The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture

The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture An inquiry into the relevance of permanent qualities in current architecture

Cristian Chavez

The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture An inquiry into the relevance of permanent qualities in current architecture

Š2019 by Cristian Chavez All Rights Reserved

A thesis presented to the Undergraduate Faculty of NewSchool of Architecture & Design In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Architecture June 21, 2019 By: Cristian Chavez Approved By:

Leonard Zegarski

Date

Undergraduate Chair

RaĂşl DĂ­az Studio Instructor

Date

For Francisco and Porfirio

Contents I. Introduction 03

A. Line of Inquiry

B. Critical Thinking

C. Thesis Statement II. Reasearch Methods 09

A. Case Studies

B. Program Selection

C. Site

D. Concept Models III. Concept Development 33

A. Concept Selection

B. Codes and Program Sizing

C. Parti IV. Form and Spacial Development 39

A. Site Plan

B. Floor Plans

C. Sections

D. Renders

E. Moving Forward

V. Design Development 47

A. Site Plan

B. Floor Plans

C. Axonometric

D. Sections

E. Interior Sections

F. Visualizations

G. Model VI. Conclusion 57

References 61 Notes 62 Final Boards 64

Aknowledgements Even things that seem unclear at first, if done with the right intention, will eventually become clear.

I have had the good fortune to have the support of my entire family throughout this journey. I would name them all and how each one has helped me, but that would require its own book.

I will, however, name my Father Jorge, my Mother Yesenia, my Sister Leslie, and my Brother Jorge. As they have seen me in every single light, from the excitement of applying to architecture school to the disappointment that came along with the thought of dropping out.

Professionally, I cannot express how much Kenneth Zamora, Susan Jones, and Scott Jones have helped me grow. From those first years studying the fundamentals of architecture at Fresno City College and the experience of my first internship that taught me the hard work, the successes and failures that come with this profession. For that, I have the deepest gratitude.

Long felt the years during my time in Fresno and San Diego leading up to graduation. Now that it is here, I cannot help but feel excited for what is to come.

Introduction

Line of Inquiry

Fig. 1: Previous photograph, interior of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

04

Architecture is generally seen as being permanent, but ephemerality has become a term that is pertinent today when most things are becoming digitized and short lived; where economy and efficiency are measures of success in current architecture. As a result, architecture, is becoming nonpermanent. Ephemeral structures are being used as solutions to architectural problems; ways to test ideas that keep pace with new technology, the needs of the users, and change. Even buildings that exhibit permanent qualities only have a life span of 25 to 50 years, at which point are either torn down or remodeled (O’Connor, 2004). Because of this shift towards impermanence, we are left with buildings that give the impression of permanence but are in reality temporary. Therefore, are permanent qualities in architecture still relevant; do they have a place in a culture that leans towards the ephemeral? In a time when permanence is fading, what are the ways architecture can contain both permanent and ephemeral qualities?

The meaning of architecture derives from the experience of the building. Jorge Luis Borges states the following: The taste of the apple‌ lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself; in a similar way‌ poetry lies in the meeting of the poem and reader, not in the lines of symbols printed on the pages of a book. What is essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion that comes with each reading. (Borges, 1966).

Critical Position

Ephemeral qualities involve sight, smell, touch, and flow through space within architecture. Just like water changes its state of matter from solid, liquid, and gas, so too does architecture need to change.

Permanent qualities ground the experience of the ephemeral and give it materiality and substance. This allows the architecture to create a different experience with each interaction becoming performative rather just a static object in space.

05

Thesis Statement

06

This thesis questions the relevance of permanent qualities in architecture in an increasingly temporary culture. The permanent and the ephemeral are used as methods of investigating how a building that is designed with lasting materials but contains ephemeral qualities can create an experience that is a response to the temporary.

nd Ephemeral in Architecture

eing permanent, t is pertinent today d and short lived; sures of success s becoming being used as to test ideas that eds of the users, and manent qualities only hich point are either 04). Because of left with buildings but are in reality n architecture still re that leans towards nce is fading, what oth permanent and

s from the experience he following: ontact of the fruit in a similar way‌ m and reader, n the pages of a etic act, the thrill, the s with each reading.

2006). mell, touch, and flow ke water changes gas, so too does qualities ground ve it materiality and create a different ing performative

Fig. 2: Lighting and materiality

Fig. 3: Materiality and composition

of permanet qualities ary culture. The as a method of gned with lasting ities can create an poary.

Fig. 4: Visual and structural

07

Research Methods

Sendai Mediatheque Architects: Toyo Ito & Associates Location: Sendai-shi, Japan Type: Library

Case Studies

Built: 2001

The Sendai Mediatheque expresses both permanent and ephemeral qualities through both its program and structure. The building was designed to create space that has the flexibillity to accomodate changing program, as well as a structural system that deals with the duality between solid and void. Both program and structure are present and not present at the same time.

Fig. 5: Previous photograph, exterior of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

10

Fig. 6: Exterior

Fig. 7: Interior

Fig. 8: Section

Fig. 9: Plan

11

Blur Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Location: Swiss Expo, Lake Neuchâtel Type: Installation Built: 2002

Blur is about the visual. The structure, while having scale and materiality, is erased when entered due to the mist being generated.

The experience becomes not about the structure, but about what can be perceived as the structure vanishes in the fog.

12

Fig. 10: Exterior

Fig. 11: Interior

Fig. 12: Section

Fig. 13: Plan

13

Chapel of St. Ignatius Architects: Steven Holl Architects Location: Seattle, Washington Type: Church Built: 1997

The Chapel of St. Ignatius uses color and texture to shape the way light engages with the irregular spaces of the interior. As described

by Steven Holl, “When passing clouds expose the sun, a phenomenal pulse of reflected colors occurs. Chromatic space is alive, like a breathing fluctuation�

14

Fig. 14: Exterior

Fig. 15: Interior

Fig. 16: Section

Fig. 17: Plan

15

The Pantheon Architects: Uknown, built by Hadrian Location: Rome, Italy Type: Church Built: 121 - 137 CE

Constructed out of concrete, the Pantheon’s form, serves the purpose of a mould shaping the space of the interior. The high domed ceiling of the interior has an oculus that opens up the circular plan to the exterior. The lighting coming in from the oculus gives this static structure movement and a connection to time. But most interestingly, during rainfall it seems as if there were a column that physically serves as the connection to the sky. “...When the space is only faintly illuminated, and what little light there is appears to flow in with the rain as it pours through the oculus, forming a light-filled column of water that falls into the centre of the room...”

16

Fig. 18: Exterior

Fig. 19: Interior

Fig. 20: Section

Fig. 21: Plan

17

Site

The selected site is along the shore of the Salton Sea, this is due to the ephemeral qualities of the lake and the temporary qualities found in the structures of the area, specifically the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club by Albert Frey, which was recently remodeled as a community center. It is an appropriate place to test a new structure that is made with lasting materials yet contains ephemeral qualities.

Throughout history the Salton Sea has fluctuated between being a sea and a dry desert basin. It has been used as a United States Navy test base and became a resort area in the 1960’s. In the 1980’s the area was abandoned, and along with all the other buildings, the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club by Albert Frey was closed as well.

18

Vander Veer Rd

ap Gr uit

efr Blv

ss

ce

Ac

d

W Rd

Co na

rvi

Proposed New Structure

Dr

iew

aV

Se Dr

ina

ar

M

Dr

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club

Desert Beach Dr

Salton Sea

Fig. 22: Vicinity Map

19

Fig. 23: Front approach

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club Architects: Albert Frey Location: Mecca, California Type: Community Center Built: 1959

Fig. 24: View of entrance

Fig. 23 - 26

Fig. 25: Detail photograph of nautical windows and metal siding

20

Fig. 26: View of Salton Sea from rear of building

Grapefruit Blvd

Corvina Dr

Sea View Dr

Fig. 1

W Access Rd

Riverside County Fire Dept. Station 41

1 Salton Sea History Museum

Location of New Structure

Marina Dr

Corvina Dr

Sea View Dr

Salton Sea

Marina Dr A

A

1 De

se

rt B

ea

ch

Dr

3

Potential Site Locations

Fig. 27: Location of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club

Fig. 28: Section through site of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club

A-A

21

Program

22

Experiences happen in moments; segments of time. They are either performative or static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either performative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen; the program is derived from the Sendai Mediatheque and the Centre Pompidou. Relationships between the different types of program were established by using sight, materiality, flow, and light as values.

is derived from the Sendai Mediatheque and the Centre Pompidou. Relationships between the different types of program were established by using sight, materiality, flow, and light as values.

Sendai Mediatheque

Centre Pompidou

Performative Exhibition Cinema

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Theatre

Static Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Program

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Ex Th

Rec Program

Sq Ft

Occupancy

Reception

1,500

A

Num. of Occ.

Const. Type

Max Height

Stories

Zoning

50

33,582 sq ft

Type I

50 ft

2

MU, W-1

Performance

3,000

A-1

15

200

Exhibition

2,000

A-3

30 net

66

2,000

A-1

15

133

Cinema

ents ments; segments of time. e or static. The program tify spaces as either o determine where ties will happen.

OLF 30 net

Site Area

Administration Research Library

Sendai Mediatheque 1,500 B 100 gross

Reception

2,000 B 50 net, 100 gross Performative Static 15 net 1,500 A-3 Exhibition Exhibition Gallery Reading Rooms Library Program TotalCinema 13,500 Administration Circ. + Mech.

25% Performance Reception Building Total 16,876 Cafe Research Library Bookstore

Lecture Space

Exhibition G

C

Perfor

Centre Pompidou

15 40

Performative 100 Exhibition Cinema Performance Space Theatre

Research L

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Adminis Lecture

Administration

Flow

Materiality

Performance

Light

Lecture Space

Reception Sight

Lecture Space

R

Research Library

Fig. 29: ProgramExhibition matrix

Cinema

ight

low

ality

Administration

23

Lecture Space Research Library Administration Performance

Reception

Fig. 30: Bubble diagram

24

Exhibition

A speculative approach was taken when looking at the program over time. Permitting the visualization of the expansion and contraction of the program and how certain areas may be static or performative in terms of size and use.

Time Lecture Space

Lecture Space

Performance Space Reception

Reception

Exhibition Gallery

Administration

Administration

Research Library Time Fig. 31: Speculative program fluctuation diagram

25

Perception Changes in materiality, lighting, and organization of form can change the perception of a building. Each piece deals with one of these changes as you move through the space.

Concept Models

Fig. 32: Concept model

26

Fig. 33: Section showing relationships of each part of model

Fig. 34: Section showing interior space of model

27

Relationships Beginning with the analysis of Louis Khan’s The Dominican Mother House, the individual forms create relationships between each other within a defined space; relationships that constantly change.

Fig. 35: Concept model

28

Fig. 36: Section showing how diagonal plane intersects the volume

Fig. 37: Section showing the relationship between the volume and plane without intersection of volumes

29

Permanence Providing a permanent structure allows for the program to develop and fluctuate as needed. It allows for the organic and inorganic shaping of activities within.

Fig. 38: Concept model

30

Fig. 39: Section showing different forms capable of existing within the grid

Fig. 40: Section showing spacial relationships between forms

31

Concept Development

Perception This concept was selected do to its strong tie to time. It reinforced the idea of change not only as you move through the space, but also as the building ages and what that experience might be like.

Concept Selection Fig. 42

Fig. 41: Previous photograph, detail of light entering concept model Fig. 42- 44 Perception concept model

34

Fig. 44

Fig. 43

Program

Sq Ft

Occupancy

OLF

Num. of Occ.

Reception

1,487

A

30 net

50

Performance

2,728

A-1

15

181

Exhibition

2,585

A-3

30 net

86

Administration

1,624

B

100 gross

16

Research Library

2,255

B

50 net, 100 gross

45

Lecture Space

1,990

A-3

15 net

132

Program Total

12,669

Circ. + Mech.

25%

Building Total

15,836

Site Area

Const. Type

Max Height

Stories

Zoning

33,582 sq ft

Type I

50 ft

2

MU, W-1

Fig. 45: Chart of program size, occupancy and zoning

Codes and Program Sizing 49.65’

212.15’

PROPERTY LINE

33, 582 SQ FT MAX BUILDABLE AREA

65.65’

35 3.

67 ’

215.51’

50’ MAX HEIGHT

20’ SETBACK

Fig. 46: Diagram of site constraints

VEGETATION

35

The parti diagram derives its language and organization from the selected concept model. It serves the purpose of an axis to which the program will be aligned to.

Parti

36

Fig. 47: Parti diagram

Fig. 48

Fig. 49

Fig. 50

Fig. 51

Fig. 52

Fig. 53

Fig. 54

Fig. 55

Fig. 56

Fig. 48 - 56: Sketch diagrams of floor plan, form, and section development

37

Form and Spacial Development

ew Dr

B

Vi

Site Plan

a

A

Se

Vander Veer Rd

Site Plan

1

B

2 A

Salton Sea

Fig. 57: Previous photograph, massing model of building

40

Fig. 58: Site plan showing building adjancency and relationship to the Salton Sea

0’

10’

20’

40’

Level 1 1 A Exhibition 1,710 sf

Reception 1,483 sf

Cinema (Above)

Administration (Above)

Level 1 B

B Performance 3,243 sf

2

Research Library (Above)

Lecture (Above)

A

Fig. 59: Level 1 showing columns and the spacial relationships to the site

0’

4’

8’

4116’

Level 2

1 A

Cinema 2,194 sf

Exhibition 1,710 sf

Level 2 Administration 1,821 sf

B

B

2 Research Library 2,499 sf

Lecture 1,870 sf A

Fig. 60: Level 2 showing upper level spaces and deck

42

0’

4’

8’

16’

ection A-A

Fig. 61: Section cut through Performance space and Exhibition space 0’

ection B-B

8’

16’

Sections 0’

8’

16’

ection B-B

Fig. 62: Section cut through Research Library, Deck and Performance space

43 0’

8’

16’

Fig. 63: Front view of building, approach from Vander Veer Rd

Visualizations

1

44

Fig. 64: View looking up towards deck with covered walkway

Moving forward it is important to be self-critical in terms of the development of the project. Reflecting on whether the program fits the line of inquiry, or if the form itself speaks of ephemerality. Both Tom Mulica and Julio Medina, brought these two questions to light. Tom, more specifically, questioned the nature of the structure, discussing how that can become the basis for the ephemeral. In what ways can the structure become the framework in which the ephemeral happens?

Would this reinforce the building and the lake’s ephemeral nature?

What will it look like in 100 years? Julio’s comments questioned the programming and proposed the challenge of developing ways in which the form can become more dynamic and interesting. As it sits, the form does not reflect the performative nature of the programming.

How can that relate to time, sight, materiality and flow?

Moving Forward

As the form, structure, materiality and systems are developed further these questions and comments will become increasingly pertinent.

It is the way in which they are addressed that will determine how successful the project becomes. As it is now, it is only beginning to have a conversation with the site, it is not completely anchored.

Furthermore, the drawings will become essential in creating the feeling of ephemerality and awareness of time. They need to become more than just representations of the building, as Alberto Perez-Gomez asserts in Architectural Representation and the Perspective Hinge, the drawings become the building and the space. That is all there is.

45

Design Development

Site Plan

Fig. 65: Previous photograph, final model of building

48

Fig. 66: Site plan showing new building adjacency and relationship to the Salton Sea

Level 1

Fig. 67: Level 1 showing new column organization and the spacial relationships to the site

49

Level 2

Fig. 68: Level 2 showing new upper level spaces and deck

50

Axonometric

Fig. 69: Axonometric howing Interior of ramp with changes in materiality

51

Fig. 70: Section cut through upper deck and ower ground level

Sections

Fig. 71: Section cut through upper deck showing relationship to the Salton Sea

52

Interior Sections

Fig. 72: Sections through interior of ramp showing changes in height and materiality

53

Fig. 73: Visualization showing present day conditions of building and Salton Sea

Visualizations

Fig. 74: Visualization showing potential future conditions of building and Salton Sea

54

Fig. 75: Front view of final model

Model

Fig. 76: View of deck from Salton Sea

55

Conclusion

Fig. 77: Previous photograph, interior view of model showing lighting condtion

58

The Salton Sea is intriguing. It is eerie, lonely, and is a reminder of what once was. It is filled with relics from the past. It is a place that speaks of the ephemeral and of time.

The architectural design that resulted from this year long inquiry needed to reflect the place to which it is anchored to. It was necessary for the building to come and go just as the body of water that it is adjacent to has done over the centuries; with only its remnants to remain. Its materials, upon sight, would speak of what will remain and what will go. It was to become an object or ruin similar to all the others scattered across this particular desert landscape.

The following questions can serve as vehicles for further research: Alicia Lafferty brought to light questions that referenced scale, not only of the building, but also of the desert landscape and how that could be addressed. She also further questioned the ties of the building to the site, she asked if it could be more than just materiality, orientation, and form. Tom Mulica brought to light the phenomenological aspects of the building. What can be done, besides the life of the materials of the building and the programming, that can express the ephemerality of the building?

Conclusion

This inquiry concludes with a few final thoughts: The relevance of permanent qualities in architecture are relative and tied to a place or culture. This is what determines the nature of what is built, whether it is meant to be remain or be temporary. Even in a culture that constructs more temporary structures, the materials used to construct are what gives the building the feeling of either stasis or ephemerality. However, time and cultural relevance is what ultimately reveals whether something was meant to last.

59

References Goldhagen Williams , Sarah. (2017). Welcome to

your world: How the built environment

shapes our lives. New York: HaperCollins Publishers.

Holl, Steven. (1998). Intertwining. New York:

Princeton Architectural Press.

Holl, Steven. (2000). Parallax. New York: Princeton

Architectural Press.

Holl, Steven. Pallasmaa, Juhani. Perez-Gomez, Alberto.

(2006). Questions of Perception:

Phenomenology of Architecture. Japan: A+U

Publishing Co., Ltd.

McCarter, Robert. Pallasmaa, Juhani. (2012).

Understanding Architecture. New York:

Phaidon Press Inc. O’Connor, Jennifer. (2004). Survey on actual

service lives for North American Buildings.

Presented at Woodframe Housing Durability

and Disaster Issues conference, Las Vegas.

Witte, Ron. (2002). Case: Toyo Ito. Sendai Mediatheque.

New York: Prestel Publishing.

Perez-Gomez, Alberto. (1997). Architectural Representation

and the Perspective Hinge. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Borges, Jorge Luis. (1964). Obra Poetica, Buenos Aires: EmecĂŠ

61

Notes I. Introduction

Figure 15: Interior of Chapel of St. Ignatius. (Digital Image). Retrieved

November 05, 2018. From https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.

com/steven-holl/uploads/projects/project-images/ PaulWarchol_Seattle_142BI03PW_WH.jpg Figure 16: Section of Chapel of St. Ignatius. (Digital Image). Retrieved

November 05, 2018. From http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-

content/uploads/2011/03/1299006827-pp63- seat-sectionplan-wotext-000x914.jpg II. Research Methods Figure 17: Plan of Chapel of St. Ignatius. (Digital Image). Retrieved November Figure 5: Exterior of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. (2018). Photo by

05, 2018. From http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/ Cristian Chavez uploads/2011/03/1299006827-pp63-seat-sectionplan-wotext- Figure 6: Exterior of Sendai Mediatheque. (Digital Image). Retrieved

1000x914. jpg

Novemeber 05, 2018. From https://citygallery.org.nz/ Figure 18: Exterior of the Pantheon. (Digital Image). Retrieved November 05, exhibitions/toyo-ito-blurring-architecture/

2018. From https://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/721/ Figure 7: Interior of Sendai Mediatheque. (Digital Image). Retrieved flashcards/200721/png/pantheon1304702118473.png

November 05, 2018. From http://allarchitecturedesigns.com/ Figure 19: Interior of the Pantheon. (Digital Image). Retrieved November toyo-ito-sendai-mediatheque/

05, 2018. From https://traveldigg.com/pantheon/ Figure 8: Section of Sendai Mediatheque. (Digital Image). Retrieved Figure 20: Section of the Pantheon. (Digital Image). Retrieved November

November 05, 2018. From https://www.archdaily.

05, 2018. From https://www.inexhibit.com/wp-content/

com/118627/ad-classics-sendai-mediatheque-toyo- uploads/2017/09/Pantheon-Rome-transverse-section-2.jpg

ito/5038051c28ba0d599b000966-ad-classics-sendai- Figure 21: Plan of the Pantheon. (Digital Image). Retrieved November 05, mediatheque-toyo-ito-image

2018. From http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/abc- Figure 9: Plan of Sendai Mediatheque. (Digital Image). Retrieved structures-2005/Lectures-2005/lecture-7/pantheon-3_files/

November 05, 2018. From https://kmckitrick.files.wordpress. pantheon-plan.jpg com/2010/09/8-seventh-floor.jpg Figure 22: Vicnity Map of North Shore. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 10: Exterior of Blur. (Digital Image). Retrieved November 05, 2018.

Figure 23: Front Approach of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. (2019).

From https://spatialinteractions.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/2.

Photo by Cristian Chavez jpg FIgure 24: View of Entrance of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club.

Figure 11: Interior of Blur. (Digital Image).Retrieved November 05, 2018. From

(2019). Photo by Cristian Chavez https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP Figure 25: Detail Photograph of Nautical Windows and Metal Siding of the IQSkRsxA63AqKXW58R3tTAHaFj&pid=Api&rs=1&p=0

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. (2019). Photo by Figure 12: Section of Blur. (Digital Image). Retrieved November

Cristian Chavez

05, 2018. From https://www.domusweb.it/ Figure 26: View of Salton Sea from Rear of North Shore Beach and Yacht content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/05/31/ Club. (2019). Photo by Cristian Chavez past-forward/big_385126_8331_04-web_Blur_sections_900px.

Figure 27: Location of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. (2018). jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 13: Plan of Blur. (Digital Image). Retrieved November 05, 2018. From Figure 28: Section through site of the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/55f1/9b9f/99e9/

(2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez bae7/7600/0034/medium_jpg/blur-drawing-siteplan-cloud.

Figure 29: Program Matrix. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez jpg?1441897315 Figure 30: Bubble Diagram. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 14: Exterior of Chapel of St. Ignatius. (Digital Image). Retrieved Figure 31: Speculative Program Fluctuation Diagram. (2019). Illustration by

November 05, 2018. From https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.

Cristian Chavez

com/steven-holl/uploads/projects/project-images/ Figure 32: Perception Concept Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez PaulWarchol_Seattle_142BE04PW_WH.jpg Figure 33: Section Showing Relationships of Each Part of Perception Model.

(2018). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 1: Interior of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. (2018). Photo by

Cristian Chavez Figure 2: Lighting and Materiality. (2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 3: Materiality and Composition. (2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 4: Visual and Structural. (2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez

62

Figure 34: Section Showing Interior Space of Perception Model. (2018).

Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 35: Relationships Concept Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 36: Section Showing How Diagonal Plane Intersects the

Volume of Relationships Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 37: Section Showing the Relationship Between the Volume and Plane

Without Intersection of Volumes in Relationships Model. (2018).

Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 38: Permanence Concept Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 39: Section Showing Different Forms Capable of Existing Within the

Grid of Permanence Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 40: Section Showing Spacial Relationships Between Forms of

Perception Model. (2018). Model by Cristian Chavez

III. Concept Development

Figure 41: Detail of Light Entering Concept Model. (2018). Photo by Cristian Chavez Figure 42: View of Perception Concept Model. (2018). Photo by Cristian Chavez Figure 43: View of Perception Concept Model. (2018). Photo by Cristian Chavez Figure 44: View of Perception Concept Model. (2018). Photo by Cristian Chavez Figure 45: Chart of Program Size, Occupancy, and Zoning. (2019). Illustration

by Cristian Chavez Figure 46: Diagram of Site Constraints. (2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 47: Parti Diagram. (2018). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 48: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 49: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 50: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 51: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 52: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 53: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 54: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 55: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 56: Sketch Diagram of Floor Plan, Form, and Development. (2018).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez

IV. Form and Spacial Development

Figure 57: Massing Model of Building. (2019). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 58: Site Plan Showing Building Adjacency and Relationship to the

Salton Sea. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 59: Level 1 Showing Columns and the Spacial Relationships to the Site.

(2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 60: Level 2 Showing Upper Level Spaces and Deck. (2019). Illustration

by Cristian Chavez Figure 61: Section Cut Through Performance Space and Exhibition Space.

(2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 62: Section Cut Through Research Library, Deck, and Performance

Space. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 63: Front View of Building, Approach From Vander Veer Rd. (2019).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez.

Figure 64: View Looking Up Towards Deck with Covered Walkway. (2019).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez.

V. Design Development

Figure 65: Final Model of Building. (2019). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 66: Site Plan Showing New Building Adjacency and Relationship to the

Salton Sea. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 67: Level 1 Showing New Column Organization and the Spacial

Relationships to the Site. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 68: Level 2 Showing New Upper Level Spaces and Deck. (2019).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 69: Axonometric Showing Interior of Ramp with Changes in Materiality.

(2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 70: Section Cut Through Upper Deck and Lower Ground Level. (2019).

Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 71: Section Cut Through Upper Deck Showing Relationship to the Salton

Sea. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 72: Sections through Interior of Ramp Showing Changes in Height and

Materiality. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 73: Visualization Showing Present Day Conditions of Building and

Salton Sea. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 74: Visualization Showing Potential Future Conditions of Building and

Salton Sea. (2019). Illustration by Cristian Chavez Figure 75: Front View of Final Model. (2019). Model by Cristian Chavez Figure 76: View of Deck From Salton Sea

VI. Conclusion

Figure 77: Interior Photograph of Model Showing Lighting Condition. (2019).

Model by Cristian Chavez

63

AR501 Case Studies

The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture Cristian Chavez Instructor: Raul Diaz NSA+D AR501 Fall 2018

Line of Inquiry Architecture is generally seen as being permanent, but ephemerality has become a term that is pertinent today when most things are becoming digitized and short lived; where economy and efficiency are measures of success in architecture. As a result, architecture, is becoming nonpermanent. Ephemeral structures are being used as solutions to architectural problems; ways to test ideas that keep pace with new technology, the needs of the users and change. Even buildings that are meant to be around longer have a life span of 25 to 50 years, at which point are either torn down or remodeled (O’Connor, 2004). Because of this shift towards impermanence we are left with buildings that only give the impression of permanence. So, are permanent qualities in architecture still relevant; do they have a place in a culture that leans towards the ephemeral? In a time when permanence is fading, what are the ways architecture can contain both permanent and ephemeral qualities?

Sendai Mediatheque

Blur

Architects: Toyo Ito & Associates Location: Sendai-shi, Japan Type: Library Built: 2001

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Location: Swiss Expo, Lake Neuchâtel Type: Installation Built: 2002

The Sendai Mediatheque expresses both permanent and ephemeral qualities thrugh both its program and structure. The building was designed to create space that has the flexibillity to accomodate changing program, and the primary structure (columns) are both solids and voids.

Both program and structure are present and not present at the same time.

Blur is about the visual. The structure, while having scale and materiality, is erased when entered due to the mist being generated. The experience becomes not about the structure, but about what can be perceived as the structure vanishes in the fog.

Chapel of St. Ignatius

The Pantheon

Architects: Steven Holl Architects Location: Seattle, Washington Type: Church Built: 1997

Architects: Uknown, built by Hadrian Location: Rome, Italy Type: Church Built: 121 - 137 CE

The Chapel of St. Ignatius uses color and texture to shape the way light engages with the irregular spaces of the interior.

“When passing clouds expose the sun, a phenomenal pulse of reflected colors occurs. Chromatic space is alive, like a breathing fluctuation”

Constructed out of concrete, the Pantheon’s form, serves the purpose of a mould shaping the space of the interior.

The high domed ceiling of the interior has an oculus that opens up the circular plan to the exterior. The lighting coming in from the oculus gives this static structure movement and a connection to time.

But most interestingly, during rainfall it seems as if there were a column that physically serves as the connection to the sky. “...When the space is only faintly illuminated, and what little light there is appears to flow in with the rain as it pours through the oculus, forming a lightfilled column of water that falls into the centre of the room...”

Critical Thinking The meaning of architecture derives from the experience of the building. Jorge Luis Borges states the following: The taste of the apple… lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself; in a similar way… poetry lies in the meeting of thepoem and reader, not in the lines of symbols printed on the pages of a book. What is essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion that comes with each reading.

(Holl, Pallasmaa, & Perez-Gomez, 2006).

Ephemeral qualities involve sight, smell, touch, and flow through space within architecture. Just like water changes its state of matter from solid, liquid, and gas, so too does architecture need to change. Permanent qualities ground the experience of the ephemeral and give it materiality and substance. This allows the architecture to create a different experience with each interaction becoming performative rather just a static object in space.

Thesis Statement This thesis questions the relevance of permanet qualities in architecture in an increasingly temporary culture. The permanent and the ephemeral are used as a method of investigating how a building that is designed with lasting materials yet containing ephemeral qualities can create an experience that is a response to an increasingly temporary culture.

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Va Rd Ve er

Performance

Salton Sea History Museum

Riverside County Fire Dept. Station 41

Cinema

Corvina Dr

Lecture Space

Reception

Exhibition Gallery

Rivers Fire D

Sea View Dr

Reception

Throughtout history the Salton Sea has fluctuated between being a lake and a dry desert basin. It has been used as a United States Navy test base and became a resort area in the 1960s. In the 1980s the area was abandoned and along with all the other buildings, the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, today the site of the now closed Salton Sea History Museum, fell into disrepair.

What does the future look like for an area that has a drying body of water and is composed of buildings that were never inteded to last?

er

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Space Theatre

nd

Static Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Va

Performative Exhibition Cinema

Architects: Albert Frey Location: Mecca, California Type: Museum Built: 1959

Centre Pompidou

Sendai Mediatheque

Moments Experiences happen in moments; segments of time.

They are either performative or static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either perfomative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen.

nd

er

Ve er

Rd

Salton Sea History Museum

Program

Marin

Salton Sea History Museum

1

Administration

Cinema

Marina Dr

Salton Sea

W Access Rd

Lecture Space

Grapefruit Blvd

Lecture Space

Corvina Dr

Time

Sea View Dr

1

Des

Corvina Dr

Riverside County Fire Dept. Station 41

Light

Flow

Sight

Materiality

Administration

Sea View Dr

Lecture Space

Grapefruit Blvd

Va

nd

er

Research Library

Exhibition

Research Library

W Access Rd

Ve

er

Fig. 1

Corvina Dr

Rd

Sea View Dr

Salton Sea

Performance

er

tB

ea

ch

Dr

2

Marina Dr A

Salton Sea

Marina Dr

A

1

Corvina Dr

Performance Space

Sea View Dr

Salton Sea History Museum

Des

er

tB

ea

ch

Dr

2

Reception

Reception

Reception Marina Dr

1

Exhibition Gallery

Exhibition Gallery

A

1

3

Administration

Corvina Dr

Sea View Dr

Cinema

Cinema

er

ea

ch

Dr

3

Administration Lecture Space

A

1

tB

Research Library

Marina Dr A

Potential Site Locations

Des

Performance Space

2

Administration

Research Library

A

Potential Site Locations A-A

Time

ECF Art Center 3

Architects: John Parkinson Location: Los Angeles, California Type: Fire Station Built: 1904

Potential Site Locations

Engine House No. 18 operated as a fire station until 1968. It was closed until 2013 when it re-opned as an art center. It is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The site is urban and is surrounded with buildings built around the same period. This comments on the adaptability of buildings constructed with lasting materials and their adaptability.

A-A Santa Monica Fwy

Santa Monica Fwy

Hobart Blvd

S Western Ave

Santa Monica Fwy

Fig. 1

S Western Ave

Hobart Blvd

S Western Ave

Hobart Blvd

W Adams Blvd

2

A

A

1

A W Adams Blvd

Hobart Blvd

W Adams Blvd

Potential Site Locations

ECF Art Center S Harvard Blvd

1

S Western Ave

Potential Site Locations

Hobart Blvd

S Western Ave

1

1

Hobart Blvd

1

A

A

1

A

W Adams Blvd

2

S Western Ave

Hobart Blvd

S Western Ave

W Adams Blvd

2

W Adams Blvd

Potential Site Locations

S Harvard Blvd

A-A

64

A-A

S Harvard Blvd

Hobart Blvd

ECF Art Center S Western Ave

Hobart Blvd

S Western Ave

ECF Art Center

AR502 Case Studies

The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture Line of Inquiry

Critical Position

Thesis Statement

Architecture is generally seen as being permanent, but ephemerality has become a term that is pertinent today when most things are becoming digitized and short lived; where economy and efficiency are measures of success in current architecture. As a result, architecture, is becoming nonpermanent. Ephemeral structures are being used as solutions to architectural problems; ways to test ideas that keep pace with new technology, the needs of the users, and change. Even buildings that exhibit permanent qualities only have a life span of 25 to 50 years, at which point are either torn down or remodeled (O’Connor, 2004). Because of this shift towards impermanence, we are left with buildings that give the impression of permanence but are in reality temporary. Therefore, are permanent qualities in architecture still relevant; do they have a place in a culture that leans towards the ephemeral? In a time when permanence is fading, what are the ways architecture can contain both permanent and ephemeral qualities?

The meaning of architecture derives from the experience of the building. Jorge Luis Borges states the following:

This thesis questions the relevance of permanent qualities in architecture in an increasingly temporary culture. The permanent and the ephemeral are used as methods of investigating how a building that is designed with lasting materials but contains ephemeral qualities can create an experience that is a response to the temporary.

The taste of the apple… lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself; in a similar way… poetry lies in the meeting of the poem and reader, not in the lines of symbols printed on the pages of a book. What is essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion that comes with each reading.

(Borges, 1966).

Ephemeral qualities involve sight, smell, touch, and flow through space within architecture.

Just like water changes its state of matter from solid, liquid, and gas, so too does architecture need to change. Permanent qualities ground the experience of the ephemeral and give it materiality and substance. This allows the architecture to create a different experience with each interaction becoming performative rather just a static object in space.

Lighting and materiality

Materiality and composition

Sendai Mediatheque

Blur

Architects: Toyo Ito & Associates Location: Sendai-shi, Japan Type: Library

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Location: Swiss Expo, Lake Neuchâtel Type: Installation

Built: 2001

Built: 2002

The Sendai Mediatheque expresses both permanent and ephemeral qualities through both its program and structure.

The building was designed to create space that has the flexibillity to accomodate changing program, as well as a structural system that deals with the duality between solid and void. Both program and structure are present and not present at the same time.

Blur is about the visual. The structure, while having scale and materiality, is erased when entered due to the mist being generated. The experience becomes not about the structure, but about what can be perceived as the structure vanishes in the fog.

Chapel of St. Ignatius

The Pantheon

Architects: Steven Holl Architects Location: Seattle, Washington Type: Church

Architects: Uknown, built by Hadrian Location: Rome, Italy Type: Church

Built: 1997

Built: 121 - 137 CE

The Chapel of St. Ignatius uses color and texture to shape the way light engages with the irregular spaces of the interior.

As deescribed by Steven Holl, “When passing clouds expose the sun, a phenomenal pulse of reflected colors occurs.

Chromatic space is alive, like a breathing fluctuation”

Constructed out of concrete, the Pantheon’s form, serves the purpose of a mould shaping the space of the interior. The high domed ceiling of the interior has an oculus that opens up the circular plan to the exterior.

The lighting coming in from the oculus gives this static structure movement and a connection to time. But most interestingly, during rainfall it seems as if there were a column that physically serves as the connection to the sky. “...When the space is only faintly illuminated, and what little light there is appears to flow in with the rain as it pours through the oculus, forming a light-filled column of water that falls into the centre of the room...”

Visual and structural

Cristian Chavez Instructor: Raúl Díaz NSA+D AR501 Winter 2018

Site Selection

Program

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Theatre

Program

Reception

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Performative Exhibition Cinema

Sendai Mediatheque

Moments Experiences happen in moments; segments of time.

TheyExhibition are either performative Galleryor static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either perfomative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen.

Performative Exhibition Cinema

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Space Theatre

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club - Albert Frey

A-3

30 net

2,000

A-1

15

Cinema

Lecture Space

Research Library

Exhibition

Research Library

Time

Light

Flow

Sight

Materiality

Light

Flow

Sight

Materiality

Lecture Space

Lecture Space

Salton Sea History Museum

Performance Space Reception

Reception

Cinema

Dr

Reception

arin

M

Time Lecture Space

Performance Space

Performance

r

aD

iew

Administration

Lecture Space

Reception

Cinema

aV

Lecture Space

Lecture Space

Reception Exhibition Gallery

Administration Proposed

New Structure

Administration

Se

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

r

16,876

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Space Theatre

aD

25%

Building Total

40

100

rvin

Circ. + Mech.

Performance

Centre Pompidou

15

50 net, 100 gross Static 15 net Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Co

B

A-3

Performance

66 133

Sendai Mediatheque 1,500 B 100 gross

2,000 Performative 1,500 Exhibition Cinema 13,500

Program Total

Lecture Space

Reception

Administration

s Rd

2,000

Cinema

Lecture Space

Cinema

Research Library

Exhibition

Research Library

Exhibition Gallery

es

MU, W-1

Acc

2

d

Zoning

50 ft

W

Stories

Type I

Blv

Max Height

33,582 sq ft

200

ruit

Const. Type

50

15

pef

Site Area

30 net

Administration

Lecture Space Performance

Gra

Num. of Occ.

A A-1

Research Library

Static Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Performance

OLF

1,500 3,000

Exhibition

Moments Experiences happen in moments; segments of time.

They are either performative or static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either perfomative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen.

Performative Exhibition Cinema Performance Space Theatre

Static Reception Public Reading Library Research Library Administration Museum

Reception Occupancy

Reception Performance

Sq Ft

Static Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Centre Pompidou

Static Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Cinema

Centre Pompidou

Vander Veer Rd

Centre Pompidou

Performative Exhibition Cinema

Static Reading Rooms Library Administration Reception Cafe Bookstore

Sendai Mediatheque

Moments Experiences happen in moments; segments of time.

They are either performative or static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either perfomative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen.

Sendai Mediatheque

Program

Program

The selected site is along the shore of the Salton Sea, this is due to the ephemeral qualities of the lake and the temporary qualities found in the structures of the area, specifically the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club by Albert Frey, which was recently remodeled as a community center. It is an appropriate place to test a new structure that is made with lasting materials yet contains ephemeral qualities.

Overall Site Plan

Program

Experiences happen in moments; segments of time. They are either performative or static. The program analysis begins to identify spaces as either performative or static to determine where the ephemeral qualities will happen; the program is derived from the Sendai Mediatheque and the Centre Pompidou. Relationships between the different types of program were established by using sight, materiality, flow, and light as values.

Reception

Reception

Reception

Exhibition Gallery

Exhibition Gallery

Performance

Administration

Cinema

Cinema

A speculative approach Administration was taken when looking at the program over time. Permitting the visualization of the expansion and contraction of the program and how certain areas may be static or performative in terms of size and use.

Light

Flow

Sight

Administration Materiality

Cinema Performance Space

Administration Lecture Space

Research Library

Lecture Space

Time

Administration

Research Library Salton Sea

Administration Lecture Space

Research Library

0’

100’ 200’

400’

Time

Time Lecture Space

Desert Beach Dr

Performance Space Research Library

Administration

Administration

Exhibition Gallery

Cinema

Exhibition Gallery Cinema

Research Library

Exhibition

Research Library

Lecture Space

Site Plan

Level 1

Performance Space

1 A

Reception

Reception

Reception

Exhibition 1,710 sf

Exhibition Gallery

Exhibition Gallery Vander Veer Rd

a

Performance Space

w Vie Dr

Administration

Cinema Se

Cinema

Research Library

Administration

Reception 1,483 sf

Cinema (Above)

Administration Lecture Space

Research Library A

1

Time Administration (Above)

B B

B

B

Performance 3,243 sf

2 2 A Research Library (Above)

Lecture (Above)

A

Salton Sea

0’

10’

20’

40’

0’

4’

8’

16’

65

AR502 continued Section A-A

Level 2

1 A

Cinema 2,194 sf

Exhibition 1,710 sf

0’

8’

16’

32’

0’

8’

16’

32’

Section B-B

Administration 1,821 sf

B

B

2 Research Library 2,499 sf

Lecture 1,870 sf A

0’

4’

8’

16’

1

66

2

AR503 The Permanent and Ephemeral in Architecture Line of Inquiry

Critical Position

Thesis Statement

Architecture is generally seen as being permanent, but ephemerality has become a term that is pertinent today when most things are becoming digitized and short lived; where economy and efficiency are measures of success in current architecture. As a result, architecture, is becoming nonpermanent. Ephemeral structures are being used as solutions to architectural problems; ways to test ideas that keep pace with new technology, the needs of the users, and change. Even buildings that exhibit permanent qualities only have a life span of 25 to 50 years, at which point are either torn down or remodeled (O’Connor, 2004). Because of this shift towards impermanence, we are left with buildings that give the impression of permanence but are in reality temporary. Therefore, are permanent qualities in architecture still relevant; do they have a place in a culture that leans towards the ephemeral? In a time when permanence is fading, what are the ways architecture can contain both permanent and ephemeral qualities?

The meaning of architecture derives from the experience of the building. Jorge Luis Borges states the following:

This thesis questions the relevance of permanent qualities in architecture in an increasingly temporary culture. The permanent and the ephemeral are used as methods of investigating how a building that is designed with lasting materials but contains ephemeral qualities can create an experience that is a response to the temporary.

Lighting and materiality

The taste of the apple… lies in the contact of the fruit with the palate, not in the fruit itself; in a similar way… poetry lies in the meeting of the poem and reader, not in the lines of symbols printed on the pages of a book. What is essential is the aesthetic act, the thrill, the almost physical emotion that comes with each reading.

(Borges, 1966).

Ephemeral qualities involve sight, smell, touch, and flow through space within architecture.

Just like water changes its state of matter from solid, liquid, and gas, so too does architecture need to change. Permanent qualities ground the experience of the ephemeral and give it materiality and substance. This allows the architecture to create a different experience with each interaction becoming performative rather just a static object in space.

Materiality and composition

Visual and structural

Cristian Chavez Instructor: Raúl Díaz NSA+D AR503 Spring 2019

Case Studies Sendai Mediatheque

Blur

Architects: Toyo Ito & Associates Location: Sendai-shi, Japan Type: Library

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Location: Swiss Expo, Lake Neuchâtel Type: Installation

Built: 2001

Built: 2002

The Sendai Mediatheque expresses both permanent and ephemeral qualities through both its program and structure.

The building was designed to create space that has the flexibillity to accomodate changing program, as well as a structural system that deals with the duality between solid and void. Both program and structure are present and not present at the same time.

Blur is about the visual. The structure, while having scale and materiality, is erased when entered due to the mist being generated. The experience becomes not about the structure, but about what can be perceived as the structure vanishes in the fog.

Chapel of St. Ignatius

The Pantheon

Architects: Steven Holl Architects Location: Seattle, Washington Type: Church

Architects: Uknown, built by Hadrian Location: Rome, Italy Type: Church

Built: 1997

Built: 121 - 137 CE

The Chapel of St. Ignatius uses color and texture to shape the way light engages with the irregular spaces of the interior.

As deescribed by Steven Holl, “When passing clouds expose the sun, a phenomenal pulse of reflected colors occurs.

Chromatic space is alive, like a breathing fluctuation”

Constructed out of concrete, the Pantheon’s form, serves the purpose of a mould shaping the space of the interior. The high domed ceiling of the interior has an oculus that opens up the circular plan to the exterior.

The lighting coming in from the oculus gives this static structure movement and a connection to time. But most interestingly, during rainfall it seems as if there were a column that physically serves as the connection to the sky. “...When the space is only faintly illuminated, and what little light there is appears to flow in with the rain as it pours through the oculus, forming a light-filled column of water that falls into the centre of the room...”

Site Selection The selected site is along the shore of the Salton Sea, this is due to the ephemeral qualities of the lake and the temporary qualities found in the structures of the area, specifically the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club by Albert Frey, which was recently remodeled as a community center. It is an appropriate place to test a new structure that is made with lasting materials yet contains ephemeral qualities.

Vander Veer Rd

Overall Site Plan

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club - Albert Frey

s Rd

es Acc

lvd

W

B ruit pef

Gra

Co aD

rvin

Proposed New Structure

r

aV

Se r

iew

aD

Dr

arin

M

North Shore Beach and Yacht Club

Desert Beach Dr

Salton Sea

0’

100’ 200’

400’

67

AR503 continued

68