From the flea market

Abstract

This thesis is about marketplaces in general, and one flea · market in particular. It explores some of the physical potentials the market has for generating a building and some of the social implications of a controversy which it prompted. The focus of this exploration is the recently evicted Canal Street Flea Market in New York City. The question raised is: given 'lhe success of the market, can this existing use, which thrives on an open parking lot, be maintained and encouraged in connection with a new building? Close inspection of the site and its surroundings has informed a series of design considerations for the exploration of a building intervention. The steps involved in incorporating an understanding the flea market and the characteristics of the surrounding streets into an architectural design include photographing, sketching, film- making, interviewing and writing. At each stage of the design, a number of issues were raised: -- 1. What are the specific qualities of the site and what is its realtionship to the surrounding neighbourhood? -- 2. What is the general significance of the "marketplace" and how should it function today? -- 3. How do different forms of representation serve as reference material for an architect? What is the usefulness of the reference itself in the design process?