COMMODIFYING DECAY An investigation on how to approach sub-cultures targeted in adaptive re-use schemes

Abstract

As the cities are growing, and new place-makers are required to give areas a sense of identity. This has traditionally been through the community, with emphasis to design-out aspects that are considered bad, like graffiti. This master thesis looks at how to facilitate for inclusivity where sub-cultures and the society can meet. It strives to move away from normative thinking about space by testing the observed spatial patterns validity through prototyping. Recent development has seen an increase in using subcultures and their occupied structures to create a new, attractive identity for the area. By taking over already inhabited space, the risk is that we further displace and discourage societal inclusion through commodification. This thesis tries to answer the question of ’How to approach design for inclusivity of subcultures in adaptive re-use scheme’? Starting from my preoccupation with placemaking and designing for people’s lived experiences, the grounded theory with qualities from ethnographic studies became the approach. It was achieved through a combination with prototyping as a tool to validate the observed materials. Challenged by the disconnected site, the prototypes quickly turned into mock-ups which had a significant role when users interacted with them. Prototyping was deemed difficult as they could only be made on-site with simple tools. The site is restrictive and accessibility an issue, as it has been condemned. This meant that prototyping had to be made through sketches and quick testing on-site.