Ideas are a coming

I think I have final found the missing link to my project, and at 7:30 in the morning coming out of an all nighter.

Im sorry for posting this, but I feel like if I don't type through my thoughts they will vanish, much like trying to recall a dream.

I've always been interested in this ecological metaphor of a building being able to grow to its environment.
My project is about transit (urban level) and is about knowledge/idea sharing (building level) both share the same concept of making connections.  well I thought I realized this weeks ago and the things that I am producing don't seem to embody connectivity, maybe some do at the transient level, but not as an architectural aesthetic.  Being in the bio -synergy studio looking toward nature for inspiration I started to think of what natural systems/ or things lend themselves to salving the problem of making connections.  First though were roots and the second is neurons or nerves, which also posses a root like structure.  Could my building begin to aesthetically take on some of these characteristics?  could it begin to express this the most at where it touches the ground/ or as it creates the space in which the ted talks are held.  I am very excited to have finally put two and two together.  I honestly think I have been running my self down trying to grasp what my thesis was getting at and look for any excuse to change site/or program.  

I hope the next couple of days will allow me to explore the formal possibilities of testing the nerve like structure.  If not I have all of spring break to test to my hearts content.

Currently I am satisfied with what my urban plan has left me to respond to and I feel like I have a good grasp of my building's volume/scale and the necessary adjacencies/ frontages of my program.

I think the hardest part of my project is that I am designing for a brand new context and it doesn't allow for a way to check if what I am doing is actually appropriate, the way preexisting context would.

-my apologies to john in advance if my building ends up having similar ties to mycelium.

Week 8: Update/ Materials Research

This has been yet again another week from HELL.  Our talk with Suenn at the end of studio on Friday helped me  realize that I needed to reexamine my diagram/Concept, both at the urban scale and at the site/building level.  I discovered that there were problems at the Urban level and it was keeping things from jiving at the building level.

As I have begun to flesh out that diagram/concept I am beginning to see what some of the reviewers were talking about.  By calling my project a transit pavilion, it gives the connotation that it wants all of the transit modes to be adjacent to its site, which im my urban context is unfortunately not possible.  So I can see why the reviewers were uneasy about where I have placed the variety of modes in relation to my building.  I reminded myself that my thesis is about activating Gateway and using an urban space that transitions into a green street as a means for doing this.

Being as unbiased as I can, I have decided to rethink my thesis and diagram in the hopes to better inform my building parti and relation to there area.  I know this has been frustrating for my instructors, but if the parti is strong as both a building and as an urban shaper it will make the rest of the building fall into place.  It makes the most sense to resolve building problems at the Parti/urban level first while it is still a simple diagram, rather than trying to make revisions to a building that is composed of tons of program after the fact.

I am starting to feel the friction of my own design process (not perfect by any means) and the one that has been structured for our thesis studio.  I think I have made the best of it, and have tried to approach each assignment open-minded.  There comes a point where I need to edit what I am doing towards my project and weigh whether it will be beneficial or not, and if it is helping flesh out the ideas specific to MY thesis.

I am looking forward to the final review for this term and am excited to hear feedback that can help me strengthen my project.  I feel confident that the time I spent this quarter really hatching out things at the urban level will allow me to easily slip into the building and move into design development full heartedly knowing that this building is in harmony with its context and doing what my thesis set out to do.


Materials Research: CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE

FORM+FUNCTION

In almost every commercial construction project more than likely one can find the use of cast in place concrete.  Depending on the structure this subassembly can be used in many different ways; as the core of a building which is used for lateral strength or simply a wall to hold a companies logo. Cast in place is concrete which has been poured into a constructed form, (made of wood, steel, heavy plastics, or foam) which is then removed once cured to create a structure.  The expression of form that is possible with c-i-p are only limited to the shape of the form constructed.   Cast in place plays a very important role in the construction process in that certain structure pertinent to a building cannot be created using pre-cast.   Structure such as caissons, spread footings, slabs on grade, elements too large or too heavy to transport, and slaps toppings over pre-cast floors are parts of construction that can not depend on pre-casting.  These elements have to be cast as needed during the construction process.

Cast in place structures tend to be more of a massive construction process and can steer projects towards using either pre-cast or structural steel as an alternative if foundation loads are vital.  Casting can also be time consuming, which can increase construction time.  Each level of the building or elements must be first formed, then reinforce, poured, cured, and finally stripped of the forms before construction of any other levels can commence. Consequently, cast in place for most construction site takes place where weather is in constant contact with it, which at time can make it less structural than that of pre-cast and steel.  These are manufactured most always in a controlled environment that insures the concrete or steel is as structurally sound as it possible can be.  However, several technological advances have made casting in place one of the more favored building techniques of architects and engineers. Some limitations are now being eliminated by streamlined methods of material handling, using materials to make forms reusable, and extensive fabrication of reinforced elements.

METHODS OF ASSEMBLY

FORM TIE DETAIL
(Allen: Fundamentals of Building Construction)pg511

CASTING PROCES (Allen: Fundamentals of Building Construction)pg509

Walls that are cast at ground level usually rest on a foundation or a strip footing.  The thickness of the footing and necessary steel reinforcements are determined by a structural engineer.  While the concrete is wet strips of wood are placed where the wall will rest to create a key hole which will act as a mechanical connection.  Inside this groove are placed vertically steel embeds such as rebar and j bolts which work as anchors connecting the wall to the foundation.  Steel is used as an embed over other metals in that steel and concrete have very similar coefficients for thermal expansion.  This means when the steel inside the wall expands or contracts due to temperature, it will not put any strain on the concrete and cause it to crack because the concrete will expand and contract at the same rate the steel does.

 

Next, vertical and horizontal pieces of re-bar are tied together to create a reinforcement for what is going to be a concrete wall.  A wall may either require one re-bar frame located in the middle of the wall, or two located near the surface of the wall.  This requirement is specified by the structural engineer.  L-shaped horizontal bars are installed at corners to maintain structural continuity between two walls.  If the top of the wall being poured will connect to either another floor slab or to another wall, rods will be left exposed from the form work.  These rods will later act as a place to attach other reinforcing and will give the other parts strength. 

  

Wall forms may be custom built of plywood, but it is more common these days to see the use of prefabricated panels.  These panels are then coated in a release compound which will make removal of the forms easier.  The forms are next placed on the footing, aligned and then braced with studs.  Form ties are inserted through pre drilled holes which align with both sides of the forms.   It is important that these tie rod do not touch the steel framing inside the form work. They need to be spaced from the re-bar far enough that both parts can be completely surrounded by the aggregate in the concrete.  The form ties are next fastened to both sides of the form using a type of friction connection and horizontally placed studs called whalers.  The wall is lastly secured with diagonal braces which are attached to slab or ground as extra strength to resist the hydraulic pressure from the pour.  After the forms are inspected for straightness and plumpness the desired height is the marked inside the form all around.  It is now the forms are ready to be filled with concrete.

Once the concrete is brought to the sight, test cylinders of concrete are made and a slump te  st is conducted to test for proper pouring consistency.  A large wall can be filled easily by using a concrete pump hose.  Very large pours that may be too difficult to get to may require the use of a pump truck, which has a hose connected to a mechanical crane arm.  Workers standing on planks or scaffolding facilitate the pouring into the form work.  Other works use run vibrators through the freshly poured concrete to remove any air bubble that may have formed during the pour.  The top of the pour is then covered with a protective plastic sheet or canvas which will shield the concrete from the elements while it is curing.

CONCRETE

The dimensions of concrete when being used as cast in place are virtually endless except to the structural standards necessary to make a building sound.  When used as a residential slab concrete is poured to a thickness of 3 inches.  For Industrial floors 6-8 inches and airport runways can be a thick as 1 foot.  It is important when pouring large amounts of concrete to leave a controlled joint to allow for any cracking that may occur to not disfigure the concrete surface.

After concrete has been poured into place more often than not things need to be fastened to it. Some of these things may include interior partitions, hangers for pipes, ducts and conduit, suspended ceilings, stair railings, cabinets, and machinery. Thankfully there are several embed available for doing this.  Some of these embed need to be placed into the concrete before it is poured.  When ordering a pre-cast piece these things can be specified in details which will allow the manufacture to make sure these embeds are in the final product.  However some fasteners can be drilled into the concrete after it has already been poured.

Embodied energy of normal reinforced concrete is pretty high but can be reduced by using recycled steel and aggregate. Cement from an efficient kiln and use of cement extenders can further reduce embodied energy.  The embodied energy for cement is roughly 5.6 MJ/KG.

(Allen: Fundamentals of Building Construction) pg542 

Concrete can be finished in several different manners.  Most common is concrete that is cast against overlaid plywood which gives a smooth surface but slowly develops hairline cracks as it ages.  Others include veneered plywood impressions, exposed aggregate, bush-hammered and finally made famous by Paul Adolph is ribbed and bush-hammered which is achieved bb placing ribs inside form work before pouring.  Concrete can be given a nice aesthetic quality by adding a dye to the concrete when mixing to give it a stained color of desire.

By reducing the amount of water added when mixing concrete can increase concrete from weathering.  The most potentially destructive weathering factor is freezing and thawing while the concrete is wet, particularly in the presence of deicing chemicals. Deterioration is caused by the freezing of water and subsequent expansion in the paste, the aggregate particles, or both.  With the addition of an air entrainment admixture, concrete is highly resistant to freezing and thawing.

Typical cost of concrete per yard is $87.01 per yard

Light weight concrete construction has a fire rating based off the thickness that the concrete wall or slab is. Below is a table for determining fire rating for a cast in place slab.

Due to high density, concrete and concrete block walls have good TL values (STC's in the 40s and 50s for 4-8" thickness) but their weight, adds complexity of construction and poor thermal insulation tend to limit their use as viable materials in most residential wall construction, except in area where temperate climates, hurricanes and tornados are prone.

Like fire rating the R value of concrete is based off the thickness of the material.  Poured concrete has a R value of .08 per inch, CMU has a R value of .8 for a 4” block, 1.11 for an 8” block and 1.28 for a 12” block.  It is necessary to insulate concrete especially those which are exterior walls.  Current code requirements call for an R value of 17 to 22 for exterior walls.  Concrete has a thermal expansion coefficient of .0000055 in. /in. / ºF .

EVOCATIVE APPLICATIONS

Tadao Ando: Vitra Conference Pavilion (Traditional)

Antoine Predock: George Pearl Hall (Massive + Colored)

Felix Candela: Lakeside Restaurant (Hyperbolic)

Eero Saarinen: TWA Terminal (Dynamic)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Edward, and Joseph Iaon. Fundamentals of Building Constructions. 4th ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2004. 467-559.

27 FEB. 2011 <http://www.coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm>

27 Feb. 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_transmission_class>

27 Feb. 2011 <http://www.concrete.org/FAQ/afmviewfaq.asp?faqid=42>

27 Feb. 2011 <http://www.turtlesoft.com/ConstructionCosts/Concrete/Floor_Slab_Yard.htm>

27 Feb. 2011 <http://www.concretethinker.com/Papers.aspx?DocId=30>

27 Feb. 2011 <http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs31.htm>

Week 7: Update (Mid-review)

Comments and thoughts about my Thesis Project:
Preparing for Mid-review has been exhausting, but I am glad it is over and  my review went ok.

The reviewers recognize the large urban focus of my project and wanted to see me begin to speculate at what the future phasing for the new urban growth will look like, they wanted to see the "wild fire" of development.  I too feel like that is the next step or has been missing, but being that I am in pursuit of an Architecture degree and not a Planning degree, that portion of the project will have to remain speculative.

My reviewers are still skeptical of my choice to develop a building/ plaza / street linking all of the different modes.  As a designer wearing both the Urban and Architecture hat I am being pulled in two directions trying to create something convincing, interesting, and compelling (architecture) and make something that is functional and will work well 50 yrs down the line (planner).  They are concerned that making someone wall to a transfer point is ridiculous, I agree, but I am proposing a pedestrian dominated walk that will be enjoyable and increase the economic development for the area.

Unfortunately we never got into the building, which is fine.  Im not even sure if what I have designed/proposing for a building is even right.  I will use the rest of this term to finalize the overall scheme, program included, and if I don't ever figure out what my project is I will know that I have this ok building design waiting to be further developed in the spring.

The over arching comment in most reviews on wednesday was that people aren't thinking about the context!!!  They are just getting into the building because that is what is comfortable.  Well I feel like having a year to design a building should allow for ample time of thinking about the context and I am tired of feeling rushed to get into a building that isnt responsive to the fabric of my area as well as working towards proving my thesis.

I dont care how long it takes for me to resolve this but I will, and hopefully my instructors will trust that When it comes time to documenting, presenting and articulating my ideas they will be clear and well thought out.  I came to this school to do urban architecture and by God I will.


Narrative/Thesis:

We thrive on Mobility.  Our quest to increase our mobility is responsible for the discovery of America, manifest destiny, landing on the moon, and long weekend get-a-ways. A desirable result from this increased mobility has increased our ability to share ideas and improve technology. Unfortunately the exploitation of our technological advancement has made mobility possible for all; the car.  This inefficient person mover plays a detrimental role in carbon emissions, urban sprawl, storm water management, infrastructure costs (maintenance/implementation), and the reason you can never find parking downtown. 

Coordination of regional and district scale transportation options will greatly reduce our dependence on the automobile, mean while promoting re-urbanization in areas dominated by the automobile, and become a valuable asset in the realization of neighborhood scaled sustainability. 

In the Gateway Urban Renewal Area, an alignment capable of functioning as both economical and habitat fodder is incapable of intersecting with the existing regional transit, which is critical when trying increasing mobility.  Anyone who has ever utilized multimodal public transportation knows it can be arduous, time consuming, and discouraging.  The greater city of Portland’s current interaction with the Gateway area is primarily through the Transit Center located adjacent to the freeway.  All of the existing Light Rail Transit (except the yellow line) have service through this station, including 6 regional bus lines.  

The status of the current transit center’s primarily consist of a platform and covering that allows for riders to transfer from train to train or train to bus in the exposed climate and without ever setting foot into gateway. The site adjacent to this transit center is Gateway’s opportunity for creating a powerful node, capable of connecting the greater city with Gateway (visa versa) and becoming a desirable area to live, work, and play.   A building situated here would function to bridge the gap between alignments working to improve connection of multi-modal transit.  Secondly a community-programmed edifice would work to provide a place the area could take pride in as well as function as a gather space.

The link between multimodal transportation is crucial in making it an efficient, effective, and desirable means of transportation. In this context it has the ability to become more than just a connector between transit modes and become a connector of people and possibly idea.  In the similar vain of gained knowledge through travel in our pass, an epicenter for idea sharing is possible by situating a forum/symposium component where can be accesses by many through a public transit means. 

Vignettes:

Presentation Boards:

Board 1 'Portland Metro Context'. How this thesis begin to play into the idea of connectivity and re-urbanization.

Board 2 'Urban Analysis and URA Context':  Opportunities for Ecological Improvements.

Board 3:'Site Context' Concept/Parti/form development, Nolly plan.  

MODEL

1:25 model: museum board/ acrylic on trace

Week 6: Update MIA

This week I spent time looking at a building form that begins to deal/express with this idea of connection and place.


The results were astounding:  

Clay Ribbons expressive of movement and flow

folded plane, representative of folding urbanity and habitat

Trying to mix flowing movement and folding

These form finding exercises were useful in trying to wrap my head around the program as well as how the building would begin to function.

Week 5: Update

This week we had our third pin-up of the quarter and it was enough of a fire to get me producing.

I have come to the realization this week that my project is very much about connections:

Connecting modes of transit
Connecting People with Ideas
Connecting a Neighborhood to The City (vis a versa)
Connecting Students to a Profession
Connecting habitat and Architecture

So I began to examine the ways we connect in plan and section, and used this idea of a bent or squished line as a parti for my transit center.  Efficient movement it about a straight line, but slowing this movement and creating pockets of space is about bending and manipulating this line or direction of travel.

When connecting the ground habitat to upper habitat, this may also consider a more sinusoidal language.  This building is about examining the multiple intersections of these activities...heres the result.

Model

Diagram Plans

Character perspectives

View From the LRT platform

View from Pacific Ave

I met with James McGrath on Friday and we discussed how to make the transit move more fluidly and how the connections between the different modes could begin to activate a park/plaza.  We also dicussed how the influence of the transit could begin to migrate into the neighborhood creating a dialogue between street/plaza and Building.

Urban Model

terminate at a park/plaza

Terminate with the transit Center

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.