Lezkairu Zebra Block Redesign

Region

Northern Spain

Through a 3-part video series, over 250+ people participated in enhancing the design of a typical new building construction in Pamplona, Spain.

Zebra Blocks is the repetitive building pattern, referenced below, that is popping up all over Spain. While they are constructed quickly, the one-size-fits-all design approach creates new neighborhood that are not well adapted to a city’s climate.

Involving the People

Beyond failing to respond to the local climate, these buildings lack input from the people who actually use them. Through my research, I found no benches around the block, few ground-floor businesses, and an interior courtyard visible from the street but inaccessible to it. The combination of these design choices tells street-users that they are not welcome here.

Throughout the design process, I used video to surface these pain points and invite viewers to make guided decisions about the final facade redesign. The goal is to build understanding among city-users so they feel greater agency when engaging with the buildings appearing in their city. Two designs were presented of which, viewers voted on their favorite and I then developed the design and cost breakdown in later videos.

The bigger issue is that housing demand needs to be met but it should not be at the expense of the pride people have for their place. Long term this risks a place people feel disinvested in and therefore leads to it’s deterioration instead of it being a place that slowly improves over time. People who feel attached to what has been built in there community will continue to invest in it’s maintenance. Zebra block housing prioritizes short-term profit over the long-term resilience that sustains a community's social and economic wellbeing.

The outcome of using social media to build support and understanding around building projects demonstrates two things:

1. people want to participate in the design of their cities

2. designers are capable of responding quickly to real-time feedback

Used with intention, social media can make the design process more efficient and engaging for everyone involved without sacrificing deadlines or falling short of stakeholder expectations.