Cedric Price’s Fun Place was created to build a space where people in the community could come together to celebrate arts, science, and culture. Price believes in the idea of using architecture and education as a way to drive economic redevelopment. Despite that, it was never built since the councils refused to provide land, the permits and the money just didn't materialize. As a result, the Fun Palace remained a dream.
Cedric Price’s Fun Place design intentions were inspiring till today. Some values would be having cybernetics in the spaces, interactions within the spaces, and the change of spaces. As Price had questioned in the early days of Cybernetics, the thought of including cybernetics in the spaces clearly shows the course's interest in exploring how new technologies like sensing, robotics, and artificial intelligence can make architecture more responsive to people's needs. During the design process, his aim was to create a space that could be accessed from any facet of the building, allowing for interaction and movement between spaces. An idea of a theatre in which the spaces interact and perform, bringing life to the city. Cedric Price's other intention is to create a change of space in which the angles are shaped by a structural matrix of overhead cranes. To allow movement within the spaces, oscillation spaces were created, which make space feel like an ongoing construction and re-assembly process.
My role as a designer is to believe that a design like The Fun Place can contribute to the environment and the creative community. First of all, having a building like The Fun Place near my surroundings is convenient since it is only a short walk away. Entering the building from different entrances allows me to engage with others that came from another part of the building since no central entrance exists. The building is close to my surrounding area, which contributes to a more lively atmosphere inside and around the building. The continuous changes within a space are made possible by having a lively environment. By continuously changing the spaces and connecting the spaces, visitors have a chance to engage in more creative thinking, therefore setting up a more social atmosphere for people to enjoy the space together.
Overall about cybernetics, I agree with the concept. Cybernetics is a transdisciplinary approach to exploring regulatory and purposeful systems - their structure, constraints, and possibilities. By using new technologies like sensors, robotics, and artificial intelligence, architecture can be made more responsive to people's needs. In addition to the open-mindedness, their audience also feels responsive to them.
Fun palace – Cedric price. (2005, October 19). Interactive Architecture Lab |: Design for Performance and Interaction. http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/fun-palace-cedric-price.html
Cybernetics. (2001, July 26). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetic
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