Urban Lab and Observatory Project Document
Urban Lab and Observatory Project Document
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Book 1:Preexisting Conditions 1.1 Physical Site 1.2 Infrastructure 1.3 Zoning and Code
32-59
Book 2: Precedent 2.1 Ideational Precedent 2.2 Material Precedent 2.3 Methodological Precedent
60-117
Book 3: Project 3.1 Order 3.2 Material Palette 3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation
Book 1: Preexisting Conditions
The city of Cincinnati is located in the southwest corner of Ohio on the north side of the Ohio River. On the south side of the Ohio River are the two cities of Covington and Newport in Kentucky. The site for the Urban Lab and Observatory is located in downtown Cincinnati in the historic district. The rectangular 65' by 400' site is located next to an old hotel and is oriented east-west.
County Map of Ohio 4
1.1 Physical Site: Location and Orientation
Map of Historic Cincinnati Downtown 5
The Dennison Hotel is a currently unused, brick building about 100' tall located right next to the site.
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1.1 Physical Site: Location and Orientation
The image layers different views and images from the site in order to create an atmosphere of the area surrounding the site. 7
Sun Path Diagram 39 Degrees North 8
1.1 Physical Site: Sun Path and Seasonal Climate
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These wind rose diagrams show the intensity and direction of the winds in Cincinnati during the spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Combined 10
1.1 Physical Site: Prevailing Winds
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Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
The image below shows the site and the surrounding structures, roads, and sidewalks. The image to the right show the topography and movement of water around the general area of Cincinnati.
Site Hardscape 12
1.1 Physical Site: Boundaries and Volume, Contours and Movements of Water
Movement of Water 13
The following set of images shows shadow movement of the site throughout the course of the day and throughout the course of the year.
March 8 A.M.
March 12 P..M.
March 4 P.M.
June 8 A.M.
June 12 P..M.
June 4 P.M.
September 8 A.M.
September 12 P..M.
September 4 P.M.
December 8 A.M.
December 12 P..M.
December 4 P.M. 14
1.1 Physical Site: Seeing in Time
Yearly Shadow Movement 15
Superimposed
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1.1 Physical Site: City Space Fieldwork
Strengthened
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Joint Over Time
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1.1 Physical Site: City Space Fieldwork
Joint in the Moment
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Musical Composition
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1.1 Physical Site: City Space Fieldwork
Beyond
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Symmetry
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1.1 Physical Site: City Space Fieldwork
Forced Movement
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Three maps showing roads, topography, and water in the region of Cincinnati. In addition, the large image on the right shows the interaction between these three elements and how they each rely on each other and react to each other's attributes.
Roads
Topography
Water 24
1.2 Infrastructure: Networks of Distribution
Combined 25
Historic maps of Cincinnati are overlaid to show how the city has expanded and grown throughout the years.
1815
1841
1880
1864
1914 26
1.3 Zoning and Code: Settlement Patterns
Historic Map Overlays 27
SF: Single Family RM: Residential Multi-family OL: Office Limited OG: Office General CN: Commercial Neighborhood CC: Commercial Community CG: Commercial General UM: Urban Mix DD: Downtown Development MA: Manufacturing Agricultural ML: Manufacturing Limited MG: Manufacturing General ME: Manufacturing Exclusive RF-R: Riverfront Residential/Recreational RF-C: Riverfront Commercial RF-M: Riverfront Manufacturing PR: Parks and Recreation IR: Institutional-Residential PD: Planned Development IDC: Interim Development Control HS: Hillside Overlay HL: Historic Landmarks HD: Historic Districts UD: Urban Design
The general purposes of the downtown development district regulations are to: 1. Provide a balance of uses and amenities fostering a vital economic and cultural center of the city and enhance its aesthetic qualities. 2. Encourage quality and variety in building and landscape design as well as compatibility in use and form. 3. Protect and enhance historic, cultural and architectural resource. 4. Create and enhance pedestrian-oriented streets to preserve retail vitality and improve the quality of life for downtown workers, visitors and residents. 5. Establish appropriate standards for the review of proposals for new development and redevelopment. 28
1.3 Zoning and Code: Zoning
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Program
Area
Occ. Type
Occ. Factor
Total Occ.
Type of Const.
Fire Rating
Archive Residences Galleries Studio/Lab
1,536 sf 10,080 sf 9,280 sf 4,672 sf
Business, B Residential, R-2 Assembly, A-3 Business, B
100 sf/occ. 200 sf/occ. 7 sf/occ. 100 sf/occ.
15 occ. 50 occ. 1325 occ. 46 occ.
I-A I-A I-A I-A
3-hr Non-Combustible 3-hr Non-Combustible 3-hr Non-Combustible 3-hr Non-Combustible
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1.3 Zoning and Code: Code
Type I-A Construction (3-Hour Non-Combustible)
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Book 2: Precedent
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2.1 Ideational Precedent: Bernard Tschumi
Questions of Space Is space a material thing in which all material things are to be located? If space is a material thing, does it have boundaries? If space has boundaries, is there another space outside those boundaries? If space does not have boundaries, do things then extend infinitely? As every finite extent of space is infinitely divisible, can an infinite collection of spaces then form a finite space? If space is an extension of matter, can one part of space be distinguished from another? If ‘defining’ space is both making space distinct and stating the precise nature of space, is this an essential paradox of space? Is architecture the concept of space, the space, and the definition of space?
The Labyrinth and the Pyramid “This must begin with a description of the apparent impossibility of escaping the paradox of the pyramid of concepts and the labyrinth of experience, of immaterial architecture as a concept and of material architecture as a presence. To restate my point, the paradox is not about the impossibility of perceiving both architectural concept (the six faces of a cube) and real space at the same time, but about the impossibility of questioning the nature of the space and at the same time making or experiencing a real space. Unless we search for an escape from architecture into the general organization of building processes, the paradox persists: architecture is made of two terms that are interdependent but mutually exclusive. Indeed, architecture constitutes the reality of experience while this reality gets in the way of the overall vision. Architecture constitutes the abstraction of absolute truth, while this very truth gets in the way of feeling. We cannot both experience and think that we experience. ‘The concept of dog does not bark’; the concept of space is not in space.”
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In Thorncrown Chapel, the repetition of wood is used to create a dramatic atmosphere. In addition, wood beams are hung from the truss system making the entire structure seem as if it is floating.
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2.2 Material Precedent: Wood
In Kengo Kuma's Prostho Museum, Wood is used as a structural grid to create a forced perspective throughout the project.
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Tadao Ando uses the form work to create a lightened and soft feel to the concrete.
At the Clyfford Still Museum (right), the ceiling is cast in place concrete poured to create a diffused lighting condition. In addition the walls use a wooden form work to give the concrete materiality and texture. 38
2.2 Material Precedent: Concrete
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Ai Weiwei used rebar in a unique way in his exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum.
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2.2 Material Precedent: Steel
The Caixa Forum is clad in perforated corten panels mimicking leaf patterns. The material and the perforations give the facade depth in a unique way.
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The British Pavilion in Shanghai is composed of glass tubes creating a unique form and an interesting interior atmosphere.
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2.2 Material Precedent: Glass
James Carpenter uses glass to separate the different colors of light in his dichroic light field. He begins to question the nature of light as being composed of the six primary colors.
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SANAA's New Museum uses a mesh cladding which results in the forms being read as a whole, whereas when you begin to move closer to the building you can begin to see beyond the screen and see the different parts that the building is composed of.
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2.2 Material Precedent: SANAA
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The Glass Pavilion in Toledo is interesting because of the way the joints of the glazing are minimalized throughout the building. There are no mullions since the panels are anchored from the ceiling and floor. The only vertical joint is the silicone sealant between panels. The ceiling and floor joints are minimalized by pushing the panels up into the ceiling and then letting them drop down into the floor slab.
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2.2 Material Precedent: SANAA
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Glass is used to create a structural glass facade. The glass is the part of the tube that is in compression while the steel running through the middle of it is in tension.
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2.2 Material Precedent: James Carpenter
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Glass prisms are used to filter light into its different colors, questioning whether we see light as the end result of the parts or whether we are aware of each individual part.
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2.2 Material Precedent: James Carpenter
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Tadao Ando challenges the perception of concrete as a homogenous material without depth. He controls every little detail of how the concrete is poured whether it is the size of the form work or the placement of the tie rods. Every joint of the concrete is carefully placed to create an immaculate composition.
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2.2 Material Precedent: Tadao Ando
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Tadao Ando has complete control of the joints within the concrete, even when he works with the material on a curved surface.
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2.2 Material Precedent: Tadao Ando
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The Lakeshore Drive Apartments are raised off the ground on columns, and yet still allow for egress from the building. Mies handles the egress by having a core, smaller than the footprint of the building extend down and touch the ground.
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2.3 Methodological Precedent: Mies Van Der Rohe
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5 Points Towards A New Architecture: 1. Pilotis 2. Free Plan 3. Free Facade 4. Long Horizontal Sliding Window 5. Roof Garden
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2.3 Methodological Precedent: Le Corbusier
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Book 3: Project
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3.1 Order: The Labyrinth or the Pyramid
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3.1 Order: The Labyrinth or the Pyramid
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This process model shows how the two ideas of the labyrinth and the pyramid are infused into each other. The result is that each idea complements the other one and gives it more depth.
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3.1 Order: The Labyrinth and the Pyramid
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3.1 Order: The Labyrinth and the Pyramid
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11th Floor
10th Floor
9th Floor
8th Floor
7th Floor
6th Floor
5th Floor
4th Floor
3rd Floor
2nd Floor
1st Floor
Grade
Basement 70
3.1 Order: The Labyrinth and the Pyramid
The project was further developed through plan by using a bi-level arrangement of the floor slabs and combining each of the programs on every level in order to create an indefinite experience of the space which is well represented in the image below where all of the floor plans are overlaid on top of each other.
Overlay
Studio Space Residences Galleries Archive Circulation 71
The weathering of copper can bring the element of time into a project in a very beautiful way. It acknowledges that the architect has let go of the project and truly given it to the world.
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3.2 Material Palette: Open Palette
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Wood also weathers in a similar way to copper but emphasizes the rusticity of the material more than the age of the material.
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3.2 Material Palette: Open Palette
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Tadao Ando bring into question the use of water as a material. Throughout much of his work, he consistently uses water as a design element.
3.2 Material Palette: Open Palette
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Tadao Ando takes the idea of water as a material a step further in the AwajiYumebutai when he covers the bottom of his pools with seashells to give the water both a rhythm and a texture.
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3.2 Material Palette: Open Palette
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Throughout James Carpenter’ s work, he is always questioning what light is made of and pushing the boundaries of light as an architectural material or element.
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3.2 Material Palette: Open Palette
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The project was developed through the use of oblique and axonometric drawing in order to gain a sense for the atmosphere of the created space.
Structure
Floors 82
3.2 Material Palette: Project Palette
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Galleries
Studio
Residences
Archive
The different programs correspond to the different materials, and since the building is organized on the basis of profession instead of program, the result is a very indefinite experience.
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3.2 Material Palette: Project Palette
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3.2 Material Palette: Project Palette
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You drive through a deep, dense forest until it ends and you find yourself at a wide river. Across the river is a city where every day thousands of people come, but by the time the darkness arrives in the evening, every single one of them has left. This is the city of Cincinnati, where there is no pleasure, but only business and formalities. In the past, the city thrived on the industry of the river, but the future is bright for this city. Soon, an object, a building will be placed in the heart of the city. Out of this building will come forth art, technology, historical records, genetic research, and a sense of place. This Urban Lab and Observatory will be a gathering place of both knowledge and people: for both are dependent on each other. The structure will quickly become both the focal point and the spark of the city.
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3.2 Material Palette: Project Palette
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The Urban Lab and Observatory is a place where artists, designers, scientists, and sociologists can reside for multiple years and conduct research and then display the results of their work to the public. Within the Urban Lab and Observatory, the relationship between the nature of space and the experience of space is put into question. The nature of the space is defined by a clear set of constraints while the experience of the space remains unconstrained and indefinite. The sensual experience of the space calls for the clarity of the nature of the space and relies on it in the same way as the city calls for and relies on people. Neither can exist without the other. A new context is constructed promoting sociological, intellectual, and constructed growth.
3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Site Section and Plan
Within the Urban Lab and Observatory, the material informs the program. All of the residences are constructed using wood, while all of the archive spaces are constructed using copper. The galleries and studio spaces are polished concrete and all of the open horizontal and vertical circulation spaces are rough concrete. 92
3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Detail Section
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In the detail section of the foundation you can see the materiality of the rough concrete as well as the connection between column, slab, and pile.
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Foundation Detail
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Here you can see the copper and wood claddings of the archive and residence spaces as well as the connection between the structural grid of the columns and the independent elements of the archive and residence.
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Enclosure Detail
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The roof detail shows the enclosure of the screen and glazing as well as the displacement volumes within the concrete slabs.
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Parapet Detail
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Combined
Ground Planes
Egress and Utilities
Enclosure 100
3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Floor Plans
Residences 101
Galleries
Studio
Archive
3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Detail Plan
Roof Assembly: 3" Gravel (1) Waterproofing Layer (2) Roof Drain through Column (3) 4" Rigid Insulation (4) Vapor Barrier (5) 12" Coffered Structural Slab (6) 8" Pipe Column (7)
Parapet Assembly: Expanded Metal Screen (8) Aluminum Fasteners (9) Concrete Parapet Cap Sloped to Drain (10) Parapet Waterproofing (11)
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1
10
2
4
8
3
5
11
6 12
7
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Detail Axonometric Enclosure Assembly: Drip (12) Aluminum Flashing (13) Silicon Joint (14) Steel Mullion (15) Double-Glazing (16) Desiccant (17) Adhesive (18) Vapor-Tight Seal (19) Steel Angle (20) Coffered Structural Slab (21)
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There is a semi-transparent glass core which runs up through the center of the building. In addition to letting natural daylight into the central parts of the building, the glass core also acts as an indicator of path. All of the formal circulation spirals up through the building around the translucent glass core.
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Renderings
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Renderings
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Model Building Sequence
The building is organized by profession. The top floors are dedicated for artists, and beneath them are floors dedicated for designers, scientists, and finally on the lower floors sociologists. Therefore, each profession has their own space for archive, living, research, and exhibition. Each program is indicated by a different material which results in an indefinite experience of space.
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Model Images
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Model Images
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3.3 Coordinated Technical Documentation: Model Images
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