CITY COMMONS

A Common Tale of Two Cities:

Leipzig and Prague

MA_ARCH THESIS WS 2016

First Advisor: Prof. Ivan Kucina
Second Advisor: Prof. Dr. Regina Bittner
Student: Charlotte Qian Yi Choo
Matriculation No: 4061106

INTRODUCTION : A COMMON TALE OF TWO CITIES

Leipzig and Prague are two fascinating cities with Soviet backgrounds. Although with
different cultural backgrounds, both cities have successfully overcome the economic
and population decline since the fall of the Soviet rule. Another interesting aspect
is the economic, social and cultural growth of these cities. These are cities with a big
potential. People are fed up with overcrowded and expensive cities such as Berlin, Paris
or London. Cities such as Leipzig and Prague have now become the new cultural centers
for the young and enthusiastic.
However, the remnants left by the decline of industrialisation and communism is
evident in the urban fabric. We see several abandoned sites and buildings throughout
the city, rotting through time as the city is moving forward a new direction headed by
capitalist ventures.
Assuming low budget and minimal cost, the commons could be a suitable economic
solution through collective ownership and collective exchange, without capitalist or
private interference. Commoning is a bottom to top initiative which allow people a
gradual and steady inhabitation of sites which are deemed unprofitable in the eyes of
the capitalist.
The IG Fortuna, a former GDR youth cinema in Leipzig and the Karlin Barracks a
former military barracks are both monuments of the cities past which the people hve
mixed feelings about. The challenge of this research is to harness a context in which the
locals can relate to and be enthisiastic about.
This project has also led me to examine the role of the architect today. The aim is for this
research to be a mode for other commons and also provide a sustainable framework for
running these commons. The result of the project is not a final product, but a simulation
of situations, opportunities and possibilities allowing freedom of artistic creativity,
resourceful productivity, and social activity.

LEIPZIG COMMONS
WELCOME TO THE PRODUCTIVE
CINEMA

Mediating between three major themes of Ostalgie, Commoning and Adaptable

Architecture, the forgotten IG Fortuna cinema and its former gasworks site
is given new life. Through a process of spontaneous and informal usage by
community participation, the site becomes a productive commodity and a
catalyst for regeneration through commoning.

The districts located within Leipzig Ost along Eisenbaahnstrasse

include Neustadt, Volkmarsdorf & Sellerhausen. The history of these
districts go all the way back to the late 1200s when they were once
agricultural farming land. The inhabitants in these districts were once
suppliers of local produce such as vegetables and grains to the more
developed Leipzig city.

NEUSTADT

VOLKMARSDORF

SELLERHAUSEN

Eventually these districts developed into industrial zones, which led

to the significance of Eisenbahnstrasse, where a railroad was once
located.
Two world wars left their mark in East Leipzig, however Eisenbahnstrae
was barely destroyed and was able to flourish as the new Business
Corridor. Immediately after the war, Eisenbahnstrae was known as the
Broadway of Leipzig.

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PHASE 1

PHASE 2

RESTORE IG FORTUNA
STRUCTURE

ESTABLISH COMMUNITY GARDEN

AND GREEN HOUSE

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PHASE 3

PHASE 4

INHABIT GASOMETERS

INHABIT WHOLE FORMER

INDUSTRIAL SITE

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The site is established as an industrial

factory complex for Leipzig-Ost
Gasworks .
The site is established as an industrial
factory complex for Leipzig-Ost
Gasworks .

After several years of disuse, one of the buildings

facing the main road, Eisenbahnstrase is
converted into a cinema named the
Lichtspieltheater Fortuna Spiele.
After several years of disuse, one of the buildings
facing the main road, Eisenbahnstrase is
converted into a cinema named the
Lichtspieltheater Fortuna Spiele.

1870

1928

1870

1928

1870

1928

1946

The cinema is known as Kino D

Jugend, a GDR Youth Cinema.
Plans of expanding the stage are
1946
order.
The cinema is known as Kino D
Jugend, a GDR Youth Cinema.
Plans of expanding the stage are
order.

The cinemas false front facade is designed

according to the Art Deco style.

The Youth Cinema in use

80s

The cinemas false front facade is designed

according to the Art Deco style.

The Youth Cinema in use

80s

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The lot has been subdivided. One of the

buildings facing Wurzner Strasse is sold. The
remaining site including the former cinema
belongs to the city of Leipzig. The former
The lot has been subdivided. One of the
cinema building is listed under protection.
buildings facing Wurzner Strasse is sold. The
remaining site including the former cinema
belongs to the city of Leipzig. The former
cinema building is listed under protection.

al years of disuse, one of the buildings

e main road, Eisenbahnstrase is
into a cinema named the
eater Fortuna Spiele.
al years of disuse, one of the buildings
main road, Eisenbahnstrase is
into a cinema named the
eater Fortuna Spiele.

1987

1946

1946

The cinema is known as Kino Der

Jugend, a GDR Youth Cinema.
Plans of expanding the stage are in
1946
order.
The cinema is known as Kino Der
Jugend, a GDR Youth Cinema.
Plans of expanding the stage are in
order.

1987

The cinema is permanently

closed 3 years before the
German Reunification
1987

The cinema is permanently

closed 3 years before the
German Reunification

2015
2015

2015

The former cinema is now left derelict and the

site currently functions as a storage site for the
citys street lamps.
The former cinema is now left derelict and the
site currently functions as a storage site for the
citys street lamps.

ed

The Youth Cinema in use during the end of the

80s

ed

The Youth Cinema in use during the end of the

80s

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CEDRIC PRICE

Prices most notable design was the Fun Palace, a theater with an ever-changing
environment. Ahead of his time, he had a vision for this laboratory of fun to feature
moving walls and floors, with interactive panels and an inflatable coference centre. With
its lack of doors to control entry and no solid roof, the Fun Palace became referred to as
an anti-building, designed to be dismantled and re-assembled to fulfil different needs.
The concept of permanent flexibility was reflected in Prices second project Potteries
Thinkbelt, a new form of university based on the idea of reviving a post-industrial
region by transporting places of learning on rail. He portrayed using disused railways
with carriages as classromms with fold out workspaces and inflatable lecture theaters.

architecture should not determine human behaviour but rather

enable possibility
Cedric Price saw the city not as a cohesive structure but instead as an unstable series
of systems, in continual transformation, constantly reorganizing and rearranging itself
through processes of both expansion and retraction. Price supported the idea of the
anticipatory architect in which the general public could determine, control and shape
their own surroundings.
The major premise behind Non-Plan was when professionals were designing
communities they should think before telling other people how they should live because
everyone had their own preferences and ideas. Non-Plan explored ways of involving
people in the design of their environments by circumventing planning bureaucracy and
letting the people shape the environment they want to live and work in.

The activities designed for the site should be experimental, the place itself expendable
and changeable. The organisation of space and the objects occupying it should, on the
one hand, challenge participants mental and physical dexterity and, on the other, allow
for a flow of space and time, in which passive and active pleasures is provoked
(Cedric Price, A Laboratory of Fun, New Scientist, 14 May 1964)

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NOSTALGIA

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KINO DER JUGEND

I chose a site within Leipzig-Ost which had very interesting layers of history- an
abandoned GDR youth cinema within a former gasworks complex. The cinema is facing
threats of demolition within the next two years due to disuse and extreme decay. There
is an organisation which is trying to prevent the demolition and its members are merely
doing this out of passion for what the cinema once was, and what the cinema could be.
The urgency of the situation and the passion of the people from the organisation made
this site more appealing to me, as it gave me a deeper sense of purpose.
After selecting the site, I started to delve into the history of the IG Fortuna and which
made me ponder about the communitys opinion on their GDR past. Is there some
nostalgia for the GDR times? Or is the nostalgia confined to their experience in the
cinema, eg: a young man watching his first movie in the IG Fortuna, or a young couple
experiencing their first kiss in this cinema?
I had the opportunity to listen to the stories from various stakeholders of the cinema,
(neighbourhood residents, politicians, former IG Fortuna cinema goers) thus adding
to my collection of information. The organisation also facilitated me with technical
drawings of the cinema and information about its structural conditions, as the cinema
is no longer accesible.

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SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

PHYSICAL
FACTORS

HERITAGE BUILDING RESTORATION

URBAN FARMING

LEIPZIG
COMMONS

Commoning advice
Investment & Funding advice
Formal Education: workshops & lectures
Informal Education: information & knowledge sharing

COMMONING
Historical collections

CULTURAL
FACTORS

URBAN REGENERATION

COOPERATIVE LIVING & WORKING

IG FORTUNA

BOTTOM-UP INTERVENTION

Community Gardening
Ceremonies & Events
Art Exhibitions
Movies / Concerts

CREATIVE ARTS & DESIGN

Food & Beverage

SOCIO-ECONOMIC
FACTORS

FACTORS

NETWORKING

Casual Meetings

CULTURAL & HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS

Exchange Programmes

TOPICS

ACTIVITIES/PROGRAMME

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NEIGHBOURHOOD RESIDENTS

CONFERENCE & MEETING ROOMS

COMMONING ENTHUSIASTS

OFFICES

GARDENING ENTHUSIASTS

PERMANENT EXHIBITION SPACE

IG FORTUNA NOSTALGICS

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION SPACE

ARTISTS & CREATIVE MINDS

FLEXIBLE ARTIST STUDIOS

RESEARCHERS & EXPERTS

INFORMAL MEETING SPACES

ENTREPENEURS

RESTORED CINEMA

VISITORS

COMMUNITY GARDEN

CINEMA GOERS

LIBRARY

INVESTORS

CAFE

USER GROUPS

SPACES

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PRAGUE COMMONS
SVEJKING OUR WAY TOWARDS
THE CARNIVAL OF THE COMMONS

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In its early days, Karln was a very pleasant place to

live; later on, industries began to move in, making
it a less fancy place to live in. Then, Communism
froze Karln in a grey and melancholic timewarp,
and it continued to decline.Today, its prime
location near the center makes it very attractive to
real estate firms, who have invested huge sums in
transforming the area.

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KARLN
PRAGUE 8
The thriving story of a once
declining neighbourhood

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Jans father used to live in Karlin

in the 1980s and early 1990s. It
was not a great neighborhood
back then.

Living just opposite U Zabranskych

pub, where the Czechoslovak Communist
Party was founded in 1924 and which,
later in the 90s, used to be a place
frequented by Neo-Nazis in a district
known for a large Roma population, the
place was rough.

Jan & Zuzi are Prague locals who run a food tour Taste of Prague

But then, Karlin was nearly

destroyed during the 2002
floods. And the flood seems
to have flushed most of the
bad things away.

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The past decade has been a decade

of dramatic growth and renewal for
Karlin, with developers coming in,
eager to fill in the gaps left behind
the buildings that needed to be
torn down.

In the 1990s we would have never

thought we would want to live in
Karlin, but the leafy streets (Karlin
is the only Prague district with a
grid layout) near the centre seem
more and more attractive each
year.

Karlin is cool because it is both hipster

and raw at the same time: some people
say that one more cool place opening in
Karlin will tip the balance and the whole
district will - just like Atlantis - sink into
the ground, and people will only sing
songs about how great it was. Well, only
time will tell.

Image & text source: http://www.tasteofprague.com Prague Off the Beaten Path: Karlin District

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KARLNSK
KASRNA
The Karlin Barracks and a series of
unfortunate events

1844 1845

1920

20th century

The main building of the Karlin

Barracks was built for military
purposes for the Austro Hungarian Empire.

The building was renamed the

Jan ika Barracks in honor of the
great Bohemian military leader.

Housed a variety of services and

installations for the governments of
Czechoslovak then Czech Republic,
with heavy use by the police.

Its original name was the

Ferdinand Barracks.

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2002

2014

today

The barracks are damaged by

the 2002 floods

The Griva Art company with plans

to turn the complex into a university
campus makes a bid for almost
600 million crown to purchase the
barracks but the offer is rejected due
to political issues.

The UNESCO listed monument

continues to serve the local police, but
is only used partially, leaving majority
of the building in a state of slow and
steady decay.

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Source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=svejking

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CEDRIC PRICE
An actual Svejker?

Price was like a grain of sand that

irritates the oyster - the oyster in his
case being the architectural profession. He was always provoking thought
and response within the profession..

Mandy Marvin, Curator of

the Cedric Price exhibition in Cambridge,
2014

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/cedric-price-the-most-influential-architect-youve-never-heard-of-9852200.html

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Collage depicting the return of the flood at Karlin

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IMPERMANENCE

In the event of another flooding, would the barracks be able to survive the
damages and implications? Would Karlin (according to Jan and Zuzi), sink
into the ground like a fallen Atlantis?
Cedric Price designed around the philosophy of impermanence, and said
that buildings should serve the needs of those that use them and be either
transformed or demolished when they no longer served their purpose.
The Karlin barracks is a place which can allow the said transformation. Imagine
a place with no rules- a place where we could easily bring objects of our desire
to inhabit, to tear apart when we no longer desire it, and maybe put it together
again as something new. And this process shall repeat itself.

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PHASE 1

PHASE 2

ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAMME:

RECYCLING DEPOT PROGRAMME:

- EXHIBITION SPACES
- EXPERIMENTAL STUDIOS
- OFFICE SPACES
- CAFE / RESTAURANT
- EXERCISE SPACE
- FOOD LAB
- WORKSHOPS
- EDUCATIONAL CLASSROOMS
- LIBRARY
- COMMUNITY GARDENING

- MATERIALS COLLECTION
- MATERIALS SORTING
- MATERIALS REPURPOSING
- MATERIALS ASSEMBLY
- FABRICATION LAB

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PHASE 3

PHASE 4

COURTYARD INHABITATION PROCESS

COURTYARD COLONISATION

- MODULES FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS

- IMPORTED OBJECTS
- REPURPOSED BUILDINGS FROM ABANDONED SITES

INCORPORATION OF MODULES BASED ON FUTURE

GROWTH AND PROGRAMME

- LARGE SCALE COMMUNITY GARDEN

- HYDROPONIC GARDENI
- WEEKLY MARKET
- ORGANIC SHOP
- OUTDOOR CINEMA/THEATER

- MODULES FROM RECYCLED ATERIALS

- IMPORTED OBJECTS
- REPURPOSED BUILDINGS FROM ABANDONED SITES

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Post Studio Tales by Something Fantastic, Berlin, 2012

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PRAGUE COMMONS
Part 1:
Svejking up the Karlin Barracks

In the spirit of The Good Soldier Svejk, the Karlin Barracks is itelf a serious
monument waiting to be annoyed, maybe even frustrated. Once a stately
military complex, the barracks is now ageing and decaying along with its
promise of miitary sovereignty and power.
Karlin Barracks should be, like the adventures of Svejk, a place for random
occurences within a rigid system.
Svejks Anti-War attitude in line with Cedric Prices Anti-Architecture and
Non-Plan, is a fun and satirical way of dealing with the series of unfortunate
events that has occurred to the barracks.

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NECESSITIES
With the provision of main services such as an elevator core, washrooms and
pantry, access and comfort of the users can be ensured. This also allows the
main spaces to be changed over time depending on the needs of the user with
the availability of these services in each wing of the barracks.

6.5 x 6 meters module

6.5 x 5.3 meters module

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We realized that many artists today work with conceptual

projects that demand much more than a studio and being
left alone. What we did build was artist studios, with good
space, good height to the ceiling and a light coming from the
north, only to discover that the main part of the artists did
not need a studio anyway, they preferred to bring their lap
top and to hang out with us in the BAC office space.
excerpt from Pragues Independent Art Spaces
by Vyara Mlechevska

The RE-TOOLING RESIDENCIES project is

addressed to both arts communities and art
institutions looking to create arts residency
centers in Eastern Europe and to cooperate
with existing centers of this kind.

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ARTIST STUDIOS

Artist residence module (14 x 13 meters)

I love this movie!
Maybe I should make one of
my own.

20 x 13 meters module

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Optional variations to the artists studio module. (20 x 13 meters)

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DANCE STUDIOS
I never understood
modern dance. Call
me old-fashioned but I
much prefer ballet.

28 x 13 meters module

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CAFE & KITCHEN

I heard the chef is a total drama

queen, but makes the best
tomato soup in town.

Fetch me more tomatoes from

the community garden! Now!!

20 x 13 meters module

6.5 x 6 meters module

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FOOD LAB

When I asked you to bring

your produce to the food lab,
I didnt mean the entire cart!

28 x 13 meters module

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LIBRARY

28 x 13 meters module

Between you and me, I love to

come to this library because I
get to have that amazing tomato
soup for lunch at the cafe.

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CLASSROOMS

Why isnt anyone here?

Perhaps I got the wrong
date? or time?

14 x 13 meters module

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WORKSHOPS

20 x 13 meters module

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OFFICES

20 x 13 meters module

28 x 13 meters module

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RECYCLING DEPOT
What happened at Rohansk ostrov...
Look! We can salvage
the steel trusses from
here for the Depot at the
barracks.

We used the steel trusses from

an abandoned building in
Rohansk ostrov to construct
this roof at the Depot.

ONE MANS TRASH IS ANOTHER MANS TREASURE

A local neighbourhood facility for collection of recyclable waste. The commons participants sort the waste
and lay objects in demand along the conveyor belt, which are then distributed to individual production
studios to be reappropriated as building materials for various projects within the commons.

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CONVEYOR BELT

Usable and clean objects are then placed on the conveyor belt to be transported
around the site. Much like a sushi conveyor, users can pick up which items they want
to use. An additional structure can be added to the depot once the collection grows.

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Collage of the Carnival of Commons

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PRAGUE COMMONS
Part 2:
The Carnival of the Commons

The courtyard of the Karlin Barracks is where the Carnival of the Commons
can be established, allowing the users to freely inhabit, colonise and take over.
The next level of colonisation at the Karlin Barracks is a juxtaposition against
the rigid background of its former military past. Once the barracks has been
occupied, and new modules have been created from the depot collection
programme, it is inevitable for activity to spill out to the courtyard.
The other courtyards in the neighbourhood seem to be where the inhabitants
express themselves, by building informal structures, or growing their gardens,
to fulfill additional needs.
The formation of the Commons Carnival at the courtyard is a physical and
social resistance against capitalism and planned architecture which has often
failed the masses.
By participating in the commons at Karlin barracks, we are able to slowly
collect the resources needed for the colonisation process.
The Carnival of the Commons is acollection of everyday objects- donated,
found, or salvaged.
With impermanence in mind, these objects can be transported to site, adapted
to suit the needs of the user, and also can be taken down whenever the user
sees fit.

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ROHANSK OSTROV..

Lots of abandoned buildings

and materials here! Come get
them before the new developers
bulldoze the entire place!

KARLNSK KASRNA

Artists and builders in need of

more materials!

A former industrial site which now sits derelict by the river Vlata is located only 3
kilometres away from the Karlin Barracks. At the time of construction of the Prague
metro, Rohansk ostrov served as a dumping ground for storing material from
excavations. In the year 1999 an extensive cleaning work for the recovery of the
island was launched and the site has been a target for many new developments due
to its strategic location.

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Look! We can salvage the steel

trusses from here for the Depot
at the barracks.

There is some glass and steel

frame I found which I am
sure could be repurposed into
something useful..

These sheds are in mint

condition! Im sure we can find
some use for them.

A series of industrial buildings in the site which await demolition by future developers

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A niche found in the streets of Karlin

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I dont believe in God,

but I believe in my
morning coffee...

It is said that only 19% of Czechs believe in God.

Perhaps these niches could be used for something
else

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I always find inspiration

when I am surrounded
by decay. I find it utterly
beautiful.

The fall of industrialisation and the Soviet Union has left Czech
Republic with several abandoned sites. A partially damaged
structure could find new ways of usage.

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Cedric Price: why should people always have to look up?

The Carnival of Commons would not be complete without a
Ferriss Wheel to complete the courtyard

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I love running around, so

my parents found a way
to put my hyperactivity
to good use.

The energy carousel produces and stores enough energy to power lights during the
night

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Anybody
smoothie?

Maximum output per bicycle: 300 Watts, These

Dynamo bicycles could be used to power anything
small.

fancy

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Ive been working on my

Chata for more than 10
years. Its a project I enjoy
working on with my brother

Many Prague residents have a small cottage outside the city. These cottages, called Chata are
treasured both as getaways and ongoing projects. Each reflects its owners character, as most of
them were built by unorthodox methods. Chata owners used the typically Czech its whom you
know chain of supply to scrounge materials and services. This barter system worked extremely
well, and still does today.

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I made this hydroponic

planter out of used pipes.
This entire thing cost me
almost nothing!

Hydroponic planting, an alternative cultivation method without earth

but uses water instead.

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Water towers are extremely useful as elevated structures. Heres

one combined with the Chata.

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Czech Republic is renowned for their spa towns. The participants

of the commons should not be deprived of such a relaxing activity
after a hard days work

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This 5 x 5 module is imported from Leipzig Commons at the IG Fortuna.

Anyone can modify it with scaffolding to create a mezannine.

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An outdoor bar constructed with scaffolding. People should always have

access to a good draught of Czech beer on a sunny day.

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Another module constructed with scaffolding. This time, with recycled

windows from the Barracks itself.

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The Carnival of the Commons takes whatever it can get.

Everyday objects are more than welcome.

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LIST OF REFERENCES
1. Cedric Price, Re:CP, edited by Hans Ulrich Obrist,
Birkhauser (2003)
2. Elinor Rostrom Governing the Commons: The Evolution
of Institutions for Collective Action, 1990 Cambridge
University Press
3. Ivan Kucina, Commoning of the Uncommonness:
Developing Urban Commons in Post Socialist City (2015)
4. Sheila R. Foster, Collective Action and the Urban Commons,
Fordham University School of Law (2011)
5. Prof. Dr. Regina Bittner, Elective Lectures from Architecture
of the Everyday, 2015-16
6. http://www.metamute.org/editorial/articles/non-planningchange
7. http://www.czechjournal.cz/karlin-barracks-repeatedly-failsto-sell/
8. http://www.re-tooling-residencies.org/resources/research/
pragues-independent-art-spaces-by-vyara-mlechevska
9. http://www.archdaily.com/486943/energy-carouseldordrecht-ecosistema-urbano-architects/?utm_
source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_
campaign=Feed%3A+ArchDaily+%28ArchDaily%29
10. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/the-good-soldiervejk-jaroslav-haeks-comic-masterpiece/
11. http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-culture/lostbuildings-of-prague/
12. https://www.private-prague-guide.com/article/life-duringthe-communist-era-in-czechoslovakia
13. Re-Imagining the Karln Viaduct: From Paris to Vienna and
now Prague, city viaducts are becoming cultural centers:
http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/art/re-imagining-thekarlin-viaduct/

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Dessau International Architecture School
Anhalt University Department 3
2016