Thai Town

Thai Town is an earlier visiondivision sketch from the project titled ”Stockholm Showdown” where visiondivision proposed 24 projects to improve Stockholm. One of the sketches that we really wanted to investigate further was ”Thai Town”; a small budget project where all the key functions of a Thai town already exists but where architecture and design is whats lacking. We talked to a majority of the shop owners in the district and we came up with a plan on how to with small means make this project a reality. What we offer is the strategy you can read about below and also free of charge help to seek building permits and permits for commercial signs for all people in the district that wants to strengthen the Thai atmosphere in Thai town.

Thai Town är en tidigare visiondivisionskiss från projektet "Stockholm Showdown" där visiondivision föreslog 24 projekt för att förbättra Stockholm. En av de skisser som vi verkligen ville undersöka ytterligare var "Thai Town"; ett litet budget projekt där alla viktiga funktioner för ett “Thai Town” redan finns men där arkitektur och design är en av de aspekter som saknas. Vi pratade med en majoritet av butiks- och affärsägarna i distriktet kring Olof Palmes gata och gjorde en strategi för hur man med små medel kan göra detta projekt till verklighet. Vad vi erbjuder är den strategi du kan läsa om nedan, och dessutom så erbjuder vi gratis hjälp med att söka bygglov och skyltlov för alla de som verkar (och vill verka) i området där projekten i någon mån går ut på att stärka den thailändska atmosfären i “Thai Town”.

Stockholm as a city is a rather homogeneous city which is a bit curious, considering the fact that there are living a large number of people from all over the world in the area.
Whether you are walking around in Vasastan, Kungsholmen or Södermalm , it is basically the same scenery that you will encounter and the urban life differs very little.
But if you go north from Hötorget in central Stockholm, there are a small number of back streets streets which over the years has accumulated an assortment of shops and restaurants that have a clear connection with the Thai culture, mainly at Holländargatan and at Olof Palmes gata but also at Olofsgatan.
In a relatively small area, there are for example no less than four specialized food markets that sells almost only Thai food, which with Stockholm’s measure is hard to beat. This fine embryo of potential should be better highlighted; both in terms of marketing but also in terms of visually enhance the area and its character. We believe it is necessary for Stockholm as an aspiring metropolis to highlight the city's various ethnicities in a positive way and with Thailand we have strong ties in Sweden, mainly due to the many marriages between Swedish men and Thai women.
We therefor propose a Thai Town on Holländargatan, Olofsgatan and at Olof Palmes gata where it connects the two parallel streets. We suggest a series of small changes that can be made independently to create Sweden's first real ethnic district.

Stockholm som stad är en ganska likriktad stad, trots allt utbud och de etniciteter som finns här. Oavsett om man går omkring i Vasastan, på Kungsholmen eller på Södermalm så är det ungefär samma slags miljöer man upplever och stadslivet skiljer sig inte speciellt mycket åt. Men om man går norrut från Hötorget i Stockholm så kommer ett koppel av mindre gator där det genom åren har samlats en skara butiker och restauranter som har en thailändsk prägel, främst på Holländargatan och vid Olof Palmes gata men också på Olofsgatan. På en relativt liten yta finns det till exempel inte mindre än fyra butiker som säljer thailändska livsmedel, vilket med Stockholmska mått är svårslaget. Denna fina samling borde lyftas fram ännu bättre; både i form av marknadsföring och att rent visuellt förstärka området och dess prägel. Vi tror det är nödvändigt för Stockholm som en framtida metropol att lyfta fram stadens olika etniciteter på ett positivt sätt och just med Thailand har vi starka band i Sverige både på en kunglig och på en folklig nivå. Vi föreslår ett Thai Town på Holländargatan, Olofsgatan och på Olof Palmes gata där den binder ihop de två parallellgatorna. Vi föreslår en rad små förändringar som kan ske oberoende av varandra för att skapa Sveriges första riktiga etniska distrikt.

1. For a start, it would suffice to simply establish the concept of a Thai Town to be a catalyst to attract even more establishments with Thai origins. Just a sign and a name on a map would be an easy first step.

1. Till en början så skulle det räcka med att bara etablera begreppet Thai Town för att det skulle bli en katalysator för att locka ännu fler etableringar med thailändska inslag. En skylt skulle var ett enkelt första steg.

2. With easy modifications you can then enhance the character of the area with Thai flags that is put up across the narrow streets and also by taking advantage of the current conditions and characteristics that the area already have.
3. There is also a paved area which is located in the epicenter of Thai Town where it would be suitable to have small markets and events.
4. The tree on Holländargatan could easily be decorated with Thai lamps.
5. A number of empty windowless gables in the area could easily be painted or decorated with Thai motifs.

2. Med enkla grepp så kan man sedan förstärka karaktären i området med till exempel thailändska vimplar som spänns över de smala gatorna och att man utnyttjar de förutsättningar och särdrag som området har.
3. Det finns också en asfalterad yta som ligger i själva epicentret av Thai Town där man skulle kunna ha små marknader.
4. Trädet på Holländargatan skulle enkelt kunna dekoreras med Thailändska lampor.
5. Tar man till exempel Holländargatan så har den delen som går från Olof Palmes gata till Adolf Fredriks kyrkogata en rad av brandväggar som man enkelt skulle kunna måla eller
dekorera med thailändska motiv.

6. Larger signs and details such as balcony fronts can be painted in gold, as well as the asphalt surface where the markets can be.

6. Större skyltar och detaljer som balkongfronter kan målas i guld, likaså asfaltsytan där
marknaden kan vara.

7. To improve the area even further, you can also make some alterations to the small cemetery chapel located on the adjacent church Adolf Fredrik, which now serves as a tool shed.
With inexpensive and easy measures it can be converted into a Buddhist chapel.
There are already some places for prayers for Buddhists, but they are all far out in the suburbs so far.
We have already been in contact with the church and they where open minded about the proposal and not alien to a further discussion.
Having a Thai Town in Stockholm would benefit all residents and also attract more
tourists and perhaps provide a starting point for even more special districts to develop in Stockholm
city ​​to increase and show off the diversity and the variety that the city actually already has, but that for the moment is well disguised.

7. För att förgylla området ytterligare så kan även det lilla gravkapellet som ligger vid Adolf Fredriks kyrka, som nu fungerar som redskapsbod, enkelt och billigt göras om till ett buddhistiskt kapell. 
Vi har redan varit i kontakt med ledningen av kyrkan och de var inte främmande för att diskutera frågan ytterligare.
Att ha ett Thai Town i Stockholm skulle gynna samtliga invånare, locka fler turister och kanske ge ett avstamp i att ännu fler särskilda distrikt kan vaskas fram i Stockholms stad för att öka mångfalden och variationen som staden redan har potential för.

Chop Stick

Visiondivision was commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to create an innovative concession stand for the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park.

The design is based on the universal notion that you need to sacrifice something in order to make something new. Every product is a compound of different pieces of nature, whether it is a cell phone, a car, a stone floor or a wood board; they have all been harvested in one way or another. Our project is about trying to harvest something as gently as possible so that the source of what we harvest is displayed in a pure, pedagogic and respectful way—respectful to both the source itself and to everyone visiting the building.

The raw material we selected is a 100-foot yellow poplar tree, the state tree of Indiana, known for its beauty, respectable size, and good properties as hardwood. We found a great specimen standing in a patch of forest outside of Anderson, Indiana. Our goal was to make the best out of this specific poplar tree, from taking it down and through the whole process of transforming it into a useful building that is now part of one of the finest art parks in the United States. As the project proceeded, we continued to be surprised by all of the marvelous features that where revealed in refining a tree into a building; both in the level of craftsmanship and knowledge of woodworkers and arborists, and also of the tree itself.



The tree was then transported to the park site, where it became the suspended horizontal beam of this new structure, which is almost entirely made out of the tree itself. The tree’s bark was removed to prevent it from falling on bystanders, a process that occurs naturally as the moisture content in the wood drops, causing the tree to shrink and the bark to lose its grip. Craftsmen loosen entire cylinders of bark from the trunk that are then flattened and cut into a standard shingle length. The shingles was carefully stacked and placed under pressure to avoid curling. The stacks was then kiln dried to the proper moisture content, sterilized, and kept in climate-controlled storage until they where ready for use. Bark shingles are very durable, long lasting (up to 80 years), and maintenance free.

After debarking, pieces of wood are extracted from the suspended tree and used for each of the components of the concession stand; structural support of the construction, pillars and studs for the kiosk, swings under the tree for kids, chairs and tables to be placed under the tree’s crown, from which special fixtures made out of bark pieces will hang. Many school children visit 100 Acres, and we had those kids in mind when we decided to hang swings from the tree. On a smaller scale, we explored ways to use other parts of the tree in the concession stand, including pressed leaves and flowers that were taken from the tree and that became ornaments in the front glass of the kiosk.
We also made Yellow Poplar syrup that was extracted from the bark of the tree and that will be sold in the kiosk, thus meaning that you could actually eat a part of the building.



Exterior view


Swings made by pieces of the trunk


The VD-team handing out ice cream at the opening party


The top part of the tree with tables and chairs


Chop Stick on a summer afternoon


Chop Stick branded cowboy style


From inside the kiosk


Chop Stick at night time with the lamp shades from the bark of the smaller limbs

The delicate balance act of the risk of weakening the hovering tree with taking cuts from it versus having to have a certain amount of wood to stabilize and construct the kiosk and carrying the load from the tree itself was very challenging.
Many days was spent with the structural engineer trying different types of cuts in a computer model to optimize the structure. To be able to fit all pieces that needed to be taken from the tree into the actual cuts we needed to make drawings for every single piece taken from the tree. We also needed to optimize the kiosk both in size and in its constructions since it would take a lot of weight from the hovering trunk. The kiosk got a truss frame construction with two larger pieces of wood that are right under the tree. Using the schematics from our engineers force diagram program, we concluded that the wall closer to the end of the tree was taking more load, thus we sized up the two larger pieces of wood in that specific wall. All these alterations really just made the project more beautiful since the design became more refined in terms of more balanced proportions.


Master diagram showing the concept and the process


Facades


Diagram showing the cuts and where the different pieces of wood is used

The cut down of the tree and the transportation to the IMA
Image courtesy: Donna Sink
Here is a movie and series of pictures when the tree was taken down gently from a forest outside of Anderson, Indiana and taken to the 100 Acres at The Indianapolis Museum of Arts.

http://www.artbabble.org/video/ima/making-chop-stick


The transportation to the museum

 
The tree gets lifted with crane

Chop Stick In Progress

The first cuts of Chop Stick has now sucessfully been carried out and it looks like a champion.
We now also have an official date for the grand opening cermony in Indianapolis which will take place on the 16th of June, where you will find us swinging under the tree with a first class smile on our faces.

Paper Models

We are now starting a collection of buildings as paper models which you are free to download and assemble.
First out is our Eden Falls, but there are more to come in the near future, so look under the extra category in a while for more models of both visiondivision projects and other famous buildings.

Spire

The church in the small town of Våler in Norway burned down and a competition was held to build a new one. We joined the competition with the following entry.

It is in the rural church that the people in a village is experiencing its most emotional
moments; this is where the kids run out on the last day of school, it is here you get married and it is here you bid farewell to your loved ones.
When the church in the village went up in flames, it meant that an important function and a prominent landmark disappeared, it left a void which in a small village Våler becomes particularly apparent.
You can however be positive about the new opportunity that has occurred; that a new church to be built and that the village gets a well-much needed addition to their identity.
We imagine a wooden Scandinavian country church that will be situated on the edge of the site and that will be clearly visible from all over town.


Promenade to church

Church in mist

Room Sequence
The church consists of two parts: the church room and a lower part that lies around a tranquil courtyard. The church has two entrances: one main entrance and a smaller entrance on the back for smaller events. When you enter via the main entrance, you enter a church square in a direct
connection with the church and with a courtyard view.
Here you reach the cloakroom, toilets and a vestry and further away in the building are the more private rooms located, like the priest's room, and showrooms, which you can access from the lower entrance to the back.
The rooms in this wing are functional in a row with a corridor which overlooks the quiet inner courtyard.
From all the rooms you have a view over the grove of trees that lies behind the church.

Priest's room


Site plan


Plan

The courtyard has a water mirror that parts the courtyard and almost all drainage of the house run down in the pond, which creates a small waterfall when it rains.

Courtyard

The nave is classically designed with a center aisle and the room can easily be divided for smaller gatherings. The idea is that although there is a small gathering, you still will experience the
finest room.

Church interior

The floors are an important part of the church and the rooms are defined by different woods and designs, more intricate for more impressive rooms.
The tower room, for example, has wide planks that follow the natural tree trunk angle and forming a radiating pattern from the center of the room.
Looking up in the church tower



Section and a diagram of the tallest churches in the world

The tower is the most important symbol of the church and it is here that the church is very different from other country churches. With a simple steel construction with wooden boards you get with a relatively small budget the world's highest church.
If the budget does not allow, so the height can be lowered considerably without losing its character and still become Scandinavia's tallest church, which now is Uppsala cathedral which was built about 1892 to a height of 118.7 meters.
The tower has small windows that go all the way to the crest and that let in light in the church room, and that spreads light around the countryside at night.
With a relatively simple approach Våler municipality can boast with a building that will both provide echo around the globe and revitalize the municipality and frame the many fond memories of the inhabitants of Våler.

The town of Våler


















Night exterior