The People's Market

Now today is both a bit of a preemptive post (because I am pretty sure this project will feature largely on "The Block" this week) , and at the same time I can't believe I haven't featured this sooner. The project I am referring to is "The People's Market", a community shipping container market located in a car park in Collingwood, Melbourne by Emerge Studio. This temporary and completely portable project, focused on the theme of "recycled garden" is even more impressive for being the first project two part Emerge Studio has created. 

The People's Market via Emerge Studio

  

Although at first glance it might appear like just another shipping container mall, when reading the thought process behind this project on Emerge Studios website, I believe a lot of attention has gone into making this project a high functioning and engaging community space. When looking at the mix of uses, including the COMA art gallery viewable 24/7, shops, cafes and bars and the flexible nature of the space it is clear that considerable thought has gone into making this a 24hr space Jane Jacobs herself would be proud of. Also come on, those timber trees are fantastic!

The PVC Pipe Container via Australian Design Review

   

I also love the fact that all the shipping Containers have a point of difference, whether it be a vertical garden, PVC piping (as above), Bike Wheels, or just the encouragement for graffiti and Street art around the back of the containers. This personalisation really helps to create an activated and interesting site, drawing the attention of the community. 

So what do you think of The People's Market, are shipping container markets simply building on a great idea or are they "overdone" in the public realm? I personally still think they are pretty awesome. 

The Service Station

It is a pretty amazing feeling when all your favourite things come together in the one place right? Even if that place does happen to be Los Feliz, California on the other side of the world... As I was reading a few blogs I follow on a Sunday morning, not thinking about urban design or temporary uses at all I was suddenly blown away by this post on Oh Joy. It just goes to show that good things pop up when you least expect them too.  

The post in question was about a visit to "The Service Station" which is, you guessed it, an old service station that has been turned into an outdoor creative market place and event space. The Service Station houses pop up shops (in refurbished shipping containers), outdoor movie nights and best of all a Wednesday food truck night! As I said, all the things I love coming together in a cool themed space - if that doesn't draw crowds and keep people coming back to Los Feliz, I don't know what would! 

Food Trucks @ The Service Station via Oh Joy blog 

I just can't help loving the idea of taking traditional car dominated spaces and completely transforming them into places for the community to gather, oh and eat at food trucks of course. Not only that they have taken a relatively unattractive and unused space and turned it into a place of experimentation and practical urbanism and if you take a look through the galleries on The Service Station website you can see the community coming together and enjoying themselves in this new space! And I mean who wouldn't enjoy themselves if they had the chance to watch Back to the Future in a retro style service station! 

Pop up shipping container shops via The Service Station

The sad thing about this project is that city permits have made it so difficult that this space has had to close and is currently seeking a new space to start up. It is frustrating that despite the obvious benefits from a town planning perspective, these spaces are often either restricted or completely shut down because of issues with permits. It makes it clear that a more flexible approach to city planning is required pretty urgently to foster creativity and innovation in planning solutions. Not only do temporary uses need to work with the existing legislation, but existing legislation should become progressive in making way for temporary uses.  

Pop Up Picnic

On Wednesday, I attended a picnic, complete with rugs laid out on grass, in the middle of the city, just one block down from my work in fact. The Albert Street picnic was organised by UR{BNE} as part of the Brisbane City Ideas fiesta - showcasing the new draft city plan and I can't think of a better way to get people involved and commenting on the future of their city.  

The Super Cool Picnic Sign blocking off Albert Street

Not only did this picnic provide a fun way to get involved in city planning, it was also a great way to demonstrate how little changes, such as pedestrianising a street in the inner city can make a huge difference in how we interact with our cities. The use of temporary projects also presents a low risk forum to trial new ideas - and if they work, great and if not you get the chance to try again! 

Proposed Ideas for Brisbane up for comment

A Packed out crowed enjoying the green space

More of these events will be popping up around Brisbane over the next month or so as part of the UR{BNE} festival and I can't wait to see what else they have come up with. It is an exciting time to be living in Brisbane that's for sure.  

Advertising the High Life

It is no secret that Pop Up City is one of my all time favourite urban design blogs and a consistent source of temporary urban design and architecture inspiration and this project really is inspiring. Architect Julio Gomez Trevilla has designed a temporary house in Mexico that is incorporated with and hidden behind a typical billboard in Mexico. This innovative project is a true combination of urban play, pop up building, activating new spaces and turning the traditional way you think about cities on it's head.  

An unassuming Billboard via Pop Up City

The house acts as a temporary residence for artists with the first artist Cecilia Beaven painting a mural based on suggestions on what you can do with a blank piece of paper. This project really brings a level of personalisation in the city that Kevin Lynch and Bentley et al would be more than proud of. The resulting house may not be hugely spacious, but it includes everything you need to meditate on your next creative project - even your own kitchen.  

The inside of a hidden house via Pop Up City

Now I am a huge believer in the power of art in revitalising our cities and in the ability of temporary urban design, so I can't wait to see even more projects like this popping up in the future. It is so exciting to see this global trend continue to push the boundaries and I can't wait to feature even more innovative projects.  

Pop In to Church

Now as someone who is admittedly a little bit design obsessed, I am always first in line to pick up to new issue of Habitus magazine when it hits the news stands quarterly. In issue 19 there was one article that really caught my eye, and fits right in with the purpose of Urban Submarine. The project starts in an unused church, a neo-classical cultural heritage landmark in a residential suburb of Darlinghurst, Sydney. In order to revitalize this church and return activation to an otherwise unused building a unique and innovative solution was devised by Bates Smart Architects that I like to refer to as a Pop In. 

A Pop Up inside a Darlinghurst Church via Bates Smart

The element of cultural heritage often presents nothing but constraints and limitations for planners, builders and developers alike and that was certainly the case for this Darlinghurst Church Project. Development could in no way impact or extrude any of the walls of the Church and the outside was to remain completely intact. So what did Bates Smart do to solve this issue? The built inside it, creating a residential pop up home inside the church that can be completely dismantled and in no way impacts on the structure of the church itself. Pure Genius. The church not only now encompasses a lived in, and beautiful, residential home but with some gathered remaining pews also allows for public access in terms of a concert and performance space - effectively blurring the boundary between public and private. 

A large entertaining Kitchen within the Demountable Pod via Bates Smart

As the pictures show, the temporary nature of the housing shell in no way has constricted the residents, the pods even include a large and impressive entertaining kitchen. The whole project is proof that from constraints the most creative ideas can grow, as well as the ability of temporary structures to be more than just impermanent pop up shops or cafes. As a planner I think this project also illustrates that maybe the very idea of cultural heritage codes  and regulations as they exist today is outdated. Where is the benefit in allowing cultural heritage buildings to stand unoccupied and uncared for within the city? Maybe it is time to come up with a more flexible approach, that fosters innovation rather then placing barriers to it and stop being stuck in the old ways of planning. Possibly then we will witness a cultural regeneration, full of more wonderful and creative projects. 

Barking Bathhouse

I think it is already clear that I am a sucker for a pop up social experiment with a great name, and the Barking Bathhouse sure has me covered on that front. Created by Something & Son (uber cool collaborators)  and popping up in East London, the Barking Bathhouse aims to recapture the communal spirit present of historic bath houses and foster that spirit within the now suburban suburb. Not only that, the design of this pop up truly is beautiful.

Barking Bathhouse Pop Up via The Remodelista

The design acts as a nod to the industrial past of East London and incorporates a range of recycled and salvaged building materials, such as the benches created from salvaged rail road timber. The Bathhouse offers a range of spa treatments as well as the possibility of relaxing in the gravel bay, napping in the relaxation yard, soothing your muscles in the sauna, chilling out in the cool room or even having a drink at the included bar. To be honest I don't know why any one would ever want to leave! 

Reclaimed timber benches via The Remodelista

The pop up has now left East London and after being super successful will be opening again at a new location sometime in Spring. If you want any more information be sure to check out their website and maybe fantasise about the range of treatments they offer here.

Sushi Pod

While wandering through Paddington (as an attempt to start a new suburb profile column...) I managed to pick up a copy of  the awesome (and free) Map Magazine. Inside I was super excited to see a little article on Sushi Pod in Fortitude Valley and its awesome conception via "place shaker" engineer John Tuxworth. Basically the Sushi Pod is a tiny temporary structure that has been created as an "urban reinvigoration" experiment - aiming to bring life and activity into an otherwise underwhelming car park. Not only that the sushi pod offers delicious healthy meals and delivers some Japanese infusion to Brisbane. I think this is an awesome experiment and a true example of a place shaker, and if the picture below is any indication, i'd say it has been pretty successful too! 

People lining up at the Sushi Pod via Supertectonics