imagine a time where birmingham’s development has reached its peak, where empty/unused spaces are now a rarity and the city is crying out for more space. buildings are getting higher and bitmingham has a near unrecognisable cityscape to that of 20 years ago. the “suits” as they have been referred are seeking to expand the city centre into its surrounding areas, meaning the complete transformation of some of birmingham’s most historically significant sites. this includes the area of digbeth.
but what about the people of digbeth, the current users. allowed for so long to inhabit this forgotten space, but destined to be pushed out through the use of compulsory purchase orders.
solution : project staleg.
the consideration of time within the plan/section drawings is really interesting.. contours representing not topography, but the speed at which the diggers would be able to create their spaces.. how those would change relative to archaeological conditions encountered.
conceived as a result of a series of secret meetings between digbeths current occupants, project staleg seeks to create a new space, a space that could be forgotten once again, beneath the streets of digbeth. with an entrance hidden inside the walker building, a series of tunnels will be formed, expanding beneath ground as the space above is gentrified. a series of entwined staircases will be created from reclaimed materials thrown away by the contractors stripping out the surrounding buildings whilst structural elements are to be reused to prop up the vertical and horizontal tunnels.
the vision : a creative space that is truly public, growing almost like a root system to reveal an archaeological history. slowly, an underground world will evolve, a social system different to the one above will form. around the concept of self control, the people of digbeth will once again maintain their space.
these are long overdue. my apologies.
