Designed by OOIIO Architecture, the Patchwork City Masterplan focuses on organizing the future growth of Linkoping, a city in southern Sweden with 100,000 inhabitants. The architects were challenged to experiment and explore new ways of designing cities, with all the complexities, sustainable construction systems and social cohesion aspects that a XXI st century city needs. The result is a contemporary city where the inhabitants colonize and personalize their own structure as they wish, crocheting their own city piece to generate a large patchwork all together. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Linkoping is well-known for its Technological Industries and for its university, with more than 30.000 students. This is why the local authorities wanted to develop a new kind of Masterplan. OOIIO Architecture started the design process of the new town area looking for opportunities that the proper building area could provide, and this is why, OOIIO decided to generate a big green ring connecting the old town center with the University, other spread housing areas, and the proposed construction area. An existing and damaged water canal, that would be recycled, will become the main spine of the Masterplan ring, linked with a succession of parks and open areas.
All the zones would be divided for an imaginary 6×6 meters net that is going to organize both, the public space and the private constructions. Following several factors like density, sun orientation, average winds direction, existing forests, existing lakes, connections to the natural surroundings and the old city, etc. there will be build naked 6×6 structures to be bought for citizens, or city, depending on the studied Masterplan zoning, and then they could later go to a special designed catalogue where they can choose all the prefabricated ecologic panels to plug in their own structure area.
With this special growth and construction system we can generate a new kind of city, based on the personalization of every space, a better and controlled administration of natural resources, high flexibility and space recycling possibilities, a clean and cheap low zero emissions constructions and over all a new way of understanding contemporary city, were thanks to a controlled 3 dimensional grid people can colonize and design their own spaces, like for example they create their own facebook profile, leaving the XX st century idea of mass homogenization, and following the XXI st century idea of claim of the individuals.
This is the contemporary city, Patchwork City, where the architects and engineers define the rules for the best structures allocations and design the cleanest and most local clime appropriate construction pieces for the catalogue, the government and promoters provides the space and look for the good use of the rules.
Architects: OOIIO Architecture Location: Linkoping, Sweden Team: Joaquin Millán Villamuelas, Cristina Vicario, Belen Gomez, Lurdes Martinez, Beatriz Cerratos, Estíbaliz Ortiz de Zatare Area: 22 ha (220,510 m2)
