The Unit Project

design- Ryszard Rychlicki

location- Poznan, Poland

status- project

year – 2011

In vacant sites within the urban fabric, where the chances for development through the construction of permanent architectural forms are lacking due to economic, legal or ownership-related factors, we need to find a formula that would allow us to eliminate well-entrenched make-shift structures. The new structure should be built to permit changes in its form, allowing it to be adapted to the needs of the moment. It must be cheaper than a permanent building, and at the same time, should be easy to “recycle” and intentionally planned for a limited period of use, so that when its warranty period expires, there will be no problem removing it as an obstacle to new investments, which may, but need not continue to perform its functions. This could be called an “urban space intervention” designed to deal with the problem of “cluttered” architectural elements without depriving them of their mobility. The form and scope of function of this structure should be based on an established acceptable minimum determined by the basic needs it will be required to fulfill. However, a question arises in terms of limits based on a universal minimum standard. How should these be determined, and on what basis should we establish the ultimate size and scale of a structure that will assume various functions based on changing needs? To begin with, at the heart of these calculations is the end user, so we need to consider who this will be and work to find those features of form that will allow these boundaries to be determined for a diverse group of citizens. One item that imposes a framework in terms of size and scale, providing an absolute minimum for the whole, has been the 9m. high-cube shipping container as an element of a mobile structure. In the search for a module that allows for easy and inexpensive expansion and conversion in terms of function, the primary guiding principle has been “plasticity” in terms of its conversion potential and availability.