JOURNAL OF EMERGENT URBANITY
IN MARSEILLE, FRANCE’S LARGEST PORT CITY, YOU’LL FIND ONE OF PATRICK BOUCHAIN’S LATEST AND ARGUABLY MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECTS. IT’S TITLE CUTS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: LA FRICHE.
WHERE MEANING IS ARRIVED AT THROUGH OCCUPATION RATHER THAN THE BUILT FORM.
ON PEUT ÊTRE PAUVRE ET GÉNÉREUX, ET SOLIDAIRE. ON PEUT AVOIR PEU DE CHOSE ET LES PARTAGER. L’ARCHITECTURE DU CHANNEL EST ÉGALEMENT PAUVRE ET EN MEME TEMPS GÉNÉREUSE, PARCE QUE LE PEU QU’ELLE A, ELLE LE DONNE.
WITH NO MONUMENTAL ENTRY – PEOPLE SLIP IN AND OUT OF THE BUILDING SEAMLESSLY.
THEY INFUSE THEIR MONSTERS WITH THE ENERGY FROM OUR IMAGINATIONS.
THE CHEEKY ILLUSION OF UTILITY, ALLOWS THE ARCHITECTS TO UNDERMINE THE AFFECTED, AUTHORITARIAN QUALITIES OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDING AS THEY INSERTED PUBLIC SPACES FOR GATHERING, DIALOGUE AND EXHIBITION.
EVEN THE ORNAMENTAL DETAIL – ENORMOUS CHARCOAL DRAWINGS OF HORSES EMERGING PARTIALLY BEHIND THE MIND STRUCTURE – CAN BE ERASED WHEN THE TIME COMES.
QUAND VOUS TRANSFORMEZ UN BÂTIMENT EXISTANT, VOUS PARLEZ PLUS D’ARCHITECTURE QUE QUAND VOUS CONSTRUISEZ UN BÂTIMENT NEUF.