NYC INNOVATION LAB

Abstract

New York is one of the most important Global Metropolises. Due to the increasing urbanization and the congestion of people and businesses, the city’s urban environment and particularly, public space needs to reinvent itself to address the modern challenges and remain an important element of the urban fabric. Towards this direction, public space should firstly, become more flexible, to embrace the fast change of the urban living in the context of the global metropolis. Secondly, it should become smarter, to deal with the huge amount of people and information, and find ways to use them in profitable ways to improve the quality of life in the urban environment. Thirdly, it should become more human-centered, in the sense that it should focus on the user, identifying his needs and expectations for the public life. Following these guidelines, this thesis proposes an “Innovation Lab” as the prominent future public space of Global Metropolises. The ambition is the creation of an inclusive collective space, a global meeting point where people from all parts of the city, or even the world would be able to find common ground in an engaging space that will boost their innovation and creativity, as well as interaction with others. The medium to succeed in this goal would be technology. Whereas the majority of people blame technology for the isolation of people and the decrease of public interaction, the truth is that isolation in public space is an old phenomenon. It started already since the invention of typography and generally the invention of personal ways for one to be entertained and educated by himself in public without the need to physically interact with another. In reality, technology is the primary means of socializing and communication when it is being used appropriately and is already incorporated in all aspects of everyday life. Besides, New York is the world’s biggest tech hub for 2019 and Transitional Yards is its new base, consisting of an environment where technology can flourish. When it comes to my thesis, technology is applied in three ways; The Innovation Lab is hosting a tech-related program where people can get informed about new technologies and experience them applied in space. Besides, the implementation of sensors optimizes the organization and experience of the building, offering atmosphere control, personalized experiences, energy, and cost savings. Furthermore, smart technology is also applied to the curation of experience since from the beginning of the experience of a visitor (online check for events, book tickets), to how someone enters the building (face control), to the experience of space and program (augmented experiences) to the exit (leave feedback, upload comments), everything is automated for optimal results. The final project is a building complex of the total 69.000 m2, comprised of an office tower (52.750 m2), a public expo building (15.652 m2), and a connecting large multi-form and multi-purpose venue (600 m2). The final volumetric composition resides in the city’s identity where the different urban elements ex. the tower, the New York townhouse, and the monuments are all placed irregularly next to one another, forming a playful skyline. The more private functions are located in the tower (private offices), while in the lower volumes and hence closer to the human scale the public functions are being placed. The materials chosen for this project are playing with transparency and translucency, aiming to create an atmospheric and pleasant environment where innovation and creation can flourish.