Thesis

int erc onn ect ivi ty

int erc onn ect ivi ty

christina b. hackett bachelor of architecture\\2012

advisor karen lange\\college of architecture & environmental design\\california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo

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design

PROLOGUE “Who hears me, who understands me, becomes mine, a possession for all time.�

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

[the day the sun smiled] In Springville—a town where the people are protected and caressed among Nature’s great walls, the Sierra Nevada—exists a world that I share with my friends, the famous Transcendentalists of the nineteenth century: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry David Thoreau. Every evening throughout autumn, I leave the cold, trifling world behind—a life where I am socially inept because of my lack of commonalities with the public world—to my world--where I am among many who are like me. Here no longer am I in a town located in the San Joaquin Valley surrounded by people who feel humans cannot achieve or conquer the trials and tribulations of life without the Christian God—for humans are merely helpless sinners. In my world, my friends care not about which is the right god—only that I find god through the leaves of the Sycamore trees and love through the fragrance of the mystic lavender lupines. In my world, I am no longer shunned by religious conservatives, but I am one of the many who question “Who is god?” The many who search for god in Nature; the many who find love through Nature.

One afternoon, as I sit outside reading my book Emerson Essays and Lectures, I feel a beam of sun caressing my cheek with warmth. Looking up into the sky, I see the sun

smiling upon Black Mountain. It is a moment of awakening—my call from nature—to walk down the street and meet my friends. As I am about to begin my afternoon journey, I stare down the straight road. Off in the distance I can see the small, brown, nondenominational church; quickly, I reminisce about my naive youth. I revisit my seventh grade year, when every Tuesday I had to leave my home and attend Catechism classes in order to receive my First Communion. I think of all the lessons I took, how everything was straightforward— every Sunday I must attend Mass to listen to the Priest tell me how to go about life and live by the word of the Lord; I must go to Confessions regularly to share my sins with a man God has chosen to communicate with his “children,” and I must live by the rules of the Church in order to go to heaven and see the light of God in death. I then turn my head to the left, and I see the slow curving road that passes by my neighbor’s beautiful green pasture, leading me to a mysterious bench near the end of the road. I think of the mystery that lies in that path, and realize ‘tis left I shall go.

I look into the beautiful blue sky, knowing that too many tears are cried in life and not enough smiles go around. I stare in awe at the enigmatic sky and smile, appreciating all the secrets Nature has kept to herself.

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Stopping momentarily, I hear nothing but the steady murmur of a small stream, which is cloaked by the dense blackberry bushes.

Here, on the country road, the stress from the trifling world may be left behind, allowing me to confide within, leaving me with my thoughts; thoughts not bemused with the homework at school, not bemused with the war in Iraq, nor bemused with the hurricanes in the southeast. Instead, I contemplate esoteric Nature, wondering if there really is an almighty being up in the mystical heavens, watching our every move and step, or if She in every leaf, every petal, every cell, able to interact with our daily lives, causing life to happen for a reason: serendipity. It is this time, while walking Springville’s country roads, when tranquility engulfs me and I can realize how beautiful life can be.

I have grown a new identity, another life, another world—a world away from the conservative public—where I have grown to know every oak tree, every wild rose, popcorn flower and lupine, every deer and fawn, every raccoon during the night: all the treasures Nature benevolently shares with us. I walk down this peaceful road, exploring what we have been given, what we can never replicate, nor ever own. I continue walking to my destination: a small oak bench, which seems to have been there for an eternity— like Longfellow’s Old Clock on the Stair — watching nature act as a mutable cloud,

engulfed by the ever changing maple trees, evening primrose, and wild roses. As I walk along, I pass a pasture—abundant with fresh, sweet green grass—and glimpse a flock of turkeys where the males spread their ravishing tail feathers, gobbling, and trying to attract the females. As I admire their beauty, the mother turkeys and their little babies take their time to cross the field—time not concerned with being to work at 8:20 in the morning or concerned with being at an appointment at 4:00 in the afternoon —but a time that is limitless to get to the other side, only to fly into the caring arms of the Eucalyptus trees.

To the left of me, I see one black-tailed deer family that consists of a mother and two adorable fawns that still have their white spots. This family of deer is intriguing to the eye, for while the mother and one fawn begin to graze, the other slowly follows while looking at the grass that surrounds him, the sun above him somewhere in the divine sky, and the mountain misery and farewell-tospring flora —all that Nature has given him: food, time, and beauty. With this simple beauty, I find reasons to smile and topics that I may discuss with my dear friends sitting on the bench—my destination.

Finally, I make my way past the pasture where the wild turkeys echo in the wind, up the small-sloped hill where the mockingbirds

dance and flutter in the air, and past the fence lined with climbing red roses that are filled with love, to the bench where my four friends sit. This journey I have made to this old weathered bench is like my journey to my heaven; a heaven, where I become one with Her greater presence: Nature. Here I can live eternally—becoming a part of every stem, leaf, petal, and wild rose. My four friends greet me and I receive a hug from Ms. Dickinson—who is like I, socially inept from no lack of commonalities shared with the public interest. Finally, I am “home” in this great big world, for at least a little while, where I can discuss the wonders of the world, the wonders Nature has chosen to keep hidden.

Sitting down on this bench, my friends and I experience the slow paced country life of Springville. As Mr. Emerson, Ms. Dickinson, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Thoreau, and I realize, we have the opportunity to just sit back, relax, and watch the quail flutter by. For a moment we sit back, appreciating the serenity of nothing but the ruffling leaves of the maple trees, which are caressed with love by the wind.

Sitting on the bench with these four erudite philosophers, I realize the importance of life: how we should explore nature, finding what god is to us, not just what the priest, pastor, or parent says god is.

After a relaxing moment in silence, Ms.

Dickinson and I become effervescent with discussion. “So how are you dear?” she curiously asks.

I slowly declare, “I guess I’ve been OK.” “You guess you’ve been ‘OK’,” she quickly remarks. “By ‘OK,’ what do you imply? Through ‘OK’ are you frankly saying life is simply dear? Through ‘OK’ are you implying that you fit in not with society’s commonalities? Or Through ‘OK’ are you implying life has been not swell?”

“Ok,” I effortlessly say, “as in I feel displaced.”

Upon her face, I see her concerned hazel eyes slowly replaced with a smile of knowledge and love. “I’m nobody. Who are you?/ Are you nobody too?/ Then that’s a pair of us/ Don’t tell,” she slowly adds and then playfully whispers in my ear, “they’d banish us you know.” Then with a sigh of loneliness, a sigh that signals the desolate life she chooses to live, she begins to speak again: “How dreary to be somebody,/ How public—like a frog—/ To tell your name the livelong June/To an admiring bog.”

At first I feel quite sad—sad for my lack of friends that might give me a feeling of belonging—but after only the first few minutes of talking with my ghostly friends, did I feel right at home.

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While deep in thought, Ms. Dickinson begins to give me more words of wisdom: “The soul selects her own society,/Then shuts the door./To her divine majority/Present no more.”

is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me,/The simple news that nature told/With tender majesty./Her message is committed/ To hands I cannot see./For love of her, sweet country men/Judge tenderly of me.’”

“This is exactly what I have done,” I slowly begin to say. “I have explored the philosophies of religion and chosen Transcendentalism.

With my decision, I have become one of the only Transcendentalists in my town. With my decision, I have closed the door; no longer am I present in the majority. No longer do I fit in with my once dear friends who go to church every Sunday morning, living an austere life by the word of the Lord. I have closed the door between my friends who believe that females and males are not equal, for I am quite a feminist.”

Seeing the puzzled look she cajoled upon my face, she simply adds, “Once you find love in your surrounding environment, you will no longer feel alone, for once you find love in nature, you will see me in the sun smiling back at you with warmth, in the sweet wind that caresses you, and in the flowers showing off their simple beauty.”

“Do not worry, Dear,” she says. “There are many who are like you. I, for one am exactly like you. At the age of twenty-three I withdrew myself from social contact, for I was dreadful of the outside world—a world I could not understand—a world that was quite religious and expected all to attend church weekly. I, of course did not adhere with society’s expectations. Instead of going to church, I stayed at home and wrote my poetry in secret. I stared outside at the beautiful rollong, green hills with the pines, or I talked with our friends sitting at the bench right now.

After thinking of life’s purpose, I decided ‘This

“Awww...,” Mr. Emerson slowly chimes in: “The earth laughs in flowers.” He sagely begins a new topic, “You know Christina, ‘The simple perception of natural forms is a delight. The influence of the forms and actions in Nature, is so needful to man, that, in its lowest functions, it seems to lie on the confines of commodity and beauty.”

“What do you mean?” I curiously ask.

“Well,” Mr. Emerson begins, “‘to the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, Nature is the medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again. In their eternal calm, he finds himself again. The health of the

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eyes seem to demand a horizon.’ As the tradesman and the attorney come out to enjoy and be replenished by nature, students need to as well. What I mean is, I am so glad to see you, dear, to take time out of the day to come and enjoy what nature has given us and benevolently shared—what we can truly never own and never be able to emulate.”

“Mr. Emerson, sir,” I say. “As though I would miss my time with you, Ms. Dickinson, Mr. Thoreau, and Mr. Holmes. This is the time of the day I most anticipate—it is my escape from the harsh realities of life.” For a moment I pause, lost in thought.

Suddenly, my teenage spirit bursts out “Guess what dears! Next year I plan on taking an art history class and it appears to be appealing to the senses.”

“An art history class you say?” Emerson asked. “Do you know where art was derived from? ‘The creation of beauty is Art. The production of art throws a light upon the mystery of humanity. A work of art is an abstract or epitome of the world. It is the result or expression of Nature, in the miniature. Nature is a sea of forms radically alike and even unique. A leaf, a sunbeam, a landscape, the ocean, makes an analogous impression on the mind. What is common to them all,—that perfectness and harmony, is beauty.’”

In awe, I stare at this collegiate man sitting next to me. Speechless, I sit.

Before Mr. Emerson can continue talking, Mr. Thoreau quickly bursts out, “Even though it is a little late in discussion, ‘Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends... Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.’ Christina, my dear, I would have loved to have said this earlier, you see, but Ralph, I am afraid, ranted on before I could even talk.”

“Heavens Mr. Thoreau! What do you wish me to become?” I inquire fervently. “Already do I have trouble finding friends, and here you wish for me to stay in my secluded imagination and live a renounced life away from people, just so I can keep my thoughts.”

“Well, my dear. It is you who was discussing with Emily how you have no friends in which you share common philosophies or beliefs.

You, like we do, feel that ‘Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.’ For heaven is also in the soil that makes up our beloved Nature, while the many Unitarians in our society feel that below our feet, lies the devil and his fellow sinners,” remarked Henry.

After this assertion from Thoreau, we all just seemed to sit and listen to the wind that whistled through the branches of the maple trees above our heads.

“You know, Oliver, I found The Dante Club quite a fascinating mystery novel. And might I add, you had quite a good part in it. However, I did find your statement so cryptic—how you and Longfellow feel that one’s ‘Beatrice’ is a lady whom you come across while young and learn to love and gain inspiration from, but do not marry. Even James Russell Lowell agreed, that no one marries his Beatrice. Is it just because Dante could not have the hand of his beloved Beatrice Portinari? I feel quite differently, of course. I must say that I do not agree.”

“Well,” Oliver begins, “to each his own.

There is no law stating a man cannot marry his Beatrice. Just remember Christina, ‘don’t flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates.

The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become.’ All I do know, from my past experience in the mortal life that ‘love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness’ and ‘love prefers twilight to daylight.’”

As I think over what Oliver just said to me, I then respond to him with gratitude.

“My, it is getting quite late and close to the time I will be having tea with my Dear John Keats,” said Emily. “I am sorry, my Dear Christina, but it is time that I depart.”

“Ah yes, it is getting quite late Christina. It is best that you go home now before it gets too dark,” they all seemed to say.

Saddened at these words of departure, I slowly mutter, “I guess you are right. Goodbye my dear friends, until tomorrow.”

After our long discussion, one-by-one, my friends stand up to say goodbye and turn to walk away, only to be picked up by the cool breeze, disappearing somewhere among the clouds. I am left alone sitting on the little country bench, when a cool breeze comes my way, kissing my lips with candor. This kiss is a gift from Her—Nature—a reminder that even though my friends have left my side, they are still indeed with me: engulfing me with every breeze that comes my way, every smile I receive from a passing deer, every sunray that tingles my senses as it soothes my cheek with warmth. I then smile: a smile from the realization that I do not have to wait another long twenty-four hours to meet up with my friends at the bench of time and share another conversation with my eternal friends.

As I get ready to depart my bench—my world—I glance at it one more time and think it has replenished my soul with a sense of who I am and the meaning of god. Comforted and eased, I make my journey back to my home, where I once again return to the reality of our arduous life. Walking to my home, I think about all that I have learned that day.

Pondering, I realize what Ms. Dickinson was saying as I feel the warmth of the sun smiling on my back. No longer am I alone…

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THESIS “We do not yet possess ourselves, and we know at the same time that we are much more.�

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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inte rcon nect ivity

[abstract] architecture as a tool to facilitate interconnectivity among users, the natural and built environments The act of having relationships and forming bonds between one another, between one and nature, between one and architecture defines interconnectivity. This connection creates not only a mutual understanding but also consoles the feeling of belonging and place—the feeling of purpose in an elaborate

web of society, technology and nature.

Today, we are struggling to establish equilibrium in our technologically advancing communities with the preservation of our natural resources. Our architecture is no exception in this struggle, for our buildings are

responsible for at least 50% of CO2 emissions generated.1 As Michael McDonough said, “Every building has connections to the sky, ground and community, but these could be appreciated and utilized much better.”2 Architecture throughout the United States is essentially static everywhere, for the most interaction users will typically have consist of opening a door or closing a window.

Buildings have become permanent entities to accommodate the settled existence the majority of the population has grown accustomed to. The fixed architecture of today far from represents the ever-changing lifestyles of its occupants and the changing needs of a digital society.

Unfortunately, our buildings today negatively impact the environment. High rises and corporate buildings from city to city, even country to country, look the same: large glass boxes that allow extensive views and an abundance of daylight to penetrate into the interior spaces; large glass boxes that are extensively heated and cooled by electricity.3 The nonexistent interconnectivity between architecture and its users jointly affects the interconnectivity between architecture and the environment, and the environment and

1 & 3 Lechner, Norbert. Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Design Methods for Architects. New York, NY [u.a.: Wiley, 2001. Print.

2. Mau, Bruce, and Jennifer Leonard. Massive Change.

London: Phaidon, 2004. Print.

people. By enhancing the relationships between the user, architecture and environment, the result will be a structure that redefines and strengthens our connection with the natural and built environments.

Architecture should have the ability to adapt to new living conditions rather than stagnate users, it should be able to transform rather than restrict users, and most importantly, architecture should have the ability to interact rather than restriscts users.4 As Nitschke said, ‘Place is the product of lived space and lived time.’

In other words, buildings should have a significant degree of adaptability, flexibility, and have the capacity to change with and for the users.

These connections will be used to influence a design that helps educate its users and residents of the community about sustainable living. Not only will the design act as an educational device for society, but it will also be a responsive tool that has the ability to adapt to human needs and change throughout the seasons of the year, for architecture should have the possibility of being developed and redeveloped as efficiently as possible.5

4 & 5: Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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URBAN VOIDS PHILADELPHIA: Project by Ecosistemo Urbano in Madrid.

The design firm created a project that makes Philadelphia greener while also giving residents new ways of getting together by redefining urban life. The goal for the project was to create ecological corridors that make people travel and move in new ways, seeing the city in different ways and also bringing people together.6 The project also focuses on turning the negative social development around in slum areas of the city, which is what Detroit needs. Ecosistema Urbano’s vision for the city is to create a more cohesive whole, by enticing people to become involved in the project that will in the end improve not only the environment but also the social life of the residents.

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6. Holm, Michael Juul., and Kjeld Kjeldsen. Green Architecture for the Future. [Humlebk]: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2009. Print.

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architecture should adapt rather than stagnate, transform rather than restrict, and interacts rather than inhabits

Today architecture is stagnating and it typically inhibits users from living their lives that are constantly changing. It is important for designers to break away from the typical architecture that has become the norm, architecture that is made of large spaces that do not have the capacity for change, architecture that is nonresponsive.

By refining the interconnectivity between the people, architecture and the environment, this will create a space that not only benefits the environment, but also betters the quality of the community as a whole.

The advancement in technology should be integrated cohesively together with architecture so that they work together to create a more comfortable indoor space by working with the climate of the site rather than just using air conditioning or heating and electrical lighting. It is important for architecture to be designed so that the building responds to the client and

occupants, but also so that it responds to its site and the climate7. Kinetic architecture, architecture that that physically transforms to accommodate different functions and uses, is a strong solution for an architecture that has the ability adapt rather than stagnate.

Kinetic architecture will recreate the relationship between not only users and architecture, but also architecture and the environment. One example is the Starlight Theater in Rockford, Illinois designed by Studio Gang. The program called for a transformable architecture that allows occupants to enjoy an open-air theater that has the ability for shows to proceed regardless of the weather8. During nice weather, users have the advantage of listening to concerts with an open roof, enjoying the beauty of the sky and nature while listening to music that stimulates their mind and soul. In the Starlight Theater, users have the opportunity to engage with the structure and also the environment. The advancement in

technology has also started a new science that investigates and creates smart materials and their applications in architecture.

Smart materials is another solution to creating an architecture that strengthens and influences the bonds between users, structures and the environment for they have the ability to interact and change based on users and the environment. One example is the development of the smartwrap by kierantimberlake, which is an innovative use of material. The building skin that kierantimberlake and DuPont developed can be customized from project to project allowing for user customization. The smartwrap also allows for interconnectivity between the environment and the building for this skin provides protection external weather through the use of a phase change material.

Smart buildings benefits are also an important aspect to having interconnectivity between users and the building for it allows

7&8: Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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for a people centered design through an architecture that is responsive. However Adam Somlai-Fischer/Aether Architecture have reinvented the idea of the smart home where the design of the house and the system are truly user centered. Typical smart homes are not truly smart because they are simply pre wired systems that are based on decisions made by the designers of the systems. Adam Somlai-Fischer/Aether Architecture feel that instead the system should have the ability to be changed and designed by the users so that it is adaptable structurally over time, allowing the home to be endlessly over time as occupants change their minds.

Through kinetic, flexible and smart architecture, interconnectivity among users and architecture and the environment will not only be redeveloped, but also refined.

It has the opportunity to educate users on a sustainable and interactive architecture that responds to both the decisions of users and the changes of the seasons.

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[kinetic architecture] “Individuals need buildings that are responsive to their needs; therefore buildings for any purpose would better suit us of they had a sginifcant degree of adaptability, flexibility and capacity for change.”

Architecture should adapt rather than stagnate and architecture should transform rather than restrict. Kinetic architecture has that ability to both adapt to users’ needs and transform, creating new and desirable spaces. Used in conjunction with technology, kinetic architecture will improve current “sustainable strategies that increase the resource of efficiency of the operation of buildings.”9 It is also a powerful solution to create interconnectivity between not only users and architecture, but also architecture and the environment.

The average lifespan of buildings in America is just shy of 50 years10. The amount of embodied energy in modern day office buildings is roughly the same as the amount of energy the building will consume in fifteen years11. To conserve energy that is put into building structures, existing buildings should

be reused. Kinetic architecture has the opportunity to rethink the idea of building permanence, while also creating a greener solution to built structures since it has the ability to readily adapt to users’ needs and adapt to the ever-changing weather of the seasons of the year.

Kinetic architecture is an adaptable architecture, with the ability to create flexible spaces that respond to the requirements of varying user activity ranging from habitation, leisure, education, medicine, commerce and industry. As Robert Kronenburg states, buildings using fewer resources and buildings that adapt efficiently to complex site and programmatic requirements are extremely relevant to an industry that is increasingly growing aware of environmental responsibilities12.

structures also exist within the larger structure as a whole, but act independently with respect to control the larger context.

Conversely, deployable kinetic structures exist in a temporary location with the ability to be transportable, and therefore having the ability to be constructed and deconstructed.

With a society that is becoming more dependent on the quickly evolving technology for interactive communication via multimedia environments, typical building use is becoming irregular due to a new emerging way of living. Embedded intelligence in kinetic systems will present practical architectural solutions that coincide with the development of technology. The use of an adaptive control system used within a building allows for automation by a system that has the ability to observe not only user needs, but also the changing environmental conditions. These systems have the ability to operate and adjust to the lowest acceptable energy savings, benefitting the environment.

Kinetic systems are classified into three categories: embedded, deployable, and dynamic kinetic structures. Embedded kinetic structures exist within a larger architectural whole and have a primary function of controlling the larger system within the structure, responding to changing factors. Like embedded, dynamic kinetic

9: Michael A Fox. Sustainable Applications of Intelligent KineticSystems.

10: Gellner, Arrol. “The Ultimate in ‘green’ Construction | Inman News.” Real Estate News for Realtors and Brokers | Inman News. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www. inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/arrolgellner/theultimate-in-green-construction>.

A strong example on the benefits of kinetic architecture with embedded intelligent systems that respond to climate and users is the conceptual design called Kinetower

by Kinetura, a multidisciplinary practice that focuses on bringing flexibility to life. Their design for the conceptual skyscraper is a metamorphic building that has the ability to adapt and respond to its environment based

11. Lechner, Norbert. Heating, Cooling, Lighting: Design Methods for Architects. New York, NY [u.a.: Wiley, 2001.

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12. Kronenburg, R.: 1996, Portable Architecture, Architectural Press, Oxford

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of the amount of light and sun that is wanted or needed in the building. The skyscraper has flexible exterior windows that respond to the sunlight throughout the days of the year.

The architects of the project, Barbara van Biervliet and Xaveer Clearhout explained in an interview that the current static architecture that is being designed today no longer has the ability to compete with

the quick advancement in communication and transportation.13 Using the philosophy of form follows function to guide much of their design work, their aesthetic design for the external cladding proves to also be functional, as it has the ability to â&#x20AC;&#x153;breathâ&#x20AC;? in and out depending on the availability of sunlight.

This kinetic reaction creates interconnectivity

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with not only the building and the environment, but also amongst the building and the users and the users and the environment, for it creates this understanding for users of how the weather affects their living environment.

This interconnectivity creates a strong connection to the sky, ground and community that has the ability to be greatly appreciated and utilized in a much more efficient way than typical static buildings that do not have the ability to react to the changes of nature and the changes of occupants daily lives.

The use of kinetic architecture can also strengthen the functions of interior spaces by becoming more adaptable to the needs of users. An example of flexible spaces that are interactive with the occupants is Shigeru Ban’s Naked House in Japan. The client specifically asked Ban for home that “provides the least privacy so that the family members are not secluded from one another, a house that gives everyone the freedom to have individual activities in a shared atmosphere, in the middle of a unified family.”14

13. Laylin, Tafline. “Cutting Edge Kinetower Is Literally Mind-Bending | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World.” Inhabitat | Design For a Better World! Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://inhabitat.com/morphing-kinetowerskyscraper-is-a-mind-and-literal-bender/>.

14. Poucke, Van. ““Naked House” by Shigeru Ban « KineticArchitecture.Net.” KineticArchitecture.Net.

Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://blog.kineticarchitecture. net/2011/01/nakedhouse/>.

To fulfill the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, Ban designed a simple, rectangular shed like structure made out of timber framing. Service rooms that allow for cooking, a bathroom and storage on one side board the main internal space and the other wall consists of translucent and opaque cladding. Within the interior space are mobile rooms that can be rolled to any location within the home, allowing the rooms to be grouped together or to stay as separate individual spaces.15 The rooms have the ability to be occupied inside, or they can be used to create a mezzanine space within the home.

Through this application of kinetic interiors, valuable efficiency is added to the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s functionality, enabling the space to be more productive since it now has the ability to be used for many different purposes or activities, while also being used by different groups of people at the same time. The use of kinetic architecture also has the ability to create a unique connection with the external environment since it can open up spaces to the outside. Through the use of kinetic architecture, usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; involvement with the building then becomes an interaction rather than merely just a reaction to the structure, creating connectivity with the building that did not exist before.

Another successful application of kinetics to strengthen the relation between the building,

15. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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is an incredible increase in flexibility with the look and behavior of the home for the residents.

The sliding façade has the capability of altering the lighting and mood of the interior spaces, which can be altered by the simple movement of the exterior walls and roof.

This also allows for the ability of the users to manipulate the heating and cooling loads of the home throughout the year.16 Arranged in a cluster of three buildings along a longitudinal axis, there is a garage located off to the side perpendicular to the home and a small patio is located in the front. The material choices of dRMM for the home consist of glass and red rubber, which work in unison with the timber exterior cladding of the walls and roof, allowing for the home to blend in with the rural countryside setting of the home. Sitting on a concrete bed allows for the mechanism that moves the second façade to be hidden.

users and environment is the Sliding House by dRMM in England. Designed minimally, the architect designed it by just using the archetype as a moveable cover. The house’s exterior walls and roof act as a second skin that can slide across a longitudinal axis, revealing the second façade from within.

Through the use of a mobile exterior, there

The mobile roof/wall structure allows for a combination of enclosure, open-air living and framing of views depending on the position of the outer membrane. The use of kinetic architecture is used to alter the overall building composition and character depending on the season of the year, the change in weather, or simply for the desire of delight to alter the spaces of the home.

When using kinetic systems, an assessment of embodied energy should be considered.

While the initial costs of fabrication and installation can be higher for kinetic systems, the long-term benefits are great since they aid in creating a more efficient and affordable solution that has a longer lifespan.

Kinetic architecture is interactive with users and the environment for it can respond and adapt to the climate, changing so that the

16. Chapa, Jorge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sliding House by DRMM | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World.â&#x20AC;? Inhabitat | Design For a Better World! Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http:// inhabitat.com/residence-sliding-house-drmm/>.

interior environment can take advantage of natural ventilation and day lighting, which minimizes electricity used and minimizes costs.

With the ability to adapt and transform, kinetic architecture is a viable sustainable and interactive solution that can create interconnectivity among users, architecture, and the environment.

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[smart materials] â&#x20AC;&#x153;At first sight, surfacesare boundaries, apparently enclosing the substance of things.â&#x20AC;?

-Thorsten Klooster

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A recent innovation in the application of materials and architecture is also proving as a viable solution for a more interactive architecture. The use of new material can strengthen the relationship between the building and the environment, allowing the building cladding to change in response to the sun and weather. A changing façade that responds to nature also creates interconnectivity amongst the user and building and the environment, for occupants are a part and can witness the metamorphic phenomenon.

Smart materials allows for a modular framework for integrated and interactive buildings that has the ability to create smart surfaces that are self organizing networks of cells. Each cell that makes up the material incorporates networked communications allowing for the individual cells to change based on sensing and actuation, allowing for the material to change from being translucent to transparent depending on the weather

17: Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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and day lighting available.

LiTraCon is a material that enables solid walls to be transparent enough for occupants to detect what is on the other side. The innovative material is made from concrete and glass fibers that are .003” across which causes the concrete to be transparent. Nanogel is another material that is becoming more widely used for its transparent properties.

Because it “encloses oxygen atoms in tiny spheres of bonded silicon, making up just 5% of the total mass,” it is an extremely insulative and hydrophobic material.17 Nanogel’s properties makes it a very useful material that can be used to reduce the amount of thermal transmission in façade systems that require high performance and transparency.

The most innovative material, however, is SmartWrap by Kieran Timberlake Associates, which is a 1millimeter thick composite building skin that responds to the weather and sun.

With the ability to be customized from project

To create a material that has the ability to change and moderate climate control, Phase Change Materials, also known as PCMs, are implemented into the film through microcapsules that are embedded in the polyester resin and then extruded into a film through a die. PCMs are used to allow for a change in material depending on temperature of the physical environment- when the substance reaches a certain temperature; the material goes through a phase change between the different states of gas, liquid or solid.

to project and to replace conventional built up construction, SmartWrap has the ability to perform in a range of interactive ways â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the ability to create interconnectivity between the building and environment and the building an the users.

Kieran Timberlake and Associates worked with DuPont to create the polyester film that can provide protection from the harsh changing exterior weather conditions. The material also has the ability to react and change based on climate control, power supply, lighting and information display.

PCMs allow for energy to be created, for example, the change of state from liquid to solid results in the release of heat. When a substance changes from solid to liquid, there is absorption of heat. When applied architectural, the SmartWrap material has the ability to absorb climatic heat when the weather is really hot during the day, and release heat as the temperature drops during night.

SmartWrap also implements the use of OLEDs for lighting and information display.

Consisting of organic molecules that emit light caused by an electric current applied to the material. Used for the lower energy use and better resolution, OLEDs can be deposited into the polymer substrate making it easy to use.

While the technology behind SmartWrap has

been proven, it is currently still undergoing its transition into full manufacturing. The potential of the material as exterior cladding will allow for a direct connection to the changing seasons, as it can create a more comfortable living environment while also being a more sustainable choice.

The aim of recent developing technologies in innovative materials is to create and more efficient and sustainable architecture, while also making the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with their built environment more engaging and responsive, therefore making it more comfortable and suitable to users needs and desires. The importance of a responsive environment is that it creates a connection, encourages human engagement, which allows for an understanding of control within the building systems.

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RESEARCH

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, Nature is the medicinal and restores their tone.â&#x20AC;?

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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[site history] I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.

-Luis Barragan

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“An Unnatural History” One of the United States’ major genuine contributions on the principles of democracy to the world is the creation of the public park.

Before the eighteenth century, land that was owned and used by the public was entirely unheard of, for parks were traditionally only for people of nobility and wealth.18 This all changed in the early 1900s when Teddy Roosevelt realized the need to conserve the abundance of America’s beauty and natural resources for future Americans to enjoy when he signed legislation to establish national parks across the US through use of the Antiquities Act.19 The first few parks in America to change the idea of open land being only for the wealthy were Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, General Grant and Carter Lake. All five of these parks shared a combination of beauty

18. Rothman, Hal. “The Park That Makes Its Own Weather.” (2002). Print.

19. “National Park Service History: Theodore Roosevelt and the National Park System.” U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nps.gov/history/history/hisnps/npshistory/ teddy.htm>.

and inaccessibility for commercial economic purposes and Roosevelt wanted to ensure that their pristine beauty and openness was available for all Americans. This crucial feature of the government giving land to the whole public was an example of reinventing and establishing relationships between the government and its people.

While the idea of the national park was an amazing act of democracy for the citizens of the United State, the parks sadly functioned more as symbols rather that as participatory realty since they were out in the wilderness of America, miles away from the city. When the national parks were first established, the select few who were able to visit the treasures of America were only the people who had the resources to travel and education to regard nature as a cultural

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heritage.20 Sadly, visitors did not include the citizens who would benefit most from the public act of patrimony for they lacked both the resources and inclination at that time.

When America was first settled, it was a new and open world with an abundance of open, free land that had yet to be used. This was very different from Europe, which had been settled for thousands of years. All open and free space that would have once been available has been built upon for housing and business and education. The creation of parks came out of this realization and desire to cherish and keep the pristine natural world away from the smoke and thunder of the new modern day society that would soon spread across America.

This act of conservatism in America began around the start of the 19-century, and the bay area had many notables among the founders and early leaders. The protection of public land became a powerful symbol of American intellectual and cultural transformation with the preservation of land to be used freely by all. San Francisco became a hotbed for conservative sentiment and the Golden Gate Park is no exception. Today, the Golden Gate Park is an infamous icon and keystone of San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devotion to being socially equitable when it comes to public parks.

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The 1860s Gold Rush, discovery of Comstock Lode and completion of the transcontinental railroad brought a flood of people to San Francisco transforming it from a minor port town into its current day metropolis.

While the newly Californians were proud of their “isolation in the Far West,” they were also “aware of their difference from the established, cultured East Coast.”21 San Franciscans realized that they were missing the landmarks that established a sense of wealth, education and greatness – local museums, wide tree lined boulevards, monumental civic buildings and also a

20. Rothman, Hal. “The Park That Makes Its Own Weather.” (2002). Print.

21. Pollock, Christopher. “Golden Gate Park.”

Encyclopedia of San Francisco. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sfhistoryencyclopedia.com/articles/g/ goldenGate-park.html>.

grandiose public park.

With the sudden increase in population in San Francisco due to the blossoming of business that created an abundance of jobs, the bustling city sought for a balance between the urban and natural worlds, which were quickly becoming one – a densely populated and crowded, fast paced city. The rapid growth of the population went from 1,000 in 1848 to over 149,4000 by 1870, leaving the city busy making room for the new occupants and little time to spare for the planning of parks. An early chronicler Frank Soule urged

in his 1854 Annals of San Francisco, “There seems no provision for a public park-the true lungs of a large city.” After Soule had scolded that every parcel of land had been slated for building lots, San Francisco slowly worked on regaining land for public use.

the peninsula. Once the land for the park was finally acclaimed in 1868, Mayor McCoppin ordered for a survey to be taken for potential park sites, which then led to the 1,013 acres to establish the Golden Gate Park with a value of $801,593 at the time.

During the volatile growth of San Francisco, a local financier persuaded the board of Supervisors to hire Frederick Law Olmstead to advise on the possibilities of a grand park on the western side of the peninsula. Mayor Henry Perrin Coon then contacted Olmstead in1865 about his desire for a similar plan to Olmstead’s recently successful Central Park, but unfortunately the two men had different beliefs for the possibilities of the public domain. The western part of San Francisco’s peninsula was a sandy oasis, which Olmstead felt was not an adequate terrain for local green park. He instead proposed a greenbelt that would stretch across the city and connect to other local parks, but the mayor instead longed for his city to have their own Central Park.

The two men who share credit for the success and beauty of the park today are William Hammond Hall and John McLaren.

An engineer, Hall is greatly responsible for the parks framework and initial landscaping.

His previous job as a draftsmen for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, where he had surveyed the west coast, lead to his success in transforming the sandy dunes of the park into the rolling green forests that can be seen today. In 1870, Hall won the contract for designing to park. During his time working for the park, Hall hired and trained John Hays McLaren as assistant superintendent, who later became superintendent in 1890.

The city of San Francisco worked hard and ardently to acquire the land for the public park – land that was not originally within the city limits. A legal fight with people who occupied the area served as a long battle until U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Johnson Field gave a decree to the city giving San Francisco the entire west side of

At the beginning of the parks transformation, ¾ of the area was covered with ocean dunes and bleak sand. By 1875, however, much of park became blanketed with trees and shrubs. Four years later, over 155,000 trees had been planted within the 1,000s of land in the park, During the growth of the park, a plethora of unique attractions have been added, ranging from the Japanese Tea Gardens, Botanical

Gardens, lawn bowling and horseshoe pits.

In 1921 Today, the legacy of Hall can still be seen throughout the park in which he designed roads and pathways to have curves and bends in order to discourage horse and buggy drivers from going too fast.22 Hall also designed the park to ensure that visitors would be sheltered from wind, while placing walkways away from roads. To attract birds and small wildlife for visitors to enjoy, Hall

planted low spots within the park with specific shrubbery and plants. Home to 680 acres of forest, 130 acres of meadows, 15 miles of drive, 33 acres of lakes and numerous fields and open space areas, over 15 million annual visitors enjoy the various activities and pleasures the park has to offer.

Surprisingly, one half of these visits are by the residents of San Francisco, showing that the park is a public space equally enjoyed by all ranging from tourists all over the world amongst residents.

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22. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Early History of Golden Gate Park.â&#x20AC;? Museum of the City of San Francisco. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www. sfmuseum.org/hist2/ggpark.html>.

Some of the attractions enjoyed at Golden Gate Park are: Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Playground and Carrousel Sharon Art Studio Conservatory of Flowers The Music Concourse Lawn Bowling in the Park National Aids Memorial Grove

De Young Museum San Francisco Botanical Garden Japanese Tea Garden Stow Lake Bison Paddock Golden Gate Park Tennis Complex California Academy of Sciences Dutch Windmill and Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden

Districts of San Francisco

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San Francisco Streets and Green Spaces

San Francisco Geology Study

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San Francisco Educational Facilities preschool/daycare elementary school middle school high school university miscellaneous

San Francisco Public Transportation Routes

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Parking Facilities in San Francisco

Nice Views in San Francisco

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Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

Kortent Children’s Quarter The carrousel at Golden Gate Park has created memories for generations, young and old, of residents and even visitors from across the world. Located in the southeast corner of the park, Koret Children’s quarter opened in 1888 and is “thought to have been the nation’s first public playground.”23 In an era where the use of public land for all was novel, providing a space dedicated to youth recreation was also extremely innovative.

Located at the children’s quarter is the Sharon Building, which was built to allow children to play indoors during poor weather throughout the year. Today, the structure is now called Sharon Art Studio, which offers art classes to children and adults.

In 2007, the playground underwent renovation; new features at the park range from a climbing wall and rope climbing structures. Historical aspects of the park were taken into consideration during the renovations in order to preserve the concrete slide that had originally been built at the park.

The carrousel was built in 1914 and has also undergone renovation. Including 62 colorfully painted animals, the inside panels have been repainted to depict Bay Area landscapes.

23. “Koret Children’s Quarter and Golden Gate Park Carrousel - SFRPD.” San Francisco Recreation and Park Home Page. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://sfrecpark.org/ Carrousel.aspx>.

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Conservatory of Flowers James Lick, once the richest man in California, originally purchased the California the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park once. After his passing, a group of businessmen in San Francisco purchased the grandiose Victorian glass kit of parts structure and donated it to the San Francisco Park Commission, when it was then moved to the Golden Gate Park. Since benevolent donation, the conservatory has grown, along with the variety of floral and fauna at the conservatory.

Visiting the Conservatory of Flowers allows people to take a breath and enjoy the change in ambience in a calm and peaceful setting while surrounded by exotic plants from around the world. Today, nearly 2,000 plant species decorate the exhibitions, invoking thought and wonder at the irreplaceable beauty.24 While the exhibit is not free to the public, it does off free programs and tours to the public and private schools of San Francisco

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between 10:00 am and 11:15 am, making the attraction somewhat socially equitable.

Children have the opportunity to take pleasure of the tour to see a variety of plants ranging from lowland and highland tropic climates, aquatic plants and potted plants.

Today the Conservatory is the oldest building in the park and is the oldest municipal wooden conservatory that remains in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

24. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Conservatory of Flowers.â&#x20AC;? Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, CA. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.goldengate-park.com/conservatory-of-flowers.html>.

Sharon Art Studio Sharon Art Studio is a Romanesque sandstone building designed by architects George W. Percy and Frederick F. Hamilton in 1888. The building originally served as a canteen for mothers and children visiting the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground at the park. Today, the building is home of San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest public community art center, where classes in fine and applied arts can be taken.

Golden Gateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art-in-the-Park program is associated with the art studio, which is an art enrichment curriculum for youth at the ages of 11-15. The studio offers free classes to teens on a first come, first serve basis. Classes in jewelry making, glass, ceramics, watercolor and drawing can be taken throughout the year.

Music Concourse The infamous Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park is located right between the de Young Museum and the California Academy of the Sciences. During the summer, the concourse hosts free concerts Sunday evenings and serves as a favored picnic spot year rounds for locals and visitors. Excavated in 1893, the oval shaped basin formed the Grand Court for the California Midwinter International Exposition in 1894. Later in 1900, the concourse itself was built to accommodate audiences during concerts at the Sprekels Temple of Music.25 Also known as the Bandshell, the temple was donated as a gift from Claus Spreckels.

The original layout for the site can still be seen today. The basin was designed to protect occupants from the summer winds,

25. “SF Rec & Park Music Concourse Page.” San Francisco Recreation and Park Home Page. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://sfrecpark.org/MusicConcourse.aspx>.

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while the terraces alongside the perimeter provide seating for up 20,000 people.

Along with the M.H. de Young Museum, the Spreckels Temple of Music was one of the first buildings in the concourse area.

Today, the concourse’s groves of severely pruned trees, also known as pollarded, primarily consist of London plane trees and Wych elms. Like many other buildings in San Francisco and around the park, The Spreckels Temple of Music was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but was seismically restored in 1994.

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Lawn Bowling Unique to the Golden Gate Park is the San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club (SFLBC) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an organization that is devoted to the health and well being of members of all ages while also promoting the sport of lawn bowling. The club is the oldest public club in the country and the bowling lawns at the park are the first municipal lawn bowling greens in the city. The sport is easy to learn and very competitive; an easy game that can be enjoyed by people

of all ages and people of all levels of physical fitness.

Making the sport socially equitable for those in the community and even visitors, there are free lessons each Wednesday at noon with a club instructor. Every bowler has the ability to progress at his or her own pace to acquire tournament level skills or to just enjoy the social side of the sport.

SFLBC was formed on October 7, 1901 by a Scottish fraternal organization. At the time, McLaren appointed a green lawn in the west corner of the park for the bowlers to use. A permanent green was placed at the site and in 1912 a number of women were attracted to the sport. McLaren had a love for the sport as well, realizing the potential of the sport at the park, having said, “Its introduction on this coast would be beneficial both to young and old alike as it combines an exercise with the pleasures of amusement.”26 The recreational sport grew to the point where one lawn was no longer sufficient, so the Parks Commission laid down Green #2.

In 1914-15, each member in the club donated $500 to McLaren for construction of a onestory wooden clubhouse. Again in 1928, the number of members and bowlers exceeded the two greens and a third had to be laid down. Today the club has over 130 members who enjoy playing the recreational sport at the Golden Gate Park.

26. “SF Rec & Park Golden Gate Park Lawn Bowling Page.” San Francisco Recreation and Park Home Page. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://sfrecpark.org/GGPLawnBowling.aspx>.

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Bison Paddock Strangely enough, located at the Golden Gate Park is a herd of American bison browsing in a meadow at the western end of the park.27 The shaggy mammals have called the park home since 1892.

Many other animals were kept at the park before the opening of San Francisco’s first zoo in the 1930s.The animals that could be seen at the park ranged from elk, deer, sheep, bison and even bears. Staff at the San Francisco Zoo cares for the buffalo heard at the park.

McLaren suggested that the city find a better-suited site for the zoo, and so the zoo was moved to become part of the nucleus of the San Francisco Zoological Gardens. The strong connection to the history of the zoo at the park still remains – the eucalyptus trees grown at Golden Gate Park are what supply the food for the koala bears’ food.

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Dutch Windmill Two windmills located in the park are what once helped supply the water to keep the park’s lawns and gardens green and abundant.

McLaren lobbied for the windmills to be built to help with supplying fresh groundwater to ensure the park’s successful transformation from the sand dunes that once covered a majority of the area.

In 1902, the first windmill was constructed,

27. “The Buffalo Paddock - SFRPD.” San Francisco Recreation and Park Home Page. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://sfrecpark.org/BuffaloPaddock.aspx>.

known today as the Dutch Windmill, and the second was built in 1906, which is known as the Murphy Windmill. In 1913, motorized pumps were installed in the Dutch Windmill in order to augment the power system. Shortly after, the Murphy Windmill was electrified. Sadly, the two windmills are no longer functioning, but are undergoing extensive restoration

Japanese Tea Garden The history of the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park is rich with culture and family tradition. During the California Midwinter International Exposition, which was held at the park, a rare opportunity to display cultural identities was created. At the time, a wealthy local Japanese landscape designer, Baron Makoto Hagiwara, took notice of the rare opportunity and decided to fund, build and manage the placement of a Japanese Village on the west side of the Horticulture building at the park.28 The extraneous project was done out of love and passion by Hagiwara, depleting the family fortune so that he could share his beloved culture with the city. During the late 1800s, Japan maintained as a closed society, a society and culture that was greatly unknown to most of America. Very few Japanese immigrated to San Francisco, unlike the local Chinese population.

Hagiwara is responsible for the first fortune cookies to be served in America. For the

exposition and the visitors of the Japanese Village, Hagiwara had his baker produce Japanese sembei cookies, which are traditionally served at Shinto Shrines during New Years. The cookies were sweetened to appeal to the vastly different Western tastes and the cookies were served as welcoming refreshments for visitors.

After the closing of the exposition, the park asked Hagiwara to continue to maintain his gardens as an attraction and asset to the park. Until 1942, the family maintained and lived at the gardens when sadly, the federal gardens sent the family a notice to quit, while also evicting them and transporting the family to an internment camp. Renamed Oriental Tea Garden, it fell into despair because it no longer had the intricate care to maintain it.

After the war when the Hagiwara family was released from the internment camp, the government refused to honor McLaren’s promise to resume management of the family garden, while also failing to reimburse them

28. Smith, James. “Japanese Tea Garden | San Francisco History | Guidelines Newsletter.” San Francisco Walking Tours | City Guides. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www. sfcityguides.org/public_guidelines.html?article=41>.

for the cost of creating and maintaining the garden.

To honor the family for their service and accomplishments, the City placed a bronze plaque in the Japanese Tea Garden. Sadly, the garden still does not resemble the look and feel the family had designed. The garden is currently undergoing restoration, as many of the rare plant varieties can be found once again throughout garden.

Today, the garden is continued by the family tradition and is managed by the great-great grandson of Baron Makoto Hagiwara, who has donated a thousand flowering cherry trees to the Arlington National Cemetery.

The Japanese Tea Gardens endures as one of San Francisco’s most popular attractions, featuring many classic Japanese garden elements such as an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, koi gardens and a zen garden.

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de Young Museum Like many other structures and attractions at the Golden Gate Park, the de Young Museum was originally designed and built for the California Midwinter International Exposition in 1894. Michael H. de Young, co founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, was the chair of the exposition organizing committee.

Due to several earthquakes, the de Young Museum has undergone many face changes and transformed from temporarily housing oddities and curiosities, to being the fourth most visited art museum in North America, 16 most visited in the world. The museum today focuses on American art, including international textile arts and costumes, along with art from the ancient Americas, Oceania and Africa.

The original structure for the Fine Arts Buildings was designed in a pseudo Egyptian

29. “History of the De Young Museum | De Young Museum.” De Young Museum | De Young Museum. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://deyoung.famsf.org/about/historyde-young-museum>.

Revival style, adorned with images of the cow goddess, Hathor. After the exposition, of the success of the art museum was realized and designated as a museum where no admission was charged. Most of what was on display in the museum had been acquired during the exposition.29 Only eleven years after the museum first opened, an earthquake struck causing significant damage to the building, leaving the museum closed for a year and a half while repairs were being made. Not much later after the museum reopened, the museum’s success required a larger space to serve the quickly growing audiences. de Young helped plan the building that would serve as the heart of the Fine Arts Building throughout the 20th century. Completed in 1919, the Spanish style building, but soon enough additional space would be required.

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Again in 1921, an addition was added to the de Young museum, which consisted of a central section and a tower that would become the museum’s signature feature. Until 2001, the layout assumed the same basic configuration.

Over the years, many earthquakes deemed parts of the building as unsafe until 1989 when the de Young museum suffered great damage from the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Realizing that a long term solution was a must, the board of trustees sought solutions for the popular museum’s structural issues and feedback throughout the community.

The decision was finally made in 1999, when the board decided to plan and build a private institute as a philanthropic gift to the city of San Francisco in the name of M.H. de Young.

An architectural selection took place when the board decided to endorse the museum concept from the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

The firm’s concept weaves the museum into the natural environment of the park, while also embracing historic elements that still remained from the original art museum’s design, such as the sphinxes, original palm trees and the Pool of Enchantment. Finally in 2005, the de Young museum was opened to the public with not only an amazing collection of art to be viewed, but in a new building that connects to the history of the museum and the city.

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Herzog & de Meuron designed the landscape so that visitors’ experiences would begin before they even enter the museum. A public garden right outside of the museum, a terrace beneath the structure’s cantilevered roof and a children’s garden allow visitors to enjoy California’s pleasant climate.

The architectural firm designed the rest of the landscape around the building to create a link between the museum and its surroundings through incorporating the historical landmarks with their design.

As a firm infamous for their experimentations with material applications in architecture, Herzog and de Meuron designed a modern structure that would age with time like the artifacts within. Through the use of natural materials, like copper, wood, stone and glass, the design becomes a part of the landscape the building occupies. Through the use of four main entryways, visitors are allowed to enter from any side of the building- any direction in the Golden Gate Park. To remind visitors of their surroundings, Herzon & de Meuron use ribbon windows to allow for panoramic views of the outside that blur the boundaries of interior and exterior.

Their most interesting choice in material was the use of copper for the exterior cladding – a material that would change throughout the years as the copper façade would slowly turn

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green due to oxidation, allowing the museum to fade into its “natural” surroundings at the park.

To connect the building back to the city and back to the history of the original art building, the design incorporates a monumental tower that rises 144 feet- a tower that twists from the ground towards the sky, a tower that aligns with the gird of the San Franciscan streets in nearby neighborhoods. At the top of the tower is an observatory floor that allows for gorgeous panoramic views of the Bay Area – a tower that reminds visitors of their current surroundings.

The museum’s open and flexible floor plan allows for community events to be held not only in the public gathering space, also within the museum exhibits as well. Just like the Golden Gate Park itself, the de Young museum allows for an opportunistic chance of gathering by visitors and locals alike – an

opportunity for everyone to mingle, for interconnectivity amongst the users. Local art events to raise money for clubs or charities are a common scene on Friday nights at the museum. The open floor plan allows for the opportunity to display work from local artists, to display the local culture and share with tourists from all over the world.

Herzog and de Meuron also incorporate a sense of interconnectivity between the building and the landscape through their choices in material. Through the use of the digitally fabricated copper clad skin, a texture is created that represents light that is filtered through a tree.30 Over time as the building ages, the copper skin will slowly oxidize and turn to green, a green that is meant to blend the building in with its natural setting, a change that will be witnessed by visitors, thus creating a subtle interconnectivity between the users and the building.

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30. “M.H. De Young Museum / Herzog & De Meuron | ArchDaily.” ArchDaily | Broadcasting Architecture Worldwide. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.archdaily. com/66619/m-h-de-young-museum-herzog-de-meuron/>.

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California Academy of Sciecnes The California Academy of Sciences started out in 1853 as a small group of naturalists who met weekly to present scientific papers to interested residents in San Francisco. From a small Victorian office in the downtown San Francisco area, the California Academy is become the fourth largest natural history museum in the country and the oldest scientific institute in the West now located at the heart of the Golden Gate Park.

With a mission to explore, explain and protect the natural world, the academy has worked hard to spread awareness, instill knowledge and create memories for the millions of visitors they receive annually.

When the group of scientists first formed the academy, they had a small growing collection of specimens that were put on display for the public to visit in a museum on Market Street. Displays consisted of birds, mammals,

plants, skeletons and insects in which many locals in San Francisco took treasure in visiting. Unfortunately, the small collections were burned to ruins due to the fire and earthquake in 1906.

In 1916, the academy relocated to the Golden Gate Park, including the addition of the Steinhart Aquarium in 1923. The new collection for the exhibitions were discovered during a two year expedition taken by a few of the naturalists in the Academy, which are still an essential part of the nucleus of the institute’s collections. Over the following eight decades, five additional exhibit halls were constructed to assist in the academy’s mission, and in 1952 the Morrison Planetarium was added. The addition of the planetarium completely extended the scope of the academy’s mission, encouraging the museum to grow even more.

Like many other buildings at the Golden Gate Park, such as the de Young museum and the Conservatory of Flowers, the California Academy of Sciences greatly suffered during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, forcing the academy to move to a temporary facility elsewhere in 2004. With the need for a new facility to withstand the frequented earthquakes in San Francisco and a design that would be driven by the academy’s mission, the California Academy of Sciences hired Renzo Piano for the job.

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The new home of the California Academy of Sciences is rooted deep with cultural history dating back to Modernism and Classical Greece serving as a “comforting reminder of the civilizing function of great art in a barbaric age.”31 With an impression of weightlessness, the building has a row of steel columns that soar 36 feet high alongside the façade. A thin canopy that appears to be as if it is only millimeters thick further accentuates this illusion of lightness.

Piano preserved the African Hall from the original structure, allowing visitors to still enjoy the gorgeous vaulted neo classical ceilings that were built in the 1930s. The massive stone structure was originally intended as a symbol of the Western’s perception of superiority and the ability to triumph over nature.

One of the main design goals for the academy was to create a balance not only between private and public spaces, but also amongst inside and out. The lobby is completely glazed by glass manufactured in Germany that is famous for its clear composition, allows visitors to see through the building to the other side of the park. Views elsewhere throughout the museum are also opened up to create a framework that causes occupants to ponder over the natural world, in a worldthe Golden Gate Park - that is deceivingly unnatural.

The design of the exhibits embraces symmetry and geometry while also being reminiscent of a Mies glass and steel museum. The roof within the lobby is supported by gossamer like webs of cables, creating yet again a sense of lightness throughout the facility. Lining the top of the lobby is a narrow row of clerestory windows that operate automatically, opening when warm are needs to escape from within the building, creating a natural breeze that reinforces a connection –a sense of interconnectivity- with the natural setting of the space.

The main exhibit halls within the academy are in two 90 foot tall spheres on either side of the lobby. As the most solid forms within the open interior, the spaces seem to hover in the space. The planetarium floats in a pool while the rain forest sphere has a broad wooden ramp that follows the curved walls and is enveloped in gnarled branches is if the exhibit had been taken over by the artificial landscape over the years of its existence.

Once of the special features of the academy is its green roof, which is the largest native planted spaces in all of San Francisco. The hallow, round mounds are supported by the web of cables from below in the lobby. The skylights provide day lighting in the spaces below including the coral exhibit, which are punctured through the green mounds.

The California Academy of Sciences has a great sense of interconnectivity between the environment and the building, including the environment and the users because of all the sustainable features the designer incorporated throughout the structure. In the rainforest, the distinction between interior and exterior is blurred, as visitors are able to walk through and down into the aquarium portion of the museum. The glass curtain walls on all four sides of the structure create a sense of transparency within the park and a feeling of weightlessness that holds up the rolling green mounds that are reminiscent of San Francisco’s terrain.

31. Ouroussoff, Nicolai. “Architecture Review - Renzo Piano s California Academy of Sciences Blooms and Grows, Balancing Man and Nature - Review - NYTimes. com.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http:// www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/arts/design/24acad. html>.

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[case studies] â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every building has connections to sky, ground and community, but these connections could be appreciated and utilized much better.â&#x20AC;?

-Michael McDonough

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Starlight Theater Location: Rockford, Il, USA Date: 2003 Client: Rock Valley College Design Team: Studio Gang Architects Area: 135,000 sq ft. Cost: $8.5 million Bengt Sjostrom/Starlight Theater in Rockford, Illinois underwent major transformation in 2001. Originally an exterior amphitheater like, concrete bowl that housed 600 people and a small stage, the theater had limited ticket sales and revenues that were at the mercy of the changing weather throughout the year.32 At 36 years old, Rock Valley College decided it was time to redesign the community theater to allow for better quality and scope of the programs hosted at the facility.

The clients wanted a facility that would not only maintain their tradition of openair performances, but also to increase the flexibility of the space and expand the buildings use throughout all seasons of the year. However, like in most projects, funding

32. Kamin, Blair. “Architectural Record Building Types Study | Bengt Sjostrom / Starlight Theatre.” Architecture Design for Architects | Architectural Record. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/ bts/archives/perform/03_bengt/overview.asp>.

was a key issue that would determine the limits of the design. As a non-profit organization, Rock Valley College had hopes that lay in the stars, but had little money to carry out the renovation.

Understanding their clients’ big wishes and their limited resources, Studio Gang Architects created a three year phased plan that had the ability to deliver the wants of the clients gradually. With this three-year plan, the college was able to keep their normal summer schedule of performance sand events without any interference during the construction period.

With the need for an open-air facility that had the ability to be used year round, the

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firm designed a kinetic structure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a structure that had the ability to transform shape and form, thus allowing a significant alteration in how the facility is perceived.33 During the first phase of the project, which was completed in2001, the seating of the theater was graciously expanded to 1,050 seats.

Phase one also included the construction of the theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetically pleasing entrance that gave the facility the appearance of being placed among the constellations in the night sky. Gang designed a curving, 18-foot-high concrete structure that would house bathrooms and ticket booths. The tall concrete mass, however, was dematerialized

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33. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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through the use of porthole like windows that displayed patterns of constellations. At night, the backlit constellations illuminate a sense of fantasy against the sky.

The second phase was completed in 2002 and consisted of sensually incorporating new materials into the project, such as the 50-foot tall copper clad fly tower. The new addition allows for sheltering a full proscenium stage house along with fly equipment, expanding the facility’s ability to display multiple sets.

Rather than using the traditional theater velvet curtains, Studio Gang used translucent weather doors that had been adapted from old airplane hangers.

In final stage, the final transformation – the transformation that would answer the clients’ wish of having an open air theater with the ability to be used rain or shine – was constructed. Studio Gang collaborated with Uni-Systems, a firm that specializes in

34. Kamin, Blair. “Architectural Record Building Types Study | Bengt Sjostrom / Starlight Theatre.” Architecture Design for Architects | Architectural Record. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/ bts/archives/perform/03_bengt/overview.asp>.

35. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

moving structures, to design the theaters crowning touch.34 The two firms devised a moving roof that opens like petals of a flower. The kinetic roof is a hybrid pyramid that is composed of “six identical triangular panels hinged along the bottom edge.”35 To save their clients’ money, Studio Gang and Uni-Systems designed the roof panels to be constructed off site, which would save the costs for scaffolding. Operated by a torque tube drive system allowing the panels to open simultaneously, the theater allows for the sky to emerge above and awe the audience. When seen from directly below the open roof, the void is shaped like a star.

The end result was a design that allowed for an intimate social setting, beautifully designed landscaped boundaries that frame the theater, and – at the click of a button- a dynamic observatory to the stars roof that can be opened on a cool summer night.

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Outdoor Classroom at Eibs Pond Lake Location: Staten Island, NY, USA Date: 2000 Client: The Parks Cousnil Design Firm: Marpillero Pollak Architects Area: 680 sq ft. Cost: $25,000

In the urban setting of Staten Island, New York, in the midst of public housing and an elementary school, a peaceful and gorgeous picturesque site can be found at Eibs Pond.

Throughout its history, the area around the pond served as many vastly different functions ranging from a dairy farm, golf club, prisoner of war camp, and then most recently as a dump.36 Today, the site has been transformed into beautifully inviting educational facility that is open to all in the community and a site that is often visited by the local elementary school and used for class lessons.

The master plan for New York City called for the transformation of abandoned lots into parks for the community, creating recreational areas for individuals and families to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. One of the sites selected to be transformed into a recreational area was Eibs Pond Park on Staten Island. Seen as an un-ideal site by many city staff members,

36. Cary, John. The Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories about Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients. New York: Metropolis, 2011. Print.

surrounded by housing projects, felt that it was unwise to use their resources at that location.

The architects and park council also took the location of the site into much consideration.

Located in a tough neighborhood, the park is located near a school whose academic scores are at the bottom of nearly 700 New York City primary schools. In hopes of creating better educational opportunities for the students at Hubert M. Humphrey elementary school, they located the park to only be a five-minute walk form the school , ensuring that a site visit could fit within one class period.

A historical site, kettle ponds at Eibs Pond were formed when chunks of icebergs were broken apart and landed at the site thousands of years ago. Today, these ponds serve as an important natural resource that had yet to be developed. Pollak Architects were hired to take advantage of the natural

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resource, creating an area that would show the community the important value of the site.

The design firm saw the project as a unique opportunity to create a strong interconnectivity between the site, users, and the structure. To create a felling of connection, they designed the project so that community members, even including young people, could build the structure. As desired by the Parks Council, the construction process was divided into smaller processes that would also serve as a unique teaching opportunity.

The idea behind a project built by community members was to create a space that would stay around a lot longer, for when the â&#x20AC;&#x153;community is a part of a building project and is involved in every step of the design, clean up, installation, maintenance and teachingâ&#x20AC;? they take pride in their work and appreciate the final result much more.37 Located on a wetland, material choices for the classroom were taken into great consideration. It was important for the material to look aesthetically congruous the natural setting but had properties that would ensure a long life span, while also being a material choice that was ecologically responsible.

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The final material choice was environmentally certified redwood. As a relatively expensive material that could only be purchased in California, Pollak Architects designed the classroom structure so that all the wood could be delivered in one shipment.

As a simple, basic structure, the outdoor

37. Cary, John. The Power of Pro Bono: 40 Stories about Design for the Public Good by Architects and Their Clients. New York: Metropolis, 2011. Print.

classrooms enables students and people from the community to value their surroundings and environment. Built out of 3 x 12 inch sections for the framing, the building only uses cladding for a small portion of the roof and floor. With walls made of slats that allow light to penetrate through, the classroom is a strikingly elegant site that seems to blend in

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with its natural surroundings.

While the design of the facility is clean and simple, it also has unique features that strengthen occupantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; awareness of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever-changing ways. The classroom is a 24 foot long floating pier that floats up and down, allowing users to perceive the changing water levels over the years. The classroom also has an open edge that faces the wetland edge engaging the users to admire the beautiful views.

The site design is also unique to the project, for the designers took advantage of the location to allow for lessons outsides.

Located next to a grown birch tree, is a bird wall that frames the main gathering area.

During one community event, handmade birdhouses made by participants were hung on the wall next to the tree for bird to use. Another wall built has a planter box integrated into the structure to teach kids and adults about native plantings that are good and sustainable for the community.

A site that had been negated to merely a dumb in a densely urban environment had been transformed into an outdoor classroom by the park council, designers, non profit organizes and with the irreplaceable help of community members, and is now a popular destination to visit and enjoy the local natural resources. In the end, the project served as a unique opportunity to give the community access to nature once again.

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Kalkin House Location: Shelburne, VT, USA Date: 2001 Client: Shelburne Museum Design Firm: Adam Kalkin Area: 1,600 sq ft. Cost: 107

Originally designed and constructed to be a temporary exhibition space, Kalkin house has become a permanent part of the museum serving as a gallery for special exhibitions of contemporary design.38 The prefabricated home is made of three trans-oceanic shipping containers that help define the interior space of the two-story structure that are enclosed within a metal shed. With a footprint of 20’ x 80’ and with metal exterior cladding, at first glance the appearance of the home resembles that of a warehouse. When taking a closer look at the structure, it can be seen that within the industrial shell is a suburban like cottage.

Kalkin, a designer who specializes in prefabricated structures that have the ability to be mass-produced and shipped for use.

He collaborated with the distinguished interior designer Albert Hadely to create a juxtaposition of the homely interior and the industrial-like exterior designs.

The architect of the home is Adam

Through the use of prefabricated industrial

38. “Kalkin House « Shelburne Museum.” Shelburne Museum. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://shelburnemuseum. org/explore/buildings/galleries/kalkin-house/>.

Hadely’s main goal for the design of the interior was to tie the warehouse like home in with the rest of the facilities of the museum. While today Kalkin House serves as a contemporary art exhibit, it was originally designed to house the folk art collection of Shelburne Museum.

materials and the use of shipping containers, a vast, open interior was made possible, which is intensified by the large enclosing box that frames the structure that seems to refuse to enclose the building in many ways.

Part of the design features oversized glass garage doors that open the interior space that helps bring nature in.

Another example is that architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of large outdoor curtains for the front patio area that are made from sails, located on the north side of the of the house. Projects from

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the wall and thus described as the male side of the house by the designer, the curtains are used to fold the outside and insides spaces together. This helps create a manipulation of space that dissolves the separation from interior and exterior.

Traditionally, curtains are used to enclose and protect interior spaces from the harsh external world, but Kalkin uses curtains in a new manner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to create a large and fluid external wall ensuring that the home can never be entirely closed and is always at the mercy of mother nature. The use of the sail material, which is heavy and thick, helps encourage a sense of privacy by providing a

thick protective barrier that can be opened or closed while also resisting the typical use of glass curtain walls.

While never actually serving as a home, Kalkin and Hadely designed the interior spaces to resemble one. The building includes two bedrooms that each have a bathroom which are located in the privacy of the upper level.

The ground floor includes the central kitchen and main living space which are located at the heart of the building. Two large and oversized garage doors are located on both sides of the kitchen, allowing occupants to take notice and appreciate the scenery of the country setting.

Greenwich Academy Upper School Location: Greenwich, CT, USA Date: 2002 Client: Greenwich Academy Design Team: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP Area: 42,000 sq ft. Cost: $12.5 million Not a typical SOM project with a not so typical project manager, Roger Duffy set out to ensure that his design for the campus would not only be innovative, and stylish, but also well crafted.

Having received several awards for its design excellence, Greenwich Academy Upper School converges the built and natural landscapes together to enhance the site’s natural beauty. The school uses the site’s topographical complexity, to elegantly and naturally connect the upper and lower levels of the building.39 Part of a ten-year plan to expand, update and replace the original 1950’s building, the all girls 9-12 grade school is located on a 30-

39. “Www.SOM.com | Greenwich Academy - Upper School.” Www.SOM.com | Home. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://som.com/content.cfm/greenwich_academy_ upper_school>.

acre site engulfed in the country setting of Greenwich, Connecticut. Upper campus is designed in four clusters facilitated around learning, which include science and math, the humanities, the arts, a library, and nonacademic areas dispersed around the campus. This includes 20 new classrooms, five science laboratories, a student center, a media center and a visual arts complex and a library.

The design of the new facility enhances the students’ learning abilities to learn and improve their level of performance through different design criteria. Integration of the landscape with the new buildings to ensure that there is a unification of the original campus with the new facilities, while also with

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buildings, while also allowing for occupant comfort. Glulam columns and mullions allow for the weightless design, while also creating the illusion of walking through a forest.

Designed and constructed with sustainability in mind and to create a new identity for the high school that promotes a feeling of inspiration in both the students and parents, Greenwich Academy is a school that aesthetically blends with the natural landscape with the use of heaths and heathers on the rooftop surfaces of the faculties.

Not only were the designs of the structures carefully carried out, but the placement of the buildings was also a key part of the project. The new faculties were strategically placed in order to integrate both the field and garden levels, allowing for panoramic views of the surrounding forest and hills. The position of the school ensures for beautiful views that overlook a lake and fields in the surrounding area. the incorporation of daylight were a couple of the criteria. One of the main priorities for the new Greenwich Academy Upper School was the integration of sustainable design measures.

An open and weightless design is applied throughout the new buildings with the use of an abundance of curtain walls that allow for plenty of natural light to penetrate into the

To unify the new addition to the academy, existing materials were integrated into the design for the new structures, along with the use of recycled material. Other sustainable features include a waste management plan, storm water and irrigation systems, and high quality air and energy savings.

SOM designed modern glass pavilions that are set within a more solid setting that helps

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weave the architecture of the school with the landscape of the natural setting. Designed to inspire the student body and parents, the campus’ unique uninterrupted landscape creates a carpet that flows and expands the new facility that helps create a new perimeter for the school.40 The school’s library and classroom buildings use American Hydrotech Garden Roof for “17,500 sq ft. of dead level roof deck, all directly above occupied space.”41. Through the use of the green roof, occupants are

40. “Architectural Record Building Types Study | Greenwich Academy Upper School.” Architecture Design for Architects | Architectural Record. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/ bts/archives/k-12/01_GreenwichAcad/overview.asp>.

41. ”Greenroofs.com Projects - Greenwich Academy.”

Greenroofs.com: The Resource Portal for Green

protected from the harsh winters in the climate because the installation of the garden roof includes a Monolithic Membrane 6125EV hot rubberized asphalt waterproofing and Styrofoam installation, which helps naturally heat the interior spaces. The use of the garden roof also helps tie in the building’s uniquely beautiful design with existing landscape with an elegant transition.

The green roof also allows for storm water retention that can be reused by the facility.

A part of the school’s unique design is due to SOM’s collaboration with James Turrell, who

Roofs. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.greenroofs.com/ projects/pview.php?id=710>.

is an artist that works with lighting. Together, the designers worked on transforming the lobby and library of the new building into glowing light chambers that illuminated in the night sky.42 To successfully carry out their vision, they designed muntins on the façade that are fitted with fiber optics that transform a straightforward simple structure into a glowing dematerialized box that draws attention to the little details that were considered in the design. The four light chambers in the lobby are large glass boxes that penetrate above into the second floor which also allow for day lighting in the middle of the spaces.

The school is a prime example, similar to the outdoor classroom at Eibs Pond Lake, that ties the landscape and architectural design together in unison. This connectivity amongst the site and the architecture allows for occupants to better enjoy and appreciate their natural surroundings.

42. Bernstein, Fred A. “Not Your Daddy’s SOM.” Metropolis Magazine. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www. metropolismag.com/story/20031201/not-your-daddyssom>.

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Brill Residence Location: Silverlake, CA, USA Date: 1999 Client: Rock Valley College Design Team: Jones Partners Area: 135,000 sq ft. Cost: $8.5 million Located in LA, Brill Residence was originally a martial arts studio. The architecture firm Jones Partners transformed the 2,500 sq ft. studio into a residence for a jazz drummer and his son. Much of the original structure was torn down, only leaving the retaining walls in order to create a three-story living space in half of the new house. The other half of the house includes stacked private spaces above the new garage, which are held up by “a new steel structural system” that holds them up and apart from the retaining walls.43 The incorporation of technology is key to the design of the Brill House, for the new “glass structure is intended to develop a new technological vernacular.” In this project, the architect uses technology to serve the

43. “Brill Residence | Jones, Partners: Architecture | Archinect.” Archinect | Connecting Architects Since 1997. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://archinect.com/firms/ project/6790084/brill-residence/6791285>.

44. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture That Responds to Change. London: Laurence King, 2007.

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interests of the occupant rather than letting it control the program.

A special feature within the kinetic structure is the display shelving for the owner’s extensive drum collection, which can only be accessed through the use of a bicycle operated traveling bridge within the public three-story volume. Jones Partners doubled the function of the guardrails of the traveling bicycle bridge to serve as a performance platform in the house when they are deployed down.

Since the floor plan of the home is open and flexible, privacy is achieved throughout bedrooms and bathrooms through the use of opaque and translucent wall panels that are a

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part of a sliding rail system. This same system can also be used to optimally tune the space acoustically for percussion performances.

The home is an interesting example of kinetic architecture that allow for flexible living and interconnectivity with the building. Not only does the home have the ability to serve as a private residence, but with interacting with the structure by adjusting the sliding

wall panels, the home is transformed into an acoustically optimum practice room. This, along with Starlight Theater and Kalkin House, is a good example of how architecture should be designed. It is important for architecture to be able to respond the needs of users, rather than stagnate their daily changing lives and architecture should strong connections to the sky, ground and even community that can be appreciated by all.

STEP 1:FILL NEWSPAPER POT WITH SOIL

STEP 2:PLANT SEED IN SOIL

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STUDIES â&#x20AC;&#x153;In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.â&#x20AC;?

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

STEP 3:WATER AND WATCH GROW

[provocation_1] SKIN: Transformative skin that can slide left and right, up and down , extude out or pertrude in based on occupant needs Skin has the ability to transform, adjust and interact with occupants and climate in order to create a more comfortable living environment for occupants. It is also what helps create the identity for a building and what can help establish interconnectivity amongst the users and building and site.

Through my exploration with skin, I created a model of a possible kinetic skin idea that has the ability to be operated by users, allowing them to adjust the skin to control the amount of daylight and ventilation in the space and control. Through the use of a kinetic skin interconnectivity is established between the building and nature, for the skin has the ability to adjust based on the current weather condition and adapt to the changing weather throughout the year.

A possible material incorporation could be the use of SmartWrap, which uses Phase Change Material that can change from solid to liquid or liquid to solid inside the polymeric skin. This allows for the skin of the building to the release heat into the space

or absorbs heat, therefore cooling the space when needed. This creates a system that is dependent on each other, while also creating a connection with the user.

Through a kinetic skin, users have the opportunity to adjust their space, creating a connection with the building, a connection that was not established before. Buildings are typically static, and the most interaction occupants have with structures is merely opening and closing windows and doors.

Through the use of a kinetic skin, users can adjust their living space as needed as the weather changes, which also establishes a connection with the environment. Users will have the opportunity to learn what settings will create a more comfortable environment, while also learning what decisions can lead to a more sustainable way of living, but using passive heating and cooling through the facade.

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[provocation_2] SITE CONSTRUCTION: Fragmenting views and connecting to the city, breaking away from the city grid Site construction is an important aspect to consider when designing a space that has the ability to reach out and connect with users of the building and residents of the community.

City grids are confining to spaces, creating a separation amongst residential and public areas from the green spaces dispersed around the city.

Through this provocation I looked at Urban Voids Philadelphia for inspiration, a project that connects different parts of the city through greenbelts in order to create a more cohesive whole.

By creating a structure that reaches out and breaks away from the rectilinear and confining city grid, opportunities arise to allow for bringing residents and tourists together in new ways by creating a connection to other parts of the city.

Currently, the Golden Gate Park does try to do this, for a portion of green space does extend out to the east where basketball courts can be found, and it does extend a

green street north and south, connecting other major green parks in San Francisco, such as the Presidio to the north and Lake Merced to the South.

A great opportunity exists to extend the park to other parts of the city, such as the local schools, which surround the park.

The park has a lot to offer to the schools, as it is a plethora of history and research opportunities. An example of a site that establishes a connection with a local school in need of educational opportunities is the Outdoor Classroom on Staten Island. The facility is located near a school that has the lowest test scores in New York, and helps provide the students a new opportunity to create a learning experience and reach out to kids and even adults.

By creating a space that reaches out to the community, there are opportunities to create a new connectivity within the city that can provide learning about the ecology of the environment in a new and interactive way.

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[provocation_3] CIRCULATION: Everything is connected through circulation, which can be used to provoke human interaction

Golden Gate Park, which receives 15 million visitors annually with half being locals, offers a great opportunity to create a connection amongst both tourists and residents. A Rubik’s cube is similar to the organization of a city, which is confined, separating structures and open spaces such as parks.

For my thesis, I want to do the opposite and reach out into the city, making users aware of their surroundings and how they are apart of a bigger system that affects the ecological footprint of the built environment.

The Rubik’s cube is similar to what I want my design to facilitate, for when you move on side or piece; all parts of the whole are affected, changing the look of all 5 other sides. This creates interconnectivity amongst all parts of the object.

The modification of the Rubik’s cube breaks away from the confinement of the landscape, opening it up to the environment and creating continuity with the building and the surrounding area. The Rubik’s cube also creates interconnectivity amongst all 6 sides,

as it mixes all pieces together, unifying the whole system.

The Rubik’s cube can be applied to circulation, as it is constantly changing based on the user, while also allowing for new experiences to be created.

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[vellum] â&#x20AC;&#x153;The creative reuse of existing materials is central to the new movement that is driven by an appreciation for the often overlooked beauty that can be found in the things other people throw away.â&#x20AC;?

-Marcus Fairs

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Upcycling is a new trend that is becoming more popular in design. A wasteful society, we easily throw objects away when a new version is released in the market. For vellum, I wanted to find thrown away objects and reuse them to give them new life and beauty.

At the ground floor of the architecture building, an old metal teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desk was left to be thrown away. I saw the desk as an opportunity to create a dresser made of found drawers. I took a few of the metal drawers, and found others around campus to create a dresser made of found drawers.

I cut the drawers to size, so they would fit in the dresser frame I would make out of plywood and then made backs out of scrap wood for each of the modified drawers. The design of the dresser was to create a space for storage for a variety of other objects such as books and plants that could fit in the various cubbies.

The dresser made of found drawers is a look at reusing old objects to create a more sustainable way of living. The beauty of reusing old found objects, is that is part of the whole has its own story and memory associated with it. Each drawer has its own story and through the process of constructing the new home for the drawers, a sentimental connection was created along with a valuable learning experience.

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[24 hour site] Playing with context of urban space through reflections, light and interaction of passerbys

Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is a unique location that attracts both tourists and residents. Since my thesis is on interconnectivity, I plan on setting up an interactive installation for my 24-hour site investigation over winter break.

Looking at heavy trash as inspiration for my installation, a group of architects that try and draw public attention to urban issues in Los Angeles, I want to create an installation that allows passerbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to reflect on their current environment. Heavy trash creates large, disposable art objects that are placed in areas of the community that draw community and media attention to issues such as the segregation of public parks that have been locked up, making them inaccessible to everyone in the public.

Another example that I found is the ring installation by Arnaud Lapierre in Place Vendome, Paris, France. His installation is made of mirrored cubes that play with the context of the urban space through the reflections and light created by the mirrors.

The cube installation deconstructs and morphs the surrounding buildings and sky and nature and occupants, which is similar to what I am researching for my thesis.

During the break, I am going to create a wall out of different mirrors and set it up in the Golden Gate Park. Through the installation, I hope to view the park in a different way, for the paneled mirrors will deconstruct and morph the views of the park and the visitors.

I plan on using the pictures I take of the installation to guide the design of my project, since I am hoping they will reveal new views or scenes that are often overlooked, which I can then use to create a connection to.

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[program]

conceptual program

GIFT SHOP

CAFE

INDOOR/OUTDOOR THEATER

LOBBY VISITORS CENTER/ MUSEUM

EXTERIOR PLAZA MUSEUM

EXIBITS

CHANGING EXIBITS

PUBLIC GATHERING SPACE SEMINAR SPACE

ADMINISTRATION LECTURE HALL

ENVIRONMENTAL HALL

LAB CLASSROOMS

MULTIPURPOSE ROOM

PUBLIC GARDEN SMALL LIBRARY

programmatic diagram The program of spaces within a building should allow for flexible use by creating an interactive environment with a constant flow of people among the different spaces. Like the de Young Museum, I plan on creating an open floor plan that can host community events throughout the center so that there can be installations of public art and crafts to be displayed and shared with visitors.

Designing a floor plan that has the ability to be rearranged is also an important design aspect that will be incorporated. As exhibits change and functions change, the spaces can be rearranged to allow for a more suitable plan that also allows for interaction with

the building, for users have control of the structure.

For program, I am also considering the integration of the landscape within the building, to create an awareness of the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surroundings. This will also help establish a connection with the environment and the building and the environment and users.

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DESIGN

By enhancing the connectivity between the user and the architecture and the environment, the result will be construction that benefits society and community.