies in the design of the urban equipment. The information provided through this digital platform will communicate the events and happenings of the 69-70 site, and will be produced with the help of SLC's creative firms. Coupled with renewable energy generation and reuse and recycling strategies for the runoff water collected from the site, this virtual materiality adds a new layer of intelligence to the material composition of 6970+. In essence, the materiality of 6970+ is imbued with the historical trajectory of SLC and its future as the creative core of Utah and a world-class city. <img width="1000" height="699" width_o="1000" height_o="699" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/09286e25f61a6637001d1657b60b9480c47986a76b95b2fe568668a0f277c095/MAIN PLAZA RENDERING_o.jpg" data-mid="127856019" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="View of Main Plaza in winter" data-caption="View of Main Plaza in winter" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/09286e25f61a6637001d1657b60b9480c47986a76b95b2fe568668a0f277c095/MAIN PLAZA RENDERING_o.jpg" /> https://ali-fard.com/Arctic-Resource-Urbanization Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:37:39 +0000 af/dr https://ali-fard.com/Arctic-Resource-Urbanization Arctic Resource Urbanization Research Project on the Urbanization Processes of Resource Extraction in the ArcticThe Arctic &amp; Alaska | 2013 Ali Fard + Ghazal Jafari The most commonly known boundary of arctic is a circle wrapping around the globe at thelatitude of 66°33’39” North. From the climatologist’s perspective however, the boundary ofthe arctic is defined by the median seasonal temperature. The arctic boundary can similarlybe defined based on geology, land coverage, ethnicity, and other socio-environmental factors. These boundaries, alwayschanging and in transition, are indicators of the fluid nature of the Arctic. Socially, culturally,and politically constructed, these boundaries represent the collective need of communities,institutions, and states to define, or in some cases claim, the space of the arctic.Although these bordershave influenced the spatial definition of the arctic, the geographical boundary of the territory remains unclear. <img width="1000" height="254" width_o="1000" height_o="254" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/178cd2604ab9f526fd368cb17fb5d12d6fb229b25fed642241b8c86bb727abf4/ARCTIC BOUNDARIES-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856010" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Various &quot;boundaries&quot; of the Arctic." data-caption="Various &quot;boundaries&quot; of the Arctic." src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/178cd2604ab9f526fd368cb17fb5d12d6fb229b25fed642241b8c86bb727abf4/ARCTIC BOUNDARIES-01_o.jpg" /> Seen from the perspective of global flows of connectivity and land-use intensity the Arctic seems empty. Yet it is home to over 3.5 million permanent inhabitants and following the discussions around global warming and resource extraction opportunities, part of the global spatial imagination. The arctic is, and has been for decades, the site of intense and dynamic processes that have intensified over the past years with speculations of access to new natural resources. With each wave of explorations and discoveries, the landscape of the arctic hosts a nomadic kind of urbanization. Its citizens are troops of army forces, expedition teams and scientists. Southerners bring along a new generation of workers and engineers, and build up radio stations, ports and runways, to be the subject of re-appropriation or creative deconstruction for the next wave of occupant and their infrastructural and security demands. <img width="1001" height="449" width_o="1001" height_o="449" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3906d9e1c8d5c30369d08b972e36fd1ffb0a80ff66f38bc7c1b36b4bd7baf1a7/Maps_Connectivity_Landuse-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856014" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Intensity of use and connectivity in the Arctic" data-caption="Intensity of use and connectivity in the Arctic" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3906d9e1c8d5c30369d08b972e36fd1ffb0a80ff66f38bc7c1b36b4bd7baf1a7/Maps_Connectivity_Landuse-01_o.jpg" /> Despite the popular imagination, the Arctic is extensively urbanized. It is heavily occupied by pipelines, shipping ports, highways, offshore drilling platforms, military stations, research camps, and so on. We have been investigating the extended urbanization of the Arctic. This investigation entails understanding how the occupation of land and sea has been under the influence of global events and circumstances, and how Arctic processes in turn influence global urbanization. It is estimated that the Arctic petroleum reserves account for one-fifth of the world’s undiscovered, recoverable oil and natural gas. Meanwhile, the known deposits of fuel for most of the countries in Arctic region are reaching their end. And while the potential of petroleum production has intensified speculation and exploration of Arctic space for more reserves, the melting sea ice is also opening new cross continental passages as seasonal cost effective distribution networks. The Northwest and North Sea passages are being considered as alternative seasonal routes for Panama and Suez canals, connecting sites of extraction, production and consumption within the global network. Petroleum production in the Arctic has been under the influence of dialectic between two dynamic processes: Climate change and its associated environmental degradation, and the fluctuation of the global price of oil, which is determined by oil geopolitics and global markets. The constant battle between oil prices and infrastructural costs of oil production determine when and where production takes place. <img width="1000" height="896" width_o="1000" height_o="896" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cb4ad346665d188c02919434914e213faede0686b70138a47d35a7fe5ede6cc7/Maps_Synthesis-02_o.jpg" data-mid="127856017" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Petroleum production in the Arctic and the associated networks of connectivity" data-caption="Petroleum production in the Arctic and the associated networks of connectivity" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cb4ad346665d188c02919434914e213faede0686b70138a47d35a7fe5ede6cc7/Maps_Synthesis-02_o.jpg" /> Global tensions over the Middle East oil reserves during the 1970s and 80s resulted in major transformations in the landscape of oil geopolitics. Disagreements over the share of sales benefits, in addition to political shifts in the region raised the tension to the peak of crises that are known as the largest oil crises of the petroleum history, such as OAPEC oil embargo of 1973, which triggered the emergence of extraction sites in many other regions and moved the attention of international oil market towards other potential energy resources, such as gas. The development and flourishing of petroleum industries in the Arctic region is greatly influenced by transformations of the global oil geopolitics. During 1970s and 80s, the European market was increasingly relying on Russian gas for fuel supply. On the other hand, Arctic states such as US had to shift their interest towards domestic fuel reserves. Therefore, Twenty years after the discovery of oil in Alaska, the massive cost of establishing a pipeline through Alaska was justified and construction of Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was started in 1972. Following the spike in oil price after 2004, due to the invasion of Iraq, the global financial crises, and the Arab Spring, international oil companies have been pushing for new exploration projects. Many lease contracts have been signed between these companies and states, namely the activities of Shell in the continental shelf of Alaska. <img width="1000" height="580" width_o="1000" height_o="580" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/347521f6375cf0af548f18d84178a22cbb3949df0596f1bed81d6102a3774c6f/TimeLine-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856016" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Development timeline of TAPS in relation to global events" data-caption="Development timeline of TAPS in relation to global events" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/347521f6375cf0af548f18d84178a22cbb3949df0596f1bed81d6102a3774c6f/TimeLine-01_o.jpg" /> From 1980 to 2000 Alaska's oil and gas production accounted for an average of 20 percent of the nation's domestic production. Although in recent years Alaskan oil production has declined significantly, it still accounts for approximately 8-10% of U.S. domestic production. Currently, Alaska is the largest producer of oil in U.S. after Texas, and Gulf of Mexico. Oil production in Alaska accounts for 25% of Alaska’s GDP. Today, the Trans-Alaska pipeline is 800 miles of steel pipes carrying more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil every day from Prudhoe Bay extraction fields to the refineries of Alaska and finally to the Valdez oil terminal. From here the oil is shipped to refineries of US West coast and Hawaii, to provide a great portion of the domestic use of petroleum products in the American west. These 800 miles of steel pipes zigzagging through the Arctic tundra, together with the 12 pump stations that ensure the constant flow of oil, are one of the most expensive projects ever conceived, funded, and maintained by a private company, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, formed by eight oil companies. The development of the pipeline has been an essential catalyst for development in Alaska, contributing directly to the growth of Valdez,Fairbanks, and Anchorage. According to the general state released reports, historically Alaska has been plagued by economic challenges,due to the seasonal employment, high cost of living, lack of infrastructure, and a low tax base. But perhaps it is more accurate to say the there has been a shift in economy of Alaska from vernacular way of living to a growing capitalist economy. <img width="1000" height="905" width_o="1000" height_o="905" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e9ccc5b59044265a8a0423f7ac827f2929e5c8227cb396e059b35d751cb85b8a/Flows-01_o.jpg" data-mid="127856011" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="The extended network of TAPS" data-caption="The extended network of TAPS" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e9ccc5b59044265a8a0423f7ac827f2929e5c8227cb396e059b35d751cb85b8a/Flows-01_o.jpg" /> Today, Prudhoe Bay, which is largest extraction site in US, has far passed its production peak. Economy of Alaska would be half its current size without oil industry, and this is when Prudhoe Bay is producing only one third of what it once did. That leaves no choice for the state other than promoting offshore drilling. On the other hand, the rising price of oil after 2004 has renewed interests in exploration for oil and gas in Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). <img width="1000" height="669" width_o="1000" height_o="669" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/692ef78fddfb4c4b1e1ba675bfbea8707b6639c08d007d46403e087814325fc6/TAPS-72DPI_o.jpg" data-mid="127856015" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="The geography of TAPS" data-caption="The geography of TAPS" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/692ef78fddfb4c4b1e1ba675bfbea8707b6639c08d007d46403e087814325fc6/TAPS-72DPI_o.jpg" /> If we trace the flow of oil beyond Alaska to Cherry Point refinery in Washington, we can see that Alaskan oil accounts for a considerable portion of domestic and industrial fuel of Washington. For example it provides more than 85% of the jet fuel for Seattle-Tacoma Airport.The reach of Alaskan oil goes beyond the boundaries of US, leaving us with an important question. If urbanization is to be understood through operational processes, where does urbanization end? If the flow of Alaskan oil is manifested in highways, airports, high-rises and the urban fabric of cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where does the Arctic boundary lie? <img width="1000" height="476" width_o="1000" height_o="476" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/230d67d92f18fd7353a188f810d9af7912139413b6acfd925b604663533ced4b/Flows-02_o.jpg" data-mid="127856012" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Major flight routes from Seattle-Tacoma airport" data-caption="Major flight routes from Seattle-Tacoma airport" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/230d67d92f18fd7353a188f810d9af7912139413b6acfd925b604663533ced4b/Flows-02_o.jpg" />