Infrastructure as Architecture

Open Axis of Bridges, Ramps, Walkways. Provide connections not only within Paraisopolis, but also to the rest of Sao Paulo.  Bridge the Gap : physical, social, economic barriers.  Engage the diverse conditions of Sao Paulo in such a manner that disrupts the norm.  Connect Paraisopolis to Sao Paulo’s Metro / System; thus, reducing commuting time and increasing travel distances = opportunity? Increase mobility to the extents of Sao Paulo rather than the immediate periphery of Paraisopolis.  Opportunity = jobs, vocational training, higher education, larger client base for businesses, tourism, etc.

Create Kinetic Pathways – that engage the user and generate energy via kinetic surfaces and installations along circulation infrastructure.  Engage high traffic and sports along these Energy Corridors in order to utilize human activity to generate energy.  Apply resultant energy to power lighting, and create plug-in stations to power portable devices.  Infrastructure as Architecture; infrastructure that accommodates sports fields, transportation, training and educational centers, etc. 

Flexible Infrastructure: pedestrian bridges, ramps, walkways flex according to program and adapts to the changing conditions of Paraisopolis. Speculate that if the favelas continue to rise and stack, the circulation infrastructure must be able to ascend. Design Plug-In Structure that allows for interchangeable infill / surfaces – turf, plants, grate, recycled materials, etc. as the programmatic function of these corridors may change seasonally.

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Comment:

Hi,

I like the idea of a “kinetic pathway” and there are many interactive installations on bridges / walkways that can be looked at (more on that later) It depends on which sorts of scales you want the interactions to occur. And these scales need to be determined by site-specific research, as there are many different possibilities for such a broad topic.

Such research of current interactions in Grotoa’s public space will greatly inform your design and also ensure its success/efficiency. It is a matter of perhaps tweaking/accentuating existing patterns and converting them into the productive source of energy you describe.

Low-tech ideas like wind-up energy could be interesting to use in conjunction with games along the path.

Piezoelectric fabric for energy harvesting could also be used on steps (you mentioned this in first presentation I saw)

A very nice project to do with sound-generation, is “Tuned Stairs” by Fabrica. They connected a glockenspiel to a staircase in the Pompidou, making it a hub of activity and a joy to walk – I remember hanging out with people of all ages, all of us making plinky-plonky music together. Perhaps such a simple idea could be modified to an instrument that is used in Grotoa and connected to energy-production somehow?

Other reference projects for pathways:
Suspended Staircase
Kew Gardens walkway
Andrea Polli’s Queensbridge Windpower project (New York)
Bill Fontana’s Harmonic Bridge project (London)

I hope this is helpful, I look forward to seeing the next step of your project!

best,
Miranda