Tangraplay Toolkit

Weaving the Post-Quake City 

PROJECT SUMMARY 

The design is inspired from the versatile “tangram” game, which consists of few pieces of wood yet offers limitless possibilities. It is a tool-kit comprising various elements such as solids, surfaces, lines, and points (connector elements), alongside loose parts, fostering limitless creativity in crafting diverse spaces and playgrounds for people of all ages. This kit empowers anyone, regardless of their age, to construct unique environments by utilizing its tools. Some components are small enough to be handled individually, while others necessitate collaborative effort, facilitating interaction. The tools themselves are easy, fast, and cost-effective to build and implement and come in a box, containing six surfaces which are also integral components of the overall design. The target city is Hatay, deeply impacted by the recent earthquake. Harnessing the power of tactical urbanism, the design approach offers an opportunity to revitalize cities in the aftermath of earthquakes. It enables the creation of optimal urban experiences, in the absence of the traces of previous urban settlements. The temporary landscapes crafted by participants, in the most creative and free environment possible, will aid in the regeneration of the city and life. Furthermore, they contribute to city planning by offering an interim use and involving the community. These designs serve as a catalyst for immediate action, fostering the health, well-being, and sense of belonging for residents in post-quake cities. Through mixing, matching, connecting, and rotating elements, participants can effectively articulate the physical and cultural needs of the c 

AIM AND VISION 

Rebuilding and co-creating a thought and structure has a healing, liberating, and playful aspect. Our mission as game makers is to present tactics that allow people to reconsider their sense of belonging in the places they inhabit. We aim to bring design and play together with the users in the early stages of processes. The goal is to fully utilize the potential of the methods and tactics outlined in this mission, especially as a planning tool in post-disaster scenarios. Our vision is to determine the social and physical aspects of the intended working area through a participatory approach and develop flexible and adaptive design approaches to respond to rapidly changing urban needs or situations arising after disasters. In this context, we can outline the collective’s goals as follows: - We want to create and share an alternative architectural thinking and practice based on games. - We value the essential relationship between the inhabitant and the place, which cannot be produced solely by remote observations. Therefore, participation is one of the fundamental rules of our game. - We acknowledge the destructive consequences of the Anthropocene. We propose using the healing power of the game to restore the relationship between humans and nature. - We dream of transforming short-term and temporary solutions into long-term and permanent infinite play.” 

Preparations have begun to organize a workshop to implement the Tangraplay toolkit project with the volunteer team and to observe its impact on disaster-affected areas.

 


Location

The first impact area of the project, designed after the Turkey earthquake, was planned to be Hatay 


Tactical Urbanism

A description of an effort and why it matters  


Toolkit Hatay Booklet.pdf

Project Booklet

Take a look at our booklet for more information