ARC3102 Magazine

Andy Chen

Design

Cornell Architecture ARC3102

Piazza del Colosseo Site Selection Intersection of the Colosseum, the Forum, Metro Line B, and Line C stations

Piazza del Colosseo

This project attempts to organize the chaotic piazza inbetween the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Colosseo Metro Line B station through a Lourve-like architectural intervention generated from a paving pattern.

Michelangelo’s Campidgolio plan elevates ground and more specifically a pavement to act as both the driver for a project and the spatial organizer of a piazza. Upon an initial analysis of the plan, new patterns were generated from a parametric process of geometric transformations that were derived from the Campidoglio. These generative iterations were then overlaid onto the Colosseum site which allowed for the patterns to begin to define where interventions could be made in tandem with the site analysis done on pedestrian traffic flows.

The patterning system then began to be read and misread to create both above ground structural systems and below ground galleries and connections between the existing Line B and proposed Line C Colosseo metro stations. Operating parasiticly, the pattern begins to organize the large chaotic site by utilizing a dynamic ground plane and pavement, but by doing so in a way where the infection creates the parasite - where the pavement generates the architecture.

The central node of this project culminates in a vaulting diagrid shell that provides a grand staircase down to both metro stations while additionally providing an opporunity to view excavated Roman artifacts from above. To fully respect the historic site while still providing a dynamic spatial and archeological experience, minimal disruption of views sectionally below and above ground was important while also simultaneously adding an additional grand artifact to view in such historic company.

Michelangelo’s Campidoglio Paving Analysis Pavement as a Spatial Organizer 4

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10

15 ft.

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The Parasitic Pattern

An initial analysis of the Campidoglio produced a set of filtered data sets crucial in gaining an understanding of how to begin to misread an image to arrive at a new formal language. One of these sets crucial to the process was the orthogonal grid produced from redrawing lines from the isolated point matrix. This would lead into the generative pattern studies that took a similar line of thinking.

These newly generated patterns were created from a process of: cropping the original plan, mirroring, and rotating the resulting slice where then points were extracted and new interpolated curves were drawn through them.

The cropping, mirroring, and rotation sought to both create non-circular geometries and circular ones that differed to the Campidoglio’s twelve spokes.

This would allow for different applications onto diffferent site conditions as an important aspect of Michelangelo’s ellipse shape was its use as a response to the Capitoline Hill’s topography and the piazza’s pre-existing buildings.

Interpolated curves were then redrawn through these new isolated point matrixes. Largely invented, the design however did have a loose guiding logic that involved using as many points as possible while trying to delineate where the cut and mirror seams were by weaving both together.

These lines were then offset at equal distances to create new figures. High traffic nodes created thicker lines from the overlapping of the curves.

The key iteration, though seemingly utilized for its large ornate central oval, instead scaled the larger pattern to the Colosseum and used the secondary system inbetween the larger ones to produce the project’s architectural intervention.

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Mirror - Trim at Bounding Curves - Mirror Iteration 1

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1.

Points Extraction

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Generative Pattern Iterations Cut Mirror Rotate

Extract Point Matrix

Triangular Rotation Iteration 2

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2.

Triangular Rotation Iteration 3

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Points Extraction

Offset and Combine

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New Network of Curves

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Points Extraction

Offset and Combine

New Network of Curves

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2.

Triangular Rotation Iteration 4

Redraw Curves

Points Extraction

Offset and Combine

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New Network of Curves

Offset and Combine

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4.

New Network of Curves

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2.

Triangular Rotation Iteration 4

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3.

Points Extraction

2.

Triangular Rotation Iteration 5

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4.

New Network of Curves

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Points Extraction

2.

Triangular Rotation Iteration 6

Offset and Combine

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New Network of Curves

3.

Points Extraction

Offset and Combine

Offset and Combine

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New Network of Curves

Offset and Combine

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1.

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Mirror - Trim at Bounding Curves - Mirror Iteration 1

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Points Extraction

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New Network of Curves

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Offset and Combine

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Selected Pattern 4.

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Site Analysis

Site Analysis: Pedestrian Distribution Pedestrian Distribution Saturday 2017atat12:00 12:00p.m. p.m.

Saturday--April April29, 9, 2017

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Analysis Extracted Points

Ground + Roof Inverted

Adjusted

Combined Grid

Sectional Site Analysis Section and Background Abstracted into Potentail Structural Systems 13

Designand Iterations Pattern Site Iterations

Selected Scheme

Program Diagram

Figure Ground with Pedestrian Traffic

Program Diagram

Topography from Artifact Point Attractors

Program Diagram

Brick Paving 4,540,760 sqft.

Greenery

1,785,148 sqft.

Artifacts

916,234 sqft.

Extrusions 137,575 sqft.

Program Diagram

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Study Model of Vaulting Intervention

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Exterior Rendering of Approach from Via del Fori Imperiali

Site Plan

Site Plan

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1’ = 1/32”

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50 ft.

Site Plan

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Ground Floor and Underground Plan Ground Floor Plan 1’ = 1/32”

1’ = 1/32”

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50 ft.

Underground Metro Connection 1’ = 1/32”

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30

50 ft.

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Longitudinal Section: Through Front of Intervention

Section through Landscape 1’ = 1/16”

Longitudinal Section: Through Center of Intervention

Section through Intervention 1’ = 1/16”

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22

15

25 ft.

Cross Section: Through Colosseum

Section through Stairs & Sunken Courtayrd 1’ = 1/16”

Cross Section: Through Center of Intervention

Section through Intervention 1’ = 1/16”

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Wall Section

Section through Intervention 1’ = 1/16”

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15

25 ft.

Wall Section 1’ = 1/16”

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24

5

7 ft.

Refined Program Diagram

Paving

Landscape

Intervention

Stairs

Artifacts

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Vuew of Secondary Large Artifact Space

View of Grand Staircase

View of Primary Large Artifact Space

Ground Floor View Under Vaulting Diagrid Shell

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