CONNECTIVITY Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Architecture Degree, Auburn University. Spring 2020 Thesis Advisor: Justin Miller
thesis 3 Types of Sites
site selection Atlanta, Georgia
case studies
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Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park 1111 Miami Parking Structure Dokk1 Aarhus
site documentation Triangle at 10th Street and Monroe Ave
final design
Buckle of the BeltLine
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connectivity
expanding public realm
Year Location Area
Spring 2020 Atlanta, Georgia 64,439 feet
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Thesis Statement: Do industrial, infrastructural, and natural connections have the potential to expand the public realm within a city? Public Realm meaning belonging to everyone (streets, parks, or outdoor places) that are available without charge.
Thesis Summary
3 Types of Sites that Engage with Public Realm: Industrial Sites Adaptive reuse projects in abandoned buildings enable to transform streets, neighborhoods and districts without changing the geography. These spaces can help the revitalize the surrounding modern context and make new connections through public space.
The High Line New York — Re-purposed Railroad Line
Ponce City Market — Re-purposed Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Industrial Sites
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
3 Types of Sites that Engage with Public Realm: Natural Sites Re-purposed sites that enable one to be immersed in nature include, quarries, mines, dams, caverns, ponds, etc. These sites can be monumental sites that make a greater connection to the urban environment through the history of the site and public space.
Louisville Mega Cavern — Re-purposed Adventure Park
Natural Sites
Bellwood Quarry — Re-purposed Public Space and Water Supply
Thesis Summary
3 Types of Sites that Engage with Public Realm: Infrastructural Sites Infrastructure is physical systems of a city that are vital to a cities economic development. This includes interstates, tunnels or parking structures. Sites with infrastructure can seem like an unconventional space to create new architecture, however, they can lead to a greater impact in the urban city fabric.
Seattle Olympic Sculpture Garden — Re-purposed Urban Connection 1111 Miami Parking Structure — Re-purposed Parking Facility
Infrastructural Sites
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Proposal: The site for my thesis must fall into all three categories. Note that many of these categories overlap with each other. A city with the perfect mix of all three categories is Atlanta, Georgia. Almost 50 percent of the city is occupied by trees making the “City in a Forest,� perfect for finding natural sites. Atlanta’s Beltline demonstrates a huge connection to infrastructure. Finally, Atlanta has the third largest concentration of fortune 500 companies in the country, therefore many industries exist within the urban fabric.
Site Selection
Atlanta, Georgia
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
BeltLine: A form of infrastructure that gives back public space to the urban environment. The Project: The Atlanta BeltLine project is a 22-mile loop that will incorporate a new transit system (80% secured), multi-use trails, green space and surrounded by affordable housing. Using the existing rail lines this loop circles the urban core of Atlanta by connecting neighborhoods, improving travel, create economic development and expose the city to many forms of public art installed along the trail.
Development: West side Park at Bellwood Quarry will exceed Piedmont Park as one of the largest green spaces with over 300 acres. It will open in five different phases that cost around $38 million to build. Extreme sports, restaurants, exhibitions, a water park, amphitheater, dog park, gardens and countless walking paths will be some of the program included.
BeltLine
Art on the BeltLine: Art is displayed in various mediums: sculpture, murals, dance, music, fashion, theater, photography and film along the BeltLine. Annual art events are hosted with organizations like Alliance Theater, the Atlanta Opera and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Future of the BeltLine: The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, which is a non-profit organization is acquiring funding for the Southside Trail. The west portion of this trail development broke ground on February 22, 2020. A $20,000 Art Works grant has been given to the BeltLine to demonstrate how art strengthens and beautifies current industrial areas.
Site Selection
Completed:
Eastside Trail Northside Trail Southside Trail Southwest Connector Trail West End Trail Westside Trail
In Progress:
Enota Park Expansion Northeast Trail Westside Connector Westside Park Westside Trail Extension
My Site:
Subarea 6, Between Northeast Trail and Eastside Trail
BeltLine Master-plan
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Eastside Trail
Southside Trail
BeltLine Trails
West End Trail
Westside Trail
Southwest Connector Trail
Site Selection
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park
Case Studies
Originally an Industrial Site Public Realm: Creating public realm through pedestrian circulation (outdoor sculpture park) over the Amtrak and vehicular circulation. Program Division, Private vs. Public: Program is an exhibition pavilion placed in the urban context of the city for art, performances, educational programming, and parking underneath. The program creates the only private part of the design. Circulation: From the pavilion the pedestrian route descends into the water and links the urban city water to the once inaccessible shoreline. Pedestrian Circulation Amtrak Circulation Vehicular Circulation Program
Horizontal Circulation | Program Division
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
1111 Miami Parking Structure
Case Studies
Pedestrian Circulation Vehicular Circulation Program
Originally an Infrastructural Site Public Realm: Circulation: Creating public realm through a common This project maintains a vertical used form of infrastructure. circulation either by car or as a pedestrian. Large public gathering Program Division, Private vs. Public: spaces are inserted within the The private program (retail, dining, parking garage with views of the and office space) is hidden within the surrounding city. infrastructural public space of the design.
Vertical Circulation | Program Division
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Dokk1 Aarhus, Denmark
Case Studies
Originally an Infrastructural Site Public Realm: This project is about maintaining public space by creating a transportation hub that connects the city to the port and water.
Program Pedestrian Circulation Aarhus Light Rail Circulation Vehicular Circulation Rent-able Office Area Public Access Media Space Vehicular Parking System
Program Division, Private vs. Public: The private program is placed on top of the design containing administration offices, the largest public library, and media ramp. Circulation: This project maintains a vertical circulation to access the usable program on the interior and a horizontal circulation provided to the community to house meetings, performances, art installations and places for kids to play.
Horizontal and Vertical Circulation | Program Division
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park This project demonstrates how to create public realm by making connections within the urban environment. These connections across infrastructural elements create a natural circulation within a project for pedestrians. Program becomes secondary to circulation, but relates to the community to further enhance the site and its success.
Parti Comparison
Case Studies
1111 Miami Parking Structure
Dokk1 in Aarhus
This project demonstrates how to take an existing form of infrastructure and give it back to the community. The creation of a public realm within the project is the reasoning for it’s success. Any additional program is secondary, but is beneficial for the community. The views created within the project make it an inhabitable sculptural element within the city.
This project demonstrates how to separate program from public realm. Infrastructural elements and vehicular circulation exist within the public realm and program rests on top. However, the program in this project is vital to its success. The connection to the river from the urban city fabric is also what makes this design successful.
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Buckle of BeltLine
the
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“The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a city’s greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares.” -John Ruskin
Site Documentation
Program:
Reception Area (staffed) Information Space Offices Rent-able Space Large Outdoor Gathering Space • Community Market and Garden • Connection to the BeltLine with Public Art • Restrooms • • • • •
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BeltLine Visitors Center — 64,439 feet (1.48 acres)
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Triangular Shape
Shape
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Topography increases by 25 feet on the back of the site
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Topography
Site Documentation
Residences
Residences
Commercial
Commercial
Grady High School Athletic Stadium Piedmont Park N
Context Variety
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
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10th Street NE
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Monroe D
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Circulation and Influence of the Beltline
Site Documentation
Desirable Land: Ample water supply and an overlook on the surrounding environment 1871 — Owners of the property, Peters and George W. Adair, purchased a streetcar company and founded the Atlanta Street Railway Company. 10th and Monroe was where a 9 mile trolley line went through the site. The trolley line stopped in the 1940s due to the impact of the automobile. The Virginia Ave Car Barn was a structure established to assemble the trolleys. Later, this building served as a garage and repair shop for buses. Marta bought the property and the structure was demolished in 1987. Later commercial structures were developed and included a gas station.
Commercial Development
Woody’s Silver Grill constructed in 1953 and recently updated
History of 10th Avenue NE and Monroe Avenue NE
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Residents Want: “Preservation of existing single-family neighborhoods by providing appropriate transitions to higher density uses.” “A majority of participants favoring the retention of this site (10th and Monroe) as green space” “Buildings should also defer to the scale of adjacent single-family neighborhoods by decreasing in height and mass as the proximity increases. A transitional height plane recommended for all places where new development on the BeltLine approaches existing neighborhoods.”
“The developers will do traffic studies before they solidify any plans, and suggested the new construction could be a catalyst for change in areas that need work, like the crossing.” Jim Kegley Developer and Owner of Property
“There needs to be a complete re-evaluation of what is realistic. An 11-story hotel is a non-starter. Having 745 parking spaces seems untenable. And this is one of the most dangerous and congested intersections in the entire city.” Jenifer Keenan Co-Chair of the Virginia-Highland Civic Association Planning Committee
“Buildings should not exceed 52 feet in height within 150
“It’s a great piece of property in a terrific location; there are a feet of single-family neighborhoods, and should step down lot of opportunities around Piedmont Park to create spaces for people to congregate. Somewhere along the line, we’ll find a in height corresponding to a 45 degree plan extending concept that works for both the developer and the community.” from 15 feet above the adjacent property line.”
Debbie Skopczynski, Chair of the Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Unit F
Midtown Residents Not Sold on Development at 10th and Monroe
Site Documentation
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
The creation of public realm is explored through the program of a visitors center called Buckle of the BeltLine. This project combines the 3 types of site I have researched by using the natural steep topography, infrastructural element of the BeltLine and the industrial history of the site to connect to the surrounding environment. This creates a strong circulation, while incorporating a community emphasized program.
Thesis Project
New Connection to Piedmont Park
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Site Connections
Thesis Project
The BeltLine visitors center extends out towards the termination of 10th street (therefore creating a new connection to this axis).
Reconfiguration of the site allows for the BeltLine to expand into a public square that respects a historic building at piedmont park, while creating a community market. A new connection to Piedmont Park with the physical extension of the BeltLine below grade allows ease of movement to Piedmont Park and alleviating the traffic on the dangerous crosswalk.
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Connectivity: New circulation through site
Interior vs. Exterior
Site Connections
Materiality
Thesis Project
Ground Floor
Second Floor
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Site Approach Connections:
View from Monroe Drive
Thesis Project
View from Termination of Virginia Ave
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
Site Approach Connections:
View from Termination of 10th Street
Thesis Project
View from BeltLine Exemplifying Art
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Charlotte Sadar | Spring 2020
BeltLine Information Center
Community Market
This information center not only provides rent-able space and administration offices, but a public place that overlooks Piedmont Park. It presents the residents/tourists with information about the BeltLine and the success it has had revitalizing the city of Atlanta.
Food hall that enables the community to grow whatever they may need in the community garden and sell it within the market. Many different types of events can take place within the market including partnering with the local high school for educational use. Food trucks could also be set up in the large gathering space.
Interior Connections
Thesis Project
View Displaying Program Wrapping Around Large Gathering Space
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colophon
Avenir is a sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger and released in 1988.
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