(dis)orientation Chris Hazel design
noitatneiro
break fall 2012
walled out spring 2014
motion fall 2013
public shower fall 2011
re-programming culture spring 2014
break
Environmental Education Center
This design creates an environment to teach about nature, by breaking away from nature. The concept begins with a simple concrete box that becomes lifted from the ground and destroyed by the might of nature. This flips the relationship of the natural and the artificial, where the man-made cube must conform to the dynamic movement of the natural site.
Decontruct the Volume
rectangular volume
split volume
shift halves
creates breaks
1 2 3 4 5 6
Entry Giftshop Executive Office Open Office Private Toilet Public Toilet
7 Storage 8 Classroom 9 Break-out Space 10 Demonstration Hall 11 Outdoor Exhibition Area
11
7 5
3
9
DN
6
4
6
10 8
DN
2
1
Levels of Education giftshop
information wall
classroom demonstration hall
walled out Advertise and Inform:
This design uses a simple gesture to create awareness of a devastating issue: homelessness. The design examines the best way to communicate this issue to students by creating a space that is able to draw attention; forcing the space within the initial movement patterns in order to allow for a higher volume traffic; and creating a social and informative place that students are able to use.
Addressing the Needs of the Student:
The first question asked was, what are the needs of the students moving through this area. Since this will be built for only a week in the beginning of April, I looked at how students will be existing outside. What will be the needs of students running to class near the end of the semester, once the weather finally becomes enjoyable? With this, I thought of the designing attracting visitors with the addition of some kind of dispensary; this could be either water, coffee, food or all.
Informing the Student:
The design simultaneously provides for the student and withholds from the student. The simple design holds one very important design characteristic, there is no noticeable entrance. The design merely forms a wall, but there is no specific shelter. The wall amplifies the area that information is able to be posted regarding this housing crisis and the Pitt chapter itself, but the absence of shelter also immerses the student into the idea of being without shelter.
Advancing the Group: The design allows for a simple gesture that is able to create a profound effect. It is something both bizarre and unobtrusive; both a place and passage. The structure is minimal, but effective and essential, similar to the aim of Habitat for Humanity. This design will take the group out of the shack and accessible to the students, raising awareness for what is needed.
Understanding Flow The Habishack deliberately allows and encourages the natural traffic of the area, the slight gesture is placed along the pre-existing traffic route in the William Pitt Union lawn with only a slight elbow to create a focal point. The Habishack also works to divide the lawn for separate functions along either side of the wall. The higher traffic area (facing Fifth Ave) is a space of advertisement, while the oppsite side (facing the Union) is a dwelling space used to inform the students. Create a place to divert traffic
Adjust the object build attraction
Use the object to define each space ISE
T ER
V
AD
RM
IN
FO
Flexible Wall The Habishack serves more than simply a notification wall; it becomes a place of student use and expression. The structure stays static, but the skin is moveable so that students are able to interact with the architecture and make their own statement. In this way, the architecture is not just notifications of the group, but a forum for all students of the university.
Closed Condition
Semi-Open Condition
Open Condition
motion Pittsburgh has seen many incarnations of itself--from a fortress against oppression, to a capital for industrial power, to a model of rebirth and innovation. This transitioning is no doubt due to the energy of the city and ability to constantly move forward, even during troubling times. This motion of innovation is mirrored physically by the constant motion of rivers. My design proposal creates a physical entity of movement on land that creates opportunity to be used in a near infinite number of ways by anyone within the city. The ever-expanding object would continue the path made by the Great Allegheny Passage and connect it with Point State Park. There would be a primary path that would guide travelers of the GAP, but there would also be the opportunity for branches of secondary and tertiary paths so that residents and travelers alike would be able to explore the magnificence of the city. While an evolution of form and materials would be planned to exemplify the growth of Pittsburgh, there would be no specified form or materials designated to the object, allowing people to create their own paths to share with the city.
The object will not add any new ‘place’ to the city, but rather add opportunity for interaction and creation.
wooded area
creation of the object the great allegheny passage is a distinction of nature where; people can move about how and when they feel. it is about movement and exploration, discovery and interaction. contrasting the organization of the city, nature is un-formal and created through growth, not plan. the object is not about any specified form, but a composite of all forms. through a multitude of angles and intersections, people will be permitted to dwell in all ways, interacting with the object in unexpected ways and thus interact with other inhabitants of the object. the object is an extension of the great allegheny passage, spurring growth in the city.
industrial capital
model of innovation
pittsburgh through time
evolution of form
occupation of form
evolution of space
occupation of space wood
steel
concrete
application of materials
evolution of the object the object would begin through a path of pittsburgh, but it would grow. due to the informal nature of the object people would have the opportunity to add their own path with their own form, continuing to form a three-dimensional network throughout the city.
interaction through object
initial built object
secondary user built objects
tertiary user built objects
public shower
Team: Chris Hazel Grace Meloy Joe Taraski
Alyssa Ballein James Snow
The Relationship of Private & Public Ritual in Education
2
Frame / Shower
Private Rituals Short-term goals Daily Activities Labor
Public Rituals Long-term goals Lifetime Achievements Action
With this installation, we wanted to emphasize the difference between different kinds of ‘Ritual.’ One of the rituals that our space alludes to is that of education. Our installation wanted to frame the fountain and the Cathedral of Learning within the frame of the shower curtains. The Cathedral of Learning is seen as the symbol of the University of Pittsburgh’s education system, as well as education at large in Pittsburgh. By framing this symbol, our installation draws the viewer’s attention to the public ritual of education: earning a degree to get a job to establish your place in society. However, our installation makes it impossible to reach it, the Cathedral of Learning and thus the public ritual of education, without first passing through the shower curtains, thereby performing the private rituals of the bathroom. This is symbolic of having to complete all of the private rituals associated with education: the rituals which we perform daily when studying for tests, pulling all-nighters, attending classes, etc. Through this examination of the ritual of education, our installation also makes the viewer consider the way in which we must always perform the menial private rituals, such as showering, before being able to achieve the objective of public rituals.
tionship between a person and his or her environment must be one of protection. In essence, people try to be aware of their surroundings and any threats. Most people try to cover themselves in the presence of others. They are trying to reduce their visibility to others. How many people in our society avoid showers at gyms or pools or perform a sort of towel-dance as not to reveal themselves? Public showers violate the sanctity of this most private of spaces. Our installation attempts to transform the fountain into a shower, and, thus, transform the public space of the plaza and fountain into an immensely private space. This transformation completely alters the perception of the space and makes the viewer consider public and private rituals and their roles in society. After we had set up our installation, an interesting event occurred. A female student with short hair, wearing a knit cap, and dressed androgynously in a dark sweater and blue jeans, approached us and asked what we were doing. We explained our installation project in brief. We do not know her name but she identified herself as a mathematics major pursuing a studio arts minor. She mentioned how she needed to wash her hair and how fortuitous it was that we had shampoo and conditioner available for her to use in the fountain. She asked if she could wash her hair, and we excitedly encouraged her to do so in the temporarily re-functioned fountain. Into the water she went, remaining clothed except for her sneakers, socks, and cap, and successfully washed her hair within the fountain. Besides showering, the bathroom is the scene of other private rituals. Not only do we clean ourselves in the shower, but we also use the sink to clean our hands and face. How many commercials are there for soaps and body washes? Who has heard the expression “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”? It is also accepted that regular washing of the body— also hands, clothes, and bed linens—keeps us healthy. We all value our cleanliness and hygiene. The described incident of the student washing her hair highlights the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in our society. This woman was willing to disrupt her current routine to attend to her hygienic needs; it was an immediate concern. Cleanliness is
Private Ritual of the Bathroom
We perform private rituals daily. Private rituals can be a “habitual or routinized behavior that lacks meaningful subjective context” or they can be sacred in that the ritual holds huge meaning for the individual. In our society, bathrooms are the location of numerous private rituals. One of the main rituals in the bathroom is showering. Showering is a part of almost everyone’s daily routine, and those who do not bathe or shower and remain unclean are generally rejected from society or at least reprimanded for their appearance and/or odor. For most, showering is a ritualistic practice, either at the beginning or end of each day, in which we clean ourselves, either to prepare oneself for the day to come or to wash away the dirt, sweat, and oils of the day. Sometimes people shower as part of an emotional process, to wash away transgressions or memories. It is where they can cry under a baptismal downpour or relax in a therapeutic heat. Thus, the privacy of the shower can be sacred. The shower is a place where one prepares oneself for others and the world, and, therefore, showering can be as meaningful and/or functional as one makes it. In addition, the shower for many is also a place of fornication and/or masturbation. These aforementioned actions society generally deems inappropriate for the public realm; however, in one’s own shower, different rules are established according to his/her principles or beliefs. Hence, the shower becomes a personal space for several different private rituals. Furthermore, the shower is a personal space where one is nude, and the shower curtain offers security for a state that, for most, makes one feel extremely vulnerable. In the shower, the goal of the physical environment is privacy, a privacy that can easily be violated because the user’s perception is obscured by the curtain that protects him or her, and the noise of the running water. In a home, this privacy can be maintained by organization among the members of a household. They agree not to violate each other’s privacy in the bathroom. (Douglas 61-67). When the curtain is opened, one is exposed and left vulnerable. Jay Appleton, in the words of Lorenz Konrad, cites a human need “to see without being seen” (Appleton 63). In what Appleton calls “prospect-refuge theory”, the rela-
Private Ritual of the Bathroom
We perform private rituals daily. Private rituals can be a “habitual or routinized behavior that lacks meaningful subjective context” or they can be sacred in that the ritual holds huge meaning for the individual. In our society, bathrooms are the location of numerous private rituals. One of the main rituals in the bathroom is showering. Showering is a part of almost everyone’s daily routine, and those who do not bathe or shower and remain unclean are generally rejected from society or at least reprimanded for their appearance and/or odor. For most, howering is a ritualistic practice, either at the beginning or end of each day, in which we clean ourselves, either to prepare oneself for the day to come or to wash away the dirt, sweat, and oils of the day. Sometimes people shower as part of an emotional process, to wash away transgressions or memories. It is where they can cry under a baptismal downpour or relax in a therapeutic heat. Thus, the privacy of the shower can be sacred. The shower is a place where one prepares oneself for others and the world, and, therefore, showering can be as meaningful and/or functional as one makes it. In addition, the shower for many is also a place of fornication and/or masturbation. These aforementioned actions society generally deems inappropriate for the public realm; however, in one’s own shower, different rules are established according to his/her principles or beliefs. Hence, the shower becomes a personal space for several different private rituals. Furthermore, the shower is a personal space where one is nude, and the shower curtain offers security for a state that, for most, makes one feel extremely vulnerable. In the shower, the goal of the physical environment is privacy, a privacy that can easily be violated because the user’s perception is obscured by the curtain that protects him or her, and the noise of the running water. In a home, this privacy can be maintained by organization among the members of a household. They agree not to violate each other’s privacy in the bathroom. (Douglas 61-67). When the curtain is opened, one is exposed and left vulnerable. Jay Appleton, in the words of Lorenz Konrad, cites a human need “to see without being seen” (Appleton 63). In what Appleton calls “prospect-refuge theory”, the relationship between a person and his or her environment must be one of protection. In essence, people try to be aware of their surroundings and any threats. Most people try to cover themselves in the presence of others. They are trying to reduce their visibility to others. How many people in our society avoid showers at gyms or pools or perform a sort of towel-dance as not to reveal themselves? Public showers violate the sanctity of this most private of spaces. Our installation attempts to transform the fountain into a shower, and, thus, transform the public space of the plaza and fountain into
an immensely private space. This transformation completely alters the perception of the space and makes the viewer consider public and private rituals and their roles in society. After we had set up our installation, an interesting event occurred. A female student with short hair, wearing a knit cap, and dressed androgynously in a dark sweater and blue jeans, approached us and asked what we were doing. We explained our installation project in brief. We do not know her name but she identified herself as a mathematics major pursuing a studio arts minor. She mentioned how she needed to wash her hair and how fortuitous it was that we had shampoo and conditioner available for her to use in the fountain. She asked if she could wash her hair, and we excitedly encouraged her to do so in the temporarily re-functioned fountain. Into the water she went, remaining clothed except for her sneakers, socks, and cap, and successfully washed her hair within the fountain. Besides showering, the bathroom is the scene of other private rituals. Not only do we clean ourselves in the shower, but we also use the sink to clean our hands and face. How many commercials are there for soaps and body washes? Who has heard the expression “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”? It is also accepted that regular washing of the body—also hands, clothes, and bed linens—keeps us healthy. We all value our cleanliness and hygiene. The described incident of the student washing her hair highlights the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in our society. This woman was willing to disrupt her current routine to attend to her hygienic needs; it was an immediate concern. Cleanliness is a necessity in our public society, and the bathroom provides the setting for performing the rituals which maintain our cleanliness. In our installation, we had a bar of soap on the stand beside the shower curtain to allude to this other form of cleaning ourselves. Our installation recognizes the waste that is produced in all of these rituals. We cannot remain clean without the use of other objects; we use cotton swabs to clean our ears, tissue to wipe our noses, floss to clean our teeth, and all of these products are undesirable. The trashcan in our installation was filled with such items which remind us that the process of becoming clean often produces waste. Furthermore, our trashcan has a lid signifying that we are supposed to hide this filth. This part of the private ritual of the bathroom is one that is embarrassing and requires the privacy of the bathroom. We kept our trashcan open to contradict this expectation and reveal more of the private ritual.
Public Ritual of the Plaza The overarching theme of our installation is the relationship between public and private ritual. Public rituals our prevalent at the site of our installation, instigated by the Frick Fine Arts building, the plaza in front of it, the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, and the Cathedral of Learning. Rituals are often times associated with religious experiences. Christians attending church services on a Sunday is a prime example of this. However, what we intended to do with our installation was blur of the line between private ritual and public ritual spaces. If we examine the plaza in its entirety, the idea of it functioning as a ritual space becomes readily apparent. The idea of public spaces taking on ritual purposes is not new. Author Carol Duncan examines this in an article entitled “Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums.” In the article she states, “…in traditional societies, rituals may be quite unspectacular and informal-looking moments of contemplation or recognition.” The site contained in the plaza outside of the Frick Fine Arts building is a fine example of a ritual space, which breaks away from the formalities of your average temple or church. In the “general description” section of this catalog it is recorded that “the memorial is a fountain, which consists of a large bronze statue perched on a pedestal in the center of a large circular basin of water. A wide path surrounds the perimeter of the basin. Two paths originating from the sidewalk along Schenley Drive merge with this circular path in a tangential manner, and two paths exit the circular path to flow up to the Frick Fine Arts building.” It is these paths that define the viewers’ ritual path through the space. Much like a pastor walking down an isle to his or her pulpit, the pathways throughout this space guide and direct the visitor’s attention to the ritual item, in this case the fountain. A ritual space would not be nearly as significant if there was nothing to worship. In our space’s case this item is not a golden cross, but instead it is the bronze statue entitled A Song to Nature, as well as the Cathedral of Learning. Duncan writes, “like other cultures, we, too, build sites that publicly represent beliefs about the order of the world, its past and present, and the individual’s place within it.“ (Duncan, 8) As stated previously, the theme behind A Song to Nature is man’s dominance over and taming of nature. This idea is clearly representative of man’s belief that the order of the world sets our species above all other components of life, including nature. In addition, Duncan also inscribes the idea that those elements found in public ritual spaces reflect upon the thoughts of the greater community. Using museums as her prime focus of public ritual spaces she writes, “To control a museum means precisely to control the representation of a community and its highest values and truths” (Duncan, 8).
Those that followed the “Gospel of Wealth” were certainly keen to portray the power and authority of man, and many of the structures and monuments throughout the Oakland community, including A Song to Nature, are certainly representative of their status, wealth, and cultural ideals. It is not a particular God or religion that we come to worship at the edges of the fountain. Instead, it is culture and man’s prevalence over all other forces. The fountain and surrounding plaza serve as a site at which numerous public rituals occur. Duncan states in her article that spaces at which public rituals occur (in her case museums, in our case the fountain) allow people to “step back from the practical concerns and social relations of everyday life and look at themselves and their world, or some aspect of it, with different thoughts and feelings” (Duncan, 11). In the area of our project, this can be clearly seen. Whether it be the tai chi class that takes place weekly around the space, a college student playing fetch with their dog in the fountain, or a family out for an evening stroll, these people are breaking away from the mundane activities of daily life. Not only is our space an area of public ritual, it also serves as an area of escape. It is a space for individuals to do anything from seeking freedom from the constraints of a hectic urban lifestyle, to pondering where their existence and role is in the universe in which we live.
re-programming culture Static Block Program
Mixed Heterogeneous Program
The program attempts to simultaneously differentiate and integrate the users of the space. A layout of radically differing spaces leaves the program open to the user, he/she determines how a space will be used--some spaces are more allowing of certain activities, but no space excludes an activity. The result is a heterogeneous mixture that responds to the human users.
The heterogeneous program required a hetergeneous architecture. Separate areas of the factory are influenced by separate space. While the open section is aligned to the local building grid, the closed section is aligned to the more global city context. This space is designed using the context lines developed from Quarto Inferiore and neighboring Bologna. In between these two areas is a spiral used to create a mixture.
separate spaces
inciting mixture
Team: Chris Hazel Austin Gehman Yingxue Yu Michael Guttilla Drew Hohenwarter
The Young Architects Competition called for a re-formatting of a former fashion factory in the town, Quarto Inferiore, Italy. The town, lying just outside of Bologna, is expecting to become developed with futbol stadiums with the intent of gaining attraction and use. To accomadate this, the factory is planned to become a cultural space, an architecture that is able to be used equally by the local residents of Quarto Inferiore and tourist from across Italy, Europe, and the World. In response to this, the team attempted to design a hetergeneous, mixed-use space that becomes defined by the people who use it. With this, the space is never the same. It becomes a constantly changing environment controlled by the temporary users.
The design emphasizes the interaction of the people, but influences this interaction through the use of technology. By the user downloading an app on their phone or tablet, he/she is able to affect the area by literally changing the architecture. This interaction between user and space forces others to use the space differently, resulting in a constantly changing environment.
Network of communication between person, technology, and space
Our design creates multiple distinct spaces by introducing three distinct levels of orientation: one with the local building, one with the surrounding areas, and one separated as an ambiguous space. Our major addition to the factory is this ambiguous space located near the center of the existing building, suspended somewhere between the first two floors. The chaotic, curvilinear form is intended as a way of un-orienting the user of the space, creating an area that is simultaneously centered in the architecture and separated from the surrounding environment.
Bologna
Quarto Inferiore
Global Context
Global Context
Ambiguous Space
In using a flexible physical space, people are able to take control of their environment, creating a new level of interaction and usage. With this, people are able to ‘compete’ for space where people work to claim ownership of an area. This creates an informal and constantly shifting hierarchy where everyone has relative power of a space, but no one gains absolute power to the space.
The space is both flexible in form and in use. In rigid spaces, where people are not able to change the space, they are able to be open with their use of the space. This is exemplified in the concert are on the second floor where the architecture is left open and undefined so that people are able to use space appropriately to what is needed. Unlike box typology, the spiral space accommodates all sizes of performance and audience, from solo performers, chamber ensembles and large orchestras. All create equal opportunities by the users.
performer good seating poor seating
Simultaneous to the creation of spaces was the creation of connections. The building was designed to flow so that people could move effortlessly between environments and interaction could occur. Furthering this was the introduction of a technological and flexible space. Not only would the people be able to be different in spaces, the people could, on some level, actually control the space. Through some kind of digital application, a person could have the power to control the shape of space and use that as a way of inciting interaction and culture among all users.
linear access
circular access
juxtaposed access
Flexible Space