the behavior of switches

THE SPATIAL CORE: 1-WAY SWITCHES INDICATE OPEN SPACE

SWITCH BEHAVIOR. The characteristic behaviors of the one, three and four-way switch are demonstrated in the diagrams below. The open space mat is shown as the base pattern against which one, two, three and four-way switches can be compared. 

SOFT WALLS: THREE WAY SWITCHES, above. Fences and walls destroy the qualities of contemporary urban space. Three-way or “T” intersections create invisible walls. Instead of constructing material boundaries, we have subdivided the Ward using “soft walls” made of 3-way switches. Replacing the ubiquitous barriers surrounding the fortified subdivision, these virtual walls are one of the most important aspects of mapping and manipulating spatial dis/continuity. The diagram on the left shows how the “T” intersections coincide with the new subdivision of the Fifth Ward. The drawing on the right shows the plan of the Fifth Ward with the three-way switches indicated.

RESIDENTIAL CONTINUITY: FOUR-WAY SWITCHES, above.  There are ten discrete residential subdivisions in the new plan. Residential areas require the maximum of continuity and are located in a field of 4-wqy intersections. Fitting neatly within the boundaries of the 21 sections, these ten zones are flanked by open zones possessing low continuity.

SPATIAL MATRIX: ONE-WAY SWITCHES, above. By reconfiguring the discontinuities of the existing Ward, we form an organizational “core” of the project that is manifest by space rather than form. In the new plan, space is "glue" that binds the many parts project together. This void strategy is possible only where a dominance of space characterizes the urban environment. What most distinguishes the contemporary from the traditional city is the dominance of space over form. In our attempt to reconcile the inner city with the realities of contemporary urban production, we have incorporated this characteristic into the new plan. Given the large amount of dilapidation and abandonment, the Ward already possess a dominance of space. We have attempted, however, to redistribute this space in order to employ it as an organizational matrix.

NEW STREET GRID WITH SWITCHES

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