CampUs: A student-led participatory initiative to re-design and revitalize underused open spaces
CampUs is a participatory project that researches the methodology and the technical know-how to bring life to underused university areas, based on best practices from design thinking and digital fabrication. The project’s long-term objective is to educate interested participants around its basic components and thus invest in them to take on similar urban initiatives and address their community’s spatial needs both critically and creatively.
Local
Greece
Chania , Crete
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As individual(s) in partnership with organisation(s)
First name: Efharis Last name: Gourounti Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Technical University of Crete (TUC) / Transformable Intelligent Environments Laboratory (TUC TIE Lab) Age: 25 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Greece Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 14 V. KORNAROU STR Town: CHANIA Postal code: 73134 Country: Greece Direct Tel:+30 697 919 7767 E-mail:ef.gourounti@gmail.com
First name: Christos Last name: Ivopoulos Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Technical University of Crete (TUC) / Transformable Intelligent Environments Laboratory (TUC TIE Lab) Age: 25 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Greece Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 57-61 I.KAPODISTRIOU STR. Town: CHANIA Postal code: 73132 Country: Greece Direct Tel:+30 698 423 0609 E-mail:civopoulos@gmail.com
The CampUs project is a hands-on case study of participatory design intervention that takes place at the Technical University of Crete (TUC). The impetus driving this project is the low-level engagement of the students with the campus’ open areas and at the same time the lack of open-source type of tools to address it.
Led by two architecture students and supported by the Transformable Intelligent Environments Laboratory (TUC TIE Lab), the project initially invited active student groups at TUC to help identify underused areas in the campus, as well as spatial dynamics and potential uses. The next steps involved participatory workshops and seminars on iterative design experimentations, digital fabrication and prototyping.
The outcome was an 1:1, small-scale, modular structure that satisfies the majority of the required functions addressed. It is composed of wooden interconnected cross-nodes and beams, cut in the university’s CNC machine, in sizes organized within a grid structure that is proportionate to the human body.
Throughout this process, a selected focus group provided the team with valuable insights coming from the broader student community. They also became the first individuals to train on the final design solution and the fabrication of its modular components.
CampUs delivers a durable yet adaptable spatial system and a step-by-step guide to engage students from diverse backgrounds to revitalize open spaces in their university. With that, CampUs equips them with the participatory tools and the design solution to play an active role in shaping their everyday learning environment. By helping students experiment and innovate, CampUs hopes to foster a culture of creativity that extends beyond the boundaries of the university. In this context, the project’s long-term objective is to provide a comprehensive methodology along with the design tools to help -even non-experts- assess, redesign and give life to underused public spaces in their cities.
Participatory Methodology
Design Thinking
Digital Fabrication
Adaptable Structures
Open Community Spaces
The project takes on its basic sustainability approach by bringing on board and educating students of diverse backgrounds, equipping them -hands-on- with the necessary knowledge, skills, technology, and expertise to design and construct community-serving projects in underutilized public spaces. This way, it helps support the transition from a culture of consumers to a culture of creators.
Moreover, the project highly regards the UN’s approach to sustainable living according to which people should find ways to live "lighter". On that end, CampUs aims to “transform” underused spaces by installing light-weight, ephemeral spatial configurations in them, with a small footprint, rather than massively “rebuilding” them. The components of the grid can be assembled, disassembled and reassembled in different configurations without losing their structural integrity, nor their design identity. Additionally, knowing the effects small modifications can have within an environment previously thought to be mundane, the project’s construction system operates in a way that utilizes everything already available. This way, it facilitates new activities with regard to the pre-existing design, making the process more appealing to non-experts.
Lastly, in terms of material choice, marine plywood was selected as the core material for construction. It is known for its durability in outdoor environments and is also an environmentally-friendly choice as it guarantees a low replacement frequency. The plywood is processed using CNC-operated equipment, which ensures precision and efficiency in the fabrication process, minimizing waste and resulting in perfect parts for the students to assemble and modify with ease. Moreover, the wooden dust resulting from the CNC process will be available for local authorities to use in case of an oil-spill in the streets.
CampUs is visually perceived as a three dimensional grid, bearing additional functional parts and surfaces, that overall provide current and future users with a versatile framework to build on and expand their ideas. The aesthetics objective is primarily addressed through this structural system which is designed as:
> Modular, allowing for an easy adaptation to the site requirements and consequently to the changing needs and preferences of the students.
> Accessible, that is simple in its core, so that users can directly understand, modify and use it, without prior expert knowledge.
> Lightweight, so that the individual parts can be transported on site without effort for an assembly process that does not require the help of a professional construction crew.
> Sturdy, so that it is able to withstand all weather conditions, as part of the campus's outdoor equipment, as well as demanding use.
In terms of haptics, the system is constructed entirely of plywood, which has a unique and unified visual and tactile result. The core grid serves as the foundation, with a variety of wooden joints connecting other parts together, supporting a 3d puzzle-like assembly process. The students can then use other default surfaces to complete their designs. Any elements that adhere to the grid's proportional dimensions can be integrated into the system.
CampUs employs an open source philosophy, making expert knowledge accessible and useful to non-experts by providing a simplified guidebook of the actions needed to organize this project, as well as step-by-step assembly/disassembly tutorials. The inclusion objective is primarily addressed through the bottom-up participatory approach that is guided by the needs and the overall input of the various stakeholders, rather than by a top-down approach where usually authorities and remote experts dictate the design and implementation aspects.
Moreover, by involving students in the design and implementation of the modular system, CampUs aims to provide them with valuable hands-on experience and a sense of agency in shaping their campus environment. Those skills can then pass on to younger students that care to be involved in projects like this, gradually creating a culture of student-led engagement and empowerment, aiming to sustain a community-centered and inclusive environment for years to come.
Additionally, the democratization and open use of digital fabrication tools and techniques for every aspect in the construction process not only makes it more cost-effective, but it also allows students to easily reproduce parts as needed, while also encouraging them to further experiment with diverse designs and modifications.
First and foremost, CampUs is participatory and open source to the core. For the students directly involved, it presents them with the opportunity to familiarize themselves and gradually build-up knowledge, experience and skills on matters around design thinking, digital design and fabrication and participatory techniques in order to create community-serving projects.
Apart from the people actively involved in the current development of the project, the CampUs’ deployment strategy is based on the fact that the emergence of those “enhanced spaces'' in the university open areas, branching out from student-led initiatives, will definitely spark the curiosity of more members from the student body. Findings from the ongoing research process reveal that the majority of the students have never considered planning, let alone making, a change in their immediate environment. In this direction, every new addition will be a valuable example of user appropriation and adaptation.
As far as the University’s administration is concerned, the Rectorate as well as faculty members, they have all contributed to the creation of a fostering environment. Not only did they provide consultation and the financial support for the CampUs materials, but they have also secured the open use of laboratories and machinery, as well as the official approvals for the in situ installation. This positive disposition brought forward much confidence from the students’ part, a crucial element in encouraging future interventions.
It is important to highlight here the fact that CampUs has a long-term objective and that is to inspire current participants to adopt the methodology and the tools and take on similar urban initiatives in their community, in other neighborhoods and cities all over Greece.
The Technical University of Crete is a regional institution located 5,5 km northeast of Chania within a 750 acres campus. There are five engineering schools, all committed “to expand knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education.” More than 6500 students are enrolled, the majority of which come from other regions around Greece. The CampUs project has collaborated so far with 25 undergraduate TUC students, as well as with researchers, faculty and members of the administration. It was also pitched to City officials, as TUC TIE Lab has a strong community outreach background, with many of its projects implemented in Chania.
While working with a multidisciplinary group, the team developed a comprehensive understanding of the needs and expectations of all stakeholders involved, at various stages, from brainstorming to decision-making, and from hands-on fabrication to evaluating the key steps of the process. In detail:
> The two students in charge of CampUs are responsible for the idea, the design and application of all current and future stages of the project.
> Faculty and researchers from the TUC TIE Lab team, the hosting architecture laboratory, offer consultation in the development of the methodology and the project’s application. In addition, the lab provided the materials to develop the 1:1 prototype.
> The student participatory groups have collaborated in all stages, with a varying level of involvement. Coming from diverse engineering backgrounds, all participants infused the project with valuable insights.
>The student focus group provided a clear perspective on the needs and expectations of the end-users in the campus.
>Other TUC faculty, with expertise in static analysis and material properties, helped with the construction challenges.
>The TUC administration demonstrated a keen interest and pledged support in providing further funding and resources for the project, as well as in its future expansion in the City of Chania.
The project brought together architects/designers and engineering students to collaborate, learn and create together. The main expertise areas that elevated the project are:
> Design Thinking. CampUs evolved based on iterative experimentation and prototyping. In this context, the architects in lead used the design thinking method to ask the right questions and re-define the problem from the eyes of the users and the stakeholders involved, which helped ensure that the final design was responsive to their needs and preferences. From the beginning, it was evident to the participants that design thinking was key to open up and help the creative process evade the deadend of looking only at problems and open up to out-of-the-box ideas that have the potential to lead to action and innovation.
> Digital Fabrication. Additionally, the team's goal was to create a result that incorporated the principles of co-designing and co-making, using the university’s fabrication laboratory. The digital fabrication techniques and tools that architects use inside such makerspaces allow for a lot of room for learning and experimentation to non-experts, rendering social technology a powerful asset to the project. Moreover, the participants realized firsthand the ability of CNC machines to create precise, custom-made models and rapidly test changes on the design as it evolves.
> Participatory Design. The CampUs’ central concern was not only to create custom-made, efficient urban-type of equipment in the university’s open spaces, but to ensure that diverse voices will be involved from the beginning. Four levels of participation were recorded: help randomly, have an informed saying, collaborate in many stages, committed participation that leads to learning and experience. The participatory processes enabled the collaboration between all specialized fields by providing a framework for understanding and feedback.
The approach is innovative as it creates a comprehensive roadmap for non-experts on how to assess a space that is not functional and then take action to change it by combining design thinking, making and participatory processes. So rather than complaining or protesting to the university’s administration that the campus is empty, students are handed through CampUs the methodology, the design elements and the technical know-how to bring life to underused university areas, and create new places for gatherings, socialization and outdoor learning. It is the transition from top-down to a bottom-up participatory process, supported and embraced by all the stakeholders involved, that elevates the character of the project to a status of a social innovation tool that fosters a culture of user-led initiative for change and continuous improvement.
By empowering students to take ownership of their learning environment, CampUs encourages critical and creative thinking about all the spaces they inhabit. The project’s long-term objective is to educate students on its basic components and help them replicate the process into more campus areas, or take on similar urban initiatives and address their community’s spatial needs and wishes in the cities they originally come from.
The project's participatory methodology and design assets were customized for the TUC student community, with the goal of helping them revitalize open spaces through their own initiative and engagement. This methodology can be applied in neighborhoods and urban settings, as a municipality, university or civil society initiative, as well as in any other public or private facilities with visionary users.
After evaluating the feedback from the CampUs’ participatory processes, it was evident that the attendees of the workshops gained adequate expertise in both the manufacturing process and the participatory engagement techniques. This comes along with a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment that guarantees that those participants are very likely to use and evolve their newly acquired skills beyond the boundaries of the university.
The process of adaptation, the guidebook and the step-by-step assembly/disassembly tutorials are already pre-described in the roadmap to be used in:
>Public open spaces
Making some alterations to this participatory process and still focusing on hands-on experience and experimentation, can help any community to take ownership of their local public spaces. By working closely with local administration, the community can access resources and support to implement the construction and ensure it meets necessary safety and accessibility standards. The success of this plan depends on access to and collaboration with a makerspace, which is a facility, equipped with specialized machinery and funded by local authorities, providing free access to anyone who wants it.
>Private spaces (non-commercial projects)
The modular construction alone can be a practical and cost-effective solution for indoor furnishings in spaces requiring versatility. To implement this plan, access to specialized machinery for the construction of the parts is crucial. So again what's recommended is collaboration with an open makerspace.
Among other things, the recent pandemic surfaced critical issues around the concept of living outdoors. Many of us discovered the significance of open spaces in our neighborhood and re-appreciated the value of getting outside together. However, we also realized that the majority of the existing public spaces lack the human-centered aspect of design, with the most prominent one being the quality of experience these spaces provide.
This human-centered aspect, in its various dimensions, is what drives the idea behind the CampUs project. By enabling and educating people to address their community’s spatial needs, in this case the university’s residual spaces, CampUs supports both critically and creatively a local culture of initiative and participation in the creation of small scale, functional and sustainable open places for all. More specifically, CampUs:
>Empowers individuals/Focuses on community:
What this project can do is reinstall the people's belief in their social and creative abilities, giving them the methodology, the tools and a comprehensive roadmap to take the initiative and start working on the way to the change they wish to see in their community.
>Celebrates open-source:
Providing access to information and resources to an always growing audience is a crucial component of this project. By promoting shared knowledge in this manner keeps the project relevant and allows for more individuals to actively participate in the creative process.
