Xinrui Zhang
Architectural Design Crossovers
Underground Uchronia: Reviving urban underground voids as temporal public space
The underground has long been the neglected counterpart to the surface, hidden from view and burdened with the city's overlooked issues. This thesis rethinks the potential of underground spaces through the lens of time, where time and space intertwine in unique ways.
By closely studying this interplay, this thesis proposes a shift from place-based to time-based design. It envisions a manifesto for transforming urban voids into a network of interconnected underground spaces—an Urban Uchronia, a system fostering unprofessional practice and operating on an alternative sense of time. This proposal is tested in the design practice by converting an abandoned underground car park into a vibrant art hub in Madrid, highlighting the operational essence and plurality of time in architecture and offering new tools and inspiration for reimagining underground spaces in urban contexts.