_student project
Susanne Brorson, Dipl.-Ing.
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Ludwig
2022
Klaudia Ovadová x Radovan Szabó
Paracité
Hochschule Wismar
Riga Floating Campus Bridge
Hochschule Wismar
Riga Floating Campus Bridge
Project „Paracité“ directly reflects on the previous lectures dealing with utopian superstructures from the 60s and 80s of the 20th century and the ideas associated with them. Inspired by Kenzo Tange’s vision of city in the sky, which was partially transformed into the Yamanashi Press and Broadcasting Center (today: Yamanashi Cultural Center), we could state that the Parasité project plays a bigger role in the composition of it’s site, Riga’s RISEBA and RTU campus grounds, than Tange’s daring attack. In attempt to directly communicate with it‘s surroundings, engaging with buildings near by, one could say, at the end they parasitize the host (hence the name). A relation like this is welcome therefore the suggestion and allowance of future expansion and growth, creating a bridge across the whole Riga. Or world?
Located above the Zunda canal, Paracité is trying to connect two architectural faculties from different institutions, and doing it literally. Suspended bridges are coming from the facades of existing faculties, continuing further to space above the ground until they hit a concrete cylinder. This element play a major role in the project. Specifically 4 cylinders are placed some distance from each other, varied in hights, each one to activate a different piece of the site. These bear the main functions of the entire superstructue from residential to educational, recreational, cultural and other. The bridges mentioned earlier carry a connecting function, but they also allow the contents of the cylinders to "spill out" thus activate these parts as well. A new type of public space is emerging, with views that we are not quite used to. Bridges are huge part of Riga’s ubran infrastructure and Pracité is refering to this motif along with the pattern of newly emerging high rise buildings which contributes to silhouette of a modern European metropolis.
Paracité wants to provoke people, start a conversation and showcase, perhaps in a somewhat daring way, possibilities of architectural and urban structures of the future with questions like society of consumerism, community living and undeniable climate change.
Thank you!
