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An Isometric overview of a polychronic park design for Hoograven, Utrecht
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Time use graphs give insight into how many people are locally expected to participate in a certain activity at a certain moment of the day: divided into weekdays and weekenddays. These graphs can be simplified into peak use schemes.
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Peak use schemes give quick insight into the temporal compatibility of functions. In this case, fitness and play alternate well in both the weekdays as in weekends.
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The current situation of the park, the space is poorly connected to surrounding public green spaces, its programming is generally monochronic and the design does not incorporate the canal well within the park experience.
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The park design, one of many typologies considered, containing various sites that were designed according to a polychronic programme. It theoretically leads to a more active use of the intended public spaces, as well as more space for dedicated greenery,
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The polychronic square: combining temporally compatible activities that all require paved spaces (in this case skating, play, climbing, fitness, social events and sports hall patronage) helps to minimise pavement in the park zone.
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The waterfront of the park design: sports, play, daytime and nighttime cultural activities take place on the lawn space at different times. Through a pulley system, the docks become a swimming space on sunny days, when the boats are out on the water.
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Chronotopia: the project explained in a vertical panel
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Chronotopia
Frank Wortelboer. Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Name of work in English
Chronotopia
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Name of work in original language
Designing with the daily rhythms of the city
Prize year
Young Talent 2023
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Work Location
Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Author/s
Frank Wortelboer
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School
Chairgroup Landscape Architecture - Wageningen University and Research Centre.
Wageningen, The Netherlands
Young Talent 2023 YT Nominees
Chronotopia
Designing with the daily rhythms of the city
Program
Urban planning
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Labels
Waterfront · Public Space
Many urban spaces cater to one use, remaning unused for most of the day. Chronotopia explores methods to bridge the gap between knowledge on urban activity patterns and the application thereof in urban design. It explores how approaching multifunctionality from a temporal perspective can contribute to a more efficient and flexible use of public space.
Besides a traditional spatial analysis on the site and its programming, time-use analysis allowed insight into the expected activities of the inhabitants during certain moments of the day. This data was reformatted to reflect the rhythms of activities that involve the public space, such as play, sports and social activities. By determining the peak moments of each activity an overview could be made that allowed insight into the temporal compatibility of each activity. This, together with the spatial compatibility of the respective activities and general design objectives for the site, resulted in polychronic design programmes for individual spaces within the neighborhood. The design results, while diverse, appear to have a generally positive influence on both the efficiency and flexibility of urban public spaces compared to their original, monochronic counterparts. The project also identifies some variables which can be purposefully influenced to attain different results. Most notable among these are the prescriptiveness of the designs, the method of alternating between functions (passive, interpretive, or active), the balance between the functions, and the impact of temporal stacking versus the temporal spreading of activities in a space. Ultimately, a more active consideration of daily rhythms in the field of landscape architecture in both research and design is encouraged.