Bridging Heterotopia

Abstract

This speculative project named “Bridging Heterotopia” is named as such because it draws from the guiding principle that is juxtaposition in real space, of many spaces together that would normally be incompatible. This principle materializes through a bridge which will be a facilitator for different cultures in Rotterdam to find a common space. In this project, the identity of Rotterdam is explored through architectural entities connected to the city’s social and economical history and a future vision is materialized into a living, changing bridge to reverse the current disintegration in the society. To illustrate the inner workings of the design, three cultures were selected. The architectural components of these cultures were then dismantled based on historical importance and current identifiable values that they represent for the members of these cultures. The ties between the common denominators of these seemingly far apart cultures, both architecturally and socio-geographically, were analyzed and represented within the continuous feedback loop between architecture and cultures of societies. The project builds upon the state-of-the-art technology that is available at the time of its conception by analysing the core principles and reflecting the plausible advancements onto the future realm of possibilities.