AUD 2 Manifesto of Urban Absurdism

What is a city? Who is a city?

Manifesto of Urban Absurdism

Elham alDweik ; Taimaa Barakat ; Farah Ali 

Beginning of the concept design process;;

What metaphysical barrier exists such that my urban fabric differs to his?

FETISHISM / FAUX-CULTURE / SOCIAL ELITISM / INTEGRATION / COHESION

SITE:

Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

For capitalism to survive, it must continuously reinvent itself.

The dichotomous divide between proletariat and bourgeoisie is ever growing in the current state of late-stage capitalism- and this social schism is most evident when analysing the architecture of Alserkal Avenue, especially in reference to its neighbours.

The avant-garde hub is awkwardly nested in one of Dubai’s largest industrial areas, which is littered with a plethora of factories and labourer camps.

The act of superimposing a narcissistic building in one of the city’s most divided regions furthers the class divide: anomie and alienation reign.

There is an absence of certain members of society in Alserkal Avenue. To clarify, this absence is not financially driven- as all warehouses are free of charge; therefore, there is an underlying source of social elitism that the art world promotes- beyond the lens of Dubai, this is an international issue.

Thus, the art world becomes faux culture. The migrant is not considered a member of society: he is not integrated.

  

  

-Inputs:

A) Sociological:

The human integration of all members of society in the space, bridging the gap between the different social structures.

B) Structural:

Redefining the structural use of the warehouses into multifunctional spaces that incorporate warehouses and galleries, industries, and residential units depending on the floors, respectively.

Thus, the space becomes a modular plug-in radical city.

C) Sustainable:

Use of local labour, for the use of local labour.

D) Regional:

Respect of the surroundings, as well as the locals of Al Quoz’s microclimate.

-Processes:

The integration of the inputs may be translated into a multifunctional space:

The warehouses may be integrated into a lower floor used for social integration- rather than artistic elitism.

The following level may be an industrial hub, drawing highlights to Alserkal Avenue’s origin: A Factory.

Finally, the final floor may be used as a residential unit for labourer.

By basing the transformation on the site’s original design- which is somewhat parametric- the plug-in modular city may be achieved.

Transforming the conceptual inputs for grasshopper;;

Parametric Design Output following conceptual inputs ;;; an altered form

;;;; introducing the Mesh ;;;;

The finale Comic;;;

Thus, rather than a segmented city, the new radical Alserkal Avenue may be a cohesive one instead: one that celebrates all members of society, as well as their contributions.