The popUP SUPERstructure
popUP: responds to the needs of the present, while being able to gain new life in the future SUPERstructure: capacity of structure to be flexible and adapt to various scales and programs
M. de Melo Morais Borges (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
A. Snijders – Mentor
F.W.A. Koopman – Mentor
Martijn Stellingwerff – Mentor
R Cavallo – Mentor
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Abstract
Despite the fact that pop-up and temporary architecture is slowly evolving, there is much room for improvement. While the focus is in the function it serves, it very commonly lacks in the aesthetic aspect and the quality of the space, being perceived by many as cheap, fast and disposable. Similarly, in the technical aspect, it lacks the diversity of material applications and building construction techniques that permanent buildings can have.
The project entitled ‘The Pop-up Superstructure’ focused on achieving a circular economy on buildings used for events by means of creating a demountable structural system that takes into account sustainability and easy of assembly methods, allowing it to be used and re-used for different applications within the realm of temporary architecture.
The project used temporary architecture to create a strong, yet short presence on site challenging the notion contextual boundaries. A series of temporary interventions were planned for the 2020 opening event at the IBA Parkstad region in Zuid Limburg in order to express a strong cultural and technological statement, while attracting visitors to experience different contexts that speak to the history, heritage and culture of the region. The interventions were designed using a toolbox system made of lightweight materials that could be easily assembled and disassembled, offering multiple possibilities for re-use and flexibility. Materials with low environmental footprint and high strength-to-weight ratio were chosen, as well as techniques that ensured that the main structural core would maintain its integrity in order to be re-used in the future with minimum or no repair, while also saving on new material extraction. If successfully implemented, the use of the toolbox would offer the possibility for the creation of buildings that can be continuously re-used leaving no damage, no waste and no trace behind. This way, temporary architecture would have the opportunity to thrive while addressing the needs of the present (the event) without compromising the needs of future societies.