EMBRACING WINTER Studio 1
Public space for a winter city Amitis Fouladi
We live in a winter city. A city with an average temperature below zero, with precipitation often in the form of snow, limited hours of daylight and strong seasonal variation. These conditions place a serious limitation on urban life, and massively affect the use of outdoor public spaces. Winter does not come only with bad features, but also with opportunities related to the strong seasonal variation. The problem in Umeå is that the public space has been shaped from the same standardised plans as the south parts of Sweden.
So, in order to overcome this critical condition of limited urban life, Norman Pressman, a researcher of human health and social factors in winter cities, expresses that the main goal of urban design should be to extend the outdoor season by encouraging people to remain outdoors while maximizing the beneficial aspects of winter and minimizing thermal discomfort.
Since the days are short and sunlight is a driving force on spending time outside, artificial technologies could be implemented to extend the winter days. Also combining the outdoor and indoor activities like ice bath and sauna, fishing on the ice in a cabin and ice-skating then sitting by a fire would encourage people to engage socially.
The solution of a public space for a winter city I believe is to combine outdoor and indoor activities.
Embracing the winter activities and making them available for everyone will activate the social life and strengthen the community. Jane Jacobs, a journalist, author and activist who lived in New York and fought against building a highway going through Central Park during the 1960s, pointed out 55 years ago that a city is not only about the physical structure but very much about social life and social content. The relationship between individuals and the importance of spaces for public activities.
My project will therefore provide that space for people in the city center. Gathering winter activities to my site by having an ice rink on land but also monitoring the conditions of the Umeå river and providing winter gear that can be borrowed for the activities. The building will not highlight the indoor activities but rather the outdoor and the structure will work as slopes for sledding. The Indoor space however is important since not everyone is a fan of outdoor activities but even those who are need a break from the cold. The indoor space will embrace the tradition of gathering around a fire and also have the modern necessities of an indoor public space, such as Wi-Fi, outlets, restrooms, microwaves etc. Another traditional winter activity that is embraced in this project is public saunas. The sceptic winter person might change their view when seeing the possibilities of a winter city!
