Fonthill Park Development Plan

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FONTHILL PARK DEVELOPMENT PLAN BRADLEY WINOGRAD



RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

1

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

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MASTER PLAN

11

SITE DESIGN

15

FINAL DESIGN

23

APPENDIX

27

TABLE OF CONTENTS


RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

FONTHILL CASTLE MERCER’S FORMER RESIDENCE

SILVA VOCAT The Forest Speaks


PROJECT BACKGROUND: In this project, the goal was to develop a master plan for Fonthill Park that resolves the programmatic needs of the Bucks County Historical Society into a fully-fledged campus of event and learning spaces that resolves the relationship between building and landscape into a cohesive vision that amplifies the vision of Henry Mercer when he bought the property over a century ago. To respond to Mercer’s vision, my goal was to transform the site into something to creates a romantic fantasy of the old world through prospect and refuge. Taking cues from Mercer’s lifetime and Arts & Crafts interests, I wanted to create a space that feels enclosed, private, and intimate yet gives opportunity for exploration through spaces that are seen in the distance. With a view towards one space, the user will encounter another space that could not originally be seen; thus each point of refuge creates a new perspective of prospect.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Settled in 1907, Henry Chapman Mercer purchased 95 acres of land within his hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania with the vision

of creating a nature sanctuary home of a thriving ecosystem of native vegetation and local fauna. Inspired by the architecture of Old Europe and Latin America, Henry Mercer established a home for himself called Fonthill followed by the founding of the Moravian Clay & Tileworks in 1916. As a man inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement of Britain, Mercer became an inspirational American figure who pioneered the appreciation for pre-Industrial Americana during the height of industrial and wartime America. Once Mercer passed, the site was taken under the care of the Bucks County Historical Society and Bucks County Department of Parks & Recreation as a historical park for the citizens of Doylestown to honor a local hero.

FONTHILL ALLEE HISTORIC ROAD TO FONTHILL CASTLE


REAEARCH PRECEDENTS & SITE ANALYSIS & ANALYSIS

Located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, Chatham Village is a green-cities movement development that uses private lawns and vegetation to create enclosure. The use of vegetation height, density, and proportioning to an open space were explored to create a private and intimate space.

ENCLOSURE: CHATHAM VILLAGE / PITTSBURGH

As you walk along the Sydney Harbor, the curvature of the path and the vegetation from the Royal Botanical Gardens act to conceal then reveal the Sydney Opera House. To understand reveal, the ideas of topograhy, vegetation density, and materiality were explored to create motion and threshold.

REVEAL: ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS / SYDNEY


NORTHERN CATALPA

SASSAFRAS

PINE OAK

CUCUMBER MAGNOLIA

RED MAPLE

LONDON PLANE EXISTING CONDITIONS

TOPOGRAPHY

HYDROLOGY

VEGETATION

ZONING

SITE ANALYSIS


CONCEAL + REVEAL: PROSPECT, JOURNEY, & REFUGE

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

PATENT NARRATIVE: EMPHASIS ON REVEAL

LATENT NARRATIVE: EMPHASIS ON CONCEAL

REVISED PARTI DIAGRAMS: LATENT NARRATIVE

PARTI DIAGRAMS & PROJECT GOAL


Vegetation and topography act as planes that create a visual frame around central temple. Temple’s red color acts to juxtapose nature.

Bridge path acts as a series of thin delicate planes that transition into a dense volume of vegetation with little visibility.

Vegetation and pond form planes that create an open enclosure. Temple is a detached form from the perimeter. Gold color creates juxtaposition.

Mountains, glaciers, and silt mounds turn towards and away from each other creating a series of weaving planes into the background.

Serial sections of tapered walls create a sense of mystery by create a reveal that is partially hidden by the previous form.

Tree lines create a delicate and more transparent enclosure with the weaving line implying a direction towards the inner refuge.

Hard lines from the trees and lake create a grandiose opening leading towards the main point of refuge, as if one is walking between the gaps.

Thin delicate trees offset from the path create a translucent enclosed path that feels

Opera House creates a break in the plaza plane creating an artiďŹ cial peak. Concavity of form creates shadow and a place of refuge.

Arch creates a delicate ceiling plane to frame the mountain ridges in the background. Creates prospect, but frail sense of enclosure.

Canyon crevasse unfolds into a series of stepped planes accending towards a centralized prospect. Cliff face makes space open, yet closed.

Threshold creates a stark contrast from the heavy mass of the interior. Thick stone planes create a sense of stability and calming refuge.

EXPERIENTIAL PRECEDENTS: PROSPECT, JOURNEY, REFUGE


DESIGN MASTER PLAN INITIAL DEVELOPMENT ITERATIONS PATENT NARRATIVE ITERATION


LATENT NARRATIVE ITERATION


DESIGN SPATIAL & NARRATIVE DEVELOPMENT VIGNETTES

EVENT SPACE

VISITORS CENTER

EDUCATION CENTER

NATURE CLUB

NEW PEDESTRIAN ENTRY

LITTLE STONE HOUSE

MASTER PLAN: SPATIAL VIGNETTES


FONTHILL FIELDS: FONTHILL CASTLE & NEW PEDESTRIAN ENTRY

FONTHILL WOODLANDS: EVENT SPACE & LITTLE STONE HOUSE

FONTHILL FIELDS: FONTHILL CASTLE & DOYLESTOWN NATURE CLUB

MASTER PLAN: PATENT & LATENT NARRATIVES


WINTER TERM

MASTER PLAN

MASTER PLAN: FIRST REVIEW


SECTION: FONTHILL CASTLE TO DOYLESTOWN NATURE CLUB

SECTION: VISITORS CENTER TO FONTHILL ALLEE

SECTION: EVENT SPACE TO LITTLE STONE HOUSE

NEW PEDESTRIAN ENTRY

FONTHILL ALLEE

SUPPORTING DRAWINGS


SPRING TERM

MASTER PLAN

MASTER PLAN (SECOND REVIEW)


MASTER PLAN


Cafe

Terraced Plaza

Concealed Connection to Woodlands

Reflecting Pool

SITE DESIGN

Revealed Play Garden

VISITORS CENTER & EDUCATION CENTER IDEAS

Ampitheater

Sculpting Patio


Forecourt Stepping with the Land

Procession Outdoor Terrace

EVENT SPACE IDEAS


OUTDOOR SPACE 1200 SF

WALK-IN 300SF STAFF 300 SF

RECEPTION 1800 SF

CATERING KITCHEN 1200 SF OFFICE 100 SF

SITE SITE & PROGRAM DESIGN ANALYSIS

CEREMONY 1800 SF

COMMON SPACE 600 SF

WOMEN 300 SF

MEN 300 SF

BRIDE 150 SF

MECH 100 SF

CONF ROOM 200 SF

PRE-FUNCTION 1200SF

GROOM 150 SF

USER RELATIONSHIPS: BRIDE: GROOM: GUESTS: CATERER: VENUE STAFF: EVERYONE:

Needs easy access to ceremonial space, contain private lavatory and distant from the Groom Should be distanced from Bride, provided a changing space, access to ceremony Easy wayfinding to ceremony, reception, and prefunction space, lavatories accessible Direct access to reception space and prefunction space, exterior door for deliveries Offices for management and a conference room to discuss event choices with client Access to nice outdoor spaces, spaces should feel welcoming and appropriate to use

PROGRAM ANALYSIS: EVENT SPACE


MORAVIAN TILEWORKS

FLOODPLAIN

WIND DIRECTION

MORNING LATE AFTERNOON

TONE TLE S T I L TO VIEW

0=0 3/16

SE HOU

3 .000

MIDDAY

FONTHILL CASTLE WATERWAY LITTLE STONE HOUSE CONCRETE POND

INVESTIGATED CONDITIONS: LOCATION: VIEWS: TOPOGRAPHY: DAYLIGHT: WIND: VEGETATION:

Within 100’ of Fonthill Castle and the Moravian Tileworks, 500’ from Little Stone House Directed towards Little Stone House with minimized obstruction, 15’ descent Site located on watershed ridge, water flows away from the building, very minimal grade Balcony oriented towards afternoon evening light, chapel entry towards morning light Strong westward direction minimized by dense western treescape Dense footprint and low-lying brush with small openings (Oaks & Maples)

IMMEDIATE SITE ANALYSIS


Henry Mercer was a very eccentric man and self-made architect who

SITE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & LANDSCAPE PRECEDENTS

took inspiration from his many travels and passions. As a man who

THE LATE MEDIEVAL CASTLE

ENGLISH & NEO-PALLADIAN WINDOWS

THE CLOISTER

SPANISH TERRACOTTA TILES

STONE-CONCRETE COMPOSITE CLADDING

MORAVIAN TILES

advocated for the preservation of pre-industrial Americana, Mercer was fond architecture that was meticulously crafted and was fond the medieval archetypes of Europe.

In my design, I wanted to create a structure that felt genuine to the site and acted as a continuation of Mercer’s vision. Thus I needed to understand Mercer’s inspiration of design and interpret what he left as a result.

ARCHITECTURAL PRECEDENTS: ECENTRIC MERCER


TORONTO RAVINE

HA-HA RETAINING WALL

The Toronto Ravine is a system of rivers and forests that cut through the northern part of the Toronto metropolitan area. With a dynamic range of topography, viewsheds, bridges, and clearings, the Toronto ravine was an idea that I wanted to emulate within the Fonthill woodlands.

The Ha-Ha is an old agricultural technique of using retaining walls to restrict lifestock to roam a speciic area of the land. Because the event site has very gentle topography, this is an effect means of the idea of conceal and reveal.

LANDSCAPE PRECEDENTS


SITE BUILDINGDESIGN ITERATIONS

EVENT SPACE INITIAL ITERATION


EVENT SPACE SECOND ITERATION


FINAL DESIGN

SITE PLAN


AXONOMETRIC

ENTRY


FINAL SUPPORTINGDESIFN DRAWINGS

PRE-FUNCTION SPACE

SECTION PERSPECTIVE


SITE APPROACH

BUTTRESS PATH

PROCESSIONAL HALL

COURTYARD GARDEN


WINTER FINAL REVIEW With an emphasis on depth, your drawings feel lat. I resolved this by studying how Romantic and Picturesque landscape portray the sense of grandiosity and mystery. Your building’s exterior spaces should contain a stronger sense of unity. I resolved this by studying public outdoor spaces and plazas, developing these outdoor spaces into a series of plazas.

SPRING MID REVIEW In a luid path, your brick path patterns should be considered. Rather than going for a herringbone pattern, I decided to go for a running bond pattern that can weave with the path.

APPENDIX

Your public plazas contain a lot of hardscape. I decided to reinvestigate these spaces to play with landscape and natural forms like an ampitheater to create more green.

INTERMEDIATE CRITIQUES


FINAL REVIEW As a building embedded in the forest, it feels submissive to the landscape. With my parti that deines the ideas of concealing and reveal, I could increase its scale or verticality to reach beyond the trees. That way, a user not in the woods would see the spire the building from a larger distance and could be drawn to see what it is. The building could use better integration into the topography rather than sitting on it. I could potentially strengthen the connection to land by artiicially raising my structure and create a series of terraces or an entry that is more dynamic that being on grade. As your design takes the form of a more religious archetype, how could you make it appeal to a wider audience? Ways I intended to prevent a strong religious presence was by including very little stained glass, transepts, or apses and simplifying the cathedral to an aisled barrel vault instead. By stripping the cathedral I could allow for a more lexible event space rather than orienting it to weddings exclusively. Your design feels very eclectic like you compiled a bunch of ideas together, how would that make users feel? I chose to create a form that not only feels contextual, but also acts as a response to the existing structures on site. Creating an internal courtyard garden, a turret, and a cathedral my building could feel eclectic like Mercer’s work. Because event spaces are on-demand, how could the space around the building be utilized when there is no event going on? I intentionally chose to place it a short distance from Fonthill Castle and the Moravian Tileworks because users can past by my building to visit these other locations that are more actively used. If my design was pushed further into the woodlands away from the castle and tileworks, then it would feel abandoned when not in use.

FINAL CRITIQUE


PRECEDENTS: Chatham Village: Chatham Village, LandscapeVoice.com Royal Botanical Gardens: Bennelong Point, GoogleMaps Toronto Ravine: Natalie Wahlberg, Alamy Ha-Ha: Photographer unknown, UTA School of Architecture FONTHILL HISTORY & IMAGES: Bucks County Historical Society. “Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle -.” Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle. Accessed February 14, 2020. https://www.mercermuseum.org/. Friends of the Little Stone House. “The Little Stone House in Fonthill Woods.” The Little Stone House in Fonthill Woods. Accessed February 14, 2020. https://littlestonehouse.org/. Historic Doylestown Cemetery. “Home.” Historic Doylestown Cemetery. Accessed February 14, 2020. https://doylestowncemetery. com/#about_history. SITE ANALYSIS:

APPENDIX REFERENCES

“Walking Tour of Notable Trees.” Mercer Museum. Accessed February 16, 2020. https://www.mercermuseum.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/01/ArboretumDNC_10-Final.pdf ”Average Weather In Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States, Year Round - Weather Spark”. 2020. Weatherspark.Com. https:// weatherspark.com/y/22895/Average-Weather-in-Doylestown-Pennsylvania-United-States-Year-Round. “Create Map – Rhino 5” CADMapper. Accessed February 14, 2020. https://cadmapper.com/pro/extracts/d33b4e81-de30-4ccf-988b7330376d8989/copy. Google Maps. “Fonthill Mansion.” Accessed February 14, 2020. https://goo.gl/maps/8L7Qd44u2Ta9oWdMA.

REFERENCES



“Who learns will love and not destroy the creatures life the flowers joy” - Unknown, the Little Stone House

BRADLEY WINOGRAD LANDSCAPE DESIGN STUDIO (WINTER - SPRING 2020) PROFESSORS DANIEL CHUNG & ALEXA BOSSE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, & URBANISM DREXEL UNIVERSITY


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