Week 4: Update

Well  This week was certainly challenging, and i haven't made as much progress with getting into my building per se, but I am starting to get a better understanding of what the frame work will be for this project.  Every day I feel more and more confident about the placement of my new alignment.  To help lift its importance I generated three likely models of where the alignment could possibly be placed in relation to my site.  Some intuitive attempts at some site massing has got me thinking about scale, and how the site will be used throughout its development.

schem 1.  Connected by plaza; Street car Cuts through Site

Scheme 2:  Streetcar meets up with LRT.  Shared Platform

Scheme 3:  Street car on 99th,  200 ft distance

 Im leaning towards the last scheme.  It has a great opportunity to use the lobby of my building as a place for the connection to occur.

I filled most of my week by going to a handful of different lectures, about one a day.  Symposium on monday, Brian Cavanugh Wednesday, Teddy Cruz Thursday and finally finishing with Emily Pilloton on Friday.  All were amazing tspeakers and surprisingly shared a similar theme of humanity and using our design capabilities as work towards a less architectural outcome.

This up coming week I will be attempting to set in stone the three phases of my project which will be heavily tied to program

Phase 1: Ted X/School and alignment
Phase 2:  Retail/ office
Phase 3:  Residential

The trick here will be creating building that will be able to share similar cores or have foot prints that allow for the addition of future cores/ lobbies.  I think the best solution for dealing with this anticipated future growth is some type of generative design.  THere are certain forms that generally lend themselves better for allowing growth to occur in a cohesive matter for example squares interlocked with hexagons, etc...  These types of relationships also lend themselves well to structural systems which is important when considering future upward growth.

andrew kudless

louis Kahns dia-grid structure

Im really interested in how phase 1 will inform phase 2 and so on.  It is important that each phase allows for the next to happen yet during its solo existence doesn't look incomplete.  There is still a lot of work left to do, but I feel like once I resolve these urban issues the rest of the building will just fall into place.

Teddy Cruz Lecture

http://www.spatialagency.net/2010/07/28/teddycruzphotolisbetharboe-960x640.jpg

I attended the Teddy Cruz lecture last night at PSU and it was not your typical architecture discussion.  Well it was long and about half way through I was getting antsy, but it spoke about the design of something much different than architecture.

Mr. Cruz first spoke of the tensions and flows of both people and materials between his home of San Diego and Mexican boarder town Tiajana.  He used his 2008 Biennale installation as a way of illustrating this dialogue.  The installation is a cross-section starting and ending at both towns and looks at how the terrain, fabric and culture changes as you move from one to the other.  The most shocking for me were the Long Steel piles that are at the boarder.  I had no idea that they extended out into the water as they do.  I was also unaware of all the shanty towns and slums that exist in Tiajana that are constructed of San Diego's trash (garage doors, tires, etc.)  and seeing the track homes built on stills was an incredible site.   Its ironic that the people living in these slums aspire to have the McMansions of their neighbors to the north.  In a sad way they think that large homes will bring them happiness, yet in the meantime if they could build them they would become this foreign object sticking out like a sore thumb in their culture.

http://www.projetosurbanos.com.br/arquivos/teddycruz01.jpg

Cruz's solution although not the most aesthetically beautiful, is a very inspiring solution.  He sought out ways for the time being to make their lives a little bit better and structured with a very architectural solution.  The use of simple inexpensive trusses help create a frame work that makes the construction of these slums safer and more generative.  He realizes this isn't a permanent solution, but offers it as a means to cope in the mean time.  If I had not seen the rest of the lecture I would have though very well that this isnt a good solution, but for Mr. Cruz I feel like it is a solution to buy him some time while he works at the political side of the  problem.

The interesting thing about this lecture was that its focus was not primarily on the design of architecture.  He is clearly an architect who is interested in redesigning the way we get things done.  He is out there talking with developers, the government, the people, and looking for solutions that work for those truly in a need.

This lecture made me start to think, their will always be an architect to design banks, schools, offices towers, pavillions, museums, etc...  but what architects will be left to design for the disregarded parts of the world.  Should I be using my gift of design to build structures for clients who have access to a vast number of architects, or should I be using my gift to help those who can not afford design services?  This is a tricky dilemma because like them I still want to be able to live comfortably and have a roof over my head.  Maybe the answer will become more clear as I make the transition from student to professional.  Hopefully it wont be too late.

A BUILDING CULTURE: Brian Cavanugh Lecture

Yesterday's lunch time lecture by Brian Cavanugh of ABC was quite enjoyable.  Although the projects presented were not doing anything too out of the ordinary,  they still possessed a quality that made the design concepts very clear.  This was most evident in the plans.

He opened up with saying that the mission of the firm was to execute projects keeping in mind that they are architects first and foremost and that when they design they are looking for an architectural solution. (sorry if i miss interpreted this).  Basically meaning, we go to school to become architects lets not forget the certain skill sets we have acquired, hence distinguishing them from the utilitarian architect that just makes space because he has to.

It is debatable if ABC actually holds up to this statement because architecture is subjective, but I think that this mission is something important to remember as we make the leap from student to professional.  The architectural market has been reduced to most projects needing to meet strict budgets and tight schedules and in the end creates a legacy of built projects that are not very distinguished.

He also mentioned that his firm approaches all project without any predisposition about the site, program, etc...  It is through a rigorous amount of research that they arrive at a solution.  I heard this type of process before from other architects and I wonder how do we turn of the intuitive switch in our heads when we begin a project.  It is so hard to approach a project with an open mind because as designer when we are presented with a problem we quickly begin thinking of a solution.  It never surprises me when I look back through my sketch book once I have finished a project and see how different my first schemes look from the final.

How can we cope with these strong feelings and urges to say, "yes! I have the solution"?  I think research will prove or disprove these assumptions we make, either allowing the project to progress more smoothly or difficult.  I think it is time and experience that will allow us to honestly say that we arrive at a solution that was non biased, but ultimately as designer we have to weigh what is important and not important and therefore that is arguably the process of us being biased.  

Lasly, I really enjoyed the addition they did for the Seattle residence.  By designing around such a large dinning table demand from their client, they ended up creating an interesting dynamic between the home and its side yard.  Good work.  I look forward to seeing more work from ABC.

Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium

Today I was lucky enough to be an attendee of the 9th annual Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium.  It consisted of grouped 10 minute long presentations followed with a short question answer session.   The morning lectures were mainly focused on preservation of habitat and land values.  Although the subject matter was of interest and fascinating, like setting up systems for characterizing and rating existing habitat, I saw little opportunities of applying this new knowledge to my thesis.  I guess intuitively by choosing an urban site to develop you are saving/preserving the existing habitat.  My thesis would agree that it is very important that we first develop urbanized areas before preceding into habitat areas.

One of the lecture that will forever remember was entitled, "Solutions from the underground: How mushrooms can help save the world."  Paul Stamets, a Pacific NW native spoke about the important "sacrificial" role that fungi play in the ecosystem.  Often times we think of ourselves as being the superior organism, yet I have come to find that fungi are way more resilient than we will ever be.

I found it fascinating that in some cases fungi are found having a symbiotic relationship with tree root systems, increasing their network for absorption and fighting off diseases.  They have even made it possible for some trees to grow with very little exposure to sunlight.  Other studies have shown that Fungi are not only intelligent, but are capable of learning and are able to retain this learned information.

Wouldn't it be great if new urban architecture could insert itself into the fabric like a fungi on the forest floor?  It could increase connection, fight off threats, filter out impurities, and when its task was over simply be reabsorbed into the ground it once sprouted from.  Im not sure what this architecture would look like, or what systems passive or active would be required to achieve this but I find in intriguing thinking of ways architecture could become sacrificial and selfless.

Paul Stamets: Click to view Ted Talk

Week 3: Update

This week I spent most of my time working out my grasshopper script for my material study and preparing materials for our review.  So I didn't have a whole lot of time to refine my urban plan or site plan.

I feel like my material study was rather successful. Although I did not get a chance to cast all three lifts (due to time issues and materials)  I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of using grasshopper to model form work for casting wall-like forms.  Im not sure how this will inform my building since I am still in the urban planning phase/conceptual but I will be thinking of applications for this as my project develops. Id really like to find a way to reuse the form work in the project.  Maybe as a suspended ceiling, a flooring or a screen.  It just seems to make sense.  If I am going through all the effort to make sophisticated form work, it would be a shame to then throw it away after its task are over.

Ah the review.  The review was really helpful. So far I keep envisioning my project as this do all be all thing that totally reinvents the gateway neighborhood through the eco-district initiative.  But this has been keeping my project from getting anywhere because 1. Im not and eco-district expert 2. Im only one person and 3. the urban planning efforts needed to do this would most likely take years.  The reviewers had a very simple suggestion, "Do this project in the context or in light of an eco-district, rather than actually making an eco-district."  This has really been liberating.  Second they help instruct me on what to do about my streetcar aspect.  They are absolutely right, it doesnt make sense in a context of increasing multi-modal transit to place the streetcar stop 4 portland blocks away.

I am going to approach this project with strong assumptions.
1. That eco-districts are important to this neighborhood and increasing/providing "mobility" options is key.
2.  That Urbanization of this area is important and will occur over the next 50 yrs.
3.  Lastly a mixture of habitat while developing this area is crucial.

This assumption will begin to act as parameter that will dictate my project and also make sure that this project will fulfill some of the goals associated with the development of eco-districs.

This upcoming week i am going to zoom in onto my site and start developing building forms that are in relation to my concept of growth in phases.

Material Study: Cast-in-Place Concrete

Are there more exiting things we can do with concrete that use conventional method in a new way? 

What if all you had to do was model the shape you wanted to be made from concrete?

A script could be applied to generate all the form-work necessary for casting. 

What might this look like?

Form is ready for pouring

Taking off the form work

Week 2: Update

My Urban Plan is going slower than anticipated, but after reviews on wednesday/Friday I am very thankful for the feedback and useful criticism from classmates/professors.   I feel like my urban plan and vision for gateway work best in diagram and narrative. However once I began taking a stab at the massing and urban forms my vision became one that was too utopian.  Tall mixed uses buildings interwoven with habitat one after another towering down on the gateway neighborhood were offensive and insensitive.  

I guess that is where I need the most work: Turning my diagrams into architecture.  As it stands I don't really have an architectural language that I am leaning towards when it comes to giving shape to my urban plan.  

I have taken a second stab at a plan and my new diagram works much better and is starting to make sense as I mass it out.  This Urban Plan focus on developing the most density at the transit node and then gradating down to a street that connects with future streetcar transit.  Now that I have a functioning fabric I have been able to start massing out a couple of schemes for my facilities located adjacent to the Transit Center.  Im not totally thrilled by anything just yet, but as time carries on I am sure I will find something that sticks.

track straddler

Connected awning

Dynamic position

I have been making a lot of progress with my material study.  I am looking at how the digital Fabrication process can begin to lend itself to the out-putting of form work for cast-in-place concrete.  So far I have been successful in modeling a 3d object (a Wall) and then use grasshopper to make the form work for it.  I just need to finish writing the script so that it will allow me to layout the pieces for cutting.  

Enric Ruiz Geli "Villa Nurbs"

Check out this video:  http://studiobanana.tv/2009/07/03/enric-ruiz-geli/ (en espanol)

Im wondering How can digital fabrication begin to affect the construction process?

Could parametric modeling be used to make form work for construction docs?

Week 1: Update

Aerial Map: Portland Blocks in Comparison to Site and District

Wow, I can not believe that the first week of Thesis has already come and gone.( and I missed the first day of class.)  Looking back I feel like this week was a productive one.

The 1-hour charrette we did on wednesday was helpful in that it was the first time I had put pen to paper about my ideas towards this project.  I must say I surprised myself.  This exercise made me realize that some of my previous feeling about what to develop may have been wrong.  Instead of tackling the disgusting shopping center which is roughly 20 portland city blocks, I have decided to focus my efforts to the immediate area south of my slot and try to encourage the density there.  Another realization I had as a result of the charrette was that I may want to reconsider the location of my street car alignment.  I feel like it would work better on 99th (adjacent to the transit center) rather then being on 102nd.  My instincts tell me that if i expect people to utilize public transit that it needs to be in close proximity to other modes.  Its location on 102nd is better for future urban development but its going to be tough to get people to walk three portland blocks to get to the Transit center.  I am going to try and work out a solution this weekend so I can have my cake and eat it too.

Before going on christmas break I was hoping to have my site model done, and like most things on my to do list this holiday including my site model failed to get realized.  Well this week I made up for it and I am happy to say that I have a very massive site model (1 to 50) that should function nicely for scheming urban designs up to mid review.  Its my plan to generate a final site model as of Mid march that will contain my urban changes and get me through to the end.

I am slowly developing a metaphor that could become rather interesting as it becomes more refined.  As we continue to build more and more it is important that we build in areas that make it easier for us to thrive.  But it is also important that as we grow we do not destroy or remove others ability to thrive.  A more sustainable future will require clever building strategies that take into consideration future growth and the sustaining of our natural environment.  The juxtapostion of the built environment and the natural environment is the next hurdle for the architectural profession to take on.  can you picture a city that grows in parallel to the vegetation it is conscious of?

The next battle is trying to come up with urban form that is conducive of this.  I hate the feeling that the answer to this problem are unlimited.

What is the best solution for mixing the built with the natural environment?
If habitat isnt present, can it be created?

Please enjoy this clip from author and New York Times provider David Owen:

http://wheelercentre.com/videos/video/innovating-the-cities-david-owen/