mOOO team would like to thank all designers for submitting their quality design. mOOO team will contact our winners, finalists and honourable mentions regarding details of our publications, Q&A interview and the prize we will be sending you. We would like to draw your attention to our public vote on Facebook as well. Please vote for your favourite team to win our special non-monetary prize! Due to an unprecedented and unfortunate amount of forfeits, we are forced to cut our awards to TOP 24 and make adjustments to the final awards. Final results can be found below.
We are giving out 2 free publication copies to the two teams with the most votes & 1 free publication copy for the best comment.
Register and vote before 11 Nov 2020 11:59pm [UTC 00]
WINNERS
Also Voted Most Original by Jurors
COAL OBJECT by N.Chidambaram & BalajiBalganesan
The Coal object is an eclectic interpretation of the absurdity of space, political turmoil, ownership, and opinions.
Premise – The geologic section shows green flora at the top, layers of compression and coal at the bottom. The coal object utilizes the materiality of coal as a form of subtle protest amidst its history as a substance that formed the backbone for pushing forward the industrial revolution.
This absurd setting is further defined by POPS, which we interpret as an infinite “privately owned publicly owned privately owned…” drama. Coal is seen as an object that liberates, in an absurd setting through an absurd steampunk social machine.
The event – A chalk art festival. A silent protest through a temporal graffiti festival.
The Black wall – Dividing the site into gathering pockets, the Charred wood walls form the social canvas where people write and protest through chalk, opting a visceral and subtle protest away from the smartphone.
The Absurd Grid – Multiple monotone grids come together in an overlaid radical grid inspired by Branzi’s No stop city. The Absurd grid with its inter dependent mechanical objects serve to continuously erase the canvas i.e. “The Black wall”.
Monotone Grids – The Kale grid with planters representing the green that births the coal becomes the salad bar. The Hearth grid with its nodes become social centres where barbecuing and fireside conversations occur. The Steam grid with its pipes and vents powered by activity of the hearth grid erases the The Black wall by spraying water and steam on the chalked canvas. These form the absurd grid – the gazing authority stifling our voices.
In a society of increasing complexity much like the geologic section, contradictions arise. Tectonic shifts of varied opinions and perspectives across spectrums which never align serve to entertain the coal object – a never ending drama of the void.
Rolling mist by Yu Xinyi
As the storage center of Coal in Britain’s industrial era, Coal Drop Yard witnessed the birth and disappearance of London fog. When something goes away, it also becomes a thing to be remembered. The London fog, though harmful, still represents the romanticism of industrialization and is a powerful symbol of the worship of countries at that time.
The project proposes a new festival, including lights, fog and interactive performances, to be held in rainy weather from September to November every year for a period of 3 months. The project is mainly composed of three elements: rolling element in movement, flowing fog under the touch and interactive projection in vision. Rolling is the core of the design of this project. 15 water crystals are installed with circular rollers at the bottom of the entrance to the site to promote people to enter the fog at different speeds. People’s contact with the fog and their walking track affect the flow velocity of the fog and form a variety of turbulence models. The architectural surface is supported by vivid projection technology. From the perspective of science, politics, literature and art in the Victorian era, computer technology is integrated with animation design, and the coal Drops Yard contour curve is combined to create a gorgeous interactive light and shadow performance.
With the help of different forms of fog, the project turns the site into an outdoor art work at night, and at the same time brings a new opportunity to the development of urban economy, allowing all people to rediscover the vitality and charm of London fog in the streets of this historic capital.
FINALISTS
Also Voted Most Practical by Jurors
Transformation from social distance
by Chan Tsz Kwan, Wan Po Kwan & Tsui Sui Nam
Maintaining 1.5 meters from other people is necessary under social distance under COVID-19. Physical isolation is reflected on the low usage of public spaces due to avoidance of social distance. Public space plays an important role in maintaining a city’s social cohesion and citizens’ well-being.
The concept therefore originates from the 1.5-meter distancing reference circles, as they transform into simple architectural modules after COVID-19. The contacting distance of people expands gradually, as the clusters of modules connect.
Our design experiences 3 transformations – Reconnect, Recharge and Rebuild.
“Reconnect” is the first phase of connecting POPs at King’s Cross Station in urban scale. Coal Drops Yard(CDY) serves as a hub as it intersects on the main pathways. In order to increase usage, the transformation of CDY should provide a variety of programs that fulfill different needs of people, thus reconnecting the POPs together.
In the stage of “recharge”, the design follows the principles from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. “Food Bazaar” first fulfills physiological needs of human and forms a small self-sustaining marketplace for people to sell products freely. “Urban oasis” provides peace and security for people to recall the beautiful memories of the city. The “recharging corner” is a zone for people to regain the concept of time and physical accomplishments, such as exercising and planting. “Play space” is essential for unleashing creativity and thus developing social bonds and love with each other.
Lastly, “rebuild” is a self-actualization process of the city and her people. As the modules develop during time, we encourage people to invent programs according to their will and state of mind. After the long COVID-19, we should remember the difficulties we have had and regenerate a new vision for public spaces, which is to rebuild the social atmosphere in London.
Also Voted Most Environmentally Conscious by Jurors
RIBS STRUCTURE I GARDEN WALK by Marco Chan & Yu Kei Nam Karly
Festival:
A beautiful and peaceful environment can always appease people’s soul. Garden Walk is an event that allows the general public to walk into a green zone covered by a big piece of landscape art painting, the visitors will experience plenty of species of landscape elements surrounding them, like a forest in a city. By bringing the green elements into an urban plaza area, the Rib Plaza can instantly become an interesting and exciting area for all of the people living there or even foreigners to visit and have a walk.
Design Intention & Expectation:
The balance between ‘Temporary & Sustainable ‘and ‘Human & Nature’ is the question that appears in the initial and final stages of the design work. The main object for this project is about bringing the ‘green zone’ closer to people’s daily life also hope the visitors can let go of the fatigue of life and take a deep breath inside the Plaza.
Indoor Walkway
By following the pattern of the arches next to the site, creating a sort of ribs structure that having a different height, can form a wave shape and allow to put different kinds of landscape elements inside the plaza. There is two sides walkway that connects to the north and south entrance and guiding people to follow, moreover, there are some intersection points within their journey.
Outdoor Platform
It is a relatively smaller green area but the objective to create a small platform is to provide a gathering area instead of a walkway. The ribs are the entrances to get into the platform, and there are some of the wood deck is replaced to lawn. Also, in the middle of the platform, there will be a featured landscape exhibition to draw people’s attention.
Also Voted Most Aesthetic by Jurors
Chills Cheers by hui lyu & Dan Ke
The city of London is well known for its Hospitality and Elegancy and people of London have created an unique daily life culture as 1. Morning Exercises 2. Newspaper Reading 3.Hearty Brunch 4. Afternoon Tea 5. Dog Walk 6. Evening Dance Party which reflect a sustainable and delightful way of living.
Our planned event aims at celebrating London everyday lifestyle and here we propose an “One Day POPS “ event series at 6 POP fields in the King’s Cross Area. “1.The Breath” at Lewis Cubitt Park , “2.The Read” at Gasholder Park, “3. The Cheers” at Coal Drop Yard , “4. The Tea”at Pancras Square Leisure , “5. The companion” at Handyside Garden Regent’s Canal Front , “6.The Chills ”at Granary Square
“Cheers” project for Coal Drop Yard site promotes safe and lovely touch between people while Covid 19 has prevented us from close body greetings. Sets of champagne glass sculpture made of Glass silica gel gather around, revitalizing central square of coal drop yard. Flexible arrangement of champagne glasses enable playful decorations for the site, in the scenario of double champagne glass groves , it opens up upright alley for visitors while in the scenario of champagne glass bouquet , the central become more cheerful and compacted.
Usually, People take one champagne glass seat, triggering “cheer” action, “champagne glasses” touch each other and send sweet “cheers” greetings , forming into beautiful echoes in the yard. This is the most healing moment for us, which is full with warmth, care and happiness. With the prominent Heatherwick’s KISS as background, “Cheers” celebrates connections between individuals, providing subtle and fun socialise opportunities for the public.
CONNECTIONS THROUGH LANDSCAPE by Adriana Mantke
The privatization of public land is a growing phenomenon occurring in cities such as London. The transformation of public spaces has given rise to Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). The Coal Drops Yard (CDY) is a unique space where art, business, and culture convene. The goal of this project is to celebrate and enhance the CDY as well as other POPS through connection, interaction, and linkage.
This installation is meant to take place during the summer season. The connection and interaction occur between residents and visitors with the installations through the inviting contours and by providing greenscape spaces throughout the busy city of London. Another design intent of these installations is to create interconnection and linkage between different POPS through the spread of similar installations. This way, these installations are visually connected, inviting pedestrians to explore more of the city.
“Architecture is the practice of designing human environments through the arrangement of form and voids to support human activity – with a stress on the ‘human’ part of the statement” (Plowright 3). This project strives to create a space that is heavily influenced by human movement, activities, needs, and interactions. The human body and its positions informed the contours of the installations, which were parametrically designed. Additionally, these installations are designed through the consideration of the site’s topography, circulation, and boundaries.
References
Plowright, Philip D. Making Architecture through Being Human: a Handbook of Design Ideas. Routledge, 2020.
Also Voted Most Theme Fitting by Jurors
TOP OF THE POPS! by jake mace & alix earlands
As the number of Privately owned Public spaces (POPS) increasingly dominate the Capital, a solution which brings ‘publicness’ back into the forefront of placemaking is vital to reduce the spread of overcontrolled and saturated spaces. By using the same methodology as everyone’s favourite capitalist game, Monopoly, the ‘TOP OF THE POPS’ scheme links all major POP sites across London through a unique ‘gamification’ solution. The proposal seeks to dive into the controversies over POPs and celebrate them with a twist.
Each site within central London is linked with a theme that challenges the foundations of POPs, varying between ownership, management, accessibility and inclusiveness. By introducing the game into the city, we developed activities which respond to the needs of enhancing publicness in each space such as freedom of speech, taking photos, demonstrating and busking.
The Coal Drops Yard site has been injected with a narrative focused mainly on freedom of speech. Tubular sound tunnels race around creating spaces that cater to activities like sitting, socialising, and playing. All tubes are connected to the speech tower, built up of a conglomerate of sound tubes giving the demonstration a fixed centre point and a hierarchy. This allows players to speak their mind freely, without being on the site, abiding by the site’s rules. As with most games, there is an element of risk where the player can choose to speak their mind on site, but do so with great caution or a trip to security jail could be on the cards.
LONDON GRAVITY LAB. by Federica Fantoli & Francesco Roesler
The ‘London Gravity Lab.’ is a series of urban experiments combining art, landscape and scenography; a sensorial, immersive experience investigating aspects of leisure and active recreation to encourage visitors being active characters in the urban theatre, not just spectators.
The temporary installations investigate the specific space character, understanding its historical and social role for London.
The Festival has two goals:
- To offer visitors an unconventional way to experience public realm, not just by walking or cycling but also jumping, floating and climbing.
- On the other end we interpret the place’s memory, its genius loci, or spirit, in contrast with the contemporary design approach of public realm corporate homologation.
Three main experimental clusters have been selected, but the same principles can be applied across all the POPs.
- CANARY PIERS – West India Quay
A system of thematic floating platforms, evoking the importance of Canary Wharf, the world’s busiest docklands between XVIII and XIX Century, connecting London with the rest of World.
- CITY BUBBLES – Broadgate and Finsbury Squares
This ironic installation reflects on Finance instability through a series of inflated balloons scattered across the City of London, turning it from the world trade markets’ Capital into a huge playground.
- KING’S NETS – King’s Cross and Coal Drop Yard
This site was a complex system to process and distribute energy across London.
The tensile netted structure represent and celebrate the old London’s industrial network. Visitors can climb it or pass underneath it, in the Meadow, a temporary garden where relax while dwelling across shops and cafes.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Happy POPS by Joaquín Bonfiglio, Florencia Monteverde, Francisco Erniaga & Gastón Álvarez de Ron
CPR_CDY POPS represents. by Lee Jihyun, Park Yeonsu & Park IHyun
Curating London. by MUHAMMAD KHAIRUL MUSTAQIM BIN KAMARUDDIN, WAN AMIRUDDIN BIN WAN MOHD KAMAL & MOHD FADZLI FUAD BIN MOHAMAD FAIZ
EXPRESS INITIATIVE by Felix Kim, Pui Luk & Zeb Saiyed
Distributed Dendrite Interface by Zijing Gao & Yiwen Yan
Bagley’s 24h – Transformation of Nightclub by Yuk Fan Lau, Xinyong Fang & Ka Ming Tsoi
POPup in [POPS] by Aalok Joshi & Sanjyot Bhujbal
Memento Historia by Chua En Hui, Liew Kah Wai, Cheong Hui Lin & Ho Hui Min
London Jungle Series by Ysabel Usabal & Hayley Wojtowicz
Infesting Balconies by Margherita Antolini & Yunha Choi
Meritorious in Momento by Ahmad Luqman Hadi Bin Nor Zafri, Che Muhamad Aminudin Bin Che Musa, Aiman Al Fahmi Bin Abdul Kashaf & Siti Nur Syazana binti Zulkifli
Socializing under a pandemic by Lau Yik Wan Daemon, Yuen Wing Tung Athena & Chik Chun Hei
Interactive Carousel by Kun Kei Lai & Wu Dongyang
festival of gifts by Cheung Wing See, Ng Ka Ying & Wong Hang Chi
Adaptable Street Furniture by Owen Gillett
Street Space by Huma Sahin & Adrian Harrison
Metámorphe- The Synergy of P.O.P.Ss by IAT HEI CHAN
Congratulations to all the winners
Once again mOOO team is extremely pleased with the quality of submissions! All winning entries will be featured in our new #mOOO2 Publication with detailed design descriptions and selected juror’s comments. For the time being, please head towards our public vote session and vote for your favourite entries!