Vivarium

= proposed urbanism project by Eric Hunting

Description

Eric Hunting:

"Vivarium is a proposal for a series of modest experiments in peer-developed architecture through interactive design of shared habitats. It employs the notion of 'recreational design' or architecture as a form of play accessible to anyone based on their intuitive perceptions of spatial function and the topology inherent to low/no-skill building systems. Vivarium would present participants with a large functionally neutral space and the basic skills for a chosen building system then encourage them to freely explore its use within this 'sandbox' where, working alternately as individuals and groups, they can cultivate a shared leisure habitat perpetually evolving with their varying ideas for fun and comfort. In this way aspects of peer-organization can be explored in a casual setting as participants redevelop some of the traditional skills of peer-based design once common to pre-industrial culture.

Our basic model is that of a community recreation-space or 'third place'; a place other than work and home where people go for liesure in a casual social setting. Our proposed Vivarium's third place would have no pre-defined form or theme other than that defined by the local surroundings, the inherent aesthetic of the building system, and the general notion of a communal liesure space. Everything else is up to the participants to create employing their own individual and collective imagination. Likely Vivarium spaces would be inside disused or specially created large span enclosures such as warehouses, industrial buildings, transportation terminals, or open-plan office spaces -ideally in locations within a casual walking distance for a sizable population of potential participants. Though not strictly limited to enclosed structures, the simple building systems we can readily employ at present tend to be less than weather-resiliant.

The Vivarium space would designate secondary space in or near its main 'sandbox' space for workshop/storage facilities as needed for the chosen building system. Bathroom facilities may also be included. Additionally, it may include kitchen/food service facilities for light dining with possible flexible space for special meal events. In some situations, a commercial food service venue (cafe, coffee shop, vending machine lounge) could be the 'kernel' of the Vivarium venue and a sponsor of the project by way of employing the Vivarium as a marketing attraction. Some food service/preparation could also be included within the user-built creations, but it is likely that this would be restricted by building codes. Food is an important aspect of the function of traditional third places. In their usual forms, they typically feature some kind of food service, if not being based primarily on a casual dining venue. Services like WiFi are also a likely addition to the space.

A variety of simple modular building systems are possible for our Vivariums. One of the most accessible is the GridBeam system. This is the current incarnation of BoxBeam; a light modular post and beam framing system first devised as Matrix by designer Ken Isaacs in the 1960s. Components consist of pre-holed 2x2 wood framing and plywood panels bolted together with simple tri-lap joints and surface-mount panel attachment. Components are both freely reusable as well as freely customizable. Matrix was originally invented to suit what Isaacs referred to as 'living structures' -a kind of 'furnitecture' that maximized the potential functionality of limited spaces through volumetric organization. This is a good analogy in general for the kinds of structures likely to be devised in the Vivarium. The limitations of GridBeam are that a few tools are still needed in assembly and customization of any standard components will require workshop space.

Another possibility is modular block systems where pre-fashioned blocks made of fabric-covered or skinned foam or recycled polyethylene are used as a kind of 'live-in Lego' building system. This has less rigidity and so would tend to be limited to lower-height structures but has the potential advantage of a high degree of inherent comfort, particularly with foam elements. Block systems are also capable of pixelated 'landscape' forms.

Pallet, crate, and industrial shelving systems are another possibility. Here a standard polyethylene shipping pallet combined with alloy posts, shelving unit, or a block formed of stackable crates or boxes assembled with bolt-together connectors are used as modular building elements. A purpose-made module designed for bolt attachment and low-tech mass production might also be devised. Pallet and shelving based structures are potentially quite strong and resilient but are also a bit heavy.

Off-the-shelf scaffolding and theatrical truss systems are another possibility, though generally expensive. These offer very good strength-to-weight performance and easy assembly, though some have restrictive topologies because they are specialized to the scaffolding role. Truss systems tend to have heavier unit components and only a few offer connectors that can function without constant re-tightening and adjusting with use.

Light space frame systems may be used, though again these have traditionally been very expensive since their common manufacturers have never quite grasped the point of standardized mass production. However, some simple economical systems have emerged, such as those intended for trade show displays or DIY space frame systems like that devised by the design group N55.

An interesting option is 'podscape' systems based on mobile prefabricated 'furnitecture' units. This builds on the concept of 'pod living' devised in the mid 20th century where open plan spaces were made habitable by employing 'pods' that combined furniture with appliances. This concept has been explored in Modernist design in countless variations. In a 'podscape', a series of standardized but customizable pods would be fashioned using a tiling scheme that allows them to be interconnected into combined complexes. Each pod module would be fashioned on a platform with casters allowing it to be moved freely, plugged into neighboring pods, then locked in location. Pods would range from simple deck modules to various sizes and heights of enclosures. Their assemblies would be akin to 'islands' within the sandbox space. This approach would be well suited to very large sandbox spaces and offers very easy user assembly, very high durability, and a potentially high finish appearance but limits users to customization of standard pod forms whose prefabrication would be fairly elaborate.

On an even more advanced level, it would be possible to devise plug-in panel/fixture systems that rely on a pre-installed floor and ceiling attachment grid, akin to office partition systems and recent modular homebuilding systems such as this author's own Utilihab open source building system. This would require a more sophisticated pre-fabrication of building elements but with the benefit of a corresponding reduced level of work for the end-user and a higher standard of finish.

Whatever building system is devised, Vivarium founders/managers would need to develop a series of demonstration structures that can be used as the basis of a presentation teaching new participants the basics of the system. These structures would also be used to test the engineering limits of the system, though in general the strategy here is that no system, or structures built with it, should pose a critical challenge of its physical performance so that failure is a natural learning mode with no serious consequences of injury. Disclaimers and liability waivers may be necessary in some situations.

Few rules and minimal direction would be imposed on participants' use of the Vivarium space. It's up to them to define its uses. The few rules necessary would be concerned mostly with meeting formal safety regulations and building structures in a generally safe fashion. (relying largely on the safety engineered-into the modular building system itself) Vivarium management would always have the last word on the safety of anything built or used in the space.

The one overriding rule would be that no one owns anything built in the Vivarium and all structures are generally free for anyone to use. It's all 'belongs' to the Vivarium itself. One has use rights based on creation, persistence of use, and first-come-first-serve access. A persistently used structure has a right to persist and not be changed or removed on a whim without consent of its regular users. Perhaps more enclosed and smaller structures may be declared 'private' when in use. Structures that are disused for a certain period of time can be dissembled at the discretion of the Vivarium managers. The general idea, though, is that there is no loss of 'property' in this situation, most structures quickly and easily re-built. Structures would be devised and built by both individuals and groups -the overall space managed through group negotiation. Asynchronous means of communication would be used in the mediation of resource management on the community level and Vivarium managers would work as mediators. Some structures would be declared persistent in intent on creation, others not, depending on their simplicity and the ease of use of the building system. (a simple couch spontaneously assembled from a few random foam blocks doesn't need to be declared persistent) One important point of study here is how customization -and its labor quotient- relates to the perception of ownership and how people employ customization as artistic expression for the benefit of a community or for personalization as a means to defining territory.

Digital photography would be employed as a way of retaining a record of structure designs to facilitate their easy re-assembly. An archive of these images would be created and displayed in the Vivarium space as both a guide to design -serving as the memory upon which a vernacular system may evolve- as well as an entertaining showcase of the evolution of the Vivarium habitat.

All ages should be welcome in the Vivarium space, but adults sometimes prefer spaces that are more adult-themed and some choices of building systems would tend to be less safe for children than others based on the heaviness and hardness of component elements or their need for tools. This may impose some limitations on child participation. Some Vivarium projects, though, could be designed specifically for child participation with a higher degree of integral safety, greater adult supervision, and much easier and safer building systems. Some recently devised large foam based versions of Lego could be well suited to this.

The goal of Vivarium is to create, in effect, a kind of human behavior petri dish in which to observe the kinds of organization and patterns of construction and use that arise in a casual cultivation of habitat. This may offer important insights for social participation in urban development in the larger real-world habitat. At the same time, we are deliberately introducing participants to an experience of peer-to-peer design and the notion of being in group control of a habitat of their own creation -a potentially empowering experience given the extreme loss of this sense of control in the larger built habitat. We are giving people a taste of community and the possibilities of architecture that would afford a more alive, evolutionary, habitat and a more socially responsible means of its creation than we know today. The ramifications of this may be a greater awareness of the social dimension of our built habitat, a questioning of the nature of property, and a greater expectation of -and demand for- social participation in urban development."