Benjamin Remington
Architecture 21 / Final Learning Portfolio
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Icebreaker Exercise
Title
It was during the Icebreaker project that I slowly began to learn about creating a readable complexity in my designs. My first iteration consisted of what was basically a rectangle with objects placed inside its perimeter. There was only one volume, and consequently only one set of experiences, available to the viewer. Though my ideas about what the design represented were multifaceted, there was no way for the viewer to read them. As my design vocabulary increased throughout the course I came to realize that often a guiding set of principles which initially seem simple can lead to a real and perceivable complexity through repetitions and juxtapositions and unexpected interactions. In my final iteration of the icebreaker project various planes folded and wove into a complex set of spaces that, while not entirely ordered and deliberate, was complex and compelled the viewer towards some interaction. Arch 21
Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Home Analysis During the home analysis I began to examine what the components were that defined my experience of place as pertaining to a sense of home. I began to take note of the qualities of light and sound that permeated the spaces I occupied the most. I began to observe the textures, temperatures, and colors that I had brought to each space. I was surprised to discover how tightly interwoven certain activities and spatial experiences were in my daily life. When working at my desk, I sat within the intimate cone of light formed by a desk lamp. When leaving or entering the house I traversed the long, winding stairway while physically gathering or casting off the tools required for navigating my daily life outside while mentally performing a similar task. I began to realize the ways that my environment assisted or hindered me in living. The light from my desk focused my attention on the task at hand and eliminated distractions from the rest of the room. The stairs provided a place and time to organize and transition into different modes of being during different parts of my day. I discovered what Professor Lum had told us all in the beginning of the semester. I did already have a great deal of knowledge when it came to spatial experiences. The task at hand was to begin to organize and quantify that knowledge in order to create a readable language of my own. Arch 21
Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Paths and Nodes Project
T itle
In the paths and nodes section of the semester I began to explore the interactions between spaces which hosted lengthy activities and the spaces which interconnected and facilitated them. Each had a unique set of experiences. The paths usually involved motion, compression and release, and a sense of being led or invited onward. The nodes brought a sense of repose, energy, or complexity depending on their nature and use. My early iterations as I attempted to create a series of paths and nodes involved a simple layout of nodes strung along a path like a game of connect the dots. The issue I encountered was that, though the path was obvious, there was little to invite the viewer to linger or pause in any of the spaces. I had succeeded in creating only a long path which essentially led to nowhere. I began to think of ways to create a set of paths and nodes within a single unified structure that still led to a variety of experiences and places to pause. I had realized that the meditative spaces were the ones I enjoyed the most, so I chose to create a processional path towards the literal center of a monumental spherical space. The structure was partially composed of biomorphic vine-like structures which served to create an appearance of merging with, or emerging from, the timeless earth. While effective in some ways at eliciting a feeling of awe, the familiar problem of a lack of complexity again reared its head in the following iterations.
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Paths and Nodes Iterative Development
Finally, I was forced to eliminate the spherical nature of my design in pursuit of something with more possibilities for spatial experience. When I opened up the design and eliminated the symmetry I had employed previously the possibilities increased significantly. Instead of proceeding to an inevitable endpoint at the center of a literal sphere, the final design radiated outward from an implied center. The viewer was able to enter the circle at its center and then proceed upwards along the sweep of an arc created by the trusses radiating from the central entrance arch. On the highest platform the viewer was able to look back upon their path and reflect on their progress. As with the upper platform, a number of preceding spaces each supplied their own component to the upward journey of the viewer. I had finally created the unified complexity I had been seeking. Further development of the building support structure led to interesting challenges and discoveries related to alignments and implied line throughout the structure. Later addition of membranes led to exploration of fenestrations and their impact on the interplay of light with the structural elements. It was at this time that I began to realize the impact of light, and consequently compass orientation, on a design. These reflections strongly influenced my final project.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Site Selection At the inception of my final project, the class was asked to select a site suitable for a design which would be the culmination of our semester’s education. Through the process of selecting and evaluating a site I began to think about how the characteristics of the site would interact with the structure I would be creating. I selected a large corner lot with good views and an interesting triangular shape. In the end, the class was seeking something different. While the lot we chose as a class would not have been a first choice when selecting a home for myself, it did provide an interesting set of challenges to contend with. The site I had chosen would have provided needed solar energy in a cold and foggy microclimate due to its Southwest facing corner lot, and would also have allowed additional space for an augmented landscape. However, the class selection offered easy proximity to the classroom and its steeply sloped lot afforded interesting opportunities for additional levels.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Site Analysis
Title
In seeking inspiration and visual mapping for my final project’s design, I began to study the various components of the Sunnyside neighborhood. The primary characteristic of the neighborhoods existing architecture seemed to be conformity. Indeed, even the demographics of the neighborhood were surprisingly homogenous in regard to age, income, and household size. The most notable aspect of the neighborhood in a historical context was its strong resistance to change. Each wave of change that passed through San Francisco seemed to be met with a shrug of indifference right up to the recent housing bubble and its inevitable burst which saw comparatively negligible changes to the neighborhood housing market. The one strong defining characteristic of the neighborhood in my experience has been its perpetually dreary weather. In fact, a friend who grew up in the area was once being interviewed by a local television station as a small child. When, in a series of inane questions, they asked her what color the sky was, she replied “Gray”. Because of this, I chose to explore ways to provide as much connection to sunlight and warmth as I could.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Visual Mapping The most surprisingly noticeable feature of my research into the sun’s path over the site was its mathematical simplicity in relation to the cardinal directions. The solstices were neatly arranged in oblique lines at thirty degrees to either side of the East/West axis running through the property. Pulling inspiration from the Chaco canyon complex in Arizona, I chose to align the structure’s faces with the seasonal movements of the sun. This would further reinforce the structures relationship with the sun and the changing light of the passing seasons. Also, after a short review of math skills acquired a few semesters ago, I was able to use the angle of the sun’s zenith at solstice to calculate the proportions of a triangle which would define the West side of the structure.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Early Iterations
T itle
My first constructed iteration of the project revealed that the structure would need to be sunken to allow it to blend with the height of the neighborhood’s existing architecture. Also, when the oblique faces alignments with solstice lines were applied to different levels, they created an interesting outdoor room at the center of the structure. The necessary changes to the height of the ground floor, and the differing proportions and materials of the structure itself led to the creation of a mask wall. The wall provided camouflage for the structure to allow it to blend with its surroundings, as well as providing a private outdoor space which would act as a buffer to the busy street outside.
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Iterative Development In subsequent iterations I experimented with different placements of the oblique walls within the structure to allow more or less light to permeate the Southern end of the structure. I found that the elimination of the 3 story vertical space along the Southern wall was a serious detriment to the design, but that eliminating the second angle which had previously existed on the third level allowed for better placement of the stairways in a single column as well as allowing more light to reach the central courtyard. I also found that retaining the separating wall between the carport area and the interior courtyard provided more privacy and allowed me to create a pleasant covered pathway around the central courtyard’s perimeter.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Final Iterations
In my final iterations of the project I experimented with ways to reduce the contrast between the strong verticals of the three story walls and the horizontals of the surrounding gardens. By placing decorative moldings at the floor plane of each level on the exterior of the structure I was able to break up the vertical planes of the walls as well as providing additional outdoor space in the form of a South facing patio. Also the moldings acting as light shelves would provide additional indirect light by bouncing sunlight to the interior ceilings while reducing direct solar heat gain. In these last few iterations I also began to experiment with fenestration and half-walls to increase the privacy which until this point had been sorely lacking. My intentions to drench the interior in light had essentially left the interior naked to the world. By placing half-walls at a height near eye level I introduced privacy to the inner spaces while minimally impacting the amount of light that entered the interior. Also, I was able to minimize views to the immediate exterior surroundings from inside the structure. This would serve to further increase the sense of separation from the hectic world outside, including what would likely be a hindrance to relaxing after work, a direct view to my intended client’s place of employment.
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Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Final Presentation
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In these last few iterations I also began to determine what form the exterior spaces would take. I realized that the idea of a connection to outdoor spaces was something that had figured prominently into my design strategy, yet I had generally ignored what shape the exterior landscaping would take. I began researching the various traditional forms of Japanese gardens and recalling the examples I had visited while in Japan. I chose to maximize darker areas of the lot by placing moss gardens along the sides of the structure and a water garden (which requires mostly indirect light to prevent overgrowth of algae) in the partial shade of the Southern mask wall. Also, the surface of the water would provide an interesting play of light across the interior ceilings during the summer months. For the roof areas I chose to place gardens of raked gravel to both retain heat and provide a serene counterpoint to the busy surrounding hills. Arch 21
Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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Conclusions
My final project propelled me down a number of interesting paths through the latter part of the semester. Everything from astronomy to the more local trajectories of neighborhood history, or passive energy strategies to the traditional concepts of a Japanese garden influenced the design thinking of my constructions. I feel that components of place-making which once resided only in my subconscious have now been given names and organized in a usable structure to be called forth at will. This change was wrought by the need to employ and examine them on a daily basis since I began my journey with a wire-framed icebreaker exercise months ago. Like my instructor I am now forever asking “Why?” I’ve certainly got a lot to learn on the road ahead of me, but I feel as if I at least now have some idea where I am going, and a lot of the tools I will need to get there. During my juried presentation I found myself thinking “What if I tried this?” or reacting to the jurors comments in surprise at ideas or issues that hadn’t yet entered into my awareness. The design process never ends even if the class does. That said, it was a long, hard semester… but it was worth it. Arch 21
Final Portfolio Benjamin Remington Fall 2009
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