Rotterdam Wall Catalogue: Catogory

01 division
The wall of division is a non-negotiable and absolute separation. There is no real common interest between two sides. These walls are usually unintended; they are ‘just there’. In many cases they are natural barriers- river, hill, valley or sea, that makes it unnegotiably powerful and convincing. The wall of division also takes manmade forms, such as dike, road, zoning regulation or fence, etc. There are also immaterial walls, such as cultural or religious differences, which drastically separate one group of people from the other.
To create communication between both sides of the wall or to achieve accessibility require much effort. Often, powerful intervention such as construction of a bridge or legislation of laws is needed to enable access.

02 exclusion
The wall of exclusion produces high degree of separation and exerts high degree of control. The production of such walls is highly deliberate and calculated. Sophisticated mechanism, technology and design strategy are employed to ensure maximum accuracy and performance. It could be made collectively by a community or an organisational body; it could also be the act of defence from individuals.
Access is strictly controlled unless identity is verified and approved. There is always an (in)visible authority who monitors and guards the access. The architecture of exclusion projects clear message of rejection though sometimes disguising its real intention.

03 enclosure
The wall of enclosure to be found in a urban setting is mostly collective construct, like a housing block, which does not necessarily have direct intention to separate inside from outside. The enclosure creates a world within a world; it is sometimes a surprise that a wonderland is contained within the understated appearance. The world within is beyond the imagination of outsiders.
The enclosing element is an assemblage of walls closing a ‘room’ inside. The wall could be the scale of buildings; in this case the enclosure is a city block with neutral message and pragmatic function. The neutrality further contrasts the wonders behind the wall.
Access into the world within is usually controlled and regulated. Often codes of inclusion and exclusion apply.

04 protection
The wall of protection can be found in both physical and non-physical examples. It is omnipresent and often made from good intentions. The examples can be laws and rules, surveillance cameras (CCTV), controlled public spaces, cage, etc. There is an authority that exerts power and enforce rules to keep dynamic forces in fragile equilibrium. Protection suppresses threat and danger to ‘normality’ and smoothness. The paradox is that though its purpose is to maintain smoothness; its appearance often suggests friction.
There are dangers in the wall of protection. When power of control exceeds balance, individual’s privacy could be compromised, or worse, diminished. The aesthetics of protection could project a sense of security, but often it is only an illusion. Criminality or invasion of safety can always find its way in the shadow of control and protection. Demarcating a protected world subsequently points out an underworld, uninhabited by status quo. How safe are we under protection? And what if the protection is only an illusion?

05 boundary
Boundary is one of the most primary functions of the wall. It is a simple line that demarcates this side and that side. It demonstrates a basic act to differentiate. The examples can be found in dress codes, behaviour, and subtle spatial demarcation, etc. Boundaries are constantly being challenged, negotiated and re-established. They usually lack outspoken expression and can be easily taken for granted, furthermore, they can affect our behaviour subconsciously.

06 provocation
In this category, the wall’s function to separate is less significant than the message it conveys. The vertical surface is used as information board, carrying message with rather explicit purpose and assertive tone, be it commercial, cultural or social. Design strategy or technology is often employed to produce calculated effects upon viewers. Unintended provocation can also be discovered, revealing the subconsciousness of the city.

07 mediation
A mediating wall allows linkage between this side and that side through physical, visual, informational or mental passage. If mediation is enabled through physical means, such as door or window, the linkage is direct and immediate. If the mediation is visual, the effect is suggestive and subdued. If mediation takes the form of communication, such as belhuis (phone shop) or signboard, it links the information flow between distant places or cultures.

08 identification
A wall of identification reflects upon attribute or characteristics of the signifier- the wall’s owner. Unlike mediation, identification does not try to encourage two-way communication; it is a self-satisfactory and self-referential process. The style is employed by the expression of the signifier; the message is expressed via positive association. The wall represents an individuality, personality, and preference. The wall can also represent a community. The wall is loaded with codes, symbols and implicit meanings.

09 representation
A wall of representation works in opposite ways from a wall of identification.
Instead of reflecting upon itself, the wall reflects upon the world. In active representation, the wall’s own materiality or composition is intentionally designed to reflect upon its context. In a passive representation, the wall’s deterioration is part of the process in which the context undergoes.

10 freedom
This category compressed many meanings of the wall- boundary, enclosure, protection, as well as mediation. Altogether it inverts the possible brutality of the wall into a calming, relieving, sympathetic and connective Architecture. The power of the wall lies in its ability to liberate and allow self-expression of what is contained. Within the boundary different rules and behaviour apply; the boundary enhances the community within. The wall of freedom is negotiable and invites dialogue. Those who are willing to respect the rules within the boundary are welcomed into the community.