WALKIE-TALKIE

Walkie-Talkie
WALKIE-TALKIE is a “built” elongated plaza, in which the space is filled with mass, building soft volumes that invite for interaction.
It is a typology that we call “sidewalk plaza” since it is meant to be located alongside a pedestrian path or any pedestrian flow in public or semi public spaces.

5 different components are established serving the sidewalk and the pedestrian passers-by: seating grandstand, Lounge planter, Discussion & study table, Mini cinema and Elastic bed. The 5 functions work in both ways, independently and collaboratively: they can be arranged in different modes, giving plenty of options for different sequences and configurations. This proposal is highly flexible and it provides opportunity for any eventual unpredictable change.

Module and Materiality
The proposal follows a modular system with a cube as base geometry and smallest unit. This is a due to its flexibility and ease as a mobile piece to assemble bigger objects in the public space.

It is combination of three different modules:
01. The single cube ( 450mm W x 450mm L x 450mm H)
02. the middle size block – volume equivalent to 3 cubes ( 450 mm W x 1350mm L x 450mm H)
03. the big size block – volume equivalent to 5 cubes ( 450 mm W x 2250mm L x 450mm H)

The main material used is high compression, high density polyurethane base foam, top and ends laminated with 2” of cross linked polyethylene, 2” polyester web handles and with special Velcro placement along the edges connected side-by-side, end-to-end or on top of one another.

Functions
The uses and activities proposed are a mini theatre for projections, a debating table for spontaneous interactions, a megaphone platform, where diverse Street artists and musicians perform freely, meeting points, grandstands for observing performances, elastic bed and a lounge area among many others. These uses naturally complement the dynamics that arise spontaneously on any elongated circulation space.

It can be positioned alongside of any elongated space, sidewalk or existing plaza, facilitating new forms of collective gathering and engagement with the city.

It is street architecture without ground that can accompany any existing space where there is a constant flow of people, and because its atomized nature, it can be easily moved, recycled, taken away and placed again and again.

Redefining Urban Artifacts for the Future

Shanghai Smart Booths is the result of 100architects’ second collaboration with the Shanghai Branch of China Telecom, the state-owned Chinese telecommunications company, after our previous Orange Phone Booths, where we did an exercise of turning these old relics into modern functional urban furniture. This time we went beyond that.

A bus stop inspired by the Azalea flower that collects the rain water

The proposal is strongly inspired by local nature, dragging inspiration from Azalea flowers, often seen in not only in Jiaxing City, but also in Zhejiang Province. The design strategy is over-scaling the leaves of Azalea flower in order to create structures which offer shelter to citizens and users of the bus public transportation.