Agnieszka Panasiuk
Methods and Analysis
Thickening the threshold - Public spaces for encounter in the entry squares of Universidad Nacional de Colombia
As a response to an unresolvable conflict, Universidad Nacional in Bogotá, Colombia was at one time isolated from the rest of the city. Since the status quo persists, the threshold between the campus and the city remains neglected and extraneous to both parties.
The project is set in the entrance squares to the campus. Instead of its merits, the univocity of the division is questioned. Thickening the threshold allows us to transform the entry squares from places where control and supervision are exercised to places which empower the repressed by giving them the freedom of movement.
Floor is the primary focus of the project. Undulations of the topography introduce imbalance and encourage people to explore the space. Discovery and surprise enter peoples’ daily lives. The users begin to question the sensibility of the space around them and the codes of behaviour in power.
The project offers cognitive and design tools, valuable in situations of urban conflict in contemporary cities.
More information
- PhD thesis 'Thickening the threshold'