A More Perfect Union Plea for free speech and public expression in a commercial landscape
A more perfect union: Plea for free speech and public expression in a commercial landscape
Student: Christopher Perrodin Professor: Derek Hoeferlin T.A. : Ashley Hoolihan Fall 2012
PREMISE Truly public space needs the presence of public life. If it is accepted that daily public life occurs within a commercial landscape--privately owned and controlled spaces--then it follows that a publicly owned space must be inserted within the commercial in order to have a place which allows for free speech and expression among the public, a place which allows for the rule of law governing all citizens. However, spaces for public gathering rely on a richer historical context. Unlike commercial space, which can appear from and return to nowhere, civic space must remain stubbornly fixed in place due to its location within the cultural and historical fabric of its site. Though commercial architecture may change with the desires of a given moment, civic architecture carries the decisions made by its creator until the building’s form and space are considered absolutely unsalvagable. Therefore, the chosen site is located in front of the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. It is at the Old Courthouse that St. Louis citizens chose to be part of the international Occupy protests. It is at the Old Courthouse that the Dread-Scott case was decided. By extension, it is understood on a deeply historical and cultural level as a location for public discussion on how to move forward as a people. The architectural design project will explore how commercial and public spaces can begin to communicate with each in order to form a more perfect union.
TABLE OF CONTENTS DISJOINTED REALITY DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST SEPARATION PUBLIC LIFE (?) CIVIC ARCHITECTURE SITE: KIENER PLAZA SPATIAL CONCEPT
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
car street vs. pedestrian street
DISJOINTED REALITY
car street vs. pedestrian street
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
empty park vs. active park
DISJOINTED REALITY
empty park vs. active park
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
empty plaza vs. active plaza
Real
DISJOINTED REALITY
empty plaza vs. active plaza
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
empty street vs. active street
DISJOINTED REALITY
empty street vs. active street
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
suburban piaza vs. Italian piaza
DISJOINTED REALITY
suburban piaza vs. Italian piaza
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
enclosed galleria vs. open galleria
DISJOINTED REALITY
enclosed galleria vs. open galleria
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
a-contextual vs. contextual
DISJOINTED REALITY
a-contextual vs. contextual
IMAGINARY
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
private security
DISJOINTED REALITY
constant surveillance
REAL
DISJOINTED REALITY
Real REAL
no protest camp allowed
DISJOINTED REALITY
public expression
REAL
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
occupy wall street
Occupy Wall Street was the most significant demonstration of public expression in America since the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War Protest. Where citizens chose to Site their protests and the Effects and Consequences of those spatial decisions reveal a lot about the State of Public Space in America.
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
occupy wall street
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST Though the Civil Rights Movement was met with violent backlash from law enforcement, citizens were able to appeal to the court of law and make illegal such oppression to free speech.
Civil Rights Movement While the Vietnam War Protest faced discrimination and oppression from both the military and law enforcement, most public expression and free speech occurred in publicly owned spaces, thereby allowing citizens to amend laws and establish what is legally allowed in public spaces. Vietnam War Protest Unlike both the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War Protests, Occupy Wall Street was conducted on Privately Owned Public Space. While occupiers were allowed to practice free speech by Zuccotti Park’s owners, they had no legal options to appeal or overturn the will of the private owners of the land.
Occupy Wall Street
free speech in practice
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
occupy movement sites Protest was met with violent opposition from police. Revealed racial and economic unrest still present in California.
Oakland, CA Protest had a low turnout. It was conducted on public space but was separated and screened with trees from public life.
Miami, FL Though conducted on a publicly owned college campus, the protest was noted for the brutality displayed by the law enforcement called to help maintain peace.
Davis, CA
Protest had a low turnout. It was conducted on public space but could not find an effective location in proximity to public life to broadcast its message.
Las Vegas, NV Protest had a low turnout. It was conducted on public space but was separated and more importantly hidden from public life through the design of the sunken plaza in the public space.
St. Louis, MO Protest had a high turnout and reflect the general openness to civic and public activities in Seattle.
Seattle, WA
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST Population distribution of New York City Occupy Wall Street was located in one of the MOST dense areas of the city.
Population Density per square mile Less than 50 per square mile 50-249 250-999 1,000-4,999 5,000 and higher
Location
Zuccotti Park
CAMP TOWN
A desire for PUBLIC EXPRESSION needs the presence of a truly PUBLIC SPACE.
OWS vs. OSTL
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
OWS vs. OSTL Population distribution of St. Louis Occupy St. Louis was located in one of the LEAST dense areas of the city.
Population Density per square mile Less than 50 per square mile 50-249 250-999 1,000-4,999 5,000 and higher
Kiener Plaza
Location
EMPTY TOWN
A desire for PUBLIC EXPRESSION needs the presence of a PUBLIC LIFE.
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST Spatial context of Zuccotti Park
spatial context of OWS Scale: 4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
50’ 100’ 200’
Owned by : Brookfield Prop
privately owned
Retail Stores: 15
15 commercial venues in an area 4x smaller than Kiener Plaza
DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST
spatial context of OSTL Spatial context of Zuccotti Park
Scale: 4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
4'-21 4"
50’ 100’ 200’
Owned by : City of STL
publicly owned
Retail Stores: 12
12 commercial venues in an area 4x larger than Zuccotti Park
SEPARATION
Separation
civic and commercial
How did we get here?
Separation
civic and commercial
A short discussion on the rupture between the civic and commercial Uran 6th century BC
Ciic
Coercia
112 AD
1823
Posturan 1885
1956
1962
SEPARATION Agora
Athen’s Agora
Athens, Greece 6th Century B.C. Population ~290,000
The agora was the original place of public gathering in ancient Greek city-states. While originally used only for athletic, artistic, spiritual and political life, it later became the site for market exchange as well.
agora
SEPARATION
6th century BC Commercial
6th century BC
civic space: defined
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: event days
1956 1962
SEPARATION Forum
Trajan’s Forum
Roman Capitol, Rome 106-112
Population ~1,000,000 200,000 in urban
Trajan’s Forum consists primarily of civic and religious buildings with commercial market space bordering its northeast edge.
forum
SEPARATION
112 AD Commercial
6th century BC
civic space: dominant
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: ancillary
1956 1962
SEPARATION Arcade
Galerie Vivienne
Paris, France 1823
Population ~650,000
Located between the stock exchange and civic buildings, Galerie Vivienne functioned as a clean, interior shopping experience set off from the dirty, exterior street.
arcade
SEPARATION
1823 Commercial
6th century BC
civic space: proximity
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: passage way
1956 1962
SEPARATION Department Store
Marshall Field Store
Chicago, IL USA 1885
Population ~1,099,850
The department store is noted for its close ties to the dry good warehouse. Unlike previous forms of commercial shopping, the department store creates a total, multi leveled, themed, internal experience. Marshall Field Store is most noted for introducing the escalator and the personal shopper service experience.
department store
SEPARATION
1885 Commercial
6th century BC
civic space: absent
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: total
1956 1962
SEPARATION Suburban Shopping Mall
Southdale Center
Edina, MN USA 1956
Population ~30,482
While malls of various types have existed as a spatial condition for quite some time, the suburban shopping mall was constructed in the recently formed suburb of Edina. In a way similar to BigBox, the mall brought the notion of urban, public activity back into the insistently private, quite, enclosed suburban context.
shopping mall
SEPARATION
1956 Commercial
urban space: absent
6th century BC
civic space: absent
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: total
1956 1962
SEPARATION Big-Box Store
Meijer
Grand Rapids, MI, USA 1962
Population ~177,313
It is difficult to know when the Big-Box Store became a personal shopping experience since its architectural form so closely resembles a warehouse. Meijer’s store was constructed in the recently created suburban area of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Devoid of civic space, density, commercial references, crowds, filth, smell, the site was made. Brutally ripping the department store from its context and smashing it into the expansive suburban neighborhoods, BigBox had arrived.
big-box store
SEPARATION
1962 Commercial
urban space: absent
6th century BC
civic space: absent
Civic
112 AD 1823 1885
market space: total
1956 1962
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
public vs. private
CONFLICTED INTERESTS
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. -Preamble to the Constitution
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
public vs. private
Shopping is arguable the last remaining form of public activity. Through a battery of increasinlgy predatory forms, shopping has infiltrated, colonized, and even replaced almost every aspect of urban life. Town centers, suburbs, streets, and now airports, train stations, museums, hospitals, schools, the Internet, and the military are shaped by the mechanisms and spaces of shopping...[making] it one of the principal--if only--modes by which we experience the city. -Rem Koolhaas
PUBLIC LIFE (?) Big Box Retail Store -Enclosed -Destionation center -Single retailer
Indoor Mall -Enclosed -Destination center -Multiple retailers
Commercial Strip -Open air -Walking path -Multiple retailers
daily public life
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
daily information exchange Commercial Strip Action
walking
Information device
window display
Checkout Counter
Action
paying
Information device
news rack
Road Action
driving
Information device
billboard
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
big-box store
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
big-box store
Former context:
urban department store
controlled space: parking lot
commercial space: retail warehouse
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
mall
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
mall
Former context:
urban galleria
controlled space: mall corridor
commercial space: retail stores
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
commercial strip
PUBLIC LIFE (?)
commercial strip
Former context:
city street
controlled space: sidewalk
commercial space: retail stores
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE Unlike commercial space, which can appear from and return to nowhere, civic space must remain stubbornly fixed in place due to its location within the cultural and historical fabric of its site.
Though commercial architecture may change with the desires of a given moment, civic architecture carries the decisions made by its creator until the building’s form and space are considered absolutely unsalvagable.
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE St. Louis, MO 1821 Population ~4,500
Foundation of the court house
St. Louis, MO 1846 Population ~35,390
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Old Courthouse
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
Old Courthouse St. Louis, MO 1950 Population ~880,000
Dense urban context
St. Louis, MO 1965 Population ~622,236
Leveled urban context
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE St. Louis, MO 2000 Population ~348,189
Kiener plaza created as foreground to courthouse
St. Louis, MO 2009 Population ~319,294
HOK proposal for Kiener plaza
Old Courthouse
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
Old Courthouse St. Louis, MO 2011 Population ~318,069
Occupy St. Louis sited at Kiener plaza in front of the old courthouse. Despite low density in the area, protest site considered appropriate due to its historically understood location as a place where major decisions are made. St. Louis, MO 2011 Population ~318,069
Michael van Valkenburgh Associates proposal for the CityArchRiver project
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
CityArchRiver
REAL
Why no Shopping?
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
CityArchRiver
IMAGINARY
CityArchRiver 2015 will make the Arch easier and safer for everyone toexperience by connecting, invigorating and expanding the park’s grounds and museums. Designed by world-renowned landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, CityArchRiver 2015 connects the Gateway Arch grounds with the East and West riverfronts and the region. Through the creation of new spaces for events and public education, expanded museum space, additional park acreage and bicycle trails, children’s play areas, performance venues and a lively, invigorated riverfront, locals and tourists alike will find new opportunities to learn, linger and enjoy one of the world’s most recognized icons.
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
No shops? No density? No speech? Too green! Too quiet!
CityArchRiver
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
CityArchRiver Somewhere these people bought something...
A small admittance of retail’s needed presence on the water front.
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
co-exist
Can the Civic, the Public and the Commercial co-exist?
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
co-exist
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
co-exist
CIVIC ARCHITECTURE
co-exist
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
urban context
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
urban context
urban context
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
SITE: KIENER PLAZA ’
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2
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urban context
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
urban context
SITE: KIENER PLAZA
proposed program
SPATIAL CONCEPT
SPATIAL CONCEPT
early exploration
Public Space
Mediatheque
SPATIAL CONCEPT
Broadcasting
interplay of program
Shopping
SPATIAL CONCEPT
OMA’s proposal for Les Halles provides a framework around which programs can enteract in section. Each program emerges from the ground plane as its tower.
OMA, Les Halles
SPATIAL CONCEPT
OMA, Les Halles
In plan, the ground plane is divided into zones around which each tower exerts a certain influence.
SPATIAL CONCEPT
SANAA’s Rolex Learning Center stands as a strong example of how to blur programs together. Without using partition walls, the building divides the program up by bending both floor and ceiling up or down to create small hills and valleys.
SANAA, Rolex Center
SPATIAL CONCEPT
SANAA, Rolex Ceneter
The holes in the rectangle help to bring natural light into the building. However, someone inside the building cannot access the outside through these punctures.
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“Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall.” Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marshall_Field_ Warehouse_Store.jpg
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marshall_Field_ Warehouse_Store.jpg
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“Interior Garden Court with stairway to upper level in Southdale Regional Shopping Center, the first enclosed shopping mall.” Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life magazine photo archive
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Artist Louis Schultze
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“This is Our St. Louis” by Harry M. Hagen.
Photographer Daniel Schwen
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From the MVVA plans
Photographer Albert Samaha
From the MVVA plans
From the MVVA plans
Courtesy of OMA.
Photographer Michael Barera
Courtesy of OMA.
From the MVVA plans
Courtesy of OMA.
From the MVVA plans
Courtesy of OMA.
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