All-you-can-think by Attila Bujdosó (CC) 2006-2007 SPATIALITY OF THOUGHTS

I was looking for an answer for the question whether creative thoughts can be represented in/by a building? Can they be cast into space?

What kind of space is the one which can inhabit the largest amount of inspiration?

MINDMAP AND DIARY

To investigate the spatial behavior of thoughts I decided to trace my own thinking. Writing a ‘diary’ is the perfect tool to structure my thoughts along a timeline. I happened to write diary and several blogs for many years so that part of work was already done. To understand the spatial aspects of my thoughts I developed a ‘mindmap’, a visual representation of my mind. The outstanding similarity of this mindmap to the imagery of social network maps and tagclouds of blogs became an important concept tool throughout the design process.

INSPIRATION AS DAILY NEED

We live in an information society where the amount of information we consume increases day by day. We subscribe to newspapers and magazines, buy books, CDs and DVDs and download incredible amounts of digital content. We pay for countless TV channels most of which we hardly ever watch. We sign up for broadband internet connection and talk-more-pay-less mobile services. We spend enormous amount of money on information resources, services and devices, much more probably than we spend to fulfill our other basic needs. Why? Notable part of such information consumed is inspiration we need to enrich our life. The more information the more inspiration. The more inspiration the more excitement, the more taste of life.

Can we design a building which is especially focused on the exchange of inspiration?

ALL-YOU-CAN-THINK

I introduced the term 'all-you-can-think' similarly to those all-you-can-eat restaurants and all-you-can-drink bars. Just think of a space where you can access unlimited creative inspirations. 'All-you-can-think' should be a cultural space for social interaction where creative people can talk and meet. Somehow similar to the famed Pecha Kucha Nights where you can feel an extra high voltage of creativity shared among the people, both presenters and audience.

Can all this be represented in a building?

INSPIRATION POLLENS

I set up an analogy as creativity appears in form of inspiration pollens, floating around freely in space. When such pollens of creativity reach a critical mass in our proximity inspiration just happens. Based on this analogy I defined six basic ways of getting inspired, depending on how we interact with these pollens: 1. We enter a zone of high-density f.e. we go to see a theatre performance or look at an art-piece. 2. We visit an art exhibition which has a purpose to gather more inspiration pollens by setting up a collection. 3. We slow-down in a meditative or sacred space which raises our awareness to a higher level. 4. We move around in space so we accidently meet more such pollens. Important notice is that we need always need an excuse to move on. 5. We are hit by pollens which are broadcasted and spread through all sorts of media. 6. We take stimulants.

'All-you-can-think' should be a compound of all these.

BUDAPEST, SZÉNA TÉR

Such a building must be in the focal point of the city. The building I designed is located just off the always crowded Moszkva square, the Piccadilly of Budapest. The building consists of spaces which provides plenty ways of getting inspired: cafeteria connected directly to the lowered semi-public garden; meeting point just opposite to the stop of line 4-6, the busiest tram-line in town; vertical public space accessible for all; presentation room for show-and-tell events; bar which is an obligatory ingredient; terrace, an urban interpretation of panorama deck; a more quite exhibition space; and on the top, furthest away from the noise of the street and nearest to the sky: meditation roof terrace.

MONOLED FACADE

Prefabricated acrylic elements with built-in LEDs are implanted in the vertical in-situ concrete walls. These elements provide a perforated appearance by transmitting daylight during daytime. The embedded LEDs illuminate and emit light so the façade works as a high-resolution media façade during the night.

MERGING SPACE AND TIME

The building levels can be accessed linearly by climbing up the stairs which is bent around the inner volumes. Our perception follows a timeline similarly to a diary. However this linear route has a spatial expansion. The multi-layered visual appearance of the building – see through the openings on the facade, light transmitted through monoLED pixels and the façade which can be entirely animated – changes in time. It evokes the spatial qualities of a mindmap to be experienced in time.

Graduation project at Budapest University of Technology and Economics Project location: Széna tér, Budapest, Hungary. Tutor: Karácsony Tamás DLA