ARC3015YF (L0106)
Instructor: Peter Tan and Christine Ho Ping Kong

Context:

Throughout history, and across many countries and cultures, people have lived where they make and work.  Post Industrial Revolution a combined live/work/make building was discouraged as urban planners enacted policies to separate a dwelling and workplace, rightly siting issues of congestion, noise, air pollution and unsanitary conditions.  During this time, working from home and living at work was often deemed illegal.

In big cities and smaller towns, experiments are happening.  The terminologies can be different, such as fabrication zone, artisan zoning or maker zoning, but the ambitions are similar.  Derelict lots, sometimes in the inner cities and surrounded by former worker housing, are being revitalized.  There is a new generation of local artists, craftspeople and small-scale manufacturers whose activities fall under “light industry” – activities with less noise, pollution, odour and environmental impact.    

Single-use zoning operates in a basic framework and has not evolved to create solutions for today’s complex cities.  Live/make typologies should be re-evaluated regarding their proximity to residential, and hybrid uses should be part of the strategies for urban revitalization.

The Option Studio:

In this Option Studio, we will be experimenting with an urban design based on a maker zoning and hybrid buildings.  We hope this is a multidisciplinary studio and welcome students from architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.

The first part of the semester will include lectures and numerous visits to makers and their workspaces.  There will be case studies from cities with both a craft and manufacturing history.  And during Reading Week there is an optional Studio Trip to London, England. 

The site for the final project is The Junction, Toronto – a neighbourhood historically known for its railway infrastructure, and former stockyards and manufacturing businesses.  The railway lines and industries hugging the railway corridor have been fundamental to The Junction’s development.  This has resulted in a mix of residential, commercial and industrial zoning butting up to each other in a very compact area.

We will be developing a maker zoning, a master plan for urban renewal with strategies to connect disparate areas isolated by railway tracks,  and a series of creative hybrid buildings that experiment with live-make typologies (Small, Medium, Large).