Hyojin KimMaster of Architecture ThesisUniversity of California, Berkeley

AdvisorsMaria Paz GutierrezSusan Ubbelohde

CITY in the CHURCH: study on new method creating void space

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CONTENTS

1. Abstract- Void & Density

2. Operations- Subtraction- Infill- Networking

3. Experiment- Density Agregation- Densified Void

4. Site- History- Zabaleen : Coptic Christian- Program : Station of Cross - study model of stations - site plan - stations - section / axonometric / rendering image - sectional model of stations

5. Bibliography

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A hill with a hole, Ilya Utkin and Alexander Brodsky, Etching on paper, 1990

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“Space is nothing, yet we have a kind of vague faith in it.”1 A nothing has always been explored in both art and architecture for its experience and implication. The void is spaces in-between, and it always has a use value and characteristic. It is a powerful and essential.

“Rather than addressing the shrinking of the cities with a method of filling their void with content that only creates new artistic or architectural symbols, how can we follow the processes that are already happening? Is the solution in marking one destruction with another?.”2 Azra Aksamija asks how deal with space to create more space in a limited boundary. Traditionally, we take elements away to create the new space in city. This method also made void space imbalance or “nothing” in urban context. The void rather than being nothing is something – where its otherness is rich with imagination and possibility. Rather than trying to demolish and reshape space, void is created by densifying original contents in order to keep characteristics of space.

This thesis is study of void space in high density cities for Manshiyat Naser, which is called Garbage city. This thesis proposes that multiple polys, which are stations be placed in existing unoccupied space by connecting their daily life and social activities.

Looking at the city in the church,Not church in the city.

Abstract

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Villa Nautilus, Ilya Utkin and Alexander Brodsky, Etching on paper, 1990

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DENSITY

VOID

Nature

- water [ice]- heat- wind

Upward

- floating

- convex

- hill

Manmade[socio-economic][socio-culture]

- population- crime- disease- artificial material

Downward

- concave

- flat

Density is classified nature and manmade category. In man-made section, diverse elements can influence on creating dense space, which means literal or conceptual.

Depending on the morphological classificaiton of void, can be expected feasible architectural formations.

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Conical Intersect, Gordon Matta ClarkArtwork, Centre Pompidou Paris, 1975

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- Simone Pizzagalli -essay [space, poetics and voids]

“Silence becomes a space more than a real void, a pause that is absence of sound but enriched by a tension of meaning, in itself as silence, or in relation with what was before and after.” 3

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Bomb Garden, Office of War InformationPhotograph, 1939

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- Keith Tidball -article [ Greening in the Red Zone ]

“In urban post-disaster and post-conflict situations, I have seen equally overwhelming, alarming, and yet optimistic human responses, demonstrating the extraordinary resilience of our species. Some of the most intriguing and inspirational responses to disaster and conflict are found in the mysterious realms of altruism.” 7

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N.A, N.A Photomontage, webshot, 2014

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- John H -article [ Between the Ravine and the City ]

“Highway infrastructure has formed shameless spatial compositions and dysfunctional voids in cities (unused pieces of land isolated by highway exits or turn offs). . . . Rather than trying to demolish and reshape the infrastructure, we could consider appropriating the land within these voids.” 9

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all model image Hyojin Kim. Oct 2014.

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VOID WITHIN DENSITY & MATERIAL

Throught the physical models, I tested the spatial quality with different materials by using pressure and one of the technique; subtraction. All experiments started same amount of materials. While creating volume inside materials, each models created different density aggregations. In drawing, what I try to articulate is a voidscape within densityscape. Densityscape describes diverse contents; moreover it means voidscape in reverse. “In the map created for London’s population (image1), one sees a diverse topographical landscape; the light, shadow and composition all become elements which create a portrait of the city’s population density.”10 Based on data of material density, each models created different landscape.

EXPERIMENT

leftmaterial_ plaster amount A

subtracted 2B air volume

rightmaterial_ plaster amount A

subtracted 3B air volume

image1Londondensityscape,

Nadia Amoroso, The expose city,

2010

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material_ viscous glue amount Aextruded single volume

material_ viscous glue amount Aextruded double volume

material_ viscous glue amount Aextruded double volume

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material_ rasinsubtracted volume

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Model 1particle density 20

Model 2particle density 30

Model 3particle density 40

Model 4particle density 50

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Model 5particle density 60

Model 6particle density 30particle density 50

Model 7particle density 40particle density 60

material_urethane rubber amount Ahardness 20<x<60particle density 20<y<60

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Model 4particle density 50Simplified void&density

Model 5particle density 60Simplified void&density

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Model 4particle density 503-Dimensional void&density

Model 5particle density 603-Dimensional void&density

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Model 6particle density 30particle density 50Simplified void&density

Model 7particle density 40particle density 60Simplified void&density

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Model 6particle density 30particle density 503-Dimensional void&density

Model 7particle density 40particle density 603-Dimensional void&density

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image Pak Munoz. Manshiyat Naser.

Pakgoesto. Web. 2012.

Manshiyat Naser Cairo, EgyptSITE

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image googlemaps. Webshot.

Manshiyat Naser is a ward (kism) of Cairo. It covers 5.54 square kilometers, home to 262,050 people in the 2006 census, up from 168,425 in 1996 census. and borders Nasr City to the east, central Cairo districts to the west, and Khalifa ward to the south. It is famous for Garbage City quarter which is a slum settlement at the base of Mokattam Hill on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Its economy revolves around the collection and recycling of the city’s gar- bage. Although Manshiyat Naser has streets, shops, and apartments as other areas of the city, it lacks infrastructure and often has no running water, sewers, or electricity.

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imageN.A. Garbage city of Cairo. PIXIMUS the best photo collection. Web. 5 July 2011.

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stone quary BC 2500

1969

1978

1985

1975

1988

1993

1998

2004

2008

2009

- present

Muquattam Mountain 150m

Citadel100m

Historic CairoNile river Manshiyat Naser

zabaleen settlement to Manshiya Naser

first church was builtgovernement forbade the zabaleen sttelment to expand

rockslide_50 people killed

egyptians pesecured coptic[christians] in societycoptics moved to Manshiya Naser

rockslide_40 people killed

rockslide_100 people killed

governement force to remove zabaleen’s settelment in cityzabaleens are moving to desert

waste collecting company founded

non-formal education project

first community health program

UN habitat_study for housing

HISTORY

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image Pak Munoz. Manshiyat Naser. Pakgoesto. Web. 2012.

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imageDidier Ruef. China Recycling.

Didier Ruef Photoshelter. Web. 2004.

Historic conditions

Manshiyat Naser has a long history in Cairo and has often been a controversial space in the city. Zabaleen village in Manshiyat Naser was built in 1975 because of immigration of christians from historic cairo. Immigrants from other region and copts(christians) have been moving to here. Residents started to gather garbage as their economic method because they had a trouble to find normal job in society because they are coptics. Now, this city became huge garbage mountain and recycling factory.

The local coptic church in Mokattam village was established in 1975. After the establishment of the church, the zabaleen felt more secure.

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population density mapping

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Zabaleen[Garbage Collector]

The Zabaleen [=garbage collectors] are coptic christs who came to Cairo in the early 20th century. They had to settle down at the edge of the city. The Zabaleen do not live from collection garbage but from recycling and reselling it. 90% of their income is related to the recycling process.

In the early 1980s, population was 8,000 but it became the largest garbage collector community in Cario, with approximately 30,000 Zabaleen inhabitants.

83000

800000

5550

30000

Population

zabaleen

zabaleen

1981

2009

zabaleen

70%

80%

20%

recycled

recycled

government

government

30%

20%

80%

dumped outside the city

dumped outside the city

others

The population of the settlement has more than tripled since 1981.

G a r b a g e Collection

RecyclingFacts

Density : 149,819.494 pp/km2

compare to HongKong 111,065 pp/km2

Mumbai 121,312 pp/km2

ZABALEEN

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church network mapping between village church and cave church

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copts 5%90%

95%copts

muslim

Re l i g i o n

zabaleen

egyptian

Manshiyat Naser is facing problems related to policy, economy, and living conditions because of their religion. The government needs the Zabaleen because they cannot handle garbage recycling without the Zabaleen. However, the government imposes a lot of disadvantages to the Zabaleen particularly in education and job opportunity.

Nevertheless, the Zabaleen wants to keep their city, their own life, and culture. They show their belief of religion all around cities. A small church model is hung in between buildings through an alley.

Existing cave church here is the largest church in the Middle East. Lots of people go to this church or village church. In between two churches, there are a lot of signs or symbols of Coptic Christian like cross wall painting, hanging church model, and cross brick decorations.

imageManel Quiros. Manshiyat Naser.

Manel Quiros photographer. Web. April 2014

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image [above and bottom]Manel Quiros. Manshiyat Naser. Manel Quiros photographer. Web. April 2014

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image [from above to bottom]Manel Quiros. Manshiyat Naser.

Manel Quiros photographer. Web. April 2014

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image [above and bottom]Manel Quiros. Manshiyat Naser. Manel Quiros photographer. Web. April 2014

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image [above and bottom] N.A. Manshiyat Naser.

Yesohmygosh.worldpress. Web. March 2012

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imagePak Munoz. Manshiyat Naser. 2012. Pakgoesto. Web. 5 Nov 2014.

drawingMarienkirche, Berndorf. 1st station of the crossNaser. 1966. Herzi Pinki, Wikimedia5 Feb 2015.

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imageN.A. Station of the cross. 2012.

MCkay. Web. 5 Feb 2015.

Station of Cross; Via Crucis

Egyptian’s main religion is Muslim. However, over the 95 percent of zabaleen is Copts(christians). Egyt’s Governemnt has been presecuring christians socially and politically. Christian move to Mashiyat Naser, and built their own habitations. Church is the only place for relief in their life. They installed a cross on the wall and hang several small church models between their housing to feel a psychological stability.

Keeping their life, I suggested via crucis, which is station of cross. Each station or called poly will become worship space, and give a pshchological spatial quality that can provide a sence of each story of via crucis.

KEEP IT LIFEKEEP IT CULTUREKEEP IT DENSITY

PROGRAM

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Conceptual site model & Conceptual void space

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Site Plan

Village Church Station I Station II Station III Station IV

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Station V Station VI Station VII Station VIII Cliff Stair Cave Church

In between two existing church, 8 station placed in existing residential buildings. And ingraving pavement implies direction of next station. At the end of last station, people will meet a long stair case along the cliff. This stair case is a final route of via crucis to get the cave church, which is a final destination.

Every Friday, stations perform a function as the worship spaces and religious ceremony. And rest of six days, these stations provides spaces for their daily life; a working, which is garbage classifying and storage, communal activity, a resting, and farming for goats and pigeons.

The vaulting system from inherent structure of church is applied to each poly with variations of composition. Vaults play role as a ceiling, wall, furniture, and connection.

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Station I

Jesus carries his cross.weight

darknarrow

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Station II

Jesus falls first time.weightdarknarrowblock

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Station III

Jesus meets his mother.bright

comfortablenest

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Station IV

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross.Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

brightcomfortable

nestpositivesupport

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Station V

Jesus falls second time.weight

narrowpressure

dark

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Station VI

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.bright

comfortablenest

positivesupport

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Station VII

Jesus is stripped of his garments.Jesus is nailed to the cross.weightdarknarrowblock

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Station VIII

Jesus is taken down from the cross.calmbrightwidenest

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Robert Smithon, “The collected Writings”, University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1996

2. Azra Aksamija, “Shrinking Cities: Reinvernting Urbanism”, Shrinkingcities, n.d, Web, January 2004

3. Simone Pizzagalli, “Space, Poetics and Voids”, Delft University of Architecture, 2011

4. Michael Govan, “Michael Heizer”, Dia Art Foundation, n.d, Web, April 24, 2003

5. Michael Heizer, “Michael Heizer: Sculpture in Reverse” (in an interview with Julia Brown, in Brown, ed.) , Los Angeles: Museum of Contemporary Art, 1984, p. 33.

6. St. Paul, “The Buried Void” (in a description of competition of Contemplating the Void), Guggenheim Museum in New York, May 14, 2010

7. Keith Tidball, “Greening in the Red Zone: Thoughts on disaster, resilience and community greening in the peopled landscape”, SustainableCities Collective, October 1, 2012

8. Rem koolhaas, “Ville Nouvelle” (in a description of project), OMA, 1987

9. John H, “Between the Ravine and the City”, spacing toronto, July 21, 2014

10. Nadia Amoroso – forward by Richard Saul Wurman, “The exposed city”, NY: Routledge, 2010, p.121