Ecological Structures with Hyperbolic Geometries in Public Spaces

Abstract

Nowadays, in central urban areas, the social activities are generally materialized into passive interactions. Although the built environment has no direct influence on the quality, the content and the intensity of social interactions, the architects and planners can at least influence the potential for physical, visual and auditory contact among people - the so-called active interactions - usually, one of the most important characteristics of public spaces. The built framework of public urban spaces can provide a wide range of opportunities for the development of human relationships, so that the architectural design and the social processes are supporting one another. The perspective of sustainability for the design of public spaces refers to three major aspects (eco-system, economy and society) and can be achieved with various temporary or permanent structures that separate and organize public spaces, giving them different social connotations (landscape design components, ecological structures with optimal geometries, etc.). Therefore, the use of hyperbolic geometries (for which the curvature is negative and the space created is open ) seems appropriate because of the structural optimization that leads to a minimum material consumption. The hyperbolic structures can also help improve the overall image of public spaces, generating atypical areas with a significant impact (both visual and auditory) on the receiving public. The present paper illustrates several types of hyperbolic geometries optimized for different ecological structures (wood, bamboo, textiles, etc.) located in public spaces (public squares, parks, gardens). Our primary focus will be on the analysis of the main principles of sustainable development, their degree of compliance and on the active interactions between people - created by the implementation of such structures in public green areas.