Alongside the use of mist as a method of social activation during warm weather, I also wanted to consider the activation of space during colder weather through the performance of water. This was realised through the freezing of water for use as an open ice rink. I thought back to my initial investigation into the Theory of Affordances, specifically Aldo van Eyck’s image ‘Look Snow’. In this image van Eyck represents a congregation of people enjoying themselves despite the cold weather. This congregation of people is an example of social infrastructure, where a sense of community and collective identity is produced through shared self-appropriation of the blank canvas of snow. We can see people sledding and having snowball fights. The snow has afforded people to self-appropriate the space, and in doing so maintain social and physical activity during the darkest part of the year when social infrastructure, and thus community well-being, is most strained.
I wanted to incorporate this affordance of self-appropriated winter activity onto the Berolina site. While the temperature in Berlin does reach temperatures to freeze water, in order to safely maintain the frozen water for use as an ice rink, the concrete steps, which form the built edge of the body of water, maintains the ice through pumping below zero salt water through pipes below its surface, much like how ice hockey rinks are maintained.
I wanted to incorporate this affordance of self-appropriated winter activity onto the Berolina site. While the temperature in Berlin does reach temperatures to freeze water, in order to safely maintain the frozen water for use as an ice rink, the concrete steps, which form the built edge of the body of water, maintains the ice through pumping below zero salt water through pipes below its surface, much like how ice hockey rinks are maintained.