ūti architectes rethinks paris’ skateboarding culture
Amid the dense urban fabric of Paris, ūti architectes unveils hidden skateparks sweeping across the cityscape using artificial intelligence design tool Midjourney. The series renders quiet urban pockets far from the hustle and bustle of the street life, where vast concrete skateparks emerge seamlessly as extensions of the city’s iconic architectural fabric. Extending its conceptions beyond the physical realm, the architectural office imagines a new, somewhat surreal dimension to Paris’ culture of skateboarding.
all images by ūti architectes
hidden skateparks become at one with the city’s architecture
ūti architectes creates the series as a photographic report that documents imagined, hidden skating venues that appear to have always been a part of the Parisian landscape. Surreal in their scale and form, the structures at the same time discreetly fuse with the city’s build-up in their materiality. ‘For a moment it is possible to doubt their true existence,’ notes the architect.
The Hidden Skateparks of Paris series explores means of conceptualization and reimagines new urban spaces using Midjourney. The AI program, the architect considers, opens up new reflections while creating doubts about whether these renderings really exist or not. ‘Through a process of back and forth iterations with Midjourney, we obtained a collection of quasi-tangible spaces. Having grown up in Paris with the culture of skateboarding, which is deeply rooted in certain iconic places, it was an opportunity to explore and take a new look at Paris as an architect.’
ūti architectes unveils hidden skateparks sweeping across the cityscape
vast concrete skateparks emerge seamlessly as extensions of the city’s iconic architectural fabric
‘a collection of quasi-tangible spaces’
the AI-generated structures appear to have always been tucked into the city
surreal in their scale and form
ūti architectes imagines a surreal dimension to Paris’ skateboarding scene
project info:
name: Hidden Skateparks of Paris
designer: ūti architectes
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edited by: ravail khan | designboom