GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING. GROUNDING.
An Architectural Portfolio. Selected Work from 2016-2020 Benjamin Janes M.Arch II Applicant - University of Oregon
Grounding. “If a work of architecture speaks only of contemporary trends and sophisticated visions without triggering any vibrations in its place, this work is not anchored in its site, and I miss the specific gravity of the ground it stands on.” -Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture The act of grounding a design - whether it be physically to a site, to its context, or to an issue - is one of the most crucial elements in creating a piece of architecture that is truly resonant. Like an oak sapling, the most promising of ideas must put down firm roots or risk failing to realize its full potential. The work presented in this portfolio engages with my efforts to understand and implement grounded architectural ideas. Some projects, such as the Timeline Theater or the Amager Boardwalk, examine how new programs can integrate into an existing urban fabric and enrich its community connections. Other projects, like the Prairie Art Center, focus on the nuances of how grounding to the physical site itself can be understood. The Urban Dairy Institute and Spiraling into Control, meanwhile, serve as investigations of how a design response can be grounded to critical societal issues. Each project’s program and challenges are different, yet they all share a strong tether to a specific place, identity, or problem which gives them direction.
01
Timeline Theater.
02
Float.
03
Prairie Art Center.
04
Urban Dairy Institute.
05
Spiraling into Control.
06
Amager Boardwalk.
Studio 5: Praxis // Fall 2019
Personal Project // Summer 2018
Studio 1: Tectonics // Fall 2017
Studio 3: Critical Programming // Fall 2018
Honors Research Capstone // Spring 2020
Studio 4: Urban Design // Spring 2019
01
Timeline Theater.
Studio 5: Praxis Collaboration with Jolie Dunlap Instructors: Nat Madsen + James Kehl Chicago, Ill. Fall 2019
THE NEW TIMELINE THEATER TRANSLATES THE THEATER COMPANY’S MISSION - PROMOTING DIALOGUE AMONG USERS BY STAGING HISTORICAL, CULTURALLY RELEVANT, AND PROVOCATIVE THEATER INTO PHYSICAL SPACE, AIDED BY CONTEXTUAL ROOTS IN THE URBAN FABRIC AND THEATRICAL PAST OF THE UPTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD.
A renovation and addition to an early 20th Century warehouse on Chicago’s North Side, Timeline Theater Company’s new home thoughtfully embraces the group’s mission as it expands and moves into a new setting. Timeline has a unique emphasis on historically-based theater, viewed through the lens of current socio-political issues. Additionally, they curate experiential exhibitions to help visitors engage with these topics, allowing them to promote dialogue between patrons, actors, and staff alike about the important issues of our time. The neighborhood they are moving into has its own rich history, from being the heart of entertainment in Chicago during the 1920’s, to the mid-century waves of Asian immigration that reshaped the neighborhood, to the ongoing struggle against gentrification. Taking inspiration from the found and forgotten spaces between buildings in the dense urban fabric, the theater places public space at the core, expanding and contracting in scale much like the alleys themselves. Intimate conversation nooks and exhibition spaces set the stage for discourse between the existing community and its newest tenants, while the new theater masses also engage in an architectural dialogue with the existing building. Traditional theater elements are re-imagined through a contemporary marquee which creates a sense of arrival on the sidewalk, back-lit by the perforated brick facade of the new theater that flashes and glows in familiar fashion. Elsewhere, articulated brick patterns subtly interpolate the adornments of the palatial theaters just a few blocks down Broadway. Just as Timeline does with its performances, the building seeks to contemporize historical elements to spark important conversations. Collaboration: Conceptual and Schematic designs were done as a team, with responsibility shared evenly. All models, images, and graphics presented here are by the author.
Timeline Theater Context + Program
Level 5: Leasable Office Space Open office space to be leased by Timeline to community organizations
Level 4: Timeline Administration Reception, Conference Space, Open Office Space, Private Offices, Private Restrooms
Level 3: Education + Workshop Theater Library, Education Office, Flex Education + Rehearsal Space, Costume + Prop Shop, Private Restrooms, Storage, Second Theater Control Room
Level 2: Second Theater + Exhibition Second Theater, Second Theater Back of House, Main Theater Control Room, Exhibition Space, Intermission Bar, Public Restrooms
Level 1: Main Theater + Exhibition Main Theater, Main Theater Back of House, Rehearsal, Box Office, Public Restrooms, Cafe + Kitchen, Exhibition Space, Courtyard Back of house space includes: dressing rooms, private restrooms, playing space, dimmer + amplifier rooms, and flexible green rooms that open up to the public. Public ‘Found Spaces’
20’
3
The public ‘found’ spaces of the neighborhood’s urban fabric heavily influence the theater’s organization, program, and aesthetic design. LEFT: Each level is categorized by function, with the most public spaces on the lower floors and administrative programs on the upper floors, although public space permeates throughout the building to facilitate dialogue.
RIGHT: The site plan reveals the relationship between the building’s public space and some of the ‘found’ spaces in the urban fabric of the Uptown neighborhood, such as alleyways, train underpasses, and the interstitial spaces between houses, as well as the dense commercial Argyle Street just south of the site. Much like these urban spaces, the public space in the theater expands and contracts to create different spatial sensations.
A Timeline Theater Site
B Side Spaces
C Alley Space
D Under Bridge Space
E 200’
Uptown Theater
Timeline Theater Evolution + Concept
CORE EXHIBITION + CONVERSATION SPACES
1: ADD HEAVY THEATER MASSES TO EXISTING BUILDING
2: CARVE ‘FOUND’ PUBLIC SPACES
3: PUNCH HOLES INTO EXISTING BUILDING + SEPARATE FRONT THEATER MASS
4: FORM DIALOGUE NOOKS
5
The central atrium or spine of the building operates as the primary ‘found’ space in the building as well as the primary social space. ABOVE: The evolution of the building and conceptual process shown in the diagrams helps to create an architecturally and socially charged space in the spine, taking deliberate action on
the existing building to open it up to the new spaces while still respecting it’s history. RIGHT: The openings into the building create an opportunity for the theater to create pre-show conversation spaces and exhibition spaces, promoting learning and understanding among patrons, as they move in and out of the spine.
Timeline Theater Grids + Layers 7
Embracing the rigidity of the existing building’s structural grid, the spine’s layers create a carefully choreographed filigree of architectural elements. The concrete structure of the warehouse became the underlying organizational grid for opening up the existing building to the new spine, with
wooden conversation nooks in the atrium, as well as exterior windows and patterned brick on the administrative levels infilling new punched openings. Combined with the stair hangers, and steel structure of the spine itself, a layered network of architectural elements brings a richness to the space. This layering and filigree can also be seen in section, as the atrium spills out into the rear courtyard.
FRONT FACADE + COMPLETING THE STREETFRONT
Dialogue with the community begins with a thoughtful invitation from the building’s facades, rooted in the historic context.
REAR COURTYARD + TRANSIT CONNECTIONS
LEFT: The rear courtyard creates an intriguing space intended to draw people in from the Red Line, as well as a place for informal performances and community events. Additionally, extruded brick patterns on the exterior of the main theater recall Uptown’s palatial theaters of the 1920’s.
ABOVE: Studies show the evolution of the front facade on Broadway, which completes the street front by filling in the adjacent empty lot. A perforated brick screen on the front of the new theater mimics the arrays of lights on traditional theater signs, while window openings on the existing warehouse are enlarged but still respect the original facade.
Timeline Theater Dialogue + Spine 11
The building’s spine caters to a dramatic architectural dialogue between parts, while also serving as the hub of activity within the building. ABOVE: Initial studies framed this spine as a discrete object, facilitating between the interior and exterior of the neighborhood while moving patrons to the main theater. In the final version, the spine is less an object and more a void,
although it still facilitates dialogue between the new theater additions, representative of the new theater company, and the old warehouse, representative of the existing neighborhood community. RIGHT: From the bridges across the spine, visitors can see the drama and tension of the architectural dialogue between these two entities as symbolic of the theater company’s mission.
A SPACE OF PHYSICAL DIALOGUE AND
D DRAMA
02
Float.
Personal Exploration Jordan Lake, WI Summer 2018
INSPIRED BY SUMMER TRADITIONS ON JORDAN LAKE, ‘FLOAT’ AIMS TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE OF BOATERS AND SWIMMERS REIMAGINING THE FLOTILLA TO CREATE SPACE TO GATHER, EAT, DRINK, AND RELAX.
It’s something of a tradition on Jordan Lake to gather at the East End on hot summer days. A sandy, shallow part of the lake, the East End becomes a seemingly random pattern of dozens of boats, creating pockets of water where residents of the lake stand and meet one another for food, drinks, games and entertainment. ‘FLOAT’ is both formally and functionally designed to mimic and supplement this phenomenon. One of the most interesting aspects of the flotilla that forms on the lake are the seemingly random pockets of water that form between the boats as they park - a constellation of spaces of different sizes, shapes, and qualities. There’s also the interesting interplay between those on the boats, often sunbathing, eating, or drinking, and those in the water who are talking or playing. The floating dock structure is designed to riff off of those relationships, with various holes in the deck opening up to the water and a roof lifting up to provide shade, much like the canopies of the boats. Different types of openings facilitate different relationships to the water and between people, imitating the pools in the flotilla. Users are free to picnic while dangling their feet into the water, sunbathe just above the water, or dive in. The project also addresses some of the shortcomings of the impromptu gatherings. The cafe and supporting bathrooms reduce the need for residents to go back and forth between the lake and their house to use the restroom or restock their refreshments, allowing for more time spent enjoying the lake.
Float Evolution + Concept
15’
1: FLOATING BASE
2 1
2: PUNCH TO WATER
3: RAISE FOR SHADE
4: BEND TO FIT LAKE
15
Through form and program, Float pays homage to the phenomenon that inspired it while also addressing some of its shortfalls. ABOVE: The idea starts as a simple floating raft, which is then punched through to create various openings to the lake. A roof plan rises for shading, emulating a pontoon boat’s awning. Finally, the whole structure is bent to fit the contours of the lake.
RIGHT: The deck space itself emulates the constellation of spaces that the boats would naturally form, supported by a small, enclosed pavilion space offering critical amenities such as restrooms and a kitchen. In section, a variety of sectional relationships are formed with the water, including picnic tables that float above it, partially submerged decks for sitting in the water and open areas in which children and adults can play and swim.
1- RESTROOM 2- KITCHEN/BAR
3- INDOOR DINING 4- BOAT DOCK
5
3
6
4
5- OUTDOOR DINING 6- SOCIAL POOLS
03
Prairie Art Center.
Studio 1: Tectonics Instructor: Dan Winden Franconia, MN Fall 2017
AT FRANCONIA SCULPTURE PARK, THE PLACEMENT AND FORM OF THE SCULPTURES USUALLY DICTATES WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LANDSCAPE AROUND IT. THE PRAIRIE ART CENTER FLIPS THE SCRIPT, EXAMINING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT PUSHES BACK ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
The sculptures at Franconia Sculpture Park seem at first like they’re rising out of the native prairie itself, although this idea is quickly dismissed by visitors as they start to move around the park. They move from site to site on trails of short grass, mowed straight through the prairie, and each art piece sitting in its own circle of perfectly manicured grass. With the addition of the these new live-work spaces for visiting artists, as well as exhibition spaces, the Prairie Art Center starts to reexamine this relationship between human forces and nature. This begins with a reintroduction of prairie grasses and trees to the site, helping it to better blend into its context. The program is then separated into its primary elements - a public gallery and private live and work spaces for visiting sculptors - with each area treated as a separate structure. An elevated path that flows between the different spaces lifts the structures off the ground and gives them the impression of floating above the prairie. Each of these spaces is defined by its own framework and skin, which creates both a sense of rhythm and repetition as well as a unifying form that all the buildings share. The spaces embrace their surroundings by breaking this form, wrapping around trees and prairies that act like natural sculptures, complementing their man-made counterparts. Building orientation and skin opacity are manipulated to create view corridors to the surroundings, while the interiors are flooded with both direct and indirect natural light, giving them an airy, ethereal feeling that starts to blur the line between the outside and the inside.
Prairie Art Center Evolution + Concept
1: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
2: BUILT ENVIRONMENT
3: INTERSECTION
4: ADAPTATION
19
What happens when nature acts on the built environment, not the other way around? RIGHT: Plans show the separated volumes of an artist’s life, from private living quarters to making space to public exhibition, as well as the moments of tension between man-made objects and natural objects.
ABOVE: The buildings themselves draw on the rural vernacular architecture around them in form, but instead of imposing themselves upon the prairie float above it, adapt their simple forms to make space for the revitalized landscape to be the focal point of each space, recognizing the way our natural environment can be art and sculpture in and of itself.
36’ 1234567891011-
PUBLIC RESTROOMS MECH. / JANITOR KITCHENETTE GALLERY SCULPTURE EXHIBITION PRESENTATION SPACE INTERIOR WORKSHOP EXTERIOR WORKSHOP LIVING + ENTERTAINING KITCHEN + DINING ARTIST’S QUARTERS
1 2
4 5
3
6
11
9
7
7 8
11
10
Prairie Art Center Structure + Skin
PRESENTATION + GATHERING
STUDIO WORK SPACES
21
The simple kit of pre-fabricated and standardized parts that comprises the skin and frame of the spaces also articulates its form and feeling. ABOVE: The outdoor presentation space floats above the prairie, while the artist’s studios themselves are more grounded in the earth, representing the strong connection between
the artist’s work and its site. RIGHT: The structure is built from a few simple elements, with prefabricated members and panels that slide together and sit atop a floating concrete base. The panels themselves come in three opacities, from solid to translucent to transparent to create variation in levels of privacy and frame specific views.
GLULAM FRAME ELEMENTS H-COLUMN / RAFTER BEAM
(2) 2x6 boards sandwiched by 2x8 boards
RIDGE BEAM
CHAMFERED BEAM (4) 2x8 boards chamfered to accommodate the rafter beams
ROOF PANELS FULL BEAM (4) 2x8 boards laminated together
RAFTERS
SLIDE-IN PANEL ELEMENTS
CHAMFERED BEAMS
GLAZED PANEL Aluminum trimmed windows and doors
WALL PANELS
COLUMNS
POLYCARBONATE PANEL Polycarbonate sheets supported by a wood frame
CONCRETE BASE
S I P PANEL OSB, Rigid Insulation, clear plastic weatherproofing
SKIN + FRAME ASSEMBLY
The interior sculpture and art gallery showcases this relationship between human-made-art and nature-as-art, juxtaposing a large open display area with the architectural response to the natural site conditions.
04
Urban Dairy Institute.
Studio 3: Critical Programming SALA Prize Finalist Instructor: Matthew Byers Minneapolis, MN Fall 2018
THE URBAN DAIRY INSTITUTE AIMS TO CONFRONT CONSUMERS WITH THE REALITIES OF THE COMMERCIAL DAIRY INDUSTRY WHILE PROPOSING ALTERNATIVES THROUGH COMPRESSION AND RELEASE, DICHOTOMIES OF LIGHT AND MATERIAL, AND COMPLEMENTARY LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
Americans love dairy. However, we don’t often think about where it comes from, and some of the negative side effects commercial consumption and production cause. To bring attention to some of the issues around the dairy industry, the institute acts as a connection point between local sustainable farmers and urban diary consumers. Users of the institute become like pen-pals with farmers who partner with the institute. These farmers send their excess milk to the institute every week, where that milk is made into cheese or other dairy products by the consumers themselves. Meanwhile, the those same consumers grow crops in the greenhouse to send back to feed the farmer’s animals during the winter. Additionally, the farmers are able to bring in some of their cattle to graze on the site’s alfalfa fields periodically throughout the year. This creates a relationship within the building that is both cyclical and symbiotic for users and farmers alike, while also promoting a more sustainable relationship with dairy. But for this method to be most effective, people first have to understand the problem. To facilitate this, first time users are forced through a string of galleries, starting with a dark space that educates about the issues in the industry. After this, visitors take the elevator all the way to the top floor, where they experience the opposite: a light gallery that showcases the work of the local farmers. From there, users spiral down through the tower, experiencing an indoor and outdoor edible gallery that exposes them to different types of dairy products, before finally landing at the intersection of the learning and making spaces: a classroom for learning how to make their own cheese, instead of relying on the commercial industry.
Most American’s probably don’t actually know how much dairy we consume, and even the numbers themselves are hard to understand - how can someone really comprehend how much 25 billion gallons of milk is? When we visualize them with comparisons to the skyscrapers and lakes of Minneapolis, however, the extent of our consumption problem
becomes clearer Given the environmental impacts and ethical concerns around factory and commercial farming, It makes sense to re-examine not just the ways and amounts in which American’s consume dairy, but to educate the wider public about the issue and propose alternative methods of dairy product production.
Urban Dairy Institute Procession + Learning
B: DARK GALLERY A single projection serves as the singular light source in a compressed maze, highlighting a film about the issues within the dairy industry.
LCD panels embedded in the floor keep the space open in contrast to the dark gallery, while also highlighting the work of local sustainable farmers.
L: EDIBLE GALLERY
E: CLASSROOM
Display tables inform visitors about visitors about different cheeses, while also inviting them to sample products in large or small groups.
‘Making’ stations provide space for students to go through each step of the cheese making process in the same spot.
Circulation is carefully choreographed to create a procession that leads visitors through various experiential learning spaces. 29
Q: LIGHT GALLERY
RIGHT: The main route for first time visitors is to start in the basement, go to the top floor, and wind down from there - this juxtaposes the dark gallery with the light gallery, before leading them past the growing levels to
the edible gallery and ending in the crucible of the building - the classroom. Here consumers become producers, more conscious in how much they produce and consume and its far-reaching effects. ABOVE: Each of the learning spaces promotes different but complementary experiences.
40’ -
New Visitor Regular Visitor Milk Delivery
Level +4: Enlightenment Level QCD-
Light Gallery Bathroom Elevator
Level +3: Growing Mezzanine OPCD-
Planting Bed Open to Below Bathroom Elevator
Level +2: Main Growing Level OCD-
Planting Beds Bathroom Elevator
Level +1: Consumption Level L MNCD-
Edible Gallery Kitchen Picnic Bathroom Elevator
Level 0: Making Level EFGHI J KCD-
Classroom Open Making Space Cold Storage Office Janitor Storage + Mech. Receiving Bathroom Elevator
Level -1: Crisis Level ABCD-
Lobby Dark Gallery Bathroom Elevator
Urban Dairy Institute Concept + Structure
Detail 1 Skin + Structure WINDOW FRAME PLASTIC THERMAL BREAK 6” THICK CLT FLOOR PLYWOOD SHEATHING WOOD SPANDREL PANEL MINERAL WOOL INSUL. 36” DEEP GLULAM BEAM CONT. WEATHER BARRIER STEEL ANGLE SEALANT GLAZING 12” X 12” TIMBER COLUMN
31
2” CERAMIC TUBE 12” ALUMINUM ANGLE (FOR HANGING CURTAINWALL)
The building is organized along two critical axis, creating a crucible of learning and making where the lessons of the institute can be put into practice.
way to build tall and aligns with the building’s social critique of the status quo, while also subtly referencing barn construction and other agricultural buildings.
ABOVE: The classroom sits at the intersection of the horizontal ‘making’ wing and the vertical ‘learning’ tower and visitors are lead through the tower to this point by a gradient of light. Heavy timber construction offers a more sustainable
LEFT: Ceramic tubes make up the external screen that creates that gradient of natural light as the spacing between tubes increases as the tower rises.
Urban Diary Institute Contextual Relationships
A BEACON FOR NEW IDEAS...
...SENSITIVE TO SCALE AND CONTEXT.
225’
33
Standing at the intersection of two commercial corridors in downtown, the Institute stands out as a sort of beacon, while maintaining a sensitivity to its context. ABOVE: Juxtaposition with its urban setting in downtown Minneapolis enhances the message about disconnection behind the institute. Urban dwellers may rarely see the types of factory farms that produce the goods they buy, but
placing the building so prominently on one of the major intersections in the city helps it to act as a visual reminder of the issues at stake. RIGHT: This siting helps the institute position itself as a beacon in the community. The size and scale also help to mediate between the lower rise North Loop neighborhood to the north and the higher rise neighborhood of Downtown to the south.
05
Spiraling into Control.
Honors Research Capstone Instructor: Gail Dubrow Oregon, WI Spring 2020
WITH THE STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AMERICA NEARING A CRISIS, THIS PROJECT EXAMINES ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF THE PUZZLE AS BOTH A CAUSE OF STRESS AND A POTENTIAL PLACE OF RELIEF: THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES.
As students across the country report rising rates of depression and anxiety, the schools they attend every day have failed to keep pace with the major changes in pedagogical and cultural practices that have occurred over the past half century. This combination has created learning environments that are often harmful to the mental and physical wellbeing of their occupants, and leaving few options to regulate an emotional crisis other than through disciplinary action. This project, which was adapted from my longer written thesis, seeks to answer the question: “how do students deal with their stress now, and how can schools and design help improve the ability for students to self-regulate and de-escalate emotional crises?” Using Oregon High School in Oregon, WI as a case study and model for similar schools across the country, research was conducted via student survey, spatial observations, and conversations with teachers. Further examination of architectural history, adolescent emotional needs, and emerging trends in architecture, education, and behavioral therapy helped frame the research. Generally, the findings supported the conclusion that while contemporary design and secondary education pedagogical trends decreased student stress, there were still holes in addressing all student needs, especially in creating adequate spaces of retreat for emotional self-regulation. This lead in the end to a series of broad recommendations that sought to create spaces which better facilitated emotional self-regulation. This new framework for school adaptations ranged from design proposals that were rooted in student input, to fresh interpretations of the capital construction process and grassroots design solutions that re-frame students as active participants in the design process rather than abstract stakeholders, promoting equity and creating opportunity for a community dialogue about mental wellness.
School Age + Renovation Patterns Oregon, WI vs. Minneapolis, MN High School Renovation Timeline Renovations
What causes students stress
Minneapolis N. HS Patrick Henry HS Minneapolis S. HS
Academic
The Is ue + Studen I put
Thomas Edison HS
[Out-of-Class Workload] [n-Class Workload] [Assessments]
People
S p i r a l n g i t o C nt r o l
First Completed
[General] [Friendships + Relationships] [Family] [Public Speaking]
Minneapolis S.W. HS Extracurriculars
Washburn HS Roosevelt HS
11 9 7 2
Work-Life Balance The Future Physical / Mental Health Part-Time Job
16 9 8 8
[Sports] [Arts] [Clubs]
7 4 1
Nothing
Oregon HS
2
90
80
19
19
70 19
60 19
50 19
40 19
30 19
19
20
0
20
00
20
10
20
20
20
How have students learned to p Listening to Music
Student Mental Health Struggles
Exercising
Results from the Minnesota Student Survey
Making Art
17
Reading
17
34%
Female students who “could not stop worrying”
15%
Male students who “could not stop worrying”
25%
Female students who felt “depressed or hopeless”
16%
Male students who felt “depressed or hopeless”
Taking a Break
12
Mindfulness / Meditation
11
Sleeping
10
Extracurriculars
10
Talking to Friends
9
Yoga
9
Studying / Working
25%
Absenteeism among female students due to mental health issues
10%
Absenteeism among male students due to mental health issues
73
Percentage of students
11th Grade Students Reporting Mental Health Issues 30%
25% 20%
6
Watching Videos
5
Making Music
5
Playing Video Games
4
Take a Break
3
Driving
2
Eating
2
Sleep
2
Petting a Dog
1
Social Media
1
10% Nothing
0
2013
2016
2019
9 0
20
The Link: School Spaces and Stress Results from author’s survey of 144 students at Oregon High School
s during the schoolday? Are there school spaces that relieve student stress?
63 44 39
77.4%
Yes
22.6%
No
Are there school spaces that aggravate student stress?
40
60
60.3%
Yes
39.7%
No
80
positively manage stress?
Number of Student Responses
[-] 77 77
40
20
20
0
40
45
28
[+]
Abstract Spatial
34
23
14 33
5
Commons
Existing Classrooms
12
0
Flexible Work Spaces
14
0 0
11 8
1 0 5
0
4
Music Rooms Library
9
0
Fieldhouse
Study Hall Art Rooms
Fabrication Lab
1
1
Hallways
0
1
Courtyard
indicated many spatial qualities that were beneficial and “ Students detrimental to their mental health, but above all else ... 40 Number of Student Responses
60
80
students suffered from an acute inability to control their environment, due to the design of the physical space as well as school policies.
”
SPACE TYPOLOGY
12 New Classrooms
3
Spiraling Into Control The Ideas
School Age + Renovation Patterns
2
1
6
39
1
Creating Spaces of Retreat + Processes of Self-Regulation The most prominent issue for students in emotional crisis is the lack of private, comfortable places that they can go to be alone and begin to halt their downward spiral. Student input aligned with the concept of Prospect Refuge, with a strong desire to be able to see without being seen. A functional key to these spaces is allowing students more freedom of movement throughout the school and the day.
2 Increasing Outdoors Access Improved connections to outdoor spaces increases the variety of workspaces and can provide momentary pauses and mental breaks for weary students.
3 Exercise as Relief Adding murals and re-purposing underutilized hallways as walking paths creates opportunities for soft fascinations and light exercise as a mental break.
4 Increasing Flexibility + Variety i Space and Furniture In the survey, students overwhelmingly preferred open and flexible work spaces filled with tables and work counters that promoted independent and small group study over the lecture-heavy setup of a traditional classroom. Additionally, students preferred a variety of more comfortable seating options, such as chairs and couches, in both their flexible work spaces and traditional classrooms.
in
3
1 7
5
4
5 Regulating Light Source Many students noted that classrooms with little or no access to natural light had a very negative impact on their mood, and others noted that these same rooms often relied on harsh artificial light to make up the difference. Providing greater access to natural light through skylights and windows, supplemented by softer artificial lighting, is key.
6 Re-Evaluating Capital Construction Processes Breaking the current 20-30 year cycle of major capital improvement projects means buildings will keep better pace with technology, design, and pedagogy. Smaller, more cost effective and more frequent updates shorten the feedback cycle to administrators, allowing them to more easily test ideas that previously might have been too experimental for a large capital project.
7
Promoting Participatory Design The most immediate and cost effective solutions can be had through grassroots participatory design efforts to build and retrofit prefabricated spaces of retreat. Led by the students and teachers themselves and aided by a professional designer, opportunities are abound in this mode of working for cross-subject collaboration, learning design and fabrication skills, and creating a supportive community.
06
Amager Boardwalk.
Studio 4: Urban Design Most Communicitive Award Winner Instructors: Jeanette + Rasmus Frisk Copenhagen, DK Spring 2019
BOARDWALKS ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH TWO THINGS RECREATION / ENTERTAINMENT, AND CONNECTION TO NATURE. AMAGER BOARDWALK BLENDS THESE TWO BOARDWALK TYPES INTO ONE NETWORK THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO EACH OTHER AND TO NATURE, CREATING A UNIQUE COMMUNITY AND SENSORY EXPERIENCE.
Sometimes overshadowed by Copenhagen, the Amagerbro Neighborhood is a place filled with its own diverse community of students, seniors, children, Danes, immigrants, working class and wealthy citizens alike. It’s a mixture of different groups that often lacks social interactions, creating small pockets of isolated communities. It deserves an urban environment that allows these communities places to meet, to celebrate, to relax; places to be together. The design for this project began with a long investigative process, involving interviews, surveys, and neighborhood analysis. This was vital to understanding the real needs of both the immediate community at Bikubenkollegiet as well as the broader community. The themes that kept coming up were a lack of green space and activity, which contributed to a cold environment that felt unsafe. The empty lot behind Bikuben became central to the design. The space functions as a focal point and hinge between København Universitet - teeming with student life and ripe for activation by the broader community - and residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile, on the large scale, it serves as the origin for the whole boardwalk network that extends into the neighborhood, providing green and social spaces for streets that are currently uninviting. On the small scale, it’s a place of round-the-clock activity, a hub for the community with plenty of options with which everyone can engage, centered around a wetland park that softens the artificial edges of the area, and provides residents with a new, public space to relax and unwind, together.
Amager Boardwalk Large Scale: Community Issues
500’ EMPTY SIDEWALKS OPEN PLAZAS WIDE STREETS BARRIERS
Empty Sidewalks
43
The first step was exploration and discovery: interviewing community members, photographing the site, observing the area in and around Bikuben Kollegiet. Four main problems arose from this investigation: lifeless sidewalks, large unprogrammed plazas, streets catering to cars over pedestrians, and physical barriers to the existing community assets. Together they helped to create cold,
empty streetscapes that felt uninviting at best and unsafe at worst. These problems were then located on maps, forming the basis of the new boardwalk network that would tie the diverse neighborhood together. Activated nodes could then be targeted so that they supplemented rather than replaced the existing neighborhood amenities.
Open + Unprogrammed Plazas
Wide + Car Oriented Streets
Barriers to Desirable Space
Amager Boardwalk Large Scale: Street Transformations
EXISTING APARTMENT BUILDINGS
SIDE ROAD ADAPTATION
500’ 950 FEET : 1 MINUTE
45
450 FEET : 1 MINUTE
On the large scale, the new boardwalk network originates around Bikuben and then grows out into the neighborhood along both narrow and wide streets.
one side of parking was eliminated to add a narrow green buffer and boardwalk. Both solutions expand and improve public space with relatively minimal impact on car traffic.
Small changes are made to these streets to make them more pedestrian friendly - on arterial roads, one lane in each direction was eliminated to provide dedicated bike lanes, a green buffer, and the new boardwalk system. On side streets,
The system also handles extreme rain events efficiently by first filtering water through the green buffers before collecting under the boardwalk, where it can be harnessed as part of a water feature or drained into the ocean.
EXISTING BUILDINGS
BOARDWALK + PUBLIC SPACE
MAJOR ROAD ADAPTATION
+ E
PRIVATE GARDENS
GREEN BUFFER
BOARDWALK + PUBLIC SPACE
CYCLE LANE
GREEN BUFFER
2 CAR LANES
4 CAR LANES
CAR SIDEPARKING WALK
EXISTING APARTMENT BUILDINGS
CYCLE LANE
SIDEWALK
EXISTING BUILDINGS
Amager Boardwalk Large Scale: Activated Nodes
A: PLAYIN
500’ SITTING + EATING PLAYING + MOVING SITTING + GATHERING OPENING BARRIERS
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The community’s input also helped determine where nodes of programmed activities were necessary to promote more street life. Different types of public furniture are employed throughout the boardwalk system, meant to facilitate some of our basic needs: playing, eating, and gathering to socialize. Providing places to fulfill these needs in the public sphere would help build a sense of community and connec-
tions to neighbors that the area seems to lack. In addition, opening up the private courtyard spaces to the boardwalk adds much needed green space, existing playgrounds. and sports courts to the public domain. In these nodes, the boardwalk itself responds to the need for more public space by expanding and contracting over the water as necessary.
C: SITTIN
NG + MOVING
B: OPENING BARRIERS
NG + EATING
D: SITTING + GATHERING
Amager Boardwalk Medium Scale: Lively Connections
BEFORE: DISCONNECTED, HARD + COLD
250’
450 FEET : 1 MINUTE
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On the medium scale, creating a more tangible link between the neighborhood and the university was critical. København Universitet has many great public amenities on its campus and is teeming with life during the day. After school hours, it’s nearly deserted, possibly because of barrier-like quality of the university buildings themselves that cuts off the surrounding community.
By simply removing a storefront on one of these buildings and converting an interior vestibule into an exterior pass through, a more inviting connection is created. Introducing more landscaping, lighting, and places to relax quickly change the atmosphere of the space, while the adjacent parking lot can also host food trucks or markets during off hours. What was once a barrier quickly becomes part of the attraction.
AFTER: CONNECTED, LUSH, WARM
BEFORE
AFTER
Amager Boardwalk Small Scale : Programming the Hinge
03:00
A/B A/B
A/B
A
Yoga
B
Sauna
A/B
A/B
60’ YOGA SAUNA PAVILION LEARNING / GATHERING SPACE SWING SET / BUS STOP SKATE RAMP / MOVIE THEATER PICNIC / BAR + CAFĖ
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On the small scale at Bikuben, activating the hinge between the university and broader community throughout the day is critical. Residents routinely voiced safety concerns caused by the openness and emptiness of the ground level spaces. But by programming the space with many different activities, the idea of ‘eyes on the street,” is promoted and makes residents feel safer, while still giving the
community a valuable space to gather, play, and relax together. The idea centers on the barren rear lot, which becomes a wetland - referencing the large nature park a few kilometers away, as well as creating a sink for heavy rain events and some calming green space. Spaces to eat, drink, and relax surround this central wetland space.
BIKUBEN SITE PROGRAMMING 06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
A : Yoga
B : Sauna A : Outoor Learning
A : Bus Stop
B : Gathering
B : Swing Set
A : Bus Stop A : Skate Ramps
B : Movie Theatre
A : Lunch Break
B : Bar / Café
A Outdoor Learning
A
Swing Set
A
Skate Ramps
A
Lunch Break
B
B
Bus Stop
B
Movie Theater
B
Bar/Café
Gathering
Amager Boardwalk Small Scale : Community Focal Points
BEFORE: REAR YARD
AFTER: A REAR YARD FULL OF PURPOSE
BEFORE: COURTYARD
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Programming the rear lot and the courtyard transforms previously dull spaces into community focal points. Sculptural seating in the rear lot provides a place for students and teachers from the neighboring school to conduct outdoor classes, while a bar and cafe space extends out from the Bikuben platform into the wetland. Finally, a sauna and yoga studio provides soothing complement
the flurry of other activities on the site. In the courtyard, the cafe might be used by university students studying over lunch while neighborhood kids skateboard through the courtyard. By night, the same courtyard becomes an inviting space for the community and residents to come together for cookouts, drinks, and watching movies.
AFTER: AN INVITING COURTYARD FULL OF ACT
TIVITY
Thank you for reading.