Endeavours to feed creativity

Architects are rarely charged with the responsibility of creating a "Creative quarter" from scratch. The catalyst for creative places extends beyond architecture itself to a much more complex chemistry of people and environment: physical; social; historical and cultural. The relationship between the creative economy and place is complex, multi-tiered and necessarily exists in a state of slow but constant change.

Endeavours to feed creativity

The challenge is to interpret these found conditions and develop a physical framework where such encounters may overlap one another and encourage the behaviour and spontaneity that feed creativity. These endeavours are often impacted by the context of economic constraints, and as such often require inventive and entrepreneurial approaches to stimulate development of “Creative Quarters”. Overlooked, under-utlised or disregarded (even derelict) parts of the city are the incipient starting points for such enterprises.

Reuse of existing buildings

For this reason the reuse of existing buildings, such as our project for The Sheffield Centre begins with developing the needs of an existing community that already work within an industrial building. The users feel comfortable and unselconscious working within the existing building. There are incidental spaces for chance encounter as well as functional spaces for production. The new development of the mixed creative complex seeks to develop a greater programme of arts cinemas, creative managed workspaces and a congregational "Festival Hall", without threatening or destabilising current vital crossover patterns of working and social activities that are vital for the existing creative users. Whilst the needs of the users may change over the lifespan of the building (afterall the original building began life as a car showroom in the 1920s and now it is a "creative quarter") the architecture remains a robust but static framework. Culture and technology may be fast but the architecture that surrounds it is by definition slow.

High potential for public space

By contrast the temporary pavilion is the architectural typology is the most closely allied to the other applied arts. Without the liability of the effects of time and necessary usefulness they can be justified as pure experiments somewhere between a conceptual idea and a permanent structure. Over their short existence they have tremendous potential to attract interest and energy to a situation, place or an event. Our project for the "NLA Skywalk" lasted for only three days but hosted 25,000 visitors to a variety of events and activities as well as gave a fresh perspective of the potential use of public space. Again this project was regarded as a catalyst or framework for activity as much as the spectacle itself.

by: Andy Groarke
www.carmodygroarke.com

Related videos:

• NCI09 - Creative Economy
• CREO 2009 – award for Edward de Bono
• Ruhr Residency in the Creative Factory Rotterdam
  

Related blogs:

• The "U“ building in Dortmund: future-bound
  
• How about a mail-box in Rotterdam? Ruhr Residency - the new creative think tank in the Netherlands

Go to channels: 

• Creative.Quarters
• C´n´B Convention