Syntax, Indeterminacy and Urban Form
David Mc Nabb School of Architecture Master of Architecture, 2011
Acknowledgments
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Abstract
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Image References
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Thesis Structure
Contents
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Introduction
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Chapter 1- Desire for Order
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Chapter 2 -Urban Pattern: Order/ Disorder
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Chapter 3- Mapping the City: Exposing the Urban Invisibles
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- Experiment One: Extended Geometries - Identification of Site Chapter 4- Indeterminacy: The Role of “The Accident.”
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- Experiment Two: Predominant Orientation - Experiment Three: Fiction/Reality - Experiment Four: Order/ Disorder
Chapter 5- Dundee: Proposed Urban Space
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Conclusion
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Bibliography List of References Appendix A: Urban Morphology – an Analysis of a Fictional Urbanism: Dundee. B: Further Experiments
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to a number of people for their help and support during the production of this thesis, in particular, my tutors Graeme Hutton and Lorens Holm, without whose continuing support and encouragement, this thesis would not have been completed. I would also like to thank the members of my group who were particularly helpful at different stages. I especially wish to thank my family for all their support over the years.
David Mc Nabb April 2011
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Abstract
This Master’s thesis and integrated design project proposes a new process for designing public space in the city. It explores urban pattern and questions conventional urban design strategies. This study will investigate the Waterfront Masterplan, proposed for the City of Dundee and will outline the City Council’s effort to impose an ordered urban structure onto the irregular pattern of the existing city. With reference to urban, architectural and philosophical theory, this thesis challenges the employment of order and recommends an approach which exposes and engages with the geometric complexities of the city. Syntactical drawings will reveal the latent city geometries and inform a new urban design model. This investigation is intended to be indicative rather than definitive and it can be used as a foundation for future research.
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The methodology employed in this research comprises seven elements: 1. I explored the Dundee City Council and Dundee’s Partnership, Single Outcome Agreement 2009-2012, as a means of developing a programme for the urban proposal.
Methodology
2. A series of city montages were carried out as an exploration into the urban pattern of Dundee. This exercise was completed by the Urban Architecture Studio Group, University of Dundee. 3. I developed a cartographic technique and undertook a series of syntactical drawings in order to expose the latent geometries in the city. 4. Numerous urban designs, architectural methodologies and theories from other disciplines were explored. 5. I identified and regularly visited the site within the city and tested different approaches on how syntactical drawings could inform the design. 6. Superimposition was used as a design tool for assessing the potential of the site. 7. Drawings, Models and Computer Visualisations have been used extensively throughout this research. 8. This Paper is accompanied by an integrated design project proposed for the City of Dundee. v
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Illustration References
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Figure 1.1 Figure ground of the existing city of Dundee, 2011 highlighting p. X Image produced by author. Figure 1.2a Waterfront Apartments, Dundee. p. 3 Source: http://www.tspc.co.uk/details.asp?id=99085. Figure 1.2b Student Housing University of Dundee Campus. P.3 Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/magdalengreen/4065117247/in/pool -28116875@N00 Figure 1.3 Figure Ground of Dundee City Council’s Waterfront Proposal superimposed onto the existing city. p.4 Image produced by author. Figure 1.4 Figure Ground showing the 1793 coastline superimposed onto the present city.p.5 Image produced by author. Figure 1.5 Figure Ground showing the 1893 docks superimposed onto the present city. p.5 Image produced by author. Figure 1.6 Plan of Parc de la Vilette, Paris, Bernard Tschumi. 1982-1998.P.6 Courtesy of http://www.tschumi.com/projects/3/. Figure 1.7 Figure Ground of Dundee City Council’s Proposed Urban Blocks for the city Waterfont. p.7 Image produced by author.
Figure 2.1 Figure Ground of the San Francisco grid superimposed onto the Waterfront of Dundee.p. 9 Image produced by Urban Architecture Studio, University of Dundee. Figure 2.2 Figure Ground of the Rome superimposed onto the Waterfront of Dundee. p. 10Image produced by Urban Architecture Studio, University of Dundee. Figure 2.2 Extract showing Grafting. Source: Derrida, J. 1974. Glas. (English Translation). University of Nebraska Press. p. 8. On p. 10 Figure 3.1 Mental Map of Boston. Source: Kevin Lynch, 1960 The Image of the City. Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 146. On p. 12 Figure 3.2 ‘Desityscape’ Map of London, Richard Saul Wurman. Source: Amoroso, N. 2010, The Exposed City, Mapping the Urban Invisibles. Oxon: Routledge. p.122. On p. 12
Figure 3.3 City Mapping Rules Diagram showing Line A having priority over Line B. p. 13Image produced by author. Figure 3.4 Synatical Map of Dundee City, exposing the latent Geometries. p. 14Image produced by author.
Figure 3.5 Line A and Line B Graft according to the Rules. p.15 Image produced by author.
Figure 3. 6 Figure ground illustrated the potential for connecting the West and East of city. p.16 Image produced by author.
Figure 4.3 Plan of the Wexner Arts Centre, Ohio State University.1989.Peter Eiseman. p. 20 Source: http://web.dcp.ufl.edu/maze/pub/arch_humanity/3.1%20Architect s/20th%20C%20Deconstruction/Eisenman/
Figure 3.5 Figure 3.5 Map exposing the colliding Geometries within the Marketgait area, Dundee.p. 15 Image produced by author.
Figure 4.4 Colour Coding of building line which lay on a similar orientation.p. 21 Image produced by author.
Figure 3.7 Map exposing the colliding Geometries within the Marketgait area of Dundee. p. 17 Image produced by author.
Figure 4.5 Extraction process which identified all the building line on a same orientation. p. 21 Image produced by author.
Figure 3.8 Proposed Extension to Overgate Shopping Centre. p. 18. Courtesy of Reiach and Hall Architects.
Figure 4.6 Colour coding of the North-West/ South East Building Lines.p. 22 Image produced by author.
Figure 3.9 Aerial view illustrating how an East and West connection could be developed. p. 18 Image produced by Bing Maps and author.
Figure 4.1 Indeterminate Space from Experiment Four. p. 19 Image produced by author. Figure 4.2 Overlayed Grids diagram of the Wexner Centre, p. 20 Source: http://www.krisselstudio.com/000-docs/2research/Eisenman.pdf
Figure 4.7 A Specific analysis of the North-West/ South East Building Lines.p. 23 Image produced by author. Figure 4.8 Montage of Predominate Orientation onto Marketgait Site.p.24 Image produced by author. Figure 4. 9 Paper Model showing folded terrain generated from the extracted Lines.p. 24 Image produced by author. Figure 5.1 IBA Housing Complex, Berlin 1981, Peter Eisenman. p. 25 Source: http://www.krisselstudio.com/000-docs/2research/Eisenman.pdf
Figure 5. 2 Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Frederick Law Olmsted. p.25 Source: http://wn.com/Emerald_Necklace.
Figure 5.3 Diagram illustrating manipulated terrain and the repositioning of infrastructure. p. 26 Image produced by author. Figure 5.4 Sketch illustrating potential over ground and subterranean connections, with infrastructure remaining as existing.p.26.Image produced by author. Figure 5.5 Montage showing potential folding surfaces. p. 2.7. Image produced by author.
Figure 5.6 Montage showing produced by author. p. 27
a
continuous
Montage sexploring Figure 5.7 infrastructure.p. 27 Image produced
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public space by author.
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Figure 5.9 Exploded Axonometric of Geometries with the site. p. 28 Image produced by author. Box,
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Figure 6.3 Exploded Axonometric diagram of proposed Music Centre. p.29 Image produced by author. Figure 6.4 Extractions of irregular forms, Marketgait, Dundee. p. 30 Image produced by author. Figure 6.5 Plans showing fragmented p.30.Image produced by author.
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Figure 6.6 Plans showing extracted figurations, Marketgait, Dundee. p.31 Image produced by author. Figure 6.7 Representations of possible forms, produced using Sketchup 7.p. 31. Image produced by author. Figure 6.8 Paper Models illustrating folding ground plane. p. 31. Image produced by author. Figure 6.9 Paper Models illustrating hybrid of landscape and built form. p. 32 Figure 7.1 Proposed Urban Model. Roof Plan. p. 34.Image produced by author.
Figure 5.8 Colour coding Extraction process of each orientation. p. 28. Image produced by author.
Figure 6.1 Concept Sketch of the Swiss Sound Zumthor. p.29 Source: http://designspiration.net/image/2975/
Figure 6.2 Concept diagram for proposed Music Centre. Image produced by author. p.29
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Figure 7.2 Proposed Urban Model. Level +1 Plan p. 35 Image produced by author. Figure 7.3 Proposed Urban Model. Level 0 Plan p. 36 Image produced by author. Figure 7.4 Proposed Urban Model. Level -1 Plan p. 37. Image produced by author.
Figure 7.5 Proposed Sections. p. 38 Image produced by author. Figure 7.6 Proposed Sections. p. 39 Image produced by author.
Figure 8.7 Internal Visualisation of Gallery Space. p. 45 Image produced by author.
Figure 7.7 Concept Sketch showing potential for a connection under the road. p. 39 Image produced by author.
Figure 8.8 Indentification of Site Two. p.46 Image produced by author.
Figure 7.8 Indentification of Site One. p.40 Image produced by author. Figure 7.9 Vignette plan of propose Public Meeting Chamber and Gallery. p. 40 Image produced by author. Figure 8.1 Brick Elevation of the new Dundee City Council Offices, Reiach nd Hall Architects.p. 41 Source:
http://www.reiachandhall.co.uk/project/civic/dundcivic_01.htm Figure 8.2 Model showing the extraction of form. p. 42 Image produced by author. Figure 8.3 Proposed Section of Public Meeting Chamber. p. 42. Image produced by author. Figure 8.4 The Universita Luigi Bocconi, Milan, by Grafton Architects. p. 43 Source: http://www.graftonarchitects.ie/work/projects/project.php?res ource_id=225&image_id=633 Figure 8.5 Internal Visualisation of Public Meeting Chamber and Ramp. p. 43 Image produced by author. Figure 8.6 Internal Visualisation of Public Meeting Chamber and Ramp. p. 45 Image produced by author.
Figure 8.9 Vignette plan of propose Columbarium. p. 46 Image produced by author. Figure 9.1 Photograph of a modelled Subterranean space.p. 47 Image produced by author. Figure 9.2 Koshino House and Extention, Tadao Ando. p. 48 Source: http://thearchitectstake.com/interviews/zackdevitoarchitecture-designers-master-builders-part-2/ Figure 9.3 Brick House, London. Caruso St. John Architects. P.48 Source: http://www.carusostjohn.com/projects/brick-house/
Figure 9.4 Proposed Section through Columbarium. P.49 Image produced by author.
Figure 9.5 ‘Siteline Vienna’, by Lebbeus Woods. P.49 Source: http://lebbeuswoods.net/ Figure 9.6 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium Entrance. P.49. Image produced by author.
Figure 9.7 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium, The circular resting area is currently being reconfigured as it does not adhere to the city Geometries. p. 50 Image produced by author. Figure 9.8 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium, Image produced by author.
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Figure 9.9 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium, p. 51.Image produced by author. Figure 10.1 Identification of Site Three. p. 52 Image produced by author. Figure 10. 2 Vignette plan of propose Music Hub. P. 52 Image produced by author. Figure 10. 3 Diagram illustrating Significant Buildings. p. 53. Image produced by author. Figure 10.4 CarrÊ d’Art, Nimes. Foster + Partners. 1984-1993. p. 54 Source: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0344/Default.aspx Figure 10. 5 Wexner Center for the Arts. Ohio State University. Peter Eisenman. p. 54 1989. Source: http://blog.miragestudio7.com/petereisenman/1328/ Figure 10.6 Proposed Section for Music Hub. p. 55 Image produced by author.
Figure 10.7 Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle. 2001-2007. Weiss/Manfredi Architects. p. 56 Source: http://www.detail.de/rw_6_Plus_Galerie_En_HoleFoto_1409_Vollb ild.htm Figure 10.8 External Visualisation of Proposaed Music Hub. p.57. Image produced by author.
Figure 10.9 External Visualisation of Proposaed Music Hub. p.57. Image produced by author.
Figure 11.1 Internal Visualisation of proposed Music Hub. p. 57. Image produced by author. Figure 11.2 Internal Visualisation of proposed Music Hub. p. 57. Image produced by author.
This study will be include the following chapters, Chapter One presents an exploration of Dundee City Council Masterplan Proposal and its relationship to the existing city. It will focus particularly on urban pattern and form. An examination into Order and Disorder will also be undertaken.
Thesis Structure
Chapter Two consists of a group investigation into urban pattern, structure and form with reference to architectural and philosophical theory. It will present a number of city montages and explore how methods such as Grafting can be employed. Chapter Three delivers an introduction to cartographic techniques and illustrates how city mapping can be used as a tool for designing. It will investigate numerous methods which aim to uncover latent information about the city. A number of idiosyncratic drawings will also be presented, analysed and evaluated. Chapter Four presents a chronological journey of the experiments completed throughout this process. Each stage will be supported with relevant theory and evaluated. Chapter Five concentrates on the design proposition for the city with an explanation and evaluation of the final design strategy. It will be represented through a number of drawings, models and computer generated images. This thesis concludes with a critical evaluation and recommendations for future research. ix
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Introduction
“Why have cities not, long since, been identified, understood and treated as problems of organized complexity? If the people concerned with the life sciences were able to identify their difficult problems as problems of organized complexity, why have people professionally concerned with cities not identified the kind of problems they had?” (Jacobs, 1961, p. 434). The Dundee City Council and the Dundee Partnership seek to create “a vibrant and attractive city with an excellent quality of life where people choose to live, learn, work and visit.” (Guild, Swinney, 2009, p. 2) This Single Outcome Agreement 2009-2012, strongly emphasises their aims to connect communities throughout the city and further advance Cultural, Educational and Economic Development. Dundee is currently undergoing major construction work in an attempt to regenerate the city. The City Council’s Masterplan proposals seek to develop a stronger connection between the city and the Waterfront. With developments such as the new V&A Museum, the cultural scene in Dundee is rapidly expanding. The city boasts two Universities and a number of significant cultural hotspots such as The Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, The Rep Theatre and the recently restored Mc Manus Galleries. It has a thriving live music scene and there is an ever growing performing
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arts relationship between the University of Dundee and The Rep Theatre. The proposed Masterplan for the Waterfront will deliver additional cultural and commercial facilities for the city, however, this urban model raises a number of concerns regarding its relationship to the existing urban pattern of the city.
Figure 1.2a Waterfront Apartments, Dundee.
This thesis and integrated design project challenges the employment of an ordered structure and presents a new urban design model which uses the city’s complex characteristics as a generator for public space and urban form. Syntactical drawings will uncover these geometric complexities and highlight fractured areas of the city where continuity and connectivity have been distorted. The drawings will adhere to a strict set of rules and will provide a framework for a design proposal in a fractured area of the city. With the exception of the new V&A Museum and the recently completed City Council Offices, modern developments in Dundee appear to be extremely orthodox in relation to aspects such as form and materiality. The city presents a plethora of buildings with zinc clad mono-pitched roofs, white rendered external walls punctured by symmetrical windows. In many cases segments of timber or copper cladding has been utilised, as shown in Figure 1.2a 1.2b. I propose an architectural language that challenges these mundane developments which both exist and are proposed for the city.
Figure 1.2b Student Halls. University of Dundee Campus, Dundee.
The purpose of this investigation is to remove predetermined ideas from the early stage of the design process and produce a new urban typology which provides a unique experience for the users of the city. This research will test how syntactical drawings can be used as a design tool in the production of indeterminate public space and urban form.
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Figure 1.3 Figure Ground of Dundee City Council’s Waterfront Proposal superimposed onto the existing city.
Chapter One Urban Pattern: Desire for Order
Figure 1.4 Figure Ground showing the 1793 coastline superimposed onto the present city.
Figure 1.5 Figure Ground showing the 1893 docks superimposed onto the present city.
“Planning and design still seek to impose a simplistic order on situations which defy our proper understanding and which we can only perceive as disordered.” (Batty, 1994, p.7). Professor Michael Batty, University College London, suggests that we are conditioned with a desire for order and when we encounter disorder, we seek to fix it. Throughout history, Euclidian Geometry has been employed as a planning device for shaping cities, as Kostof’s (1991), The City Shaped, clearly demonstrates. The gridiron pattern is one of the most significant models for imposing order as it, “recommends itself as a standard scheme for disparate sites, or as a means for the equal distribution of land or the easy parcelling and selling of real estate.” (Kostof, 1991, p.95). The Waterfront Proposal, as shown in Figure1.3 is an exemplar of where this gridiron model has been imposed onto the irregular urban pattern of Dundee. It is worthy of noting that Dundee is not a planned city, as it was not “set down at one moment, its pattern determined once and for all by some overseeing authority.” (Kostof, 1991, p.43). Over time, the city has experienced significant alterations to its urban pattern and terrain which has resulted in a hybrid pattern of conflicting geometries, as evident in Figure 1.4, 1.5 Therefore, the City Council’s
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employment of the grid fails to represent the geometric complexities of the existing city’s pattern, as it seeks to introduce clarity and uniformity. In comparison to Dundee City Council’s Proposal, Bernard Tschumi’s, Parc de la Villette Project in Paris, “had a specific aim: to prove that it was possible to construct a complex architectural organization without resorting to traditional rules of composition, hierarchy or order.” (Tschumi, 1994, p.198).
This Project is of particular relevance to the Waterfront as it shows an alternative philosophy for placing ordered structures into an irregular city pattern. Figure 1.6 illustrates how a series of objects, which Tschumi refers to as ‘Follies’, have been positioned across an equal grid. Although this may appear to contradict Tschumi’s aim of rejecting order, he uses them as a device for exposing the disorder within the urban pattern of Paris and not “as a reflection of the order of the world.” (Tschumi, 1994, p. 176). In an effort to accomplish his aim Tschumi applied Derrida’s philosophical theory of Deconstruction to his architecture despite Derrida’s challenge,
“But how could an architect be interested in deconstruction? After all, deconstruction is anti-form, anti- hierarchy, anti- structure, the opposite of all that architecture stands for.” (Derrida cited by Tschumi, 1994, p. 250).
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Figure 1.6 Parc de la Vilette, Paris. Bernard Tschumi, 1982-1998.
It may be argued that Dundee Council’s Proposal also uses juxtaposition as a device for highlighting the irregularities within the city. One may propose that the gridiron urban blocks could be playing a similar role as the ‘Follies’. However, the Council states that the proposed model is an, “extension of the city centre’s built form down to the waterfront.” (Dundee City Council, 2001, p.4). This extension of the built form may be viewed as a contextual response to the existing fabric, however, the architectural language of the proposed urban blocks raise concern regarding issues such as Scale, Form, Solid and Void.
Figure 1.7 Figure Ground of Dundee City Council’s Proposed Urban Blocks for the city Waterfont.
The existing city centre consists of large urban blocks with narrow lanes and wynds leading from the North end of the city to the Waterfront, as shown in Figure1.5 In direct contrast to this, the proposed Masterplan presents an urban block orientated on the East-West axis, with a large central void. It is important to note that the narrow lanes were traditionally used for trading and transporting goods from the historical docks although their function has now changed. The formal language of the proposed blocks fails to address the intricacies of the existing blocks. Therefore, this proposal fails to present an “extension of the city centre’s built form.” (Dundee City Council, 2001, p.4). The clearly defined open green space which appears to mirror the City Square and the proposed “East/ West tree lined boulevards” (Dundee City Council, 2001, p.4) also sits in direct contrast to the city’s urban language. This proposed plan appears very ordered within itself, however, when viewed alongside the existing urban pattern it presents an overall disordered urban grain.
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Our desire to impose order is not only expressed in urban situations. Manolopoulou describes how we fill our lives with habits, which make us feel comfortable. We carry out daily routines such as, wakening up at the same time every day and going to work. As humans we seek order whether it is security, cleanliness, good manners, health or divine proportions. We repeat the same actions over and over. “We go down a staircase without thinking and guided by habit, for instance, because we have memories of doing this many times before.” (Manolopoulou, 2007, p. 64). She explains that it is this order and habit which protects us from disorder. “Through protecting ourselves in this way, we are menaced by a sense of repetition and boredom. An accident can then act as an antidote to this vicious circle to disrupt our routines with novelty.” (Manolopoulou, 2007, p.64). This research will seek to break habit and aim to create spaces and form through, ‘The Accident.’
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Chapter Two Urban Morphologies: Order/ Disorder
“If there is to be a “new urbanism” it will not be based on the twin fantasies of order and omnipotence; it will be the staging of uncertainty; it will no longer be concerned with the arrangement of more or less permanent objects but with the irrigation of territories with potential” (Koolhaas, Mau, 1995, p. 969) A group investigation into the urban pattern of Dundee, delivered a number of city montages. The study involved extracting segments of urban pattern from a range of cities and superimposing them onto the Waterfront of Dundee. This hypothetical process allows one to explore issues such as Scale, Form, Solid and Void, prior to imposing a predetermined design. It enables a comparative study, through which, distinctions can be identified between both urban patterns. The group’s findings have been compiled and represented in Appendix A, entitled, Urban Morphology – an Analysis of a Fictional Urbanism: Dundee.
Figure 2.1 Figure Ground of the San Francisco grid superimposed onto the Waterfront of Dundee.
Figure 2.1 illustrates the diagonal shift which occurs in the city’s grids at Market Street, San Francisco. This askew grid is superimposed on to Dundee and clearly emphasises a juxtaposition of the ordered urban blocks to the existing urban pattern. It illustrates how a public space, similar to Market Street, could 9
be used to knit both urban fabrics together. On the other hand, Figure 2.2 illustrates how a portion of Rome leaks into the existing pattern of Dundee, creating ambiguity between both urban grains. It is evident from this montage that both cities have very similar characteristics. As one views the montage, each pattern is faintly revealed, however, both grains appear to merge into one. This montage in particular, emphasises the similarities which appear between both cities, in terms of scale and form. This process is evocative of Derrida’s Grafting technique expounded in his book, Glas, (1974), presented in Figure 2.3 Grafting is a method employed by Derrida, whereby he “binds two discourses side by side on the same page.” (Culler, 1983, p. 136). Both discourses interrelate and there is a continuous intertwining discussion between both columns. It allows for direct comparison and citation between both pieces of text. “One effect of this graft is to produce a chiasmus.” (Culler, 1983, p. 136). This woven discussion allows two subjects to eventually grow into each other and become one. This is apparent in the Rome montage. This grafting technique will be explored further, as a device for merging the conflicting geometries of Dundee. In order to expose these geometric complexities and the latent structure of the city, a mapping technique is required to record and illustrate this information.
Figure 2.2 Figure Ground of Rome superimposed onto the Waterfront of Dundee.
Figure 2.3 Extract from Derrida’s book, Glas.
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Chapter Three Mapping the City: ‘Exposing the Urban Invisibles’
“The most exciting new characteristic of the new maps are statistics through time, the visualization of changing complex data that allow one to see the things they’ve always seen but never seen and certainly with an ease of visual representation.” (Wurman, 2010, p. Viii). We live in an age where we can access graphical representations of the city from a handheld electronic device. Never before has this information been so accessible. Computer Software, such as, Google Earth allows one to virtually walk the city streets, calculate journey distances and access historical maps with ease. Maps provide information such as, routes, paths and boundaries. They act as orientating devices that allow us to pinpoint locations and travel the world. However, Nadia Amoroso, in her book, The Exposed City, Mapping the Urban Invisibles, presents cartographical techniques which provide more in-depth representations of the city which are “invisible to the human eye.” (Amoroso, 2010, p. i). Cartographic techniques, whether it be the 18th Century Nolli Plan, which exposes the internal workings of enclosed public spaces or Lynch’s “mental image of the city” (Lynch, 1960 p.2) have altered the way in which we view the city. Lynch’s method is particularly interesting as it presents maps of Boston, Los Angeles and Jersey City. He recruited “subjects who were mainly middle-class professionals (planners, engineers, architects) and the general public who were familiar with the environment.” (Amoroso, 2010, p. 42). Each of the recruits was asked to
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sketch the city entirely from memory and complete a number of walking trips whilst describing their journey through a recorded interview. After a thorough analysis of the sketches and interviews, Lynch identified common elements and translated his findings into two sets of legible maps for both experiments as shown in Figure 3.1 He found “that many of his subject’s mapped Los Angeles easily due to its grid system.” (Amoroso, 2010, p. 48). The subjects constructed their mental image by drawing the grid prior to adding any other details. This experiment illustrates how the candidates organised the city into a hierarchy of elements. Elements such as, roads, buildings and landmarks expose the strata which shape the city. One of the most inspiring concepts to which Amoroso refers, is the notion of “Map- Landscapes.” Figure 3.1 Mental Map of Boston, produced by Kevin Lynch. 1960
“They are rendered in a manner that offers deeper insights into the urban space. These map-landscapes become tools which can steer and influence the urban design process.” (Amoroso, 2010 p.117). The advancements in technology have enabled architects such as Richard Saul Wurman to produce statistical information and syntactical maps which are “Free from legends, text, hard line drafting conventions and traditional mapping methods of the past, these maps provide an image of the city as it truly is, based upon urban statistics.” (Amoroso, 2010, p.118). His ‘Densityscape’ experiments of London, Boston and Toronto explore how urban form can be configured through urban data. Using sophisticated computer software, Wurman produces new urban forms and landscapes for each city, based on population per district. Figure 3.2 illustrates how the urban data has generated a new urban model for
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Figure 3.2 ‘Desityscape’ Map of London, Richard Saul Wurman.
the City of London. These mapping techniques will not be directly used in this study, however, they provide a clear insight into the role of cartography in the design process and illustrate methods for exposing and recording explicit information about the city. Experiment One:
Mapping Geometries
This syntactical drawing technique exposes the geometric complexities of the urban pattern by extending the lines of every building in this area of the city, Figure 3.3. This drawing highlights buildings which do not conform to the foremost building orientation. As a means of presenting a clear representation of the urban structure, information such as infrastructure, spot levels and contours were removed. In order to complete this final version of the drawing Experiment Two had to be carried out. It revealed that the prominent orientation for buildings in this segment of the city is between 30-50째 off North. The drawing was repeated several times and a strict set of rules were devised as illustrated in Figure 3.4 and 3.5. Rules 1. All building lines, which are orientated outside of the 30-50째 margin are to be given priority. These are to be known as (Line A ) 2. All building lines within 30-50째 margin (Line B) should be extended to nearest building unless cut short by Line A.
Figure 3.3 City Mapping Rules Diagram showing Line A having priority over Line B.
3. All building lines are to be extended even if they are to be removed later in the design process.
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Figure 3.4
Synatical Map of Dundee City, exposing the latent Geometries.
Figure 3.5 Line A and Line B Graft according to the Rules
The rules emphasise the buildings which do not conform to the predominant building orientation of the city. Similarly to Lynch’s recruits, this drawing begins to organise the city and its geometric strata. The rules were also inspired by Derrida’s Grafting technique, which enables the opposing geometries, Line A and Line B, to become merged into one, Figure 3.5. This grafting technique knits the colliding geometrics into a new hybrid urban pattern. Although the lines are, in fact, invisible and may appear abstract, the drawing expresses the geometric complexities of the city as a continuous landscape of lines. This geometric mesh no longer appears as a flat two dimensional plan, as the overlapping lines begin to twist and fold creating an ever changing topography on the drawing. This network of lines coagulates into a ‘map-landscape’ and generates potential urban form for the city.
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Figure 3. 6 Figure ground illustrated the potential for connecting the West and East of city.
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Identification of Site
It is evident from Experiment One that there are a number of areas whereby the city’s pattern has become fractured. In particular, The Marketgait area highlighted in Figure 3.6 shows a significant lack of “apparent clarity or “legibility” of the cityscape. By this we mean the ease with which the parts can be recognized and can be organised into a coherent pattern.” (Lynch, 1960, p. 2). The site consists of three fragmented areas, demarcated by a heavily used piece of infrastructure. Figure 3.7 illustrates the disjointed relationship between the existing office block, supermarket and car park.
Figure 3.7 Map exposing the colliding Geometries within the Marketgait area, Dundee.
Although the road exists as a barrier within the site, it is the lack of interaction and connectivity between the areas which is of great concern. The breakdown of continuity and the absence of both internal and external public space discourage users of the city from experiencing and moving between these spaces. A development has been proposed
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for this area, as illustrated in Figure 3.8 It entails a new extension to the existing Overgate Shopping Centre, offering, “40 new shops, a food hall, an extension to two existing retail units and an extra 330 parking spaces.” (Evening Telegraph, 2009.) This proposal presents a large urban block, which continues the architectural language of the existing Overgate. However, due to the economic downturn this development has been shelved. The new Casino has also attempted to restore continuity to this area of the site which previously lay vacant. However, it still remains disconnected from the other areas. Whilst each area of the existing offers a specific service, there is an opportunity to create a new public space which improves connectivity between the University Campus to the West of the city and the recently restored Mc Manus Galleries to the East. This site has the potential to become a Public Forum which integrates the city’s Cultural Quarter and engages with the new Dundee Council Offices and the Overgate Shopping Centre. It proves to be an appropriate test bed for my process due to its fragmented nature. The process will ‘Graft’ the geometric complexities of this site and produce new urban typology.
Figure 3.8 Proposed Extendion to Overgate Shopping Centre.
Figure 3.9 Aerial view illustrating how an East and West connection could be developed
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Chapter Four Indeterminacy: The Role of “The Accident”
Figure 4.1 Indeterminate Space from Experiment Four.
My interest in the production of space and form through a process which removes early design intentions derives from the Chance, Intention and Architecture paper, which I produced for the Dundee Research Unit in 2010. To briefly elucidate, it explores indeterminate spaces, found in students’ work areas within the University of Dundee, Architecture Studio. These spaces were not designed or presupposed. The objects and spaces were created as a result of the students’ behaviour. Experiment Four of my research document recorded these spaces and proposed how they may be inhabited as shown in Figure 4.1. A similar exploration will be applied to Dundee, examining how an indeterminate urban design model can be produced using the existing city’s geometries. Therefore, the relationship between Experiment Four and the following experiments is that they both seek to produce space and form through, “The Accident” and create new experiences for users of the city.
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“The figures are never drawn by me. They are always found figures. Any figuration is cartographic, accidental, whatever, and there is never an intentional figure.” (Eisenman, 1992, cited by Krissel, n.d, p.3).
Figure 4.2 Overlayed Grids diagram of the Wexner Centre,
Eisenman clarifies his approach to design and explains the process which many of his projects follow. Matthew Paul Krissel, Associate Architect of Kieran Timberlake Associates, Philadelphia, discusses the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, and explains the role cartography plays as a generator for accidental figurations. This project had a number of requirements, for example, the scheme was to create a connection between the Oval Park and the city, whilst engaging with two pre-existing structures, as evident in Figure 4.3 The process involved analysing aerial photographs of the site and syntactically exposing “the Columbus Ohio city grid and the campus grid with a 12½ degree shift between them.” (Krissel, n.d, p.5) Through layering the grids, Figure 4.2 he grafted both fabrics, and proposed that the pre-existing structures would remain orientated along the campus grid axis. Eisenman (1999) states, “The diagrams were shifted over one another until a new reading appeared. These registrations generated the plan of the Centre.”
Figure 4.3 Plan of the Wexner Arts Centre, Peter Eiseman
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This project is an exemplar of how cartographic techniques can “produce figurations without conscious motivation.” (Eisenman, 1999, p.183). Throughout my process, the ‘maplandscape’ drawing from Experiment One will be used to produce accidental figurations. It is important to note that all of the experiments are products of each other and should not be viewed as individual studies. They explore
the potential for a new urban typology which offers an innovative relationship between built form and landscape. Experiment Two: Predominant Orientation Figure 4.4 is an analysis of the information gathered in Experiment One. This experiment illustrates the predominant building orientation within the city. It involved colour coding the building lines which lie on a similar orientation. The lines then entered a rigorous extraction process which identified all the building lines which lie on the same axis, as shown in Figure 4.5 Having filtered the drawing down to a specific orientation, there was a degree of uncertainty of how these lines could inform the design proposal. Figure 4.4 Colour coding of similar building orientations
Figure 4.5 Extraction process which identified all the building line on a same orientation. Image produced by author.
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Figure 4.6 Colour coding of the North-West/ South East Building Lines. This proved to be the predominant building line orientation in this segment of the city.
Figure 4.7 A Specific analysis of the North-West/ South East Building Lines. This uncovered uncovered that the most prominent orientation is between 30-50 degrees.
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Figure 4.8 (left) Montage of Predominate Orientation onto Marketgait Site. Figure 4.9 (above) Paper Model showing folded terrain generated from the extracted Lines.
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Figure 5.1 IBA Housing Complex, Berlin 1981, Peter Eisenman.
Figure 5.2 Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Frederick Law Olmsted.
Eisenman, in the Berlin IBA Housing Project, undertook a process, which involved three superposed grids. The grids included “a modern grid of squares; the eighteenthcentury Berlin Street grid; and an abstract Mercator Grid.” (Eisenman, 1999, p. 178). Eisenman claims that Superposed is different from Superimposed, “in that it proposes no originating ground; figure and ground are interchangeable integers. “ (Eisenman, 1999, p. 178). In this Project he explores the concept of a “fictional ground” by removing the adjacent three-metre high section of the Berlin Wall and proposes that the new ground for Berlin would be at that height. In a similar exercise, I superposed the predominant orientated lines onto the Marketgait site as a framework for a design proposition, illustrated in Figure 4.8 The aim was to create a continuous landscape which improved pedestrian connectivity throughout the site. The model images, Figure 4.9 indicate a folding urban form where “figure and ground are interchangeable.” (Eisenman, 1999 p. 178). It proposes a manipulated terrain which cuts through and creates a new ground plane through the city. Accommodation is incorporated into the folding terrain with openings allowing natural light to penetrate the subterranean spaces. This urban quilt creates a city park which knits into the surrounding buildings, analogous to Frederick Law Olmsted’s, Boston Emerald Necklace, shown in Figure 5.2
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Figure 5.3 indicates how the infrastructure could be relocated below the new ground plane therefore, providing an improved connection between the West and the East area of the city. However, the repositioning of infrastructure appeared to contradict my aims. This process should engage with the complexities rather than remove or fix them. It became clear that an improvement of connectivity within this area could be achieved by building over or under the road, and allowing spaces to fold beneath the infrastructure. This would provide a more interesting, yet challenging investigation into the complex nature of the site. Figure 5.3 Diagram illustrating manipulated terrain and the repositioning of infrastructure.
Figure 5.4 Sketch illustrating potential over ground and subterranean connections, with infrastructure remaining as existing.
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Experiment Three: Fiction/Reality
Figure 5.5 Montage showing potential folding surfaces.
This experiment was carried out simultaneously with Experiment Two. With reference to Eisenman’s employment of the “abstract Mercator Grid” (Eisenman, 1999, p. 178). and the early group montages for Dundee’s Waterfront, I depicted urban conditions from other cities and superimposed them onto the site. Each montage portrays a different approach and explores issues such as continuous surfaces, pedestrian zones and folding ground planes. They merge fiction with reality and although they are not suggesting that elements from other cities are replicated in Dundee, they merely create a discourse on the production of public space in the city. These montages pay resemblance to Canaletto’s, “fantasy view of Venice.” (Rossi, 1984, p. 166). in which, “Palladio’s projects for the Ponte di Rialto, the Basilica of Vicenza, and the Palazzo Chiericati are set next to each other and described as if the painter were rendering an urban scene he had actually observed.” (Rossi, 1984, p. 166).
Figure 5.6 Montage showing a continuous surface.
Figure 5.7 Montage exploring public space within infrastructure.
This experiment proved to be a successful design tool for exploring the city’s potential. However, it did not accomplish my aim of producing an urban solution using the city’s geometries and therefore, this experiment did not progress.
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Experiment Four: Order/ Disorder
“The work transforms a series of urban realities into provocative, abstract forms. These “map-landscapes” are intended as a set of instructions or perhaps tools for audiences such as the urban designer.” (Amoroso, 2010, p.xiv).
As a continuation of Experiment Two, I investigated a strategy for an intermediate Masterplan. In comparison to Eiseman’s layering of grids technique; the geometries which I have extracted from the city were already layered. Therefore, the aim was to identify and extract each orientation presenting them as three individual maps. Figure... presents, (1) North-West / South-East (2) South – West/ North-East and (3) Other. This exercise organised the order from the disorder and set up a system whereby each of the three maps could be used to dictate the built form and landscape. Therefore, three approaches were tested. Figure 6.3 illustrates the extraction of an ordered figuration located within a manipulated landscape. I developed a building programme for a Music Centre which follows the geometric lines of Map One and Two. This grid provided a framework for the building and dictated how the programme could be arranged. The early concept sketches of Peter Zumthor’s, Swiss Sound Box, Expo 2000, presented in Figure 6.1 illustrates a similar scenario. He created a series of tunnels where spaces of accommodation occur throughout. This building offers an environment of indeterminacy, as
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Map Three, Other Lines
Figure 5.8 Colour coding Extraction process of each orientation
Map Two, South-West/ North-East Lines
Figure 5.9 Exploded Axonometric of Geometries with the site. Map One, North-West/ South-East Lines
the programme is not entirely fixed. It encourages chance encounters between users of the city as it provides “a welcoming place to rest, a place to just be.... and live music “unplugged”, moving and changing throughout the space, a relaxed atmosphere.” (www.archtracker.com)
Figure 6.1 Concept Sketch of the Swiss Sound Box, Peter Zumthor.
A similar concept was applied to the development of the Music Centre as presented in Figure 6.2 This approach did not prove to be successful as it restricted the built form to a very orthogonal geometry. Similar to the Waterfront proposal, the ordered arrangement of buildings fails to express the complexities of the urban pattern. They impose order, rather than engage with the irregularities. The forms appear disconnected from the city and have a very uncomfortable relationship with the manipulated landscape.
Figure 6.2 Concept diagram for proposed Music Centre. Figure 6.3 Exploded Axonometric diagram of proposed Music Centre
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Figure 6.4 demonstrates how irregular figurations extracted from Map Three have been positioned throughout an ordered landscape, generated by Map One and Two. This may appear as a crude experiment; however, similar to Eisenman, it illustrates how indeterminate forms and public space can be produced from the city’s geometric complexities. For the purpose of this test, the Music Centre programme was discarded. The fragmented arrangement of buildings creates pockets of external space which could be used for exhibitions and performances. This proposed strategy presents a series of disjointed buildings in response to the existing nature of the site and uses the ordered landscape as a device for knitting the areas together. The figurations may appear bizarre with regards to their orientation and form, however, they represent the fragmented conditions which exist on the present site and throughout the city. Figure 6.5 identifies other areas of the city where irregular forms on different orientations exist.
Figure 6.4 Extractions of irregular forms, Marketgait, Dundee
Similarly, as with the previous test, this approach created a disconnected relationship between the landscape and the built form, thus, did not accomplish my aim. Both tests do however; create an interesting investigation into the role of juxtaposition in urban design. As a means of progressing, both of these approaches were rejected.
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Figure 6.5 Plans showing fragmented areas within Dundee.
Figure 6.6 Plans showing extracted figurations,Marketgait, Dundee
Figure 6.8 proposes a model which integrates all three maps and tests how particular spaces and forms can evolve from a manipulated landscape. The folding planes and fragmented surface have been tested through a physical model. The models were built as a continuous surface using very thin card. This material proved very flexible and enabled me to manipulate the ground plane with ease. It successfully achieves the ‘interchangeable figure and ground’ which Eisenman (1999) discusses and creates an opportunity for connections below the infrastructure. It suggests a language whereby the terrain and built form become woven together. The conflicting geometries merge into each other, therefore, rather than thinking of this design as a Masterplan with a series of individual buildings, it is presented as one united building with an interlinking ground plane.
Figure 6.7 Representations of possible forms, produced using Sketchup 7.
Figure 6.8
Paper Models illustrating folding ground plane.
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Figure 6.9
Paper Figure Models 6.9 illustrating Paper Modelshybrid illustrating of landscape folding and ground builtplane. form.
Chapter Five Dundee: Proposed Urban Strategy
Having tested numerous urban strategies, the third approach proved to be the most successful. It presents a solution which merges into the complex urban pattern of Dundee and creates a continuous surface which connects all of the surrounding facilities together. Through physical and computer generated models I continued to manipulate the existing ground plane of the Marketgait site according to the extended geometries, demonstrated in Figure 6.9 By doing this, spaces and forms emerged and a programme was developed. The physical model provides a clear insight into the potential of the site, however, it was also important to explore this proposal through plan and section, illustrated in Figure 7.1
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Figure 7.1 Proposed Plan. Roof Plan
Figure 7.2 Proposed Plan. Level + 1
Figure 7.3 Proposed Plan. Level 0.
Figure 7.4 Proposed Plan. Level - 1.
Figure 7.5 Proposed Sections
Figure 7.6 Proposed Section.
This urban model proposes a place for the users of the city which offers spaces for internal and external performances, education, public meetings and reflection. It provides a connection between the Council Offices, the Cultural Quarter and the University of Dundee. Whilst this research generates a new urban model for the City of Dundee, due to its large scale, I will, therefore, focus specifically on three sites within the overall proposal. Each site will be explored through plan, section and modelled vignettes, with particular emphasis on the atmosphere of the spaces, material language and tectonics. Figure 7.7 Concept Sketch Showing the potential for a connection under the road.
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Figure 7.9 Vignette plan of propose public Figure 7.8 Identification of Site One.
meeting Chamber and Gallery
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Site One Public Meeting Chamber & Galllery
This site is located adjacent to the main entrance of the recently completed City Council Offices, as evident in Figure 7.8 The City Council has extended and reused the former DC Thompson print works. The original double height printing hall has been transformed into a public arcade, providing a connection between various departments,The extension offers a new, impressive Italian brick facade, visible from the Marketgait, Figure 8.1 and highlights the potential for development in this area of the city. Therefore, I propose a public space which engages with the Council Office building and offers informal meeting spaces which allow for discourse between members of the public, administrative staff and officials. It creates and environment where communities can voice their opinions on issues relating to the city. The Dundee City Council and Dundee Partnership endeavour to incorporate the community’s input in decision making regarding developments in the city, “Extensive community engagement shaped individual local community plans” (Guild, Swinney, 2009, p. 15)
Figure 8.1 Brick Elevation of the new Dundee City Council Offices, Reiach and Hall Architects.
he physical model, Figure 8.2 presents two forms which have emerged from the network of lines. The forms were produced by folding the ground plane, thus creating a continuous surface which binds built form and landscape. The ramp is a key component which descends to Level -1 as a continuation of the external hard landscape. This creates a fluid relationship between the internal spaces and external. It also offers a public route connecting the proposed Public Meeting Chamber and Exhibition Space to the city, Figure 8.3 These spaces are an extension of City Council Offices and will accommodate public meetings, exhibitions and events.
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Figure 8.2 Model showing the extraction of form.
Figure 8.3 Proposed Section of Public Meeting Chamber.
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Figure 8.4 The Universita Luigi Bocconi, Milan, by Grafton Architects.
The Meeting Chamber provides a naturally lit space which has been carved from the earth. A south facing lightweight glazing system encloses the space whilst delicately connecting the folded roof with the ground. The Universita Luigi Bocconi, Milan, by Grafton Architects demonstrates a similar relationship between a buried space and the ground line above. The double height space and large glazing system frontage, evident in Figure 8.4 creates,” the architectural opportunity to have a ‘window’ to Milan.” (www.graftonarchitects.ie) The proposed slender steel frames sit in direct contrast to the heavy reinforced concrete roof. This allows one to view the roof as a fragmented piece of the landscape, which floats above the glazed frontage, therefore providing a ‘window’ to the city of Dundee.
Italian brickwork has been used extensively throughout the Council Building and is continued into the chamber. The ramp also utilises the same brickwork as a means of maintaining continuity. The folded roof highlighted in Figure 8.6 provides openings which radiate natural light and creates an exciting space which changes throughout the day. Steps emerge from the surface of the ramp and enable access into the Public Chamber. Stepped seating is also included to accommodate viewers during public performances along the route. The chamber connects to the basement level of the Council Offices, therefore providing a secure relationship between both spaces. Figure 8.5 Internal Visualisation of Public Meeting Chamber and Ramp.
The exhibition space, Figure 8.7 will house artefacts which represent the city’s identity. This space challenges a conventional white box gallery typology and offers a unique
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environment. The fragmented floor creates an internal landscape derived from the geometries exposed in Experiment One, with sloped surfaces providing wheelchair access throughout the space. The space creates an atmosphere, disconnected from the external world, with only a few openings offering a glimpse of what is outside. Natural light enters the space through openings created by the fragmented terrain above. Artificial lighting is incorporated into the stepped floor as the space will also be used for evening exhibitions. This space removes the barrier between bureaucracy and the people of the city. It provides an informal setting for public dialogue and offers a new architectural language for the City of Dundee. The notion of building below the ground line is not new to the city as there are already numerous undocumented brickwork vaults buried below the city’s buildings. This exploration emphasises the potential of the subterranean and delivers an appropriate solution for this area of the city.
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Figure 8.6 Internal Visualisation of Public Meeting Chamber and Ramp.
Figure 8.7 Internal Visualisation of Gallery Space.
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Figure 8.9 Vignette plan of propose Columbarium. Figure 8.8 Identification of Site Two.
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“It occupies the garden of the former Greyfriars monastery, which was founded by Devorgilla Balliol in the 13th C. The monastery was destroyed in 1548 and the land was gifted to the City of Dundee by Mary Queen of Scots (1542-87). It was the meeting place for the Nine Trades of Dundee until the 18th C. and the signs and symbols of these trades can be seen inscribed on the gravestones.� (www.scottish-places.info)
Site Two City Columbarium
I was very keen to create a space where city users can escape from the noise of the city and contemplate. One of the most significant sites which offers a space for reflection in this area of Dundee is the Howff Graveyard.It was important that my Proposal addressed this city artefact and delivered a programme, sensitive to the deceased of Dundee. Through manipulating the ground plane and investigating the subterranean space, it was apparent that natural light was a vital issue. Figure 9.1 presents an environment penetrated by rays of light through the folds on the surface. I was very eager to develop a programme which responded to the light qualities and acknowledged The Howff Graveyard. Therefore, a non- denominational City Columbarium is proposed as a new alternative resting place for the deceased.
Figure 9.1 Photograph of a modelled Subterranean space.
The model, Figure 9.1 exposes how fragments of light and shadow create a tranquil atmosphere, reminiscent of the work of Tadao Ando. His Koshino House and Extension, Figure 9.2, consists of a curvilinear volume half buried into the landscape. Natural light enters the space through a narrow slice along the curved wall creating an environment of stillness. The space offers a calm environment disconnected from the activities at ground level.
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The journey to the proposed Columbarium begins on a folding ramp from Level 0 down to Level – 1, see Figure 9.4 and 9.6 A narrow entrance leads into the subterranean space as natural light radiates through the openings created by folded terrain above. The manipulated light and shadow creates an honourable setting for the long walls of Cremation Niches which accommodate the urns. The brass niche doors which are screwed into the wall will reflect the natural light as it enters the space. The visitor’s awareness of being below the ground line is dramatised by the folding ground planes which break into the space, highlighted in Figure 9.7 It echoes Lebbeus Woods’, “Siteline Vienna” model, presented in Figure 9.5 which illustrates fragmented surfaces projecting through the ground line. The central walls also pierce through the surface above, creating a connection to the proposed city gardens.
Figure 9.2 Koshino House and Extention, Tadao Ando.
The use of brick was inspired by the Brick House, London, designed by Caruso St John Architects who also submitted a proposal for a Columbarium in Stockholm. The brickwork creates a connection with the City Council Offices and the proposed Public Meeting Chamber. Figure 9.3 illustrates the intensity of light which breaks through the irregular shaped opening creating a variance of shade across the brickwork and space. A spiritual atmosphere is present as portrayed by the architects, “Like a baroque chapel in Rome buried deep within the city’s close pattern of narrow streets, the expansive interior is a place of escape and dreams.” (www.carusostjohn.com) The Columbarium offers a serene sanctuary in the centre of the city for retreat and silence.
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Figure 9.3 Brick House, London. Caruso St. John Architects.
Figure 9.4 Proposed Section Through Columbarium.
Figure 9.5 ‘Siteline Vienna’ Model, Lebbeus Wood. 1998.
Figure 9.6 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium Entrance.
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Figure 9.7 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium, The circular resting area is currently being reconfigured as it does not adhere to the city Geometries.
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Figure 9.8 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium.
Figure 9.9 Internal Visualisation of Columbarium.
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Figure 10.2 Vignette plan of propose Music Hub.
Figure 10.1 Identification of Site Three.
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Site Three Music Hub
This site currently exists as a car park located on the North edge of the Cultural Quarter, evident in Figure 10. 1 South Tay Street is a vital element of the Cultural Quarter, as it provides a connection between The Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre and The Rep Theatre whilst attracting users of the University. Although this area works successfully as a cultural hotspot, there appears to be a breakdown in the activity as one approaches the north of the street. The existing car park disrupts the continuity of the terraced buildings as evident in Figure 10.3 Although the street consists of numerous bars and restaurants there appears to be an opportunity for a cultural attraction dedicated to Music. The Single outcome Agreement 2009-2012 (2009) states, “In Dundee, it has been acknowledged that cultural activity, participation in lifelong learning, personal well-being, creativity and economic activity are directly linked, and consequently there has been an impressive investment in providing access to cultural and learning opportunities.� (Guild, Swinney, 2009, p. 27) Therefore, this existing car park site proves to be an appropriate location for a public space which reinvigorates this area and introduces continuity.
Figure 10.3 Diagram illustrating Significant Buildings.
The proposed Music Hub, contains both formal and informal performance spaces similar to the Swiss Sound Box, by Peter Zumthor. The infrastructure created an opportunity for a subterranean transition zone which bridges the Cultural Quarter and the University and creates a connection to the East side of the City, Figure 10.6,
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Similar to Norman Foster’s, Carré d’Art Nimes, France, illustrated in Figure 10.4 this proposal articulates public spaces at Level -1. The building emerges from the manipulated terrain and provides views into the lower spaces, delivering a unique experience to the users. The folded roof plates create openings allowing natural light to permeate into these lower spaces, therefore creating an atmosphere of an internal courtyard. Escalators provide access from street level down into the courtyard which houses a café and a performance space. The musical practice rooms are located within a large enclosed volume, adjacent to the café. A soundproof screen exposes the activity within the rooms to viewers from the courtyard. This connection is vital as it reinforces that this is a building for music. A switchable privacy glass system will be used to offer instant concealment to the musicians if required.
Figure 10.4 Carré d’Art, Nimes. Foster + Partners. 1984-1993.
The glazed roof system exploits natural light and introduces lightweight steel components which bridge between the concrete roof plates. As a means of exposing the tectonics, the rhythmic steel components protrude into the space. It depicts the fragmented plates which break into the Columbarium and Public Meeting Chamber. This is also reminiscent of Eisenman’s, Wexner Arts Centre, Figure 10. 5 whereby, “suspended prisms never reach the ground. A superficial reading of the construction might well have taken them as columns.” (Moneo, 2004, p.180) Although, this was not an intentional connection it may be viewed as a gesture to Eisenman, as he has greatly influence this research.
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Figure 10.5 Wexner Center for the Arts Ohio State University. Peter Eisenman. 1989
Figure 10.6 Proposed Section for Music Hub.
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The folding ground plates creates a new topography which inhabits the building and creates a hybrid relationship linking nature and built form similar to Weiss/Manfredi’s, Seattle Sculpture Park, Figure 10.7 Hicole Huber (2008) states ”the detailed interweaving of built and natural elements generates what one juror called a “park building.” Not a building, a bridge, or a landscape, but “all three,” the project fuses architecture, engineering, and landscape architecture.” (http://designobserver.com) Figure 10.8 illustrates how the proposed folding planes create external surfaces where activities and exhibitions can occur. Although these may appeared to be a concern with regards to the user’s health and safety, this process allows one to consider the potential use for this neglected area of the city. It proposes a concept for public space which could be developed into a fully resolved scheme which adheres to Planning and Building Regulations. This building restores continuity in this area of the city whilst acting as an iconic element to the growing Cultural Quarter.
Summary The Three Proposals have proved extremely successful and have achieved my aim of producing an indeterminate space. They evidently reject mundane architectural clichés and provide an exciting hybrid of landscape and built form. They offer facilities which are of relevance to the city and have carefully considered the vision portrayed in the Single Outcome Agreement 2009-2012.
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Figure 10.7 Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle. 2001-2007. Weiss/Manfredi Architects.
Figure 10.8 External Visualisation of Proposaed Music Hub.
Figure 10.9 External Visualisation of Proposaed Music Hub.
Figure 11.1 Internal Visualisation of proposed Music Hub.
Figure 11.2 Internal Visualisation of proposed Music Hub.
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Conclusion My Dundee Research Unit Paper, Chance, Intention and Architecture, produced in 2010 provided the basis of this Thesis. A process for urban design has now been developed which presents an alternative approach to understanding the City. This research has exposed the geometric complexities of the city’s urban pattern and has successfully generated an indeterminate urban Proposal for Dundee. Numerous exemplars of architecture and urban planning which have used similar processes involving Syntactical Drawing, Cartography and Indeterminacy have been incorporated into this study. Architects including Peter Eisenman inspired me to undertake a number of experiments and further develop my personal philosophical approach to design. I have proposed and tested a design process which encompasses Syntax, Indeterminacy and the role of the ‘Accident’ as a mean of producing urban form. Manolopoulou’s theory of Habit and Accident has reinforced my design agenda and has provoked a challenge to orthodox thinking. The notion of challenging order and embracing the city’s complexities should play a vital role in the development of cities. This converges with Koolhaas’ s, prophesy of an ‘new urbanism’. 58
Amoroso’s exploration of city mapping techniques assisted me in my production of graphical representations and models which have both been used extensively throughout this research. Whilst my city mapping technique was extremely successful, the interpretation of the lines and the realisation of how they could inform a design proposal proved to be quite challenging. There were a number of significant stages whereby this research developed greatly, however some experiments did not display the same success or relevance. I have included these in Appendix A as a means of simply documenting the process and illustrating the importance of self reflection. Through site visits and syntactical drawing, I gained a thorough understanding of the physical context of Dundee. The Groupwork city montages and the comparative analysis between the City Council’s Waterfront Masterplan and the existing city fabric also provided an insight into the urban characteristics which shape Dundee. Having lived and studied in the City of Dundee, I have gained an understanding of its cultural context. As a keen musician and lover of art I have experienced many exhibitions, concerts and street performances. The Single Outcome Assessment 2009-2012 Document provides an in-depth development Plan for the city and suggests how it will progress physically, culturally, academically and economically. My research proposes facilities for education, culture and community development, all of which are outlined in this plan. This study has demonstrated the importance of research in the production of Architecture and Urban Design. 59
It has provided me with the tools, skills and knowledge for developing an urban design process which can be applied to cities throughout the world. Throughout this process I have adopted and critically evaluated a range of research methods and techniques. I have demonstrated my ability to work independently and also as part of a team. The group work, in particular, required excellent time management as a number of deadlines were put in place. Whilst the process presented here, may be not be easy to implement in practice, it is my intention that it will create further debate and research in urban design and planning. It may also inform the current work carried out by the Geddes Institute for Urban Research, Dundee and influence future architectural students. To conclude this thesis, the complexities of the urban pattern should not be overlooked in the design process. The latent structure of the city can provide a framework for producing public space. The city pattern technique proved to be a challenging yet very rewarding process. “Town plans are no mere diagrams, they are a system of hieroglyphics in which man has written the history of civilisation, and the more tangled their apparent confusion, the more we may be rewarded in deciphering it.� (Geddes, 1949, p.170)
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