You are currently viewing a single post of this guestblog.

in categories  architecture  projects  permalink:  387   posted on 11.12.2013 20:36
From Yorik

Yaroslavl Spartacus Alive competition

This is a proposal for the Yaroslavl Spartacus Alive architecture competition, that asked for solutions for a very nice and strategic spot in the middle of the historical and UNESCO-protected city of Yaroslavl in Russia. Our proposal didn't win, although it got shortlisted and is selected for the Yaroslavl Architecture Biennale.

The arena is left almost entirely to its current function: An open space, fit for sports, recreation, shows, and any other spontaneous use that may arise. There, three new «buildings» are added: two above ground, for exhibitions of any type, and one underground, for archaeological exhibitions.

Additionally, with the creation of a grid of art and entertainment points (sculptures, architectural «follies», art installations, etc...) the arena also gains a prominent artistic role, and becomes a «patch» that links the two parts (north and south of the Kotorosl river) of the city.

The whole design is a free-form, adaptable system, made to be further adapted to the space demands of museum uses, and to the archaeological findings on the site.

The new arena marks the end of the historic centre with an art and entertainment grid which spreads on the park and the river making a link between the northern and southern parts of the city . This grid is made of totems made by different artists, from sculptors to painters, from architects to designers. Each one changes in form and use depending of its location.

Each totem can be an art installation or a sculpture. They can be sometimes a map which tells visitors about the city, sometimes an historic or artistic description of the site or building. Some of them can be bigger like architectural «follies» and to be a point of encounter: a coffee shop or a small snack bar, or an area with benches for resting, or marking a nice point of view over surrounding buildings. All of them are colored in the color of Yaroslavl: blue, to make a visual link for the people who are walking around the city.

These totems act like a group of blue fingers emerging from the center of the arena site and telling people what is nice to see and do in Yaroslavl. As doing this the grid transforms the new arena in the core of a link between the two sides of the river.

The new arena covers and spreads around archaeological remnants, but the new buildings are projected to adapt their forms to the historical site and the archaeological findings. They aren't built into the ravine, they just hover above it. In case of new archaeological findings, the walls and floors can become windows, showcasing the archaeological assets, or deform, to accommodate what is found below.

The underground building is made mainly for archaeological exhibitions.

The two buildings above ground are totally multi-functional, and can hold cultural events, temporary exhibitions or museum collections.

These two buildings are united by a huge square where people can gather for a match, a coffee, an exhibition or just a talk. The project keeps the new arena area as an encounter space and preserves the sportive soul of the place, respecting its current uses and major function in the city.

The square is easily transformed in a big concert area, extended by the walkable roofs. The roofs are painted by the green and flowered areas that are extensions of the parks that surround the arena.

The ensemble of these buildings and grids makes a great blend, combining all kinds of activities like art, sports, history and shows in the same place. This mixture is essential to keep the animation, occupying the area during the whole year and spawning all other kind of spontaneous activities.

The interaction of these activities creates a synergy between them: at the same time people who are invited to the formal exhibitions can be part of the spontaneous activities. People spending time around the square, looking for some grid installation or participating to some sportive event can be potential public for the more formal activities.

So it creates an endless recurrent invitation, generating and supporting the life of the place, which can only exist if it gathers many users.

First and foremost, your name:

And your message:

To publish it, just press this ...


Step 1:
Choose Your Plan

10 Domains

10 Accounts

per month

Step 2:
Create Your Account

By clicking below, I hereby agree to the Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and all other policies listed here.

Please Note: Billing country should match your IP to avoid issues with 2Checkout's fraud prevention systems.


This post was originally published on this site

Starting a new job can be equal parts daunting and exhilarating. Becoming a new manager at a new job in a new city 2,000 miles away from home can definitely tip the balance toward daunting — and that was just the situation I was in before I attended my first ONA conference in Washington, D.C.

I was two weeks away from starting a position as a digital editor for Gannett’s southwest hub. In that role, I help oversee a team of web producers, working on 14 sites in four different states.

That may seem like a complex task, but I have learned by networking with other journalists at conferences like ONA one important thing: Every newsroom is facing a similar battle. From staff reductions to waning public trust, the prospect of shaping a nimble, innovative newsroom becomes … daunting. (There’s that word again!)

So how does a soon-to-be manager create a culture of innovation on a digital team, particularly one that works on so many sites?

The best answer I found came during a session called, “Creating the Next Generation of Product Thinkers.” Attending this session was a bit of a mental and creative stretch for me. The description screamed, “Only developers will understand this.”

Luckily, I was proven wrong.

Yes, there’s a disconnect between developers and their newsroom peers. Aron Pilhofer, a professor at Temple University, addressed the frustration many developers feel by saying, “All they [newsrooms] want is stuff.” Guilty as charged.

I want to encourage my team to ask, ‘Is there something innovative we can do to tell this story?’

But developers and journalists can join forces to work toward the same thing: creative solutions for our audiences’ needs.

For example, one presenter discussed the charts and visualizations that newsrooms create each election cycle. You know what they look like: pictures of the candidates at the top, a list of hot button issues on the side, with quotes about each candidates’ standing lumped in the middle. What if there were a better way to deliver that information? Perhaps some sort of tool or content piece that could be repurposed each election cycle?

That seemed like a fitting example given my new job. Areas of interests on our different sites overlap, and when they do, I want to encourage my team to ask, “Is there something innovative we can do to tell this story?”

Hong Qu, a UX designer with the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, listed five key areas to consider when deciding whether or not to build a new product. These can be applied, in part or in total, to everything we do in newsrooms – from individual story ideas to projects to true products. The five areas include:

  • Audience needs: Is there a clearly defined audience for this product? Why does this audience need this new product? What problem are we solving for them?
  • User experience: How will our audience use this product? And how can we make it more appealing and efficient for them to use?
  • Product culture: Is there buy-in from team members and management alike? Are team members able communicate in a way that enables them to tackle difficulties along the way?
  • Tech innovation: Does the newsroom have the tools necessary to build the product? Or is the product perhaps a new tool itself?
  • Revenue: Can this new product bring in revenue opportunities?

That last point is a slam dunk in particular for management. If they’re going to reallocate an employee’s time to build something new, it needs to make money. Most newsrooms can’t afford to move someone otherwise.

Now that I’m up and running in my position, I’m working to set innovation goals for 2018. I know the areas of production my producers are most passionate about. After holding a training session to walk them through what I’ve learned, I’m going to task each one of them to come up with a creative solution in their area of interest. I’m certainly excited to see what they come up with.

Katie O’Connell is a digital editor for Gannett, working out of the Arizona Republic newsroom in Phoenix. Previously, she was a multimedia journalist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where she worked on music and entertainment journalism and as a podcast producer. She was the producer of Unsolved, a cold case podcast that reached No. 3 on iTunes in its first season. Follow her on Twitter.

The post ‘Is there something innovative we can do to tell this story?’: How journalists and developers can work together on creative solutions for the audience’s needs appeared first on American Press Institute.

Comments are closed.

Up ↑