Looking for the Voids: Learning from Asia’s Liminal Urban Spaces as a Foundation to Expand an Architectural Practice

Géraldine Borio, a Swiss architect who conducts experimental urban research in Asia, looks at the back alleys, sidewalks, and in-between spaces of the built environment. She proposes new ways to interpret and design urban space and offers concrete design principles derived from her fieldwork to assist researchers and urban designers in their own investigations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 29 December 2023
Publisher: Park Books

In her captivating book, "Looking for the Voids," Hong Kong-based Swiss architect Géraldine Borio delves into 15 years of experimental urban research across Asia, offering innovative approaches to interpreting and designing urban spaces. With a keen focus on the dynamic interstitial spaces within the built environment, including back and in-between alleys and sidewalks that constantly shift between the realms of inside and outside, public and private, and legal and illegal, Borio explores the rich tapestry of urban life.

This lavishly designed publication presents a comprehensive survey of the insights Borio has gained through analyzing urban typologies in Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Seoul, as well as her engaging interactions with residents and their informal appropriation of these semi-private urban spaces. Through her fieldwork, Borio has derived concrete design principles that serve as valuable guidance for researchers and urban designers in their own investigations and in translating their findings into new projects aimed at further developing urban and metropolitan spaces.

"Looking for the Voids" is a captivating exploration of the hidden corners and overlooked spaces within cities, offering a fresh perspective on urban design and inspiring architects, planners, and policymakers to reimagine the potential of our urban environments.

Weight: 1114g
Dimension: 242 x 281 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783038602972