Welcome! Session 2 of Hamar Experience was packed with information and curiosities that make those 60 minutes of video worth watching. Really, when was the last time you saw an architect explaining their latest project step by step? Again, thanks for sharing this project with us.
This is the last session that Belinda will be broadcasting from Ecosistema Urbano office in Madrid. Next week we shall see her at Hamar’s City Council – and in the near future, at the Basar House, but that’s another story. Belinda talked extensively about the Online Workshops, which is how those who are not in Hamar can participate in the design of the new Stortorget Square. Andres Walliser (@andreswalliser) will be the consultant of the online workshop Public Space and People. As Belinda pointed out, he is a very good sociologist and he will be sharing with the participants his interest in public spaces as one of the defining key elements of a city. Paco Gonzalez (@radarqnet) and Ethel Baraona (@ethel_baraona) bring their expertise to Tactical Urbanism. They are very active in exploring new technologies and how to use them to make public spaces more interesting and interactive. Remember that the open sessions of both workshops are FREE. They are like a lecture with a broadcast format similar to that of Hamar Experience. You only have to register if you want to develope a project with the consultant as your tutor. Registration deadline is September 26th, but you can aslo apply for a grant. Go to the Digital Lab for more information.
Belinda shared the spotlight with Jaime Eizaguirre, a young architect who has been working at Ecosistema Urbano for five years. Belinda said he is one of the most creative members of Ecosistema Urbano. Therefore, Jaime is working on the preliminary design of Stortorget Square within the network design process. Jaime task is to think about how Stortorget Square is and how it can be.
The preliminary design is the most physical part of dreamhamar. It starts with an analysis of the square, its history and situation. Right now it seems to be no more than a parking lot. But there is a lot going on for Stortorget Square. There are going to be newbuildings around it and traffic is also undergoing some changes. With this prelimiar information Jaime, Jose Luis Vallejo and the rest of the team will stablish a sort of chessboard. On this chessboard dreamhamar’s participants will be able to make an infinite number of moves.
The idea is to make it as open as possible, so there is room for all the ideas to come. Usually architects don’t have information coming directly from the final users of their designs. In dreamhamar the final user will be brainstorming, dreaming about how Stortorget Square will be. For Jaime, this is is what makes dreamhamar so exciting. If you are the curious type, you will not be able to resist the temptation of checking the links Jaime shared yesterday. The architects here in Ecosistme Urbano used them for references, inspiration and to get information on Stortorget Square: dreamhamar.tumblr.com | things the team has collected regarding dreamhamar eulinks.tumblr.com | Ecosistema Urbano food for thought hamar.kommune.no | Watch Stortorget Square on real time
For the real thing, watch Hamar Experience Session 2. And please, if you have any ideas or suggestions, contact us! This is, after all, a participative process.
We hope to see you again on Monday 8th of August, at 18:00 UTC+2 (Madrid, Norway Time). This time broadcasting from Hamar!
