Gradation at a ludic edge

In the immediate post-earthquake period, the Christchurch community strove to create spaces of social interaction through installations at the city edge. These installations aimed to inspire hope and improve the well-being of the devastated city through social interaction. Over the years, these spaces have disappeared, along with the aspects of social connection they had reawakened.

This thesis explores how a design process—focusing on playful design methodologies and a gradation from private to public space—can reignite social interaction at the city edge. A primary focus on play initiated my research, while my second concept of gradation led me to consider a definition of cohousing as a potential solution.

The objective of this project is to soften the boundary between the urban city zone and the residential zone, inspiring the social interaction that once thrived in the edge space bridging these areas. My design process was guided by a combination of research for design and research through design, resulting in two distinct iterations. I began with an investigation into my core concepts of play and gradation, a case study examination of interactive cohousing communities and an observational site analysis. This research was then developed through a variety of design methods, with collaging and playful material exploration serving as the main drivers for developing ideas and concepts.

Following reflection on my first iteration, my methodologies were reconsidered. By examining specific case studies from the post-earthquake era in Christchurch and extracting design elements and techniques, refined maquettes were created that allowed a second iteration to emerge.

The final design integrates a gradation of spaces, transitioning from the private interior of a house to busy streetscapes, with installations and design concepts generated through playful methodologies. These installations inspire interaction among all parts of the community in the area, functioning in equal value with the proposed dwellings. A modular system unites these concepts, creating harmony and softening the boundary between private residential spaces and the public city edge.