Fragmentation
02
Fragmentation 01_Perception 02_Formation 03_Reaction
01_Perception - Organizing Space - Visualizing Space - Vision Case Studies - Linear Landscapes [Pt. 01]
Interpretation of sensations and perception allow us to make sense of the world. Perception can be obscured, blurred, and cut through, leaving us with a fragmented idea of what our world actually is. This section explores the spatial implications of what we can see, can’t see, and think we see.
Organizing Space Oil Painting
Interpretation of space can be easily understood through the medium of paint. The fluidity, vibrancy, and forgiving nature of the material make it ideal for organizing and creating space. The differing transparencies of each color allow for greater depth on the 2-D plane. The layers of paint, each with varying opacities and textures, expand the capabilities of the medium as a way to understand vision. Thick layers of opaque color cover transparent washes. Forms overlap and intersect one another. There is a third dimension to the 2-D plane.
06
07
Visualizing Space
Literal & Phenomenal Transparency
08
This solid/void exercise explored different digital methods to understand complex geometry. The literal transparency of the section (left) allowed for a further understanding of the form and its abstract context. By using digital rendering techniques and further manipulation, the work reflects an understanding of phenomenal vs. literal transparency. The organization of layers of color, gradient, line, hatch, and scale figure are superimposed upon one another so that there is nothing is left to the imagination.
09
The following drawings are a study of Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass House. The house is an investigation of perception. What is “inside” versus “outside” is blurred by the transparency of the glass, which creates a framework for looking. The section shows the constant back and forth between “inside” and “outside” as you move through the house. The line between the natural and built environment is blurred. Two perspective drawings highlight the views created by the glass and shows how the house is embedded in its environment.
Vision Case Studies
The Glass House | Lina Bo Bardi
10
11
12
13
Vision Case Studies
Gehry Residence | Frank Gehry
While Bo Bardi’s house focuses on creating views, Gehry tries to hide them. By wrapping new forms, highlighted in red (drawings) and white (model), Gehry is able to obscure our view of the original structure. This, however, has a similar effect to Bo Bardi’s house in that it blurs what is “inside” and what is “outside”. By deconstructing the original house and wrapping new materials around it, Gehry blurs the line between what it old vs. new and interior vs. exterior.
14
In collaboration with Camy Trinh Contributions: Drawings: First Floor Plan, Interior portion of Unrolled Section, Model: Northwest, Northeast facades, Base, Roof
15
Linear Landscapes [Pt. 01] Translating Form Studies
16
Linear Towns | Reeds Gap, PA | 40.39521, -77.664409
Analysis of given satellite image of Reeds Gap, Pennsylvania, titled Linear Towns, revealed the intricate system of farmland, roads, and other infrastructure that were carved out of the dense forest. Roads create a direct linear system of movement through the thick forest and pockets of farmland. The voids of farmland are carved out of the solid forest and the roads connect the voids together. The forest and built environment are in constant tension The change with the passage of time and push back and forth, almost like a breathing organism. The vertical sections to the right begin to manifest this idea. A circular form shifts and changes as it moves through the model, just like the shifting landscapes.
17
18
The stacked model finds connections between the different carved spaces. The heaviness of the model represents the denseness of the forest from which these spaces are carved. The geographic bridges between spaces are key to understanding how the linear towns are used. Portions of the model shift and slide against one another to represent the changing forms of the system. These movements are tracked through the shifting forms of the horizontal sections to the right.
19
02_Formation - Linear Landscapes [Pt. 2] - Library Alley - River Pathway
Formation is a reaction to our perceived view of the world. It is designed to change our interpretation of space, to improve upon its context, and sensationally impact the user.
Linear Landscapes Pt. 2 Virtual Site
Using the previous satellite image of the Linear Towns as inspiration (page 16), this proposal within a virtual site acts as “an enclosure for the public�. Traces the Linear Town topography became the contours for each arch. The arches are a way to connect and divide space. They allow visual access between above and below ground spaces and are a physical barrier between them. The cast shadows from the arches further break down the space. The walkway connects two different elevations that were otherwise inaccessible. It also, however, functions as the ceiling for the lower space and is therefore a barrier between those two programs.
22
Linear Towns | Reeds Gap, PA | 40.39521, -77.664409
The program functions as a multi-purpose meeting space. The amphitheater-style steps/seating allow this program to be built into the space. Additionally, some of the seating is hidden in the curves of the arches so that these spaces become more closed off. This creates a more private environment within a larger open space.
24
Library Alley
Contextualizing Site and Culture
Located at an infill site on the edge of University and city property, this library proposal connects the different identities of its inhabitants through an extension of the alleyway system. The site is on axis with two important landmarks, the Bell Tower and State Theater. The library becomes a frame to create views of these symbolic monuments, as well as create new pathways to access them.
26
Site Model and Plan in collaboration with UG1 Studio Section Contributions: Site Plan (Above)
27
A
The alleyway system extends adjacent to and through the library so that it connects State St. (the city) and S. Thayer St. (the university). This breaks down barriers between these two institutions on the ground level. The spirit of the alleyway is replicated on each floor of the library as the circulation relies on moving from one end of the library to the other. This type of alley needs to be accessible and inviting. The northern glass facade the overlooks the alley to increase visibility from the library into the alleyway. The floor plans also follow this rule of visibility by having double and triple height spaces, catwalks, etc. that allow visual access to all floors from multiple vantage points. The offset stairwell and elevator system are open from below so that circulation is always visually accessible.
28
29
30
31
Glass is utilized in two different ways; (1) to frame views of the immediate context of the site, and (2) to provide literal and metaphorical transparency between users. The library is a public building, so many people of different identities (students, citizens, families, professors, etc.) will be using the space. Additionally, the users all hold multiple identities, so the glass is used as a way to mesh those identities together. The library connects the immediate context of the site’s alleyways with the cultural context by creating transparency between the University students and occupants of the city through the medium of a library.
32
33
34
My library connects the immediate context of the city’s alleyways with the larger cultural context in Ann Arbor by creating transparency between the university students and city residents.
35
River Pathway
Walking Above, Across, and Around a Hill
As a way of understanding the relationship between site and experience, a path was generated from the top of a hill leading down to the banks of the Huron River. A series of texture studies provided a greater understanding of the site conditions. Certain areas closer to the river were more susceptible to water retention, creating a soft, swampy ground condition. In order to avoid walking through this type of ground condition, the initial path followed the ridges of topography, which allowing access to the highest points of the landscape.
36
37
38
From this, I developed the pathway experience developed into reaching the high to low points in of topography to create a variety of spatial experiences. The advantage of following the ridge of a hill is the ability to clearly see the environment. The switchbacks move up and down and alter orientation to frame views of the forest. The rest stops, on the other hand, become a moment of clarity. They set up a framework to direct the user towards the water, giving them a taste of their final destination. The pathway becomes a space for reflection on where you came from and anticipation of where you will go.
39
03_Reaction - Architectural Identity - The Interval of Territory
Formation creates; Reaction deconstructs. Reaction fragments the parts and pieces that allow architecture to happen. It is user-oriented. By looking at how users perceive and occupy space, we can break the wicked problem. This section explores design solutions that are not buildings. They work with space to improve the context in which architecture can thrive.
LISBON
Architectural Identity Lisbon, Portugal
BelĂŠm Tower
To Atlantic Ocean
42
Ruins a Archae Museum of
MAAT: Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology
The following is an excerpt from a spring travel course across the Iberian Peninsula. Joiners from popular destinations in Lisbon, Portugal, are used to show how architecture can impact Lisbon’s tourist market and revitalize its waterfront.
N, PORTUGAL
and the eolgical Carmo
Castelo de Sao Jorge Elevador de Santa Justa
Praça do Comércio
Rio Tejo
Rossio Sqaure
43
Belem Tower Belem Tower, which guards the river entrance into the city, plays an important role in waterfront interaction. In this scene, waves move back and forth over the stone steps. People sit on the steps, admiring the tower in front of them while others playfully wade down the steps. This physical interaction with the water is something that the city is trying to embrace. Here, people can visit Belem Tower to learn about the city’s history, swim in the water, and enjoy the music festival happening on the grass and in the white tents in the background. It represents what Lisbon wants for the rest of its waterfront.
Praca do Comercio The square along the river that was the center of Portuguese trade. The joiner shows how people use the galleries and the square. People walked at a leisurely pace in the galleries, which were occupied with a local art market. One man with a suitcase utilized the shelter of the gallery to get out of the crowd. The square, on the other hand, had more of a variety of activity. Lots of people stopped to take in the view or find directions, while others walked briskly down the street. The square was once known as the center of the Portuguese economy but that economy has shifted from trade to tourism. 44
Ruins and Archaeological Museum of Carmo The ruined monument serves as a reminder of the Great Earthquake of 1755, which left most of the city in ruins. The joiner looks at how people, and tourists, in particular, engage with the monument and its history. A group of young people sit and lean against the worn down walls. Many people walk right past the building without giving it a second glance. The woman in the striped shirt stands at the center, pausing to look around but never at the building itself. This joiner shows how easily people can overlook monumental architecture in a city that is being overrun by tourism.
45
Architectural Identity Rome, Italy
The beauty of the ancient ruined monuments found around seemingly every corner of Rome is one of the things that draws so many tourists to the city every year. The popularity of this city among tourists has, however, had an unsettling effect on the city. Using photography as a frame to only reveal certain moments in the city become a way to hide the infectious swarm on tourists from view. This preserves the monuments and hides the reality of their context.
46
47
48
A wall of tourists scrambles for selfies in front of the Trevi Fountain. People casually sit on top of carefully displayed columns and beams at the Colosseum, then pose for more photos in front of the Spanish Steps. This mass of people masks the history they are desperately trying to view. Like the ruins, themselves, the city becomes fragmented, leaving only small portions visible. Fragments traced from Piranesi’s Campo Marzio plan of Rome are aggregated so that they float across their plane. They are lost without their context. The density of Campo Marzio is omitted from the digital drawing to reflect the city as it is now. Contemporary Rome is constantly on display, but not in focus. Perception of monuments, streets, buildings, and people are fragmented, like the bits on ancient bricks scattered throughout the city.
49
The Interval of Territory
Real Property’s Prompt for Architecture
50
Oberdick Fellow: Gabriel CuĂŠllar In collaboration with: Athar Mufreh, Reed Miller, Victoria See, Jordan Voogt, Karun Chughasrani, Edward Falkowski, Jacob Pyles, and Mick Kennedy Contributions: Usufruct Network Proposal, collaborative construction of ten plaster models
The Interval of Territory
Real property, commonly referred to as “land,” is one of the foremost infrastructures responsible for the performance of the environment. While significantly legal in character, real property is equally spatial. Although it cannot be observed with the naked eye, its governance is manifold. Real property, a wholly describable set of features and practices, is institutionalized to the degree that architects rarely distinguish its rule. Real property performs on and imbricates a multitude of matters, but its organizational reach extends primarily vis-á-vis intervals of land. Through discrete and interminable “parcelization”, surfaces, volumes, and temporalities of earthly material are mobilized to expedite social relations of human societies. These intervals ultimately predispose the environment and situate how resources are conceived and classified. The global patchwork of parcels has arguably determined some of the basic categories of architecture. Consider the client, site, and envelope. Without a commissioning landowner, for whom would an architect work? Without a guaranteed plot of land, where would architecture situate itself? If there were no property lines, where would architecture stop? Indeed, what would architecture be without these categories, in great part originating in the real property medium?
Interests—the system of rights that activates land—can be documented, analyzed, and designed as a way to access power structures that govern architecture. Having spatial, material, temporal, and relational characteristics, the interest pertains to all forms of real property and is therefore a means through which to speculate on new architectural and legal configurations, and potentially alter land’s underlying politics. Owing to the multitude of actors playing by the same, accepted ruleset of land interests, vast legal-spatial geographies are available for revision and amendment. The exhibition presents a salvaged 19th-century floor joist and ten physical models of paradigmatic property cases. A ten-minute film charts out five design approaches that seek to contend with our land boundedness. These address carbon economies, the geography of migrant workers, gerrymandering, housing, and property taxation.
Gabriel Cuéllar, RA 2018–2019 Oberdick Fellow In collaboration with Athar Mufreh, Reed Miller, Victoria See, Clare Coburn, Jordan Voogt, Karun Chughasrani, Edward Falkowski, Jacob Pyles, and Mick Kennedy
20190320_panels_20x30.indd 3
I worked as a research assistant to Oberdick Fellow Gabriel Cuéllar to reconfigure of property interests to address the underlying politics of the land. My proposal addresses the geography of migrant workers, a group of people that are vital to the economy but suffer from the current political, temporal, and spatial climate in which they work.
3/22/19 8:31 AM
a.
b.
d.
c.
e.
The proposal gives new land interests to a network of migrant workers in order to improve their harsh living and working conditions. Like the migrant workers, land interests also travel across time and space. While the project itself is not about building, it uses architectural thinking to solve spatial problems.
Interests are the legal concerns, shares, rights, and general stakes that one can have in relation to land. They exist in all classes of property and legally bind entities to spaces and resources. As the system of rights that activates the medium of land, the design of interests can be a way to access power structures that govern architecture. Proposals based on these approaches have been developed in an accompanying film.
a. Create Interests
b. Articulate Interests
The creation of a class of interest generates a new geography of values and uses superimposed onto existing legal landscapes. Such geographies may serve to exploit the four-dimensionality of property or implicate appurtenant resources, such as building materials, biomass, or ecosystem services, in the real property regime.
The articulation of interests involves the rescripting of property by subdivision or legal-social requalifications. Within any given parcel, interests can be spatially and temporally reorganized without altering property boundaries. Existing parcels can be diversified with new non-possessory and concurrent interests: easements, usufructs, or new parties/owners.
c. Fragment Interests
d. Consolidate Interests
e. Property Technologies
Fragmentation of property involves a geographic or legal scattering of interests. This complicates possession and the extraction of economic rent, due to the contingency involved in managing non-contiguous portions of a parcel. This protocol, historically employed to steer socio-spatial practices, has the potential to proliferate access to land interests.
Consolidation of property involves the physical aggregation of separate parcels or interests therein. This protocol can serve as a form of insurance or strategic legal exemption, because resource pools buffer external regulatory, environmental, and financial factors. Cooperative behavior, however, has higher management costs.
Technologies of property are external disruptions that cause the variables of the land regime to change. They may be legal, economic, or architectural. They may not directly impact property law itself, but, due to their disposition, reconfigure the dynamics of property transactions and the costs and values associated with possession and use.
20190320_panels_20x30.indd 2
3/22/19 8:31 AM
The typical American urban parcel measures 20’x100’. This dimension originates in 19th century standard lumber. The largest commercially available member—a 3”x12” Douglas Fir floor joist—was capable of spanning 20 feet under commercial loads. Used pervasively in urban building construction, this joist inaugurated the standard open-span interval for property in the United States.
Span of 3”x12” joist
100’-0” typical parcel
3”x12” joists 16” o.c.
20’-0” Typical parcel
Posters by Gabriel Cuéllar and Athar Mufreh 20190320_panels_20x30.indd 1
3/22/19 8:31 AM
52
Ten plaster models of precedent property studies were cast (in collaboration with Jordan Voogt) in order to define the five proposal categories: - Create Interest - Articulate Interest - Fragment Interest - Consolidate Interest - Property Technology These studies became the basis for our property innovations, providing a foundation for different ways property can expand, break down, intersect, etc. to create new types of social spaces.
53
Geography of Migrant Workers: Usufruct Network “Every year, Michigan receives around 60,000 migrant workers during the important labor-intensive harvesting season. While some are sponsored by the H-2A via program, most farmhands journey from the South and find employment informally. Many migrants face precarious working conditions, but farms, too are adversely affected. The availability of farmhands varies significantly year to year, and global and local market conditions have made smallscale farming increasingly challenging. These circumstances present an opportunity to reconsider agricultural labor and rural property. Since the 1970’s, farmers have taken on more acreage to stay afloat, but adjacent land is rarely available. Working between disparate parcels, farmhands are relatively isolated and farmers commute significant distances. In association with the National Farmers Union, farmers and farmhands can cooperate in a network with mutual benefits. Each farmer in a local area dedicated 10% of their respective lands for usufructuary use by migrant workers during the harvest. This temporary and partial land interest enables migrants to cultivate fields of their own or use the land for other purposes. The network also allows farmers to pool their resources and provide housing for the migrants. Farmers benefit, because these rights may encourage a more annually consistent availability of farmhands. When the harvest ends, a grouping of farms in the South hosts the farmhands for another season. Through new property interests, migrant workers help reconsolidate distributed farmland at the regional extent.� *Excerpts from Film
54
Flim by Gabriel CuĂŠllar
55
Thank You
Willeke Portfolio