4th workshop: BUILD THE STREET FU(RNI)TURE

The workshop “Condominum Street Fu(rni)ture” (01-14/11/2014) was focused on architecture in combination with product design of different objects of public equipement (benches, traffi c barriers, bollards, streetlamps, traffic lights, traffi c signs, bajaj stands, shaders, kiosks, trashbins…) in relation with social (=safety), cultural (=art and appearance), anthropological (=function and usefulness) and environmental aspects (=sustainability and material).
The original proposed workshop “Build the Condominium Street Fu(rni)ture” (03-04/2015) has an aim to build the most successful appropriate results of previous workshop into the field – an overlooked condominium at the periphery of Mekelle city, in Quiha. The leitmotif is recyclation. Students have designed different models and patterns using the old buckets, PVC tubes, covers etc.
The original workshop was presented to the Czech Embassy to get the grant from Local Small Scale Project Programme. Unfortunately, the proposal didn´t gain the funding.
BUT… the organisers do not lose the courage. As the workshop has very high quality potential to be implemented in the Architecture Programme Curricula, the “slim version” is proposed to the university authorities…

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: approx. 90 students from the last (5th) year of study in spring semestre. They will participate on mandatory basis in the workshop session as in the part of their block course Arch 5422 Low-cost strategies in design of the spring semestre of the academic year 2014/2015

SUB-THEMES: how to use secondary materials – how to recycle, how to make the users feel the ownership of the public space, how to learn from the PUBLIC space, architecture as a contribution to the development, URBAN REGENERATION, fi nding focal points of public attention, phenomena and archetypes, campus as a place to live, presentation techniques…

LOCATION: Instead of the public condominium in Quiha as proposed originally, the “slim workshop” proposes to build up the prototypes of students design in the campus of the Mekelle University, in Arid, where the faculty of architecture is located as well.

BENEFICIERS: As the aim of the workshop is to build up REAL prototypes of street furniture in the campus, the project will have REAL users. The students and academic staff will profi t from the build prototypes of sitting areas, shaders and rubbish bins.

RESULTS and indicators: There will be 10 different spots with sitting places and shades and rubbish bins built up by students of 5th year of study during a week of the workshop in fi eld – in the campus in Arid. There will be pre and post presentation and evaluation of the project done by interviews and taking pictures before, during and after the construction (3months after the installation).

progress

2013_06______initial contact about research cooperation
2013_09______arrival to Ethiopia, 3-month long research in situ
2013_10-11______workshop “Think globally, act locally!” in Mekelle University
2014_02______booklet “SCHOOLdesignINNOVATIONS” , (in chapter Fresh Ideas)
2014_05______workshop “Find It and Use It” about public space in condominiums
2014_11______product design workshop “Condominium Street Fu(rni)ture” at the occasion of the International Conference “The Affordable and the Profitable” in Mekelle
2015_01-03______candidature for the grant of the Czech embassy in Addis Abeba to organise workshop build the condo fu(rni)ture – refused