SPATIAL MESH AS DEMOCRATIC CIRCULATION
As technology becomes an increasingly omnipresent force in our lives, we must examine how we communicate and disperse information. Today most of our digital communication occurs through a star or tree local network topology in which individual nodes aren’t all interconnected, rather information is sent to a central node and then dispersed accordingly. This centralized network puts tremendous power in the central node to control the flow of information. Essentially whoever controls the central node controls information communication, setting the stage for an Orwellian dystopia.
The alternative is the Mesh topology allows for direct connections between each node, and well-designed protocols allow for seamless rerouting of information if a particular node is disabled. Applying the ideas of mesh networking to physical space promotes the democratic sharing of information and adaptive circulation. Enclosing space flexibly so that it can expand, contract, intersect, or be entirely shut down allows it to serve multiple functions without imposing a permanent spatial configuration. This state of constant flux also creates a natural rerouting of the circulation paths encouraging people to engage with their environment through dynamic wayfinding.
The star networking topology as understood through circulation is most apparent when used to express monumentality or security. In historical architecture, we see this in the design of palaces and religious buildings. Looking at the plan of castles throughout history we see a common circulation pattern. Visitors are escorted through the gates, they may cross over some defensive measures and then enter the throne room greeted by the throne directly ahead in the line of sight. The path from entering the castle to the throne room is clearly imposed using statues that point towards the throne, floor patterns demarking the path, and usually a grand stair leading up to the dais. Deviation from the set path is not an option, and that is by design. The royals who built the castles wanted to exert control on visitors and the most direct way to physically do that is to control their movement through space.
We also see this in religious buildings, particularly Shinto shrines where the movement from one space to the next is a linear processional process. Entering deeper and deeper into the shrine is associated with status. In this way, the linearity of circulation is associated with hierarchy. While the common person may only be permitted to circulate through the first few doors. The emperor and his family would be taken on the prescribed path all the way to the most sacred interior chamber.
We’ve seen this prescribed linear circulation exploited for its suggestion of monumentality and order by the Nazis. Albert Speer’s design for a Berlin under the Third Reich was centered around a processional axis leading to the enormous dome of the Volkshalle where Hitler would deliver his speeches. The design drew inspiration from medieval throne rooms with steps and banners all leading to the podium where Hitler would’ve stood.
The events that unfolded on Philadelphia’s I-676 on June 1, 2020 are an unfortunate consequence of our linearly planned cities. It was one of the countless racial justice protests after George Floyd’s murder. Protestors gathered to march down the highway and two police units were dispatched to disperse the protest. As is the nature of highways that linearly direct traffic the sides were blocked by the high embankment and fence. The two units set up barriers to the front and back of the protestors effectively trapping them in. With just two access points to the space of the protest, the police whether intentional or unintentional were very easily able to take away the freedom of movement from the protestors, and given the high tension situation, many protesters were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas with no escape.
Airports use prescribed circulation as a security measure for good reason. Whether TSA screening actually reduced the number of dangerous items and individuals that make it onto planes, the appearance of control and security is a good deterrent.
So while the star typology of circulation has a time and place, it’s absolutely inappropriate for public spaces and the built environment that promotes equity and inclusivity.
The plaza is a good example of the mesh typology. The threshold into the plaza is informal and cannot be easily controlled. It also allows visitors to map their own path through space. The introduction of a fountain, furniture, or even a temporary installation will organically change the way people circulate through the space.
Malls on university campuses are an interesting case study to look at. They should operate as should operate like the plaza free for students to occupy and freely walk across to get to their classes, but schools want to protect the grass from foot traffic so they go to great lengths to fence off the lawns and force students to take the prescribed sidewalk paths around the mall. As expected despite the institution's efforts students regularly walk across the grass to take the shortest path possible. Much to the dismay of the institutions that lament the classic photo-op in front of the perfect lawn, the foot traffic does disrupt the grass, and the most common paths that students take become apparent as trampled grass. Many are fascinated by these paths, calling them cow paths, pirate paths, social trails, kemonomichi (beast trails), chemins de l’âne (donkey paths), and Olifanten Pad (elephant trails)” or most commonly desired paths. They’re a clear indication of the need for unprescribed circulation through the mesh topology.
While it is simple to implement the mesh circulation strategy in open spaces, it becomes a design challenge in traditionally designed architecture with solid walls and fixed thresholds, but there exist examples that we can look at.
Traditional Japanese homes include shoji, sliding screen walls. They’re used to partition space and define space. The density of Japan’s cities combined with stricter definitions of privacy demand spaces has multiple functions where they can be opened up to accommodate more people or closed down for more intimate settings.
This sliding operation makes a comeback in Modernist Architecture, specifically the houses of Mies Van der Rohe. The sliding glass door in the Barcelona pavilion act opposite the shoji screens in their delicate frames disappear seamlessly blending the boundary between exterior and interior.
We can take these ideas of flexible circulation and build upon them using modern technology to create an architecture that grows and changes dynamically with the ways our societies grow and change.