Perceived Fragmentation by Allison Conley

perceived fragmentation

design thinking by allison conley a degree project proposal at washington university in st. louis samfox school of design & visual arts graduate architecture & urban design advisor derek hoeferlin assistant ashley hoolihan semester 06 spring 2013

perceived fragmentation

contents

synopsis premise

perceived fragmentation

the city as a body

06 08

urban framework

measured perceptions

site investigation

program proposal

selected transports in st. louis

north of eads bridge

school of performing arts

precedent analyses

performance, art, film, architecture

sources image sources

96 98

program

synopsis Through the following investigation, a performing arts school is proposed in Lacledes Landing along the riverfront in St. Louis. The site is a double vacant lot extending into the river to the line of barge traffic. The program intends to insert activity into the currently vacant site enhanced by the energies of surrounding transit and pedestrian motion.

river

site

spatial strategy barge

rehearse

prepare perform learn flood 100 year

flood 1993

enjoy

support

perform

premise

perceived fragmentation Humans are dynamic, rhythmic creatures in constant dialogue with the environment. The process is active, not static. A non-linear relationship to place, both tangible – architecture, artifacts, context – and intangible – culture, tradition, social, activity. Perception is multifaceted, a cross-referenced interpretation characterized by hybridity of physical and ephemeral qualities. Motion, speed, time and memory distort our perception of space as well as set a standard base. St. Louis, the city with strong roots as the Gateway to the West, sits on the edge of the Mississippi River with strong physical fragmentation. As the human pulse beats with energy, so does the pulse of the city yet in St. Louis, this human pulse is out of sync with the city’s arteries of transport. An active, performative architecture is proposed to engage a site void of pedestrian activity yet pulsing with energies of motion.

local

perception

fragmentation non-linearity

the city

immediate

memory

recognition motion

sensory

active

passive

speed

performative

energy

dynamic

rhythm

informal simultaneity

time

sequence

architecture

ambiguity fluid

“

...the sidewalk is a kaleidoscope and you’re turning it as you walk, and you’re also editing it, which generates a level of authorship. Doug Aitken, artist

” 15

the beat of motion. the rhythm in time. the pulse of st. louis is often out of sync, often the rhythm falls silent..

PEOPLE IN MOTION

TRANSIT IN MOTION

the city as a body Within the city of St. Louis, little overlap exists between the major nodes of transportation and notable nodes of activity. The energy and motion of these nodes seldom intersect, thus never capitalizing on the opportunity to feed off of opposing energies. Infrastructure and activity are often separate. This idea leads to the investigation of the pulse of the transit and energies from the natural flow of the river.

THE PULSE OF TRANSIT

THE PULSE OF PEOPLE

“

The city functions as a cycle of constant decay and rebirth, but it’s the newness that propels the city. The city has to rebuild itself constantly to remain culturally agile, and if it doesn’t have a sense of constant newness and upheaval, it’s a dying city. Doug Aitken, artist

”

motion + perception Our perception of the environment is enhanced, or distorted through a series of factors. Perception based on time, speed and motion is captured in the following collages. Speed and modes of transit expand and condense our perception of surroundings, fragmenting the individual experience.

eads bridge

f ram e s

Can perception be fragmented for the pedestrian? 25

eads bridge

f ram e s

Can perception be fragmented for the driver? 27

eads bridge

f ram e s

Can perception be fragmented by structure? 29

mckinley bridge

f ram e s

Can perception be fragmented by structure? 31

industrial park

f ram e s

Can perception be fragmented by speed? 33

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I think that our ability to orient ourselves increases in proportion to the increase in fragmentation. Olafur Eliasson, artist [ Broken Screen]

â&#x20AC;?

site investigation

river investigation An investigation between the Eads Bridge, oldest bridge completed in 1874, and the new I-70 bridge estimated completion in 2014, an investigation of the riverfront reveals many infrastructural energies and motion, yet lacks programs which can provide human energies around the clock.

new 1-70 bridge

eads bridge

1885

the eads bridge Completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge was the first connection to Illinois allowing rail traffic to cross into St. Louis. Washington Avenue, major commercial thoroughfare and historic avenue of commerce perpendicular to the river.

1920

2012

new missouri bridge Expected completion by 2014, the newest bridge will redirect I-70 traffic from the Poplar Street Bridge reducing congestion. This new traffic flow will increase the energies of transit north of the Martin Luther King bridge.

2013

MERCHANTS

MCKINLEY

NEW I-70 [2014]

MARTIN LUTHER KING

EADS

POPLAR STREET I-64| I-55 | I-70 | MO40

MACARTHUR

METRORAIL RAILWAY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

LEGEND

BIKE TRAIL STATE TRAIL RECREATION SPACE

greenspace | trails

MERCHANTS

MCKINLEY

NEW I-70 [2014]

MARTIN LUTHER KING

EADS

POPLAR STREET I-64| I-55 | I-70 | MO40

MACARTHUR

METRORAIL RAILWAY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

LEGEND

VACANT PARCELS

vacant lots

MERCHANTS

MCKINLEY

NEW I-70 [2014]

MARTIN LUTHER KING

EADS

POPLAR STREET I-64| I-55 | I-70 | MO40

MACARTHUR

METRORAIL RAILWAY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

LEGEND

INDUSTRIAL ZONE

industrial

MERCHANTS

MCKINLEY

NEW I-70 [2014]

MARTIN LUTHER KING

EADS

POPLAR STREET I-64| I-55 | I-70 | MO40

MACARTHUR

METRORAIL RAILWAY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY

LEGEND

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE

greenspace| trails | industrial | commercial

motion

RAIL LINE

MCKINLEY BRIDGE | RAIL

POPLAR ST. BRIDGE | I-70

WASHINGTON AVE | EADS BRIDGE

MARTIN LUTHER KING BRIDGE

NEW MISSOURI BRIDGE | I-70

RIVER BARGE TRAFFIC

time TOURISM

RECREATION

CASINO

INDUSTRY

HOTEL

OFFICE

BAR

CONVENTION

RESTAURANT

PERFORMANCE

12 AM

PARKING

VOID

24 HR

energies of motion The Eads Bridge, oldest route across the river, carries energies of pedestrian, metro and vehicular traffic. South of the Eads Bridge lies Saarinenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic Gateway Arch on the verge of a reconnection to the river and landscape. North of Eads Bridge is Lacledes Landing, three blocks of nightlife and static lots void of continuous human motions around the clock.

vehicu lar pedest rian metrol ink

vehicula

pedestri

rail vehicula r riverfro nt

barge

trail

site 51

site plan | site section

flood 1993

river

barge

flood 100 year

existing buildng

parking lot

vehicle | metro

pedestrian

train

vehicle

sections | gateway arch grounds

Eero Saarinenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1967 design for the Gateway Arch engulfs the cargo train in portions of the arch grounds.

While in other portions, the train is exposed above grade.

nonlinear perception

“

... the idea of expanding and contracting space and time...finding ways where the idea of linear time the viewer’s perception of time - can be completely broken apart. Time can move laterally, vertically, horizontally, it can track backwards; it becomes something that’s incredibly malleable. Doug Aitken, artist [World Rush 4 Artists, 73]

”

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

How fast can things go? What are the limits of our perception? I think being a filter is becoming more and more important. We have to be very good filters now just to survive. Carsten Nicolai, artist

â&#x20AC;?

site perception

train and barge in motion

site through eads bridge

Performance is art that is based on time and motion. In performance, the audience isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t separate from the work. The audience engages in the experience of the performance.

How do you make the audience part of the work?

The viewer has to perform.

program school of performing arts

f ram e s

Can the insertion of a dynamic program redefine human perception of the site? 65

What is the relationship between spectator, perception and experience?

Q A

When you make an installation, you’re considering the viewer’s physical connection to the work and how immersive you want their experience to be. You have to engage their space consciously.

I don’t see potential in one narrative that describes a particular story. I see potential in the idea of the spectator- in the receiver, the reader, the participator, the viewer, the user. The act of perceiving is crucial to my work. The narrative is right there. Conversation between Doug Aitken and Olafur Eliasson, [Broken Screen, 12]

So . . . how can architecture transform the viewer into a performative role, in active perception of the site and performance?

How can the notion of a typical school of performance, divided into enclosed performance and rehersal areas be challenged? What if...

the boundaries of performance extended beyond the limits of a room?

the distinction between performer, viewer and performance were blurred?

the performance could be spontaneous and not confined by an interior vs. exterior relationship?

jolly flatboatmen Referring to historical perception of the riverfront, the program and site reminisce on the once performative aspect of the waterway. The simple, economical design of flatboats in the 19th century became a popular route of river navigation by many, from farmers to entertainers. Captured in these paintings is the essence of the spirit flowing down the river carried on these flat river craft. The river was simultaneously a place of industry and pleasure.

artist unknown, lithograph, 1870

Henry Lewis, watercolor, 1846

George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1846

material fragmentation The materiality of the Eads Bridge can be understood as fragmented as it extends from its solid stone roots on the river bank to its steel span across the river. Rooted on land, the architecture fragments as it moves towards the river.

vehicle | metro

pedestrian

train

vehicle

river

barge

conceptual program section

perform enjoy

prepare

rehearse enjoy

learn

support

perform

rehersal studio rehersal studio studio dressing rooms terrace

classrooms

offices | admin service mechanical

terrace

green room

costume staging

loading dock prop storage set workshop

+/- 2200

3 @ +/- 1800

+/- 2200

+/- 1200

3 @ +/- 700

+/- 400

+/- 1000

+/- 1200

+/- 150

+/- 300

+/- 700 +/- 300 +/- 800

rehearse

+/- 200

rehersal studio

+/- 3800

elements of performance

learn prepare

audio | visual storage fly tower mechanical circulation

box office lobby

+/- 500

+/- 300

+/- 1600 +/- 1000

+/- 500

+/- 150 +/- 2000

+/- 1200

+/- 2200

+/- 1200

terrace

exterior seating

interior seating

terrace

+/- 1200

+/- 3400

waterfront stage

+/- 2000

+/- 500

interior informal stage

+/- 1000

support

cafe | bar cafe | bar exterior

interior stage

+/- 1600

perform enjoy

school of performing arts

rehearse prepare

rehersal studios | informal performance

costume staging | green room

terrace

perform | rehearse

learn

classrooms | offices

perform

indoor theater | informal theater

support

fly tower | audio | visual

enjoy

lobby | cafe | bar

performance: methods of organization

dance + perform

waterfront

Laban Dance Center, Herzog & de Meuron Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, Sheppard Robson Teatro Oficina, Lina Bo Bardi Houston Ballet Center for Dance, Gensler School of American Ballet, Diller Scofidio + Renfro National Ballet School, KPBM architects Wyly Theater, Rex FIT C2 Academic Building, Shop Architects Cervantes Theater, Ensamble Studio

Oslo Opera House, Snohetta Sydney Opera House, JĂ¸rn Utzon Royal Danish Playhouse, Lundgaard + Tranberg Docks de Paris, Jakob + MacFarlane Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park, Weiss Manfredi Amsterdam BIMhuis, 3XN

performative precedents an investigation of dance centers and waterfront venues

laban center for dance herzog & de meuron | 2003 | 88,960 sqft

A translucent glass facade was chosen to amplify the movement of the dancers through the skin. The landscape is terraced, designed for outdoor performance.

lancaster institute for the arts Sheppard Robson | 2010 | 52,743 sqft

Flexible spaces and a highly sustainable skin structure were the key factors in this design. The building is constructed with a timber panel system wrapped in translucent polycarbonate rainscreen cladding. The institute includes offices and classrooms for art, design, music and theater studies as well as a gallery, theater and concert hall.

teatro oficina lina bo bardi

The theater is organized as a street of performance, outfitting an existing building in S達o Paulo, Brazil. The audience has a birds eye view as they watch from the scaffolding lining the old brick walls. An opening exists below the stage to to raise elements of water, fire or other equipment during performance.

houston school of ballet gensler | 2010 | 115,000 sqft

Along the waterfront in Houston, Gensler designed the dance school as a billboard of dancers to the city. An outreach program for children to senior adults with Parkinsons Disease is included in the program.

american school of ballet diller scofidio + renfro | 2007 | 8,200 sqft

This project was an addition of two new dance studios within the existing 16â&#x20AC;&#x2122;-0â&#x20AC;? high existing dance academy. Three steel beams bridge the load within the existing structure allowing the volumes to float. A double sense of transparency is achieved towards the dancers through the glass volumes.

national school of ballet [toronto] kpmb architects | 2005 | 180,000 sqft

Three glass elevated volumes were organized around an existing heritage building. The compus weaves together the new and old into the state of art complex. The transparency allows each floor to be a stage to the city, while the city adds as a backdrop to the dancers.

wyly theater REX | OMA | 2006-09 | 82,882 sqft

Reconfiguring the typical auditorium centric organization, the Wyly theater stacks frontof-house and back-of-house functions above-house and below-house. The result is a transformable theater able to adjust to a number of plan configurations at a push of a button.

fashion insitiute of design c2 SHoP Architects | 97,400 sqft

The project is a translucent multilayered facade was designed to showcase the motion and energy inside the building. It is an addition the the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing C building. The large windows showcase the creativity and processes on the interior incuding a state of the art textile lab.

seattle olympic sculpture park weiss manfredi | 2001-07 | 82,882 sqft

This large scale urban project defines new waterfront access in the city of Seattle. It stitches the site together, bridging across industrial land, highway and rail lines. The art museum extends onto the landscape which zig zags across in a new infrastructural pattern to the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge.

perception: methods of manipulation

film

installation

architecture

series clarity vs. obscurity air/sky mix with ground movement of the body transport abstraction dark punched by light direct and reflected light

isolation vs. simotaneity switchback projection on buildings & forms non-linear organization of time inward experience projection as an extension of body bare essential aesthetic multipart configuration fluidity - urban landscape audio reflecting speed

manipulation of senses ambiguity kinetic

non-linear structure roof turns into a wall floor moves into a column skin as structure boundary is not border columns are out of step varying material, size

conceptual precedents an investigation of perception in print, film, installation and architecture

doug aitken artist

“Doug Aitken makes environmental, multiscreen video projections of virtuosic scale and elegance; the Los Angeles artist’s fragmented, electrifying works are elliptical journeys through ghostly urban landscapes or strange wilderness regions...[the work is] deeply attuned to the present moment.” Charles Green, World Rush_4 artists

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I am always moving. I am forever transporting myself somewhere else. I am never exactly where I am. Tonight, for instance, I am traveling on one road but also many, as if I cannot take a single step without discovering five of my own footprints already ahead of me.

â&#x20AC;?

Doug Aitken

olafur eliasson artist

Through photography, sculpture, site-specific installation, and architecture, Olafur Eliasson creates scenarios to explore the nature of perception. His provocative installations engage the viewer exploring the notion that we never know reality objectively, we can only contemplate our experience of it.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Our ability to orient ourselves increases in proportion to the increase in fragmentation. This requires faith in the ability to evaluate and be critical of our surroundings.

â&#x20AC;?

Olafur Eliasson

SOURCES print Aitken, Doug. Broken Screen: 26 Conversations with Doug Aitken : Expanding the Image, Breaking the Narrative. Ed. Noel Daniel. New York, NY: D.A.P./Distributed Art, 2006. Print. Aitken, Doug. Notes for New Religions, Notes for No Religions. Ostfildern-ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2001. Print. Aitken, Doug, and Emily Hall. Doug Aitken: Sleepwalkers. New York: Museum of Modern Art in Association with Creative Time, 2007. Print. Bal, Mieke, Charles Green, Kelly Gellatly, Jeffrey Kastner, and Jason Smith. World Rush 4 Artists: Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Doug Aitken, Lee Bul, Sarah Sze. Melbourne, Australia: National Gallery of Victoria, 2003. Print. Balmond, Cecil, and Jannuzzi Smith. Informal. Ed. Christian Brensing. Munich: Prestel, 2002. Print. Birnbaum, Daniel, Amy Sharp, Jรถrg Heiser, and Doug Aitken. Doug Aitken. London: Phaidon, 2001. Print. Busquets, Joan. Olympic Sculpture Park for the Seattle Art Museum: Weiss/Manfredi. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 2008. Print. Gausa, Manuel. The Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture: City, Technology and Society in the Information Age. Barcelona: Actar, 2003. Print. Kolarevic, Branko, and Ali Malkawi. Performative Architecture: Beyond Instrumentality. New York: Spon, 2005. Print. Lawrence, Gary. Arup Associates: Unified Design. Ed. Paul Brislin. Chichester: Wiley, 2008. Print.

web “Built St. Louis. ”http://www.builtstlouis.net/. Web. 17 March 2013. “Doug Aitken Workshop.” http://www.dougaitkenworkshop.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

video Anaheim Ballet Dancer Profile- Elan Alekzander. “http://youtube.com/watch?v=a26-42k2LhY.” Web. 31 March 2013. Rihanna - Diamonds jazz-funk choreography by Oleg Kasynets - Dance Centre Myway “http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2xcSlp_B-y8.” Web 1 April 2013. With A Piece Of Chalk - JuBaFilms. “http://youtube.com/watch?v=mBZAFJ-Q6Mw.” Web. 31 March 2013.

IMAGE SOURCES

vitro, st louis, mo Robby Virus , http://www.flickr.com/photos/25229906@N00/6273321303/ randolph county georgia, http://www.flickr.com/photos/belikinbreath/8357949948/in/pool-1068286@N24/ plane, Dusan Bartos, http://500px.com/photo/23827867?from=popular brick building, CLVD, matt siegel, 500, http://500px.com/photo/23107065 Alpine Power Plant, LLAC, http://www.astearchitecture.com/en/projects/sustainable-design-alpine-powerplants motion, http://www.flickr.com/photos/29969125@N05/5122079123/lightbox/ motion http://www.flickr.com/photos/therealmoeysphotography/6965840155/sizes/h/in/photostream/ escelator motion, http://www.flickr.com/photos/greggoodman/3132609991/sizes/z/in/photostream/ water in motion, http://www.flickr.com/photos/markpayne1/4253277223/lightbox/ Laban Dance Center, http://www.arcspace.com/features/herzog--de-meuron/laban-dance-centre/ Houston School of Ballet, http://www.archdaily.com/129307/houston-ballet-center-for-dance-gensler/ Teatro

Oficina, http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/2012/02/17/plataforma-fotografos-nelson-kon/teatrooficina_ arqlinabobardi/

Teatro Oficina, http://courtney-studio4-2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/precedent-lina-bo-bardis-teatro-oficina.html the source by doug aitken, http://www.dougaitkenworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/Doug-Aitken-Tate_8226.jpeg\\

jolly flatboat men in port, painting, Steamboat Times: A Pictoral History of the Mississippi Steamboating Era http:// steamboattimes.com/images/flatboats/jolly_flatboatmen_inport1857_caleb_bingham1048x698.jpg Wyly Theater, http://www.archdaily.com/37736/dee-and-charles-wyly-theatre-rex-oma/ American School of Ballet, http://www.dsrny.com/ FIT C2, http://www.shoparc.com/#/projects/all/fit-c2 Lancaster Institute for the Arts, http://www.sheppardrobson.com/projects/page.cfm?projectID=100245 Minner , Kelly. “Olympic Sculpture Park / Weiss Manfredi” 06 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 Apr 2013. <http://www. archdaily.com/101836> Saieh , Nico. “In Progress: Cervantes Theater / Ensamble Studio” 01 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Apr 2013. <http:// www.archdaily.com/203488> http://www.designboom.com/architecture/yoshimasa-tsutsumi-anzas-dance-studio/ DB, Danny. “MDU architetti: theater in montalto di castro” 29 Nov 2012. Design Boom. Accessed 16 Apr 2013. <http:// www.designboom.com/architecture/mdu-architetti-theater-in-montalto-di-castro/> Hertzberger stairs, Palestra

vhttp://europaconcorsi.com/projects/210775-Complesso-Scolastico-Integrato-Auditorium-e-

Motion, http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xs_HYpee5k8/TTdGDZD1CNI/AAAAAAAAADc/d4RuAxNDsso/s1600/Jenna++blur2046.jpg 101

spring 2013

design thinking by

Allison Conley

103