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You can read the full essay here

Masterplan Kirchberg Plateau – Luxembourg LU

STAP consult+design was commissioned by “Urbis bureau voor stadsontwerp” to develop architecture guidelines for their winning entry of an international competition.

The planning area is located on Kirchberg Plateau in Luxembourg and forms the link between the European district with major institutions of the European Union and a small-scale residential neighbourhood. Our work included studies on typologies, massing studies, façade proposals as well as presentations.

Permanent exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark China in Chengdu, China

The exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark in Chengdu will open by the end of May 2013. It will take place in an existing building at a very prominent location next to the riverside. The building now being used as an office building will be completely stripped. STAP consult+design is commissioned to design the ‘exhibition in the dark’ layout and all related rooms on the second floor as well as the layout of the first floor containing a café and gift shop, a workshop in the dark room as well as the “Casino for Communication”. The architecture and interior design firm R1 from Taiwan will contribute with their knowledge to support the design of the first floor and will be the local architect for the whole project. 



We made an analysis of the existing building, optimized the circulation and the logistics of the building and did research on the scenarios and apendant props. 

Together with Dialogue in the Dark China we developed scenarios which include equipment and props being typical for Chengdu to facilitate recognition by the visitors when visiting the exhibition in the dark.

Temporary exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark at Peter and Paul Fortress Museum, St. Petersburg , Russia

The first exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark in Russia will open in january at Peter and Paul Fortress Museum, St. Petersburg , Russia. The exhibition will take place in a wing of the museum which now hosts a restaurant. The restaurant and the appendant kitchen will be completely dismanteld and host the temporary exhibition with lobby and staff rooms.

STAP consult+design is commissioned to design the exhibition layout and all related rooms. Together with Dialogue in the Dark we developed scenarios which include equipments and props being typical for St. Petersburg to facilitate recognicition by the visitors when visiting the exhibition in the dark.

 

Cultural Acupunture Treatment For Suburb (CULBURB), competition entry STAP consult+design

Project Culburb aims to activate the public realm in the suburbs of Central European capital cities through acupuncture interventions. A first step in such a process is the improvement of public spaces in the suburbs. Project Culburb starts this process through a competition asking for acupuncture interventions in six localities around Central European capitals.

Rajka is a small city located in the Northwest of Hungary, cornered by the borders of Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. The border location has caused a specific situation and demands. The original village is facing massive and swift changes that can be dated to the change of political system 20 years ago, then the later membership of the European Union and becoming the member of common EU Schengen border policy. In consequence of opening the land and housing market within the EU, Rajka became the natural target for the immigrants from the nearby Slovakian capital Bratislava. Currently of a population of 2700 there are around 900 inhabitants related to Bratislava. The time taken for commuting makes it difficult to fully integrate and take part in the life of the village.

The problems Rajka is facing are multi-layered and reach all parts of the population. To stabilize and foster social networks, one needs to create a common feeling of shared public life through common values and interests and discuss people’s shared environment.

We are convinced that main design must not be engaged on a spatial or architectural but on a social level. At the same time any social in­teraction needs a spatial platform. Thus we suggest starting with mobile devices and temporary installations and coming to a collectively managed space.

FIRST STEP
Place a billboard on site.
“Promotion” at places where people com anyway, for example the main square, the playgrounds, supermarket, school, culture house, ….
Realize temporary interventions in the public realm through the whole city to get more people to know about the project.

SECOND STEP
Build an info box with pallets to keep people up to date.

Ask people for old chairs or tables to create a temporary platform.
Provide people with pallets and/ or bales of straw and make workshops to help them discover what kind of spatial platform they want for their social interaction.
Organize a poetry slam, a puppet theatre, an exchange market for plants, … to stimulate conversation across all groups of the population through shared interests.

THIRD STEP
Look for people being exceptionally dedicated, willing to get involved in various projects.
Building of the spatial platform, for example a small podium, facilities to sit, space to hang around, a sandbox and gardening.
Culture house is extended exterior space serving as seed of possibilities out of which other projects may grow.
Place bulletin board for example for people looking for help and for people looking for work, or to find a chess mate.
Landscape cross course on existing hill.

FOURTH STEP
Encourage people to act independently, make them realize what they can accomplish themselves.
The platform serves as starting point for projects all over the city, for example a summer festival in the old buildings at the border.

Permanent exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark at Gong Yi Xin Tian Di, Shanghai, China

The exhibition of Dialogue in the Dark in Shanghai will open in summer 2013 at Gong Yi Xin Tian Di, a former hospital that had been transformed into an orphanage and later into a school for visually impaired children. The exhibition will take place in a beautiful old building in the centre of the complex. 

STAP consult+design is commissioned to design the ‘exhibition in the dark’ layout and all related rooms. PEGA Design & Engineering from Shanghai will contribute with their knowledge to support the design of the lobby. 

We made an analysis of the existing building, optimized the circulation and the logistics of the exhibition and did research on the scenarios and apendant props. 

Together with Dialogue in the Dark China we developed scenarios which include equipments and props being typical for Shanghai to facilitate recognition by the visitors when visiting the exhibition in the dark.