The Laboratory
for city interventions
The vision is to
bring young, creative, motivated and pro-active people to the industrial park
of Alcorcón.
As a starting point
serves the axis of „the big green left-over space“ (I will call it „the
jungle“), which is in the middle between the less-attractive parts of the
industrial park as well as with the „intended other center of Alcorcón“ – the area
with many schools and with the failed project of CREAA.
This part of Alcorcón has no obvious functions assigned
but is used by pedestrians – which leave their traces on the plot. It is a huge
free space where everything is allowed.
In order to encourage for more activities on this plot I
firstly create different climatic zones and influencing the conditions.
Secondly I want to densify the use of the surroundings by bringing more life to
the streets of the industrial park.
For occupying space above the industrial park the same democratic
organizing principle (as in „the jungle“) is used. Only a basic steel structure
is provided, all spaces have to be constructed by their future inhabitants.
And who would those be? Students. My vision is to start a
non-institutional, self-organized and hands-on school where the education centers
around experimentations.
There are no departments in classical sense. It rather
offers a free space to be taken, appropriated and converted to a workshop,
office, gallery or laboratory due to one´s personal interest. The student has
to get pro-active and search for cooperations, define new challenges.
The industrial park is a great spot to start a university
of this type: students have the chance to cooperate with the companies around
them and on the other hand it brings a fresh wind to the businesses and an
opportunity to draw new inspiration.
