studio x

hello, i'm writing from christchurch nz. it's 3am and i've been lulled out of sleep by the next
round of sewer cleaning, which involves the drone of the trucks and release of pungent vapours
into the house. these roaming maintenance crews, never announced or recognised in any public
media, always stir that uncanny feeling in me of the 'sub' city, which i so often sense in your blogs
bldgblg and pruned. to be woken by the stench of blocked up pipes being flushed can have an
unsettling effect of not being given the correct dose of anasthetic on the op table but with a
drowsiness that prevents communication. in that half wakefulness the city does form into a body
having its veins flushed. at least it reminded me about my request proposal for a studio x
christchurch.
christchurch, you may have heard, has been revealed recently to be sited on 3 newly formed
faultlines. the city was shaken apart last february and has felt over 8000 aftershocks. the
situation would appear drastic, but perhaps just another extreme event, if not for a confluence of
aspects; firstly, the amount of shocks is unprecedented, and also the geological behaviour of the
landscape intriguing( ithas become seismology central) further, as a primary city in a developed
nation, with almost 100% private insurance, the emerging urban development will provide a
unique perspective and/ or opportunity for research and design. christchurch is very interesting
from most viewpoints, having great contrasts geologically ( it is built on swampland and the
quakes have revealed a network of natural springs veining the cbd), socially, politically ( what
does the once 100% insurable, now uninsurable city look like?, how can design adapt to such a
dramatic alteration of the urban fabric?)
so far, the discussion has been vigorous and spirited. there has been encouraging blending of
skills and knowledge from architecture, landscape, engineering, artististic fields, however, a
parochialismamong the main institutions could be expected in what is a city of around 500000.
the expertise exists, but is silo'd. with such enormous flows of information across such wide and
diverse fields, but with an absence of integration, much valuable creativity is being stifled
through a 'specialist' reduction to essentials. implementation as a next step in collaboration
stifled. i feel studio x is the perfect antidote to this leeching of energy; an impartial hub that acts
as an axis, not only dissipatting stubborn parochialism but allowing further lateral investigations
without the encumbrance of an expected image of the existing specialist institutions. can i then
propose a studio x for christchurch?, representation downunder, an urban laborartry in a colonial
city built on a swamp, next to a volcano, above 3 major faultlines, (but with a magnificent view of
the results of faultlines, in the southern alps. is it possible to make a further submission in some
way?
best regards,
theneitherbothe.tumblr.com (for articles published in arcitecture nz)