What will these spaces look like in two decades? How will we be working, shopping and learning? How will technology affect daily life in each of these spaces?
The digital world has reimagined typologies within retail, office and education in the last twenty years by dissolving physical barriers through the Internet. Technology continues to challenge communication, politics, culture, citizenship, and accessibility and as a result, transparency and inclusion are a priority. Both transparency and inclusion in the physical world are tangible and visible but also hybrid to different user needs.
The sense of discovery and adaptability are also essential to creativity in work and educational environments, even when done remotely. Here we can immerse ourselves in different hybrids…indoor-outdoor, team-individual, urban-nature, rest-work, augmented reality- physical reality, A cubicle or a glass tower only led to isolation and in a specialized society it is a waste of resources in all sense. The materiality of the space is chosen to elicit consciousness and allude warmth by incorporating light or a connection of the outdoors. Repurposed or recycled material is also part of the urban environment.
Here the role of the Fun Palace is to learn and create, to apply oneself or remove oneself from the task at hand. A small example would be the greenhouse restaurant that combines vertical farming and a social gathering. It answers where our food comes from (transparency) and an opportunity to learn through an engaging, communal environment (inclusion). The space’s function has not changed yet technology has embedded itself, Price believed that through the correct use of new technology the public could have unprecedented control over their environment, resulting in a building which could be responsive to visitors’ needs and the many activities intended to take place there. Here working and learning constantly at play, they are flexible and can transform into an open space.
I also believe in creating an open source urban environment that allows cross-disciplinary function. With 3d printing we can create more opportunities as it is applied from medicine to food or shoes. It can be a source for new craftsmanship and talent- a bazaar where drones ship your goods home? Is it the new museum? The British Museum for example provides 3d scans of all their collection- can the Fun Palace also a space of heritage conservation, culture and learning?