The Marketplace Of Ideas
Riccardo Marchi, Italian, Politecnico di Milano
Riccardo Sforzi, Italian, TU Delft
Education widespread in the city
In their broader meaning Universities are places where people meet and exchange knowledge.
Their open character is denied by the strict procedures and fixed layout defining contemporary learning spaces.
This contradiction sets the need to rethink the image of University:
Does it need to be enclosed by walls?
Should it be a condensed unity or rather a scattered entity?
The Marketplace of Ideas defines a new vision for learning spaces by combining the organisation of the local market with the educational purpose.
The single-building university is fragmented and becomes part of the public space. Different pavilions are littered in the city and integrate with the existing context.
Each of them allows for a different use, guaranteeing every lecture to be held in the proper environment.
As in a market the layout is not fixed. Stalls can be moved in order to trigger the re-activation of abandoned and underused parts of the city.
According to the trade rules the supply is shaped by the demand. Students are free to browse the offer and select whatever appeals to them at any time, allowing them to learn as effortlessly as they take a coffee.
“What are you interested in? Go grab new ideas!”