GRACE FARMS
Building Analysis by Sam Dreyfus and Nadthachai Kongkhajornkidsuk
GRACE FARMS New Canaan, Connecticut
Building Analysis by Samuel Dreyfus and Nadthachai Kongkhajornkidsuk Arch 341, Fall 2018 Lab Instructor: Thomas Fowler
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Project Summary 2 Form and Assemblies 3 Energy and Climate 4 References
1 PROJECT SUMMARY PROJECT DATA Location: New Canaan, Connecticut Year of completed construction: 2015 Total area: 83,000 sq ft Total construction costs: $65 million Certifications: LEED Gold
TEAM Client: Grace Farms Foundation Architect: SANAA Executive Architect: Handel Architects Landscape Architects: OLIN Project Manager: Paratus Group MEP Engineer and Lighting: Buro Happold Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates Civil Engineer: McChord Engineering Sustainability Consultant: Transsolar Building Envelope: Front Glazing: Roschmann Steel & Glass Roofing: Zahner Acoustics: Harvey Marshall Berling Associates, Nagata Acoustics Geotechnical Engineer: Langan Engineering Geothermal Designer: Alderson Engineering Meadow Consultant: Larry Weaver Landscape Soils and Wetlands: Environmental Planning Services Conservation Planning and Herpetologist Michael W. Klemens LLC
1.1 Flowing River
ARCHITECT PROFILE SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) began as a partnership between Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 1995. Sejima received her degree in architecture from the Japan Women’s University. Not long after that, she went on to work at Toyo Ito and Associates and consequently found her on firm called Kazuyo Sejima and Associate in 1987. On the other hand, Nishizawa received his master degree in architecture from Yokohama National University in 1990, and started off his architecture practice by being one of the first employees at Kazuyo Sejima and Associates. He initially also wanted to start his own practice after working with Sejima for a few years, but Sejima persuaded him to stay, which resulted in the founding of SANAA in 1995. Although Nishizawa would end up starting his own firm called the Office Ryue Nishizawa two years later, and Sejima still maintained hers, they decided to devote their personal firms for small-scaled projects, and used SANAA as a platform where the three firms come together to discuss and critique ideas for more ambitious international commissions. Since then they have won the Pritzker Prize and designed the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion. Other notable projects include the Rolex Center in Switzerland, the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, and the New Museum in New York. Their firm is located in their native Japan but has completed projects in more than ten countries worldwide.
1.2(l) New Museum, NY dezeen.com
1.3(r) Rolex center
1.4 Moriyama House dezeen.com
Project Background and Design Process Grace Farms Foundation created this project as a collector for charities. This complex can be rented out by other 501(c)3 charities as a place to hold events and fund raisers. In addition it serves as a permanent art exhibition venue and worship center. The foundation raised over a hundred million dollars to fund the project, and the selection of SANAA set an ambitious precedent for the projects goals. SANAA’s initial approach was to create a river which would flow and float over the landscape. This river came to define the project as it fit the desire of both architect and client to create a building that could fully merge with the nature of its beautiful New England site. Glass and slender columns played large parts in creating this floating aesthetic, and that allowed for the desired 360 degree immersion. However the most definitively “river-like” aspect of the project river is the flowing aluminum roof designed by Zahner. The doubly curved face can be perceived below the feet of visitors at the top of the hill, and defines how the project matches both topography and existing trees. Structure too played a large role in the buildings development. A precedent setter for reuse of site felled timber, the project pointedly selected wood for all major structural elements. In the architects own words, the large glulam were important for lending “weight” to the space. Kazuyo Sejima in a video for the project described wanting to make “soft space” to create a calm environment for people to relax and observe in. Materiality in these wood elements was instrumental in creating those effects. The River Building at Grace Farms is a masterwork of site/architecture convergence, and of creating comfortable space.
1.4 Grace Farms Studies SANAA
1.5 Grace Farms Model SANAA
1.6 Structure Model SANAA
1.7 Exploded tectonic axon
1.8 Massing Model scale: 1” : 50’
0’ 6’
1.9 Worship space section
24’
Worship
Library Conference Kitchen Bathroom
Office Dining + Kitchen
Mechanical Gymnasium Lobby
0’ 10’
1.10 Plan Drawing
80’
2_FORM AND ASSEMBLIES
program
circulation
egress
structure
“The building, existing and new, have the possibility to become a vibrant intersection of different goals within the community� _SANAA
PROGRAM 1 2 3 4 5 6
Auditorium/Worship Office Dining Kitchen Gymnasium Mechanical
7 Lobby 8 Library 9 Bathroom
1
9 6 1 Auditorium/Worship 6 Mechanical 9 Bathroom
3 4
3 Dining 4 Kitchen
7
5 Gymnasium 6 Mechanical 7 Lobby
6
5
“This timber frame structure creates a sequence of interior spaces, covered buffer zones and courtyards across the expansive property� _SANAA
STRUCTURE The building relies on a simple structural system of columns and transverse glu-lam girders. In addition there are secondary cross beams as well as perimeter girders which connect the columns and fight horizontal shear. These long glulam beams are additionally strengthened by tensioned steel rods.
2.1 Full structural plan
steel superstructure glu-lam beam steel cable
2.2 Structural render demonstrating glulam beams and steel tension rods
“The intention was for the building to dissolve into the nature, and for people to be drawn out into the landscape.� _SANAA
GLASS The interior programs are all wrapped in glass. By doing so, the architects had to treat them as transparent volumes, and as a result meticulously placed them according to their character and usage, and the relationships they have between one another.
RIGID INSULATION WATERPROOFING
SHOP GLAZED, THERMALLY BROKEN CUSTOM ALUM. GLAZING CHANNEL
STRUCTURAL SILICONE
GLAZING
GLAZING COLORED SILICONE SEAL
STRUCTURAL SILICONE W.P. MEMBRANE
2.3 Glazing System Detail
“The views shift continuously as visitors move through the site; from one room people will see the large lake... another, .... out to the wetland� _SANAA
CIRCULATION This project takes a very unique look at the concept of circulation. The program pools are all connected by a large barrier free circulatory river underneath the over arching roof. There are multiple entrance points, but one of the pools is a dedicated lobby. The three main pools contain two stories and contain their own independent vertical circulation.
2.4 Site Circulation Photo: Google
“We wish to open the boundaries between interior and exterior because the site and nature facilitate an understanding of an individual’s place in the cosmos.” _SANAA
EGRESS Each program bubble pours out into the open air “exit access” which is in fact most of the building. From there the occupants are able to walk directly out into the landscape away from the building, or walk to the accessible pathways leading back to the parking lots. This egress system overlaps completely within the buildings circulation system.
2.5 Example of typical egress condition
0’
2.6 Plan showing location of above image
25’
100’
3_Energy and Climate ENERGY
WASTE STAMFORD, CT RECYCLE PLANT
SOLAR, HYDRO, WIND
4 NATURAL GAS POWERPLANT (57%)
NY & CT ENERGYPLANT NEW CANAAN TRANSFER STATION
RENEWABLE RESOURCES (2%) 1 NUCLEAR POWERPLANT (41%)
SITE NEW CANAAN WASTEWATER PLANT
SISCOWIT RESERVOIR
NEW CANAAN RESERVOIR GRUPES RESERVOIR
WATER CLIMATE ANALYSIS AND RESPONSE Grace Farms sits in a cold humid climate area. It gets substantial snow during the frigid winters but has fairly moderate summers and a low diurnal swing factor. This is a heating dominated climate, although the building can become overheated due to the sun in the month of July. The building does not respond to this heating climate in terms of envelope and relies mostly on glass to surround its program. However the project compensates for this loss by relying primarily on an extensive geothermal heating and cooling system. There are 55 geothermal wells (archdaily) which allow water to be heated before circulating through the structure. This geothermal heating system doesn’t fully compensate for all energy use but does significantly help with heating. The fairly moderate winds typically come from the North West, and the building adapts to this by lengthening itself along this axis. This allows wind protection of many outdoor spaces in between the folds of the river.
N 10° 330
30
20° 30° 40° 50°
300
60
60° 70° 80°
18
E
09
W
15
18
12 09
15
12
230 15
120 09
12 210
150 S
3.1 Climate Information from Climate Consultant
3.2 Climate Information from Climate Consultant
80’
3.3 Sefaira
Analysis
0’ 10’
80’
3.4 West Section through Dining Program Pool
ENERGY AND DAYLIGHTING PERFORMANCE The river building has many different uses and in a different age would have been considered quite efficient. However, now we must take a harder look at the buildings losses. The nearly completely glass envelope is as efficient as it can be made, but it is still glass and leaks heat like a sieve compared to insulated walls. Geothermal heating systems drastically cut down on the EUI presented above, but is still probably higher than the zero score ideal. The round program bubbles are volumetrically ideal for heating, however their distant spacing and leaky envelope cuts down on that. This makes the over arching river concept into a fairly sustainable idea, yet the floating
3.5 Summer Shadow
3.6 Winter Shadow
4_References Catolicos, Reyas. SANAA: Sistemas De Continuidad. 179/180, El Croquis, 1987. “Connecticut State Energy Profile and Analysis.” Factors Affecting Gasoline Prices - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration, US Energy Information Administration, 2018, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=CT#tabs-4. “Grace Farms / SANAA.” Archdaily, 14 Oct. 2015, www.archdaily. com/775319/grace-farms-sanaa. Kopel, Ed. “A Small Clique of Japanese Architects at MOMA.” Ed Kopel, Architect, P.C., 18 May 2016, www.edkopel.com/ed-thearchitect/2016/5/17/a-small-clique-of-japanese-architects-at-moma. Shaw, Matt. “You’ll Want to Be in New Canaan on October 9 for the Opening of SANAA’s Grace Farms Pavilion.” Archpaper.com, The Architect’s Newspaper, 5 May 2015, archpaper.com/2015/05/olafureliasson-sanaa-grace-farms-opening-announced/. Prince, Sharon. “SANAA River Building at Grace Farms.” Grace Farms/River Building, Grace Farms Foundation, 2017, gracefarms.org/ river-building/.