Rambla de Prim [ east fringe of Barcelona ] is the place where multitude of complicated spatio-social situations intersect,from urban experiment of ideas of international modernism to the biggest imigrant communities in the city. How canwe turn this at  rst sight disadvantage to a powerfull tool which will bring near future development? A er analyzing thesocio-cultural and economic background of the area we propose develop an open program, free of restrictions and hierarchies,centres or rhetorical  gures and create areas of opportunity, interaction, investigation, research and development[ eDucattion + Di usion, R + 3D, culture and entertainment ].

Hypermedia structure [ bits, information, interface, sensors, hologramatic materials, telematic environments ] as an urban catalyst responds to the heterogeneous and diverse society with continuous and instant flows of multitude social profiles and personalities  [ age, culture, social class, nationality, ethnic, religion, race ]. This concept focuses on social sustainability, covering the demands and allowing the constant interactions of the users in the public environment. Aim of the project is to create a tension like atmosphere among a series of sequentially related activities which establishes an urban rhytm [ a sequence of functional nodes produce the temporary activations of a place in different times ] and stimulates the creation of urban inteligence networks. Inhabitants here are the protagonists of the actions and events rather than mere spectators. Hyper-space consist of physical spaces with continuity in cyberspace [ full-colour, dynamic, morphing, modifying, configurable, re-active, instant, fast-moving ]. “The computers are vanishing and screens expands to the size of any space you choose and the best interface for access to the digital world is not a keybord or a screen but actual physical world itself.” [Vicente Guallart] H-S architecture acts as a Total inteface of a new hybrid of virtual-physical where diferent uses accumulates,  acts as a interface with evolutional capabilities of growing and developing, mutating and transforming, altering, varying and deforming. The Cybrid Fringe as a new type of smart public space enables the flexible regulation of flows of vehicles and persons with their fluctuating trajectories.

The nature of Zona Franca is that it is an unfinished act. Situated near the port of barcelona in an important logistics area several buildings planned for its intervention remain unbuilt, while some of the built ones remain empty. Disconnected from Barcelona´s subway system, the recent works for a new subway line are also unfinished…

So, how can Zona Franca contribute for a smarter city? The answer is matter. Matter acording to Cityprotocol referring as goods (logistics) and fuel (energy). Matter as states: solid, liquid… static, dynamic.

The unfinished Design Studio research analysis would have been mapping food and fuel, the base of our society, using gps devices to track their movements and schedules.

The vision could have been studying how an infrastructure like the subway grid could, from 00:00 am to 06:00 am, work as a distributing network for those goods throughout the city.

The power of infrastructures to change their surrounding environment and evolve through  time is unlimited, they just have to be well designed and/or redesigned…

Recommended reference by Maite Bravo:

Carolyn Steel – FOODTOPIA

http://www.ted.com/talks/carolyn_steel_how_food_shapes_our_cities.html