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Soho Ad Hoc

Part 1 Project 2004
Matthew Tabram
Emma Illingworth
London South Bank University | UK
Views on Koolhaas's and Tschumi's texts on the current and future states of the urban condition and the potential for 'event' architecture to counter urban public domain tendencies towards 'thin space' led to the hypothesis that successful public architecture could be made from the extrapolation of selected, existing edge conditions-cultural, typological and programmatic and from the complication of space through multiple/cross programming to generate an architectural solution of interposed pathways and destinations.
The aim was to resist the desire to create iconic external forms so that spaces derive from the splicing of existing rituals and patterns of use with new, overlaid opportunities.

Matthew Tabram
Emma Illingworth


This project resists the iconic in favour of an 'ad hoc'
approach.Matt's proposal for a mixed use scheme for one of Soho's last open sites recognises the patchwork nature of land tenure and development processess in London. His proposal invites adjacent landowners to collectively share facilities for schools and theatre groups.
The project's strength lies in its recognition of the fundamental reality of urban life and acknowledges an 'ad hoc ' and incremental approach as a viable design tool in creating an 'event' based architecture.
An exquisite model reveals an urban grain and an architecture where places are created that relate to the scale and the experience of the individual.

Tutor(s)

2004
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