Sabryn Daiki is an intern at the 0101 architect agency and she is an active participant of the Step by Step program initiated this fall on Trempolino terrace. The architecture student is involved in the construction of a 1/25th scale model of the building.
Seven floors set down on an old blockhaus, a bus built into the building, a red ceiling terrace… Many residents of the Île de Nantes are probably wondering what could be going on in this curious place inaugurated in 2011. Trempolino, which is seeking to make its spaces more open and more adapted to current and future users, is aware of that reality. The association plans to make the terrace available for residents, local actors and actresses, to develop projects, cultural or not.
In partnership with the Ecole des Beaux Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Trempolino has chosen the 0101 architect agency to take over the reflection and creation project on future uses, until the end of November. Together with the Ecole des Beaux Arts and Ecole d’Architecture students, a local resident, the 0101 agency formed a “pioneer” group to discuss, take over and set up the terrace temporarily. The goal of that working group is to design a long-lasting space that stimulates and activates encounters between residents, associations and project leaders…
Experimenting through participation
Sabryn Daiki, a student at the Ecole d’Architecture, joined the workshops in October. Step by Step has been a triggering element in her choice of Master’s internship. “During my previous internships, I never worked around the concept of participation. During my interview at 0101, the architects proposed this project to me. It made me want to do my internship there to experiment things.”
Experimentation has been, in fact, her hobby horse since last year when, together with about fifteen architecture students, she created the collective “À Coté”. With her young colleagues, Sabryn works on concrete projects, but without worrying about budget issues.
“We take advantage of the chance to still be students. We used our respective networks to find projects to work on and we are confronted with real life but with a lot of naivety. We listen to residents, to what they have to tell us about their lives. We put them at the center.” A know-how that she put to good use in the Step by Step project creating “street-interviews” alongside about fifteen people. “We went to meet residents around Trempolino and at the neighboring school Aimé Césaire to ask them questions about the building that they see every day, without necessarily going in. We asked them about their imaginations of this place.” The student is currently working on the writing of the synthesis but several conclusions have already emerged from these individual interviews. “Because of its architecture, people don’t instinctively tell themselves that they are going to take over this massive and impressive blockhaus. Some of them are actually afraid to go in. It was really interesting because often, the residents have ideas that the city’s actors wouldn’t have. Some of them have spoken about the lack of a cinema or shared gardens. Others noted that there are few fast foods in the neighborhood and there is a lack of place for teachers to take a break for lunch. We would have liked to do more interviews but we were stopped by the lockdown…”.
Very quickly, at the end of all the interviews and exchanges between the Step by Step project members, has emerged a theme for accessibility. And therefore the construction of a staircase. “The residents didn’t know how to access the terrace, continues the student. Many of them told us about the lack of signage. With the idea to build a staircase, we introduce the idea that people can do whatever they want with it. For example, they could sit there and watch a projection or eat a sandwich. But it all depends on what will be organised on the terrace. Something has to happen for people to want to stay there. To materialize their reflections, the Step by Step project participants decided to make a 1/25th scale model. “Concrete expresses the materiality of Trempolino, explains Sabryn. “It’s the signature of this place steeped in history. Concrete is very heavy so we used technics to save kilos, screwed nails into it, made a wooden formwork…”
A 0101 book of ideas
Somewhat disturbed by the lockdown, the Step by Step program has been taking place mainly by videoconference since October 30th, except for Wednesdays when 0101’s architects continue to meet on the Trempolino terrace. “We are all working from home. We organise everything on video conference, we discuss a lot, but the main work that we do is on Wednesdays. It is my only outing…” says Sabryn. And what does the student think about the follow-up at the end of the project, at the end of November ? “Everyone seems to be determined to do something. At this time, everything is changing quickly in this neighborhood and Trempolino wants to do so as well. Ideas have emerged. You will find them in a book that the 0101 agency is currently working on. This book will talk about the different works and it will give a voice to everyone who has brought out new reflections.”