project08:Interactions

project:project(s)

SEPAC is interacting with many neighbouring projects, trying to build a coherent spatial solution for the Eastern side of the RDM Dock. As a object of culture it is tightly connected with The Fifth Season (link). The link is acheved by a physical bridge between both projects. This realize also an idea of project X, howewer the description doesn't give informations, which can be used to assume any physical qualities of the concept, so it is hard to describe a possible physical connection.

project:building(s)

At the beggining it is important to mark that SEPAC refers mostly to the Eastern part of the dock. The Western part of the dock is beeing developed now, and it is mostly adressing the innovation and fabrication aspects. It works as an incubator for new and innovative companies, dealing with technologies. We are designing an intervention that will shift the region from only industrial thowards more mixed use. Our intervention is mostly situated on the water, the technology incubator is occupying a huge ammount of the old shipyard buildings, developing mostly around the main building. Knowing that we can assume that the eastern part will be developed in the later stage and can be used for different purpose.

The eastern part have very different spatial cofiguration than the western part. The second form a solid and high wall at the border of the dock and a long and not very wide area in front of the wall. While the first is now full of the cointainers, and not available to enter, but the satelite imaginery shows big amount of land which still have not been build up. There is a chance to develop an sequence of urban interiors that the opposite site lacks.

Building marked as ... interacts with SEPAC as a point of reference. The industrial character and rectlinear geometry is opposed to the modern, smooth shape of SEPAC and it's cultural/social function. The new developemnt will embody the new spirit of the neighbourhood which is opposed to the previous character of this place. Those two buildings have simmilar scale and SEPAC take some geometrical ... from the old industrial building.

project:object(s)

Urban area tagged as a "Open area on the east side of docks" is suitable to accomodate a typology mentioned above. It is a plot of 6000 m2, surrounded by buildings which are likely to be converted e.g. into housing. The site can also be used to provide the parking places in the underground parking which can be a demand if the Hyperbody intervention would have been succesfull. The SEPAC concept interact with this area acting as the building that encloses the area from the side of water (creates on of the frontages). Also adresses the audience which comes from this area. Either the permanent (new local inhabitants) and the temporary (those who came by car to this region).

Through the area marked as "The only green part of land" SEPAC is accesed from the side of the land. This is the only land which is left "green". To respect this it is decided to be left as a public green space - park. Then the new Hyperbody intervention can be accesed from the side of the only road comming to RDM Dock through a park area. The sequence of the bridge connecting the eastern side with SEPAC, The Fifth Season and the Pier starts in the park setting.

building(s):object(s)

The building interacts with the Urban square and the Park by spiltting those two worlds.

project:person(s)

Many students complain, that there is no place to hang out, urban furniture that were placed on the narrow piece of land in front of the workshops is now abbandoned, in pieces or in a very bad condition. Additionally the RDM Receptionist said that it is very windy and when you drive around the corner of the building you can be blown from your bike by the wind. This matters can be adressed by developing urban interiors in more human scale, fitted between the buildings to avoid unwanted exposition to wind.

Moreover there are many interactions between the SEPAC and the people comming to the building. Below you can read few interaction scenarios for the performance/exhibition area.

Internal space ussage - theatre scenario

Imagine a performance where the spectator is entering the space and his seat automatically appears, beeing driven by pressure sensor. And this is just the easiest possible scenario. This system can be connected with other sensors, which supply information about the rest of spectators waiting to enter the space. We can monitor their amount and movement, supposingly gues the athmosphere and direct a sequence of events. This can be also synchronized with lighting system which can stimulate certain reactions. This time imagine a performance where spectators slowly enter the space, they walk around, stop and talk to each other, their seats are appearing and dissapearing naturally and the actors are mixed into the crowd. It seems that a scene like this will embody perfectly all the ideas of experimental theatre. They all interact, sometimes is hard to guess what is directed and what happened naturally, who is a real person and who is an actor.

Internal space ussage - exhibition scenario

Proposed space can also create unique exhibition setting. Fully addaptible in realtime, can also follow preprogramed sequence or adapt predefined scheme to current situation. Exhibits can be permanently displayed on elevated podiums. Movement of visitors makes light dim and ... when they approach an exhibit. When they reach the destination, seats appear. When a bigger group gathers arround, a small amfitheatre is created to display a short video which explains details about the exhibit. Sucher system might have been also used to study, gather data about spectators movement and which exhibits are most interesting. Eventually system can automatically adjust all parameters to fit better to expectations of visitors.

Inernal space ussage - on-stage performance

Of course internal space can be used to organize more traditional on-stage performances. In this case we gain chance to nearly (dowolnie) manage the ammount of seating and standing places. This ammount can be set up even 5 minutes before the launch, having information about amount of spectators awaiting to enter. This ussage scheme is also closely connected to the aspect of external skin scalability.

Having said that we can define the cultural programe of the SEPAC as a Rotterdams' Centre for Experimental Theatre, exhibition area for media instalations, digital media, performative arts as well as more conventional arts.

As a recent discusion between the Hyperbody students showed, local aspects have to be adressed also in our projects. SEPAC offers very interesting cultural programe, but at the same time has a transitional character. It is close to the land, to the only road that brings local inhabitants to the area and to the new developments with non-industrial function. This building is a "bridge" that brings people to The Fifth Season, The Pier and so on. The local society lack basic facilities like local services, commercial space and a community center. Big performance/exhibition area can also be used as a society gathering hall. The model of interaction is simmilar. People come together to take part in some kind of activity either a cultural or social, they talk together, see the exhibition, see the performance or discus matters important for the local society. The big multi-purpose hall is supported with addaptive and divisible space for social/commercial activities. This may include small gym, workshop space, local society office, small shop, caffee. This turns SEPAC into Society and Culture centre. This program coexists with The Fifth Season which adress mostly the sports and offers very big auditorium space, where the SEPAC is the multi-purpose setting.