A rhythmic approach to temporal architecture ideation and creation

Abstract

Temporality is inherently how any living being experiences existence, however when it comes to the design of the built environment the it seems to be one of the last things considered when designing. The interval of time has untapped potential to manifest and represent the phenomenon, creating spaces that consider how we move through space. To understand the how to begin to work with the interval of time, a thorough study into Etienne-Jules Marey conducted. Marey was a French inventor who dedicated his life to uncovering the mysteries of movement through chronophotography. Marey’s contemporary Eadweard Muybridge followed a similar career path with a focus on recreating movement through cinema. Both methods influence how to move forward with implementing temporality into a design process. The study of movement is also essential to the topic of displacement over time. The speeds at which movement occurs, and where it occurs can have massive repercussions on a site. Paul Virilio, A French philosopher wrote about the politics of speed, and through his study of how cities change, comparing the movement within to an engine. His study is integral to understanding how cities change over time. Greater Sudbury was chosen as a city to study in regards to interval and speed due to its unique nature. Sudbury is made of man smaller cities and towns that are all connected by highways, challenging the typical grid format. This creates a unique problem of having a desolate town center since each smaller town has their own center, while the greater city has no common crossing point between them. To combat this issue a transport nexus is proposed to unify methods of transportation across Greater Sudbury to create one common place of intersection at the city’s core. In addition to the nexus, a market is proposed to create a program rich environment that encourages interaction and exploration. This intent is to increase the daily traffic through what would be the new city center, while manifesting the interval of time within the buildings. The methodology conducted to reach the desired outcome is a series of iterative and cyclical processes that challenge traditional design work flows to encourage a focus on designing for temporality as much as it does spatially. Starting with digital collage and eventually ending with projection; the work conducted demonstrates a nonlinear work flow through play to manifest architecture that is both practical and imbued with temporal essence.