Everyone wants a bite of the cake,
Perhaps a little bit of deliciousness to share?
Act V
Scene ∞
THE UPLIFT
The new Somerset House is an eclectic enclave that has a concentrated mixture of a variety of phenomena existing not only in the urbanscape but also a hint of nature. Layers over layers, it is a cake bursting in flavor. Instead of stacking up or expanding the edge, the Somerset House intensifies inwards to form a dense mixture that contains — things that are expected, and things that are not. There are things that float like whimsical leaves in autumn with the uplift of wind, and there are things that root into the ground like an anchor to the ship. From micro to mega, within the physical boundary of Somerset House, the scale shifting between transient to permanent is a freedom generated by the occupants.
Buildings deteriorate at the rate determined by the material; however us, the inhabitants of the city keep the history alive and afloat. Somerset House is not the end of the story. In a city capable of constant regeneration, urban ruins are frequently constructed, creating many opportunities for speculative public engagement. The physical destruction due to material decay and structural impermanence is not a disadvantage to be pitiful upon. In fact, the degeneration is an upheaval generated from both the external and internal forces of the architecture, announcing that architecture is not only a static building but a generator of urban engagement.
By transforming the deteriorating Somerset House into a volume suitable for transient and stationery occupants both at once, such undervalued space can re-integrate back to the urbanscape by offering a greater functional space to its community than it used to present itself: an eyesore. Somerset House is not alone. The amount of undervalued space hidden or exposed in the city is countless. Imagine injecting multiple functions into all the undervalued space such as bus shelters and parking lots during their “off-hours”: instead of sites that are much needed during daytime yet unwanted at night, spaces providing continuous services to the community will be far more beneficial in creating a ground where the urban inhabitants can engage and contribute to a mutual uplift. Just like the whale that leaps to keep itself alive, the urban inhabitants through enacting undervalued space in the city with their own actions are collectively pushing the city towards its “leaping moment”: the upheaval.
