The document proposes transforming a parking area in Grand Place, Tourcoing into a social space called "Gup-Shup" based on Indian chai culture. Gup-Shup would feature recycled plastic stools arranged on tic-tac-toe patterned walls to encourage casual conversations. It aims to rediscover Grand Place's potential as an idea hub and revive the neighboring town of Tourcoing. The space would democratize interactions and attract designers, with the goal of the parking transforming into a vibrant public space and stimulating the local economy.

1. Gup Shup

2. About the Project
Gup-Shup is to rediscover the potency of the Grand Place.The visual
experience of the neighbouring Church of Saint Christopher is di-
luted in the current sea of parked cars. Grand Place reinvents itself
as Gup-Shup which is an idea-hub, a place for organic conversations,
co-creation and out of the box visualisations. Gup-shup in the hindi
language means a casual chit chat. In India, a chit chat is accompanied
with a cup of tea. On similar lines Gup-Shup in Grand Place has no
rules, no rituals; it’s a warm space whose friendly casualness that em-
braces everyone around and works as catalyst for participatory design
thinking.
Creativity needs a suitable environment to manifest into a vision.
Working individuals take a few tea( chai) breaks during the day, which
work as catalysts in increasing people’s creativity, productivity and
also helps them build their network and be more efficient.
Gup-Shup is intended to be a socialising hub of like-minded people.
The planning and layout of the area is such that it democratises
inter-people interactions and doesn’t make any associations with any
biases. Gup-Shup will capitalise on the various spatial and temporal
dimensions of human behavior way people sit around casually ac-
cording to their comfort, works as a catalyst to have relaxed easy con-
versations. Unlike a café, where you sit formally around a table.
The development of Gup-Shup will encourage people to employ new
means of professional engagement. The changing urban scenario of
Tourcoing’s Grand Place is pointing towards the setting up of artists’
and design studios and work spaces. In the process of place- making
of this space, the shops around it can align their businesses to suit
¬¬the changing needs of the activities that will develop in this space.
Thus in more ways than one the present parking space can tranform
into a vibrant democratic public space.

3. Our Process
Site & theme
selection
Initial ideation Linking stories-
Chai culture
Concept
development
Final detailing
& execution

4. Site Selected
Grand Place, La Labo, Tourcoing is the chosen site
for our intervention. The space currently func-
tions as a car parking.

6. Tourcoing
The town once attacked.
The town that never gave up.
Revived once. Revived again. And again.
Where cannons once roared, poems also poured.
A town of poetic inspirations, of architectural explorations.
The fabric of architecture.
The architecture of fabrics.
The glorious town.
Of hope.
And of courage.
The olympians dove and chased the gold.
Of stories and rhymes for years to be told.
The distant bells.
So near yet so far.
Tourcoing, that’s where we are.
Where is everyone?
Not at the church, not in the town.
Theatrical scenes, sights and sounds.
If only there were people abound.
Tourcoing is a town with a glorious past with charming stories to tell of its own.
Like an aged person, neglected by the young.
As the technology driven life drives past it, it crookedly tries to reach to the other end of the path.
Times waits for none, but it makes an exception this time.
The bells of St. Christopher are calling out loud to revive the town to its former glory.
An amalgamation of architectural heritage and cultural wealth.
When the world is heading towards homogenity and monotony.
Bespoke stands a chance in Tourcoing.
We are inspired by its undefeatable spirit, one that emerged victorious once.
It will again.
Tourcoing will no longer be just a thoroughfare.
Tourcoing will be the destination.
For the hopelessly creative.
And the relentlessly optimistic
Reinvent. Rediscover. Relive.

7. Theme Chosen
1 - New trades, new modes of consumption
2 – Universal access to public services
3 – Reinventing forgotten urban spaces
the urban time-out

8. Initial Ideation
We approached the project from all directions, ini-
tial exploring all themes and sites. We brainstormed
and mapped various possibilities. After analysing and
weighing our various interventions ideas and decided
to further develop on our vision to reinvent the Grand
Place, La Labo, Tourcoing.

10. Narrative
The concept draws inspiration
from traditional Indian chai stall
etiquettes of sitting at low heights
without a table. People traditionally
sit on stools or squat on the floor
around low platforms to form a
communal setting and then spend
hours conversing and drinking
Indian masala chai, a milk based
tea infused with spices, herbs and
quantities of sugar. These pieces are
perfect for outdoors where organic
seating is important, in order to de-
velop urban spaces such as Grand
Place.

12. Our Proposal

16. Recycled
plastic
Stainless steel
mesh
Stainless steel
frame
Frame Details

17. Stool details
Material :
As France is the 2nd largest plastic waste
producer in EU and Lille metropolis is a center
of excellence for plastic Industry and allied
products .Taking advantage of this situation
the stools can be manufactured from com-
pletely recycled plastic waste. Recycled plastic
furniture can be made from waste obtained
from post-consumer and pre-consumer plastic
products like random electronic devices, toys,
drink trays, stadium seats and other plastic
waste—The line can uses various techniques
for production like waste 3D printing, Roto-
moulding etc (Links)
Today the world welcomes the concept of 3R’s:
Rethink recycle reuse. This process is 100%
applicable and perfect for massive settings for
urban furniture, and outdoor seating.
http://singularityhub.com/2012/04/23/3d-printing-robot-
produces-chairs-and-tables-from-recycled-waste/
http://retaildesignblog.net/2012/04/17/100-recycled-plas-
tic-furniture-by-rodrigo-alonso-for-fahneu

18. Landscaping
Landscaping has been done following the
gridlines of existing tile patterns at grand
place. The grid landscape has not only
helped in orienting and organizing the tic
tac toe walls but also helped in creating
small zones for different number of groups
having creative conversations

19. PRESENT SENARIO
Parking Space
FUTURE SENARIO
Chai Culture Co-Creation Zone
Development
of the area
Retail
Café’s
Economic
Growth
Shops
Restaurants
Attract more people
Growth
Projected Vision
The development of Gup-Shup will encourage people to em-
ploy new means of professional engagement. The changing
urban scenario of Tourcoing's Grand Place is pointing towards
the setting up of artists' and design studios and work spaces.
Taking this into consideration, the newly developed spaces will
attract idea generators to explore the outdoors for the process
of design thinking. The organic morphology of the space and
the components adds a transitory quality to the place. Every
day will have a different arrangement of stools on the tic tac toe
panels, bringing a element of surprise to the daily users of the
space. As a fun outdoor space, it is suitable for all to get to-
gether. In the process of place- making of this space, the shops
around it can align their businesses to suit the changing needs
of the activities that will develop in this space. Thus in more
ways than one the present parking space can tranform into a
vibrant democratic public space.

20. Project Sheet
The choice of site- The spirit of Tourcoing inspired us to intervene and design for it. In continuation with our initial thought for the town of Tourcoing, we envisaged
it as a hub of explorations and innovations around the theme of reinventing forgotten urban spaces.
The chosen site La Labo’s Grand Place is a potent space for future design entrepreneurships to flourish, given its central location in Tourcoing and the town’s prox-
imity and efficient connectivity to the European capitals of Paris, London and Brussels.
Grand Place has all the makings of a design hub, with its rich architecture, historical connect and visual grandeur which can serve as a spark to one’s creativity. In a
competitively advancing world, it is an idea which sets one apart from the rest.
The intervention- Gup-Shup is to rediscover the potency of the Grand Place. Presently the space is used merely as a parking and serves as a back-end space. The
visual experience of the neighbouring Church of Saint Christopher is diluted in the current sea of parked cars. Grand Place reinvents itself as Gup-Shup which is an
idea-hub, a place for organic conversations, co-creation and out of the box visualisations. Gup-shup in the hindi language means a casual chit chat. In India, a chit
chat is accompanied with a cup of tea. Tea popularly known in India as Chai is essentially the most popular beverage in the country. The varied landscape of urban
and rural India is dotted with multifarious tea stalls. Over decades India, has immersed itself in a rich and diverse chai drinking culture. As a result chai time or tea
breaks are common all around the subcontinent; it is a unique time that brings together everyone from all walks of life to have an ever evolving chai experience. On
similar lines Gup-Shup in Grand Place has no rules, no rituals; it’s a warm space whose friendly casualness that embraces everyone around and works as catalyst for
participatory design thinking. The wall installations are stacked with stools in a fun and engaging pattern, employing the popular game of tic tac toe.
The intent- Creativity needs a suitable environment to manifest into a vision. Monotonous spaces and routines can dull a mind. Working individuals take a few tea(
chai) breaks during the day, which work as catalysts in increasing people’s creativity, productivity and also helps them build their network and be more efficient.
Gup-Shup is intended to be a socialising hub of like-minded people. The planning and layout of the area is such that it democratises inter-people interactions and
doesn’t make any associations with any biases. It is a place for all to take time out of the indoors to capitalise on the informal and psychologically organic nature of
the space.
Gup-Shup will capitalise on the various spatial and temporal dimensions of human behavior way people sit around casually according to their comfort, works as a
catalyst to have relaxed easy conversations. Unlike a café, where you sit formally around a table.
Our Vision -The development of Gup-Shup will encourage people to employ new means of professional engagement. The changing urban scenario of Tourcoing’s
Grand Place is pointing towards the setting up of artists’and design studios and work spaces. Taking this into consideration, the newly developed spaces will attract
idea generators to explore the outdoors for the process of design thinking. The organic morphology of the space and the components adds a transitory quality
to the place. Every day will have a different arrangement of stools on the tic tac toe panels, bringing a element of surprise to the daily users of the space. As a fun
outdoor space, it is suitable for all to get together. In the process of place- making of this space, the shops around it can align their businesses to suit the changing
needs of the activities that will develop in this space. Thus in more ways than one the present parking space can tranform into a vibrant democratic public space.