11/04

Email to the assistant from the CISV workshop at Lyon... no autocad, not much time to think either...


"Hi Andreas,

Just a hint of the thoughts Ive been having these days...

I wanted to come up with a coherent system that could articulate the spaces and facilitate the decision making process. That understood in the fluid way we had seen last time. For the moment the 3 path system in plan seems to work, but taking to the extreme the longitudinal way of working of the entire mall: that is, all the mechanisms, placements, transports, storage and everything necessary set in "the path". Like a mall_machine where everything works together with a logic but specifically a longitudinal machine. No center spaces (just centers created by intersection or "swallowing" of fluxes.

Then I thought about this thing of "the feeling inside and outside"; and what the mall has to offer that is unique to it and its main attractive.
The idea of the pipes, though it worked with the fluxes and everything; probably is not the best quality space to offer... so I am reconsidering the metaphor as a scheme of organization but not as a form.
And the main attractive was that obvious that didnt come to me at first... but it is the own essence of my shopping mall: being up in the sky!! it would probably be the only one in the world.. so i am trying to find ways to reinforce this idea, more than with appearance. As much exposed/open to outside program area as possible, for instance.

So this could be one parameter to place the program path, another that they have to be continuous, other that the accessess from buildings correspond with an intersection and are anchor points ( have programs like wc, small cafe, wifi area, etc that are not part of the main program areas..) and so on.

And then well, as an exterior appearance and possible structural solution I am exploring Roman aqueducts because, as well as being a clear metaphor of fluxes and a beautiful and interesting object to inhabitate (in different levels too), they got to solve topography problems (irregularities, gaps, rivers etc) with great flexibility and success.

Thats all for now. I am keeping on thinking and I will keep you posted on the evolution

Ainhoa"