Search

Idea by

Manon Mollard

22 Caldy Walk, London, United Kingdom
Manon Mollard is a young architectural designer and writer. Born in France, raised between Europe and Latin America, she has worked in Colombia and is currently based in London, where she is assistant editor at the Architectural Review.

Call for ideas 2016

From Infrastructure to urban Interiors


Creating (the illusion of) a flood

From Infrastructure to urban Interiors


Creating (the illusion of) a flood
Turning water infrastructure into floodable and inhabitable spaces to reveal the city’s underlying narratives
File under

Buildings seen as belonging to the sphere of industrial engineering rather than architecture are poorly designed and placed in insensitive locations. Rather than pushing infrastructure to the outskirts and enclosing flows of water into kilometres of pipes flowing underneath our buildings, we insert it into the core. It is a process of reverse evolution, one that challenges the role of infrastructure in our cities. We make room for water, preparing spaces to absorb excesses of storm water, effectively flooding entire pieces of city when needed. This new form of infrastructure in turn generates true urban interiors. Vertical landscapes and narratives are created, the ground floor gains in thickness and the street level is no longer the only datum. Connections between levels are maintained, either physically or simply visually. Plays of water, light and reflections are orchestrated to create new relationship between the city’s different layers, echoing past stories.


From Infrastructure to urban Interiors


Creating (the illusion of) a flood

From Infrastructure to urban Interiors


Creating (the illusion of) a flood
Turning water infrastructure into floodable and inhabitable spaces to reveal the city’s underlying narratives
File under

Buildings seen as belonging to the sphere of industrial engineering rather than architecture are poorly designed and placed in insensitive locations. Rather than pushing infrastructure to the outskirts and enclosing flows of water into kilometres of pipes flowing underneath our buildings, we insert it into the core. It is a process of reverse evolution, one that challenges the role of infrastructure in our cities. We make room for water, preparing spaces to absorb excesses of storm water, effectively flooding entire pieces of city when needed. This new form of infrastructure in turn generates true urban interiors. Vertical landscapes and narratives are created, the ground floor gains in thickness and the street level is no longer the only datum. Connections between levels are maintained, either physically or simply visually. Plays of water, light and reflections are orchestrated to create new relationship between the city’s different layers, echoing past stories.



Idea by

Manon Mollard
22 Caldy Walk
London
United Kingdom
Manon Mollard is a young architectural designer and writer. Born in France, raised between Europe and Latin America, she has worked in Colombia and is currently based in London, where she is assistant editor at the Architectural Review.