Kultour 2013 | West Coast Architecture

kultour 2013 west coast architecture vancouver - seattle - portland 04.05 - 14.05.2013 ryerson university toronto, ontario fachhochschule frankfurt a. main fb | architektur

1

Excursion Schedule Vancouver

HCMA Architects

Patkau Architects

May 5

1:00 PM Marine Drive 2:15 PM Grouse Mountain Skyride

2:45 PM Academic Instruction Center (University of Western Washington) NAC Architecture

3:00 PM Capilano Suspension Bridge

6:30 PM Ballard Public Library Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

4:30 PM Simon Fraser university Arthur Erickson

7:15 PM Kerry Park

May 7

Seattle

10:30 AM Univeristy of British Columbia

May 9

9:15 AM Robson Square Arthur Erikson 9:45 AM Law Courts Arthur Erikson 10:30 AM Vancouver Art Gallery Arthur Erickson 11:30 AM Vancouver Convention Centre LMN, DA, Musson Cattell Mackey 2:00 PM BC Place Stadium Studio Phillips Barratt

11:30 AM Museum of Anthropology Arthur Erickson

2:30 PM ‘86 Expo Dome

1:30 PM VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre Perkins + Will

3:00 PM Olympic Athlete’s Village 4:30 PM Waterfall Building Arthur Erikson 5:00 PM Granville Island 5:30 PM Lee’s Doughnuts May 6 10:15 AM Lion’s Gate Bridge 10:45 AM Gleneagles Community Centre Patkau Architects 12:00 PM West Vancouver Aquatic Community Centre

2:45 PM Langara Student Union Teeple + IBI/HB 3:15 PM Sunset Community Centre Bing Thom 4:15 PM Richmond Olympic Oval Cannon Design May 8 10:45 AM Surrey Central City Bing Thom Architects

9:15 AM Occidental Park 9:45 AM Pioneer Square 10:15 AM Smith Tower Gaggin and Gaggin 10:45 AM Seattle Public Library OMA/LMN 12:00 PM Pier 57 1:15 PM Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park 2:30 PM Experience Music Project Gehry Partners 3:15 PM Lake Union park

11:45 AM Surrey Centre Library Bing Thom Architects

3:45 PM South Lake Union Discovery Center The Miller|Hub Partnership

1:00 PM Newton Library

4:15 PM Top Pot Doughnuts

4:45 PM SCCA Partient House Weinstein A|U 5:30 PM Art Stable Lofts Olson Kundig Architects May 10 10:30 AM Seattle Art Museum (expansion) Venturi, Scott Brown Associates 12:00 PM Pike Place 1:00 PM Ranier Tower Minoru Yamasaki 1:15 PM IBM Tower Minoru Yamsaki and NBBJ 1:45 PM Freeway Park Lawrence Halprin 2:15 PM Chapel of St. Ignatius Steven Holl Architects 2:45 PM 1111 E. Pike Place Olson Kundig Architects 3:30 PM Fremont Vintage Mall May 11 10:15 AM Reclamation Drive-Thru Starbucks 10:45 AM Museum of Flight 11:45 AM Musem of Glass Arthur Erickson 12:00 PM

2013 May/05/2013 /15/2013

Tacoma Art Museum Antoine Predock

Wells Fargo Building Charles Luckman

2:45 PM 1111 E. Pike Place Olson Kundig Architects

10:30 AM Portland Building Michael Graves

12:16 PM Washington State Historical Society

10:45 AM Mark Haftield US Courthouse Kohn Pederson Fox

Portland

11:30 AM Commonwealth (Equitable) Building Pietro Belluschi

May 12 10:45 AM Mount Angel Abbey LIbrary Alvar Aalto 12:00 PM Gordon House Frank Lloyd Wright 3:30 PM Rose Garden Arena Ellerbe Becket 3:45 PM Williams & Company Building Stokes and Zeller 4:00 PM Oregon Convention Center Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects 4:30 PM BSide6 Works Partnership Architecture

KulTour

Ryerson University, Toronto

12:00 PM Widen Kennedy Agency World Headquarters Allied Works Architecture

Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main University of Applied Sciences

Cascadian Megalopolis north vancouver

vancouver

richmond

surrey

bellingham

12:30 PM Powell’s City of Books 2:00 PM Center for Architecture 3:00 PM Ecotrust Building/The Natural Capital Center 4:00 PM Ziba World Headquarters Holst Architecture

seattle

tacoma

4:30 PM Lan Su Chinese Garden 5:00 PM Vodoo Donuts

5:00 PM Distillery Row May 13 10:00 AM KOIN Center Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects 10:15 AM

portland

Vancouver, BC Seattle, WA Portland, OR 3

KulTourists 2013 Ten days traversing the urban centres and growing peripheries of the Cascadian Megalopolis of the North-American Upper West Coast. This guided tour is lead by Yew-Thong Leong of Ryerson University and Heribert Gies of Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main University. It is an upper level elective credit, and has served as an institutional exchange program with the school’s German affiliates for over 20 years.

Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main Philipp Holzhäuser Frederick Koksch Amin Pour Javid Yasin Yürür Kenan Mavicicek Daniel Rutic, Tim Waldschmitt Richard Bill Alexander Spoeck Sascha Biehl Nils Norris Giordano Tanja Maier Jasmin Fouta Paola Wechs Alicja Paluba Gamze Abay Juliane Bornemann Christina Großmann

Ryerson University

Professors

Mahan Navabi Suk Jun Kim Hovag Kara-Yacoubian Stuart Vaz Remi Carreiro Gary Luk Demitri Delean Ariel Cooke Chris Chown Pouya Pak Dorothy Johns Diana Koncan Rachel Law Krystyna Ng Dami Lee Lily Jeon Caeleigh Kinch Sarah de Vries Amanda Crisp Margot de Man Anusha Ramesh Stephanie Wu Kristen Smith

Prof. Nikolaus Kränzle Prof. Kuno M.Schneider Prof. Heribert Gies Prof. Yew-Thong Leong

5

kultour 2013 sponsored by Ryerson University and Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main special thanks to Professor Yew-Thong Leong and Professor Heribert Gies congratulations on 21 successful years of “kultour-ing�

executive editor: yew-thong leong

chief editor and graphic designer: dorothy johns

primary photographer: remi carreiro

authors:

remi carreiro chris chown ariel cooke amanda crisp demitri delean margot de man sarah de vries lily jeon dorothy johns suk jun kim hovag kara-yacoubian caeleigh kinch diana koncan rachel law dami lee gary luk mahan navabi krystyna ng pouya pak anusha ramesh kristen smith stuart vaz stephanie wu

7

j.fouta

a.spoeck

s.biehl

f.koksch

t.waldschmitt

a.javid

g.abay r.bill

p.wechs

k. schneider

c.großmann

t.maier

h.gies

p.holzhäuser

a.paluba

d.rutic

n. kränzle

k.mavicicek

n.giodano

j.bornemann

y.yürür

Fachhochschule, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

l.jeon

d.lee c.chown

a.cooke m.deman

g.luk

m.navabi

d.delean a.crisp

y.t.leong

k.ng

r.law

k.smith

s.devries

h. kara-yacoubian

d.johns

a.ramesh

s.vaz

r.carreiro

s.wu

c.kinch

d.koncan

s.(ray)kim

p.pak Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

9

Foreword KulTour 2013 marks the start of the 3rd decade of academic collaborations between Ryerson University and Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main, the longest international exchange for both respective universities. And I am extremely privileged to have being involved in coordinating, participating and helming the exchange since 1996.

As a superlative, the exchange between these two institutions in sister-cities is older than most of the participants in this year’s exchange!! There is not a single exchange at Ryerson University that can make this claim, and this rich history is fast becoming one of the legacies of our young and fledging university.

The Pacific North-West is a unique geological and geographical region in North America shared between two countries, and as a result the member cities in the region have developed distinct cultures. Architecture is one of these cultures, and the purpose of the 10-day excursion and tour is to live, eat and explore why regionalism has such a strong impact on architecture.

In the field of medicine, cadavers are brought into the institution to be dissected and examined, so that students get first hand lessons on the human body. In architecture, we go to the bodies of architectural work instead ... to examine the “third skin�. In-person and first hand examinations such as these allow the students to study the hidden nooks and crannies in real time, something text books and lectures can only approximate at best. Or sometimes missed. The experiences of the students are not theoretical but real, and nothing they observed are alternative or fringe to the real art of building.

Enclosed in these pages are the examinations of 23 senior students from Ryerson University (who were accompanied by 18 students from FH-FFM) through video, photographs, sketches and essays. This is a media-rich visual document that adds to the over 20-year body of experience of architectural exchange at the Department of Architectural Science.

Yew-Thong Leong, OAA, MRAIC, FIIAS

Associate Professor of Architecture and Exchange Coordinator Department of Architectural Science Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science Ryerson University 11

Architectural/Cultural History Essay Objectives • immersion in contemporary architecture of West Coast North America through readings, writings, events and tours of architectural artifacts • investigate the relationship between architectural thinking and architectural making • identify and study in detail a building and its idea for investigation, this idea may be political, artistic, economic, philosophical, theoretical, technological, scientific etc.

• identify the impact of the idea onto the production and creation of a built/created architectural artifact through cultural events, faculty lectures, site visits, and student research • conitnue to develope reading and writing skills, and produce and publish graphic design works of a professional quality

13

Contents Robson Square Mahan Navabi Gleneagles Community Centre Suk Jun Kim Museum of Anthropology Dorothy Johns Richmond Olympic Oval Hovag Kara-Yacoubian Surrey Central City Diana Koncan Newton Library Rachel Law Seattle Public Library Anusha Ramesh Ballard Library Stuart Vaz Seattle Art Museum RĂŠmi Carreiro Rainier Tower Demitri Delean Experience Music Project Krystyna Ng South Lake Union Discovery Centre Dami Lee SCCA Patient House Gary Luk Art Stable Lofts Lily Jeon IBM Building Ariel Cooke St. Ignatius Chapel Christopher Chown 1111 East Pike Sarah de Vries Museum of Flight Amanda Crisp Tacoma Art Museum Pouya Pak Mt. Angel Abbey Library Stephanie Wu Gordon House Kristen Smith bside6 Caeleigh Kinch

18 24 28 34 38 44 50 56 60 66 70 76 82 88 94 100 106 112 116 120 126 130

Field Observations & Recordings

137

Figure 4

Robson Square Vancouver, B.C. Arthur Erickson Mahan Navabi

The fathers of the modern movement in architecture spent much of their labours towards breaking old methods and beginning new ones. They established a modern vocabulary for built form to adhere to, rules that were lucid and unyielding: open plans, flat roofs, use of modern materials, concrete, glass, and steel, etc. Additionally, they felt that they faced scrupulous opposition in their ideologies, most notably from enemies such as the École des Beaux Arts. Thus, the first generation of modernist architects were compelled to adhere to, or perhaps constrained by the orthodoxies established. After World War One, an ‘international style’ had emerged that was well-received by the public. It was economically and commercially viable, and by the 1950’s, the torn down cities around the world were becoming rebuilt; all in the same pragmatic, unimaginative likeness, such that whether one was visiting Houston, Toronto, or Rio de Janeiro, their differences became more indiscernible and the uniqueness of the character of cities around the globe was minimized. At the time, most architectural offices were grinding out roughly identical blueprints of curtain walled boxes. However, there were a few architects who understood the practice of architecture differently. In consequence, they were the new writers of an architectural vocabulary for their epochs and respective cultures: architects such as Louis Kahn in the United States, Tadao Ando in Japan, and Arthur Erickson in Canada (Erickson 9-11).

When Arthur Erickson began practicing in the 1950s, he was a member of the third or fourth generation of modernist architects. Unlike their first generation counterparts, Arthur’s generation of architects faced little ideological opposition. At the time, modern architecture was already an accepted normality, and some architects felt constrained by the austerity and rigidity of it. Consequently, Arthur Erickson was free to explore his rich and varied vocabulary which was evidently influenced by so many different cultures and experiences. Aspects of his work are reminiscent of Isfahan, Chinese gardens, or terraced Greek and Roman gardens along the Mediterranean. In that sense, he is not only a world class architect, but also an impressive landscape architect. Despite so many cultural references, he maintained a close association with his home city of Vancouver, and helped define a Canadian and 17

West Coast architectural vernacular (Olsberg and Castro 3). Fundamental to his process was design that introduces its culture with a new response to tradition, thus constructing a civil community.

He pursued architecture as a civic gesture, most notably in his 1973 design of Robson Square in the heart of Vancouver. The three block complex consisting of Robson Square, Law Courts, and an Art Gallery, illustrates Arthur Erickson’s attempts to construct a civil community, his position within the North American West Coast style, and his approach to creating meaningful space that is distinctive in its cultural and social context.

The Robson Square proposal was met with good patrons and a government that backed the design ideas, allowing for Arthur Erickson to fully execute his proposals. Initially known as the three block project, the development began with a Master Plan for Robson Square that was thought out in respect to the downtown peninsula’s growth, trends, traffic needs, and character areas; all of which are contributing factors to its civic structure.

Upon identifying streets that were either edges separating character areas, or bridges linking them, key intersections could be designed that were central to the urban network. Street lighting, curbing, paving, and trees are some examples of elements that are used to accentuate these street functions. Having recently visited China and considering Vancouver’s climate and the aforementioned street functions, Arthur Erickson’s

initial response was to provide additional street planting for all of downtown. The Master Plan further proposed densities, heights, and massing for the blocks around the square, once again based on the needs of a downtown civic context (Erickson 115).

The main idea behind Robson Square was that law, government, and art would all benefit from proximity to one another, and in doing so would enhance the overall urban community.

The three are positioned with the law at one end, the courthouse at the other, and government and communal space in the center. This center block would attempt to be a nodal point for the downtown Vancouver public. To appropriate this, traffic alignments were rearranged, closed, or bridged so that pedestrians would be liberated to wander freely through the new heart of the city.

Next, a dynamic multilevel scheme was produced.

Pedestrians could weave their way in and out, or up and down the square, perpetuating the idea of a free and civic space. Thus, the centre block’s main floor is set one storey below grade under sky lit courts. A three hundred foot long pool flows boldly down the top floor of the government office and courthouse terrace, over government office windows to conceal them, then atop glass roof panels to make a shimmering light in the halls below, and finally down to a public courtyard.

Department layouts were analyzed in order to properly plan how such a configuration would

Figure 6

work. In addition to the waterfall, a public garden was realized on its roof (Erickson 117). The stairs which connect each level of the complex are purposefully crossed by ramps. They explicitly communicate the civic theme behind the project; all members of society are not only granted front door rights, but are also granted an equivalent pathway.

Robson Square constructs an urban park that reinterprets the characteristic urban square or plaza. It is as if the space is designed around its greenery. The circulation is also distinctive in that it is based on Arthur Erickson’s translation of Japanese architecture and planning. As he put it: “the orient has a different view of space. The pattern of space does not follow the human path [...] In the Japanese house, space wells out on all sides like a series of concentric circles until it merges with the space of nature, symbolized by the garden” (Olsberg and Castro 179). Similarly, Robson Square’s circulation has no channelling or straight lines. Users enter or exit from all sides and weave their way freely through. As Peter Blake puts it: His buildings conjure special qualities that cannot be described conventionally. For instance, an urban superblock in Vancouver may be best described in the way in which people are almost tempted to skip and dance through it, and enjoy its many indoor and outdoor spaces. The way they respond to the surprises found around every

corner (Erickson 11).

Reminiscent of Greek and Roman garden terraces or the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Robson Square Law Courts feature laurels, pines, bamboo groves, maple, dogwood, and juniper plants clinging to its sides. The greenery emphasizes the horizontality of the structure which is often curiously described as a tower stacked horizontally. Evidently, landscaping has played a crucial role to the project. Arthur Erickson himself described the building as “merely a container for classic, bushy, Olmstead park, and in that sense [it is] more landscape than architecture” (Erickson 118). The greenery supports the West Coast climate conditions and is an important part of the vernacular style.

Erickson persisted to challenge accepted preconceptions of what entails a courthouse; preconceptions such as the need for neoclassical structures that possess retributive atmospheres in endless corridors and firm spatial divisions.

The shaping of the courthouse began with the realization that the law is a natural aspect of culture. Upon asking former Chief Justice of his perspective of the law, Chief Justice answered: ‘the last time justice was carried out effectively was in the streets of London in the seventeenth century’ (Olsberg and Castro 151). As evidenced, law that is exercised in public squares not only encourages greater integrity, but also acts as a lesson in civics for the community. Justice must

Figure 3

Figure 5

Figure 2 19

be observed to be appreciated. Therefore, the main idea behind the Law Courts is transparency.

Aside from security requirements, the courthouse is completely open to the public and the street, and logically conveys its openness through its design, both symbolically and functionally: a great glass angled roof, relations between commonly separate programs, terraces with plants to ease tension, and considerable open public space. By the standards of its time, the public and uncontrolled access to courtrooms is shocking (Olsberg and Castro 151).

A major design intention is to regulate space, light and air in lieu of the temperamental Vancouver climate. This would have been impractical from a heating and cooling perspective with such a large open space, if not for the mechanical engineer’s idea to input a sloping roof. The proposal not only supports the image of transparency, but also allows for the capture of solar radiation, even on cloudy days. In the summer, air under the roof is heated and rises to escape through vents. An upward draft occurs that brings cool air into the building through vents at the bottom. In the winter however, the vents are closed so that the solar heat is conserved. The 150 000 gallons of water

used in the waterfall system also contributes to cooling the building in the summer along with a three-quarter million gallon tank in the basement that stores heat and energy (Erickson 116). These were state of the art innovations in engineering at their inception. Therefore, Erickson is able to provide his immense transparent sun lit courthouse that is connected to the square via a pedestrian circulation spine.

Another of Erickson’s original values was for the site dictated by law, government, and community to be enriched through the enlightening presence of art. The heart of the city would be further enhanced with such a major attraction, especially with the heavy and omnipotent presence of law in the square. The judges initially wanted to retain the old landmark courthouse’s legal functions, but Arthur Erickson was opposed to the idea, so the neoclassical milestone would be renovated into a place of art, as was a popular idea in Europe at the time.

Under a tight budget, the building had to be brought up to building code standards, as well as programmatically refurbished in order to properly support an art gallery. The bearing walls had to be made to meet earthquake

Figure 1

resistance standards and the foundation had to be reconstructed. The exterior was also met with careful restoration. With such costs, further renovations had to be kept minimal but effective.

In dealing with this, Erickson’s plan was to keep the more recent and cheap additions minimized, simple, and seamless while still maintaining a great impact on the program. An example of this is the wooden stairs at the entry, or the burden of using painted concrete for additions that imitates the old masonry. Due to program requirements for security, the idea of having a grand front entrance had to be abandoned. Instead, Erickson took the precedent of classical villas which had a grand portico and garden in the front instead, and entry from the side and rear. This is suggested by the flowerbeds and large fountain placed in the front of the Art Gallery. A new concrete built entrance is placed at ground level as well as an entrance lobby and a terrace which is matched in colour to the old stone work.

In keeping with the Robson Square theme of civility, Erickson considered the effect that many galleries had on people; what he called, ‘gallery fatigue’: The user feels lost in an endless hallway of gallery space. Thus a central rotunda and sky

lit corridor are organized as the circulation spine with escalators on either side. The space is meant to be refreshing after a long venture down a long artificially lit gallery hallway. Overall, renovating an old, historic courthouse to an art gallery contains an artificiality that makes it attractive, especially as an attraction in the downtown setting it resides in.

Arthur Erickson is notorious for his sensitivity to landscape, and many of his projects conceived in a British Columbian context have taken the landscape and attempted to convey and architecturally beautify it as lucidly as possible. With Robson Square however, the British Columbian landscape is brought to the downtown core in producing a town garden rather than a town square. Today, Robson Square has evolved beyond what it was upon construction.

As property values rise and high rises render the skyline, the three blocks are not just a downtown hub, but a sanctuary of civic, communal, and vernacular values; the transparent law with open doors to all witnesses, the government offices hidden by nature, and art, once again in its traditional guise, all creating a playful and open ended town space.

Works Cited “Arthur Erickson a modern master of architecture | Toronto Star.” thestar.com | Toronto Star | Canada’s largest daily. N.p., n.d. Web.

29 Sept. 2013. <http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/05/21/arthur_erickson_a_modern_master_of_architecture.html>.

“Arthur Erickson.” Arthur Erickson. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. <http://arthurerickson.com/master- planning/3-block-complex-&-robson-square/7/>.

“Arthur Erickson Archive | Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA).” Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) | An international

research centre and museum devoted to architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. <http://www.cca.qc.ca/en/ collection/434-arthur-erickson-archive>.

Erickson, Arthur. The architecture of Arthur Erickson. Montreal: Tundra Books, 1975. Print.

Olsberg, R. Nicholas, Arthur Erickson, Ricardo L. Castro, Edward Dimendberg, Laurent Stalder, and Georges Teyssot. Arthur

Erickson: critical works. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre :, 2006. Print.

Images Flickr. N.d. Robson Square, Vancouver. RAIC. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.

Tripleman. N.d. Tripleman, Vancouver. Tripleman. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

Wikipedia. N.d. Wikimedia, Vancouver. Wikipedia. Web. 28 Sept. 2013. hermeneia. N.d. Robson Square, Vancouver. Deviantart. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

Null. N.d. Robson Square, Vancouver. SearchArchives. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

Null. N.d. Robson Square, Vancouver. SearchArchives. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

21

Figure 1

Gleneagles Community Centre Vancouver, B.C. Patkau Architects Suk Jun Kim

Designed by the local award-winning architecture firm, Patkau Architects, Gleneagles Community Centre brings an opportunity for families of West Vancouver to connect with their community. The centre offers a variety of programs, such as a gymnasium, fitness facilities, an art studio, a children’s room, a café, a skate park, and tennis courts to residents whose sole community facility used to be a local school gym (“Under Construction” A3). Inside, the continuous concrete wall carries with itself the warmth of the west coast weather, thereby creating a natural transition from the outside to the inside. Also, the users of the building generate the unique carefree atmosphere of the neighbourhood for which the architecture provides a gentle enclosure. As the first new community facility in the area since its seniors’ centre opened in 1981 (Bohn B1), Gleneagles Community Centre strives to create an intimate public environment that maximizes its role both as a recreation hub and a social gathering space. Principal John Patkau explains, “We wanted it to have a very public character, so we set it close to the road. We did what we could to make it civic in a suburban context.” (Whitehead 20). The project’s strategies in achieving its objectives lie in its relationship with the site, and honest organization of spaces, reinforced by innovate use of building technology.

The site sits within a suburban low-density residential area about thirty minutes away from downtown Vancouver (Whitehead 20). Its proximity to Gleneagles Golf Course and Horseshoe Bay to the west, and an electrical substation to the east, accompanied by a series of highways, depicts the site as a public backyard of the community, with the golf course acting as the open green field.

Consequentially, the architects’ approach to the project was to plan a linear barn-like shed (Carter 67), similar to any other garden structures found in a typical residential backyard, thus, resulting in a display of a more familiar image. Plus, the cross-sectional topography was reshaped to take advantage of the 1.5m slope, allowing public access to occur on both the lower and intermediate levels (“GLENEAGLES COMMUNITY CENTRE” 28). The outcome is a strengthened connection with the roads. With the newly shaped Marine Drive calming the traffic (“Under Construction” A3), the lower level serves as the entry for the drivers as the parking lot draws users into the west rear end, and the intermediate level provides a 23

more pedestrian-friendly entry that could open up and expand the space for bigger public events.

The most prominent material used is timber, and since it is abundant in West Vancouver, it creates an intimate environment for the users, offsetting the artificial atmosphere that is peculiar to indoor gymnasiums.

Additionally, the sectional arrangement of spaces contributes significantly to the overall success of the building in maximizing its public character. The large gymnasium that occupies a significant proportion of the floor plate as well as the primary open volume of the building, acts as a unifying spatial element that runs vertically throughout the building and provides visual connection of all three floors through glazing and framed views (Whitehead 21). Not only do simultaneous views of multiple activities facilitate visual connection within the building but also animate the interior (“GLENEAGLES COMMUNITY CENTRE” 28), and the life and energy of the building reinforces the sense of community and civic pride. On a similar note, the carefully designed timbre structure becomes an integral component of the building as it not only provides

shelter to the users but also serves to be a constant theme that creates a sense of order and legibility that help users navigate through the building’s programmatic complexity (Carter 70). Next to the gymnasium is a series of stacked horizontal plates with two means of access into the building from different levels – one from the front entry and one from the back courtyard (Whitehead 21), that distribute the intensity of use into different parts of the building and puts emphasis on the movement within the building. The path is generous and has been almost transformed into a series of terraced platforms that allow users to explore the site while being made continually aware of the activities of different programs within the building; again, an architectural gesture working towards the strengthening of its role as a community centre.

This exiting volumetric organization is then reinforced by the technical aspects of the building that contribute significantly to the success of the project. The architects sought a system of integrating different building services and reducing the typical energy usage to about 50%. This was achieved by using geothermal heat, radiant heating and cooling, displacement

Figure 2

ventilation strategies, and a massive concrete structure with high thermal mass (Whitehead 21). Working closely with the engineers and subcontractors the architects were able to develop structural panels that accommodated for this radiant heating and cooling (Carter 70), and the outcome was a concrete structure that acted as a huge thermal storage mass that absorbs, stores and releases energy to create an extremely stable indoor climate of 21 degrees Celsius; each 12in (30mm) thick sandwich consists of an inner layer of concrete with water pipes embedded in the panel, insulation and an outer layer of concrete that provides the external finish (“GLENEAGLES COMMUNITY CENTRE” 29). A geothermal heat pump system has been installed under the adjacent parking lot to alter the building temperatures using the natural thermal mass of the earth (Whitehead, 24), and since air is not the medium used to control the indoor temperature, operable windows and doors could be in constant use, as they do not affect the performance of the heating and cooling system, resulting in a building closely connected to its natural environment. Lastly, a displacement system is used to accomplish ventilation; controlled fresh air is supplied at low

levels, rises, flushing contaminants upward, and then is exhausted (“GLENEAGLES COMMUNIT CENTRE, 29). Through these carefully installed services, the architects’ effort to, not only reduce energy consumption, but also bring the occupants and nature closer is clearly illustrated.

Gleneagles Community Centre’s goal to maximize its civic character was met with sophisticated architectural ideas of the architects and their making. Beginning with the careful manipulation of the site, the architects established their main objectives and these objectives were resolved using the logical and honest interior organization of spaces, and the impressive building technology of the HVAC system, that enhanced the power of different community spaces within the building. However, the most fascinating element of this project probably is its holistic approach to creating a design solution, combining the design intent, structure, mechanical strategies, sensitive siting, material choices, and purposeful interior organization.

Collaboration of different aspects of the building reinforced the idea of community, the objective, and produced quality spaces for the residents; a relationship found only in works of great civic architecture.

Works Cited Bohn, Glenn. “Gleneagles Course Proposed as Site of Community Centre: Public Meetings are

Planned for March and April on the Project.” The Vancouver Sun: 0. Mar 05

1998. ProQuest. Web. 15 July 2013.

Carter, Brian. “LIGHTING THE COMMUNITY.” The Architectural Review 216.1292 (2004): 67 71. ProQuest. Web. 31 July 2013.

“GLENEAGLES COMMUNITY CENTRE.” The Canadian Architect 53.5 (2008): 28-9. ProQuest. Web.

31 July 2013.

Lautens, Trevor. “The Heat is on again at Gleneagles Centre.” North Shore News: 6. Jan 16

2004. ProQuest. Web. 1 Aug. 2013 .

“Under Construction.” The Province: 0. Jan 16 2002. ProQuest. Web. 15 July 2013 .

Whitehead, Terri. “Community Action.” The Canadian Architect 50.1 (2005): 20-4. ProQuest. Web. 15

July 2013.

25

Figure 1

Museum of Anthropology Vancouver, B.C. Arthur Erickson Dorothy Johns

Canadian architect and passionate advocate of global cultural awareness, Arthur Erickson, is internationally known for his ability to portray Canadian culture and geography through architecture.

Designed and built during the early 1970’s, a time of growing awareness of cultural identity, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia engages the public by creating a space for visitors to learn and study important cultural artifacts and people. An educated community is an inspired community; as Erickson describes the importance of acquiring, caring for, and displaying cultural objects to the highest professional standards. However, the Museum of Anthropology not only displays historical west coast native artifacts, it also mimics their spiritual heritage and rugged landscape through built form. “For my mission is to turn the marvelous pulsing of human life into stone and wood, concrete and steel - transforming human aspirations into habitable space,” (Erickson, 13). Erickson describes “site as paramount for me because it has always been the richest source of inspiration,” (Erickson, 14), here, Erickson is not referring to site as simply the physical context of the project, but the context in its entirety, including: social, political, and cultural events and values. In other words, the aim of the design is not only to fit the site’s boundaries, but to embody the essence of Canada’s West Coast.

Grounded in local stories, colonialism, First Nations history, the particularities of the site: Point Grey, and the university community (Olsberg, 41), the Museum of Anthropology has harnessed inspiration from its’ context, to adhere to the site directly and advance human’s new found appreciation for local and global cultures. The museum, appropriately located in a university setting, creates a space for future generations to learn, and further their historical and cultural knowledge; socially empowering students to create new opinions and perspectives utilizing the museum’s vast collection as a narrative to support their points of view. Expanding the knowledge of students and citizens alike of not only West Coast Native history, but of African, and particularly Asian history and culture. Of the artifacts in the museum, over 40% are of Asian: this thorough representation of global culture and history places the museum at the forefront of the socialist movement.

27

Erickson’s personal heritage and travel experiences are reflected in his architecture.

The Museum of Anthropology is no exception, as various aspects of both Western and Oriental culture can be easily detected through the strong formal composition of the structure as well as the non-linear composition of the passages throughout the building. Erickson’s Western upbringing, and extensive study and travel throughout the Orient are driving forces of the design, though the architecture also speaks of the museum’s role and place in universal human cultural experience.

Positioned between ruins of concrete mounts for guns installed during the Second World War, these physically and socially substantial remnants secured in the landscape would have arguably been enough to anchor the project. However, Erickson also consciously divulged the opportunity to assimilate three additional cultural architectural references as easily as the gun emplacement (Olsberg, 41): the Acropolis of Athens, a Japanese Shinto Sanctuary, and the re-creation of a Haida village.

Similar to the Acropolis, the thoughtful placement

of the building in the landscape pays homage to Roman architecture, while the concrete torii, an adaptation of the traditional Japanese gate, marks the entrance and the beginning of the visitor’s promenade, “the repetition of the monumental concrete post and lintel frames evokes multiple torii which create a tunnel-like structure that unfolds through a [contemporary reference to a traditional] Shinto sanctuary,” (Olsberg, 23). Erickson also choreographed the totem poles, which were always intended for the Great Hall at the end of the passage leading to the lake, originally placed by the curator facing inwards towards the visitor, Erickson was quick to amend the curator’s decision by arranging the totems to focus their gazes on various spatial points in the landscape surrounding the building.

This unique arrangement is also attributed to the placement of the caryatids on the Athenian Acropolis.

Combining traditional cultural architectural references to form the backbone of the Museum’s formal development appropriately recognizes, and enhances, the programming within the building.

Erickson’s conscious appreciation for the

Figure 2

programming of the building, from iconic totem placement, to organized display of hundreds of artifacts, to transient gallery exhibition spaces, is evident, and greatly enhances the visitor’s appreciation for the collections being held by the museum. His references to varying global cultures through the formal arrangement of materials and hierarchy of interior spaces fuses with the surrounding site, creating a unique whole to be appreciated as such. However, each reference may also be valued as an individual detail, creating appropriate spaces for visitors to expand their knowledge in a very specific culture or history. Combined, these details allow the visitor to experience local and foreign cultures in relation to themselves, and their own values.

The Museum of Anthropology’s adaptations of these various cultures is also manifested throughout Cornelia Oberlander’s landscape design. Oberlander and Erickson have a great deal of history working on projects together. The value of linking the building directly with all aspects of the site lends itself to requiring careful consideration of the site’s immediate physical vicinity. In the case of the Museum of

Anthropology, or as Erickson referred to it as the “Museum of man, by introducing an artificial lake like an arm of the sea, the setting of a northwest coast native village was simulated with its longhouses and totem poles lining the beach. To tie the building to the land in a way expressive of the native culture, only that part of the roof above the massive carvings rises ritualistically, almost totemically, out of the verdure which covers every other part of the building and site”, (Erickson, 23).

The importance of the site to Erickson is such that the building cannot be studied without the site, nor the site without the building, the marriage of the built form and natural environment must be as flawless as the reflection of the South facade in the lake surrounding it. “It is the ‘dialogue’ between the building and setting that is the essence of architecture” (Erickson,14).

Erickson regularly relies on Oberlander to aid in creating connections between the built form and the landscape, beyond the physical. Using species and forms indigenous to the area, Oberlander connects the Museum of Anthropology to the history of the native peoples and their use of nature for food, medicine, and life.

Figure 4

29 Figure 3

Oberlander’s beliefs in sustainable development and “least intervention” are at first criticized.

Her struggles to convince society of the need to integrate nature with modern construction, are substantiated by her strong personal values, and as such shifts gradually from strained attempts to a unanimous necessity as society’s gradual social development moves towards an understanding of the importance of the site and its’ context to contemporary buildings. Oberlander’s work on the Museum of Anthropology displays her lifelong commitment to promoting the harmonious and organic fusion of building and site, and is a representation of the impact of her work and her values in the development and execution of Erickson’s designs.

Along with consideration of the immediate site, the greater area surrounding the building must also be acknowledge and considered throughout the design process. The West Coast is a particularly difficult area with its watery lights, which render soft and subtle moods, this demands transparency in building, or skylights bathing walls with a gentle introspective light, or water reflection to bring the sky’s brightness onto the earth’s dark surfaces, (Erickson, 33). Indigenous

to the West coast, Erickson also subtly mimics the rugged landscape, while the interior still calls to mind the spirit of a First Nation longhouse with muted natural lighting, opening to a view of the surrounding lake and mountains.

Finally, deeply rooted in Western culture, while still fascinated by the Orient, Erickson merges both Western culture’s evangelist focus on destination, with Japan’s value of the passage of the visitor, entitling their values as: “rhythms” of their own cultures, into the Museum by creating a non-linearly directional approach to the Great Hall housing all of the totems. Only by being acutely aware and appreciative of different approaches to human existence can an architect address the whole urban and social context in which they build.

“Architecture, as I see it, is the art of composing spaces in response to existing environmental and urbanistic conditions to answer a client’s needs.

In this way the building becomes the resolution between its inner being and the outer conditions imposed upon it. It is never solitary but is part of its setting and thus must blend in a timeless way with its surroundings yet show its own fresh presence” (“Museum of Anthropology.” 1998.).

The Museum of Anthropology began

Figure 5

evolving long before Erickson was commissioned in 1971. However, it was Michael Ames, who became director in 1974, who began to critique traditional museum practices for their under-representation of the world’s poor and marginalized peoples. Ames acted with the rise in popularity of anthropological studies in his favour, and arguably catalyzed interest in different, usually under-privileged societies, reiterating that art was produced by all societies and cultures whether those cultures had a specific word for it or not. His visionary published work aroused a strong current of interest and affected museological thought worldwide (Mayer, Shelton, 33). “Ames tirelessly documented the ways in which traditional ethnographic museum interpretation was embedded in an entrenched, often inaccurate Western concept of other cultures, and he championed the right of all people to tell their own stories and curate their own exhibitions...

Ames’ reputation and the work done under his directorship brought the museum international attention as one of the more progressive museums of its kind in the world,” (Mayer, Shelton, 33).

Ames’ role in the development of the museum and of anthropological studies was significant,

especially during the time the construction of Erickson’s design.

“The museum today represents the consolidation of a vision that has incubated over sixty years. It is a progressive, open, sensitive, and adventurous institution that brings together the world’s arts and culture, promotes dialogue, supports research and encourages to adopt a global perspective on the planet’s diverse and increasingly connected peoples,” (Mayer, Shelton, 26). Anthropological studies continue to be credited for a higher level of cultural understanding, bringing meaning to travel, and excitement to museums, while maintaining and increasing the value of cultural identity globally.

Along with Ames, Oberlander and many other significant contributors, Erickson’s cultural values and instinct led to a higher level of education among the public of global cultures. This education continues today, bringing diverse cultural awareness, and continuing to research ongoing cultures and their distinct traditions. The Museum of Anthropology supports the development of higher levels of cultural understanding creating an intricately connected and educated global community.

Works Cited Carreiro, Rémi. Museum of Anthropology: Kultour West Coast Architecture. May 2013. Figures: 1,2,5.

Castro, R. Olsberg, N. Arthur Erickson. Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery, 2006. Print.

Erickson, A. The Architecture of Arthur Erickson. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. 1988. Print.

Erickson A. Arthur Erickson. Montreal: Tundra Books, 1975. Print.

Johns, D. Museum of Anthropology: Kultour West Coast Architecture. May 2013. Figures: 3,4.

Mayer, C. Shelton, A. Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. University of Washington Press. 2010. Print.

Arthur Charles Erickson: Official Website: Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Canada. Web. 2013. www. arthurerickson.com Bressani, Bull, McMordie, Gosselin. “The Museum of Anthropology at The Unversity of Britsh Columbia:

RIAC Awards.” Canadian Architect Magazine. (2011). Web. 2013. http://www.canadianarchitect. com/news/the-museum-of-anthropology-at-the-university-of-british-columbia/1000433874/ “Museum of Anthropology.” The Vital Signs Project. (1998). Web. 2013. http://www.arch.ced.berkeley. edu/vitalsigns/workup/anthro_museum/anthro_arch.html 31

Richmond Olympic Oval Richmond, B.C. Cannon Design Hovag Kara-Yacoubian

An idea within a building manifests itself when one observes it. Further, a building is a conglomerate of ideas set within a construct, united by purpose and illustrated through engineering and art. Yet the issue remains that some buildings lose their purpose and become dwellings for empty memories, monoliths which are only a testament to past glories. The Richmond Olympic Oval successfully stepped past these boundaries which would typically bind Olympian facilities as it was planned and built with a legacy and future social directive in mind (Chodikoff). It is driven by a powerful philosophy of unity and legacy which is supported by strong economic, social and environmental goals set within the Oval’s design. The Richmond Olympic Oval represents a marked step in the development of conscious and sensible architecture.

Traditionally, buildings designed and built to host Olympic events end up as financial burdens, with very little use and minor touristic merit. A number of facilities from recent Olympics come to mind; most notably, the Bird’s nest, who’s reported daily tours of 50,000 people were reduced to fewer than 10,000 less than a year after its opening and use during the Games of 2008. Further, the anchor tenants, major sports franchises, were unable to stay at the 80,000-seat stadium (Athletic Business).

With the Richmond Oval we see a new approach and sensibility become visible wherein the “legacy use” and cultural significance of the building is a relevant portion of the primary design strategy. This legacy use related back to social directives that have become an integrated element of west coast culture. The inherit sustainability of a building not only from an environmental perspective, but also from the point of view of usage and long-term applications are pivotal elements in the built world of the west coast.

A very important element of the success of a large hub such as the Oval is its ability to relate to the location and become a part of the larger community. Since the next step after the 2010 Games was to transform the building from a Olympic speed skating arena to what would come to be known as an International Centre of Excellence for Sports and Wellness, the Oval had to not only merit use from the average citizen but to also embrace the qualities, nature and history of the site. Through 33

the integration of native art, western athletic culture, and modern structural engineering and environmental science, it is safe to say the Oval has successfully made the transfer to its new purpose and has become a pivotal portion of a variety of people’s lives.

There is an important connection within the building’s form joining it to the community and local culture of the region. The “heron’s wing” appearance of the flowing canopies is meant as a reminder that the city of Richmond has a long history with the Heron and the design of the elements was intentionally set to demonstrate the importance of the symbol of the city. Three key conceptual points power this formal expression: “Flight”, the connection to the Blue Heron, the city’s symbol and dominant river predator; “Flow”, representing the Fraser river where the life of the city swells from; and “Fusion”, how the connection of the architecture and site come together in the construct (Cannon).

The site of the Richmond Oval was once home to the Musqueam people, a First Nations tribe of Canada who had a strong connection to the rivers and wetlands of the region. Though there is a very literal connection to the people’s culture through the hiring of the Musqueam artist Susan Point, who adorned the massive concrete buttresses of the Oval with carvings and bas reliefs of the salmon and herons, there is also a strong relationship through the manner

in which the building functions. In Native culture, balance and unity with the nature surrounding them is of the utmost significance. To be able to borrow from the world around and leave no impact is a quality that must be set before all else (Musqueam). In the Oval, we can see these connections in how the building manages the drainage of storm water from the abundant rainfall of the region. The undulating wing like roof connects and drains the water to three different targets. First to the river which the building faces, the most abundant source of life in the area, as well as to a detention pond, where water allows for some local plant-life to grow and act as a filtration system for the water, and finally some is collected within the building for immediate use in toilets and ice-making (Fields). Within this design we can also see the interconnectedness of not only the building to the environment, but also the elements of the nature reconnecting with each other. The building comes to life as the water from the roof drains down the buttresses over the carvings and art installations, paying tribute to the nature and culture of the land around it.

The Oval is not only a tribute to the past but also an anchor point for the future. The large hangar like structure with a floating slab became a strong athletic and community hub due to the flexibility of its design. Though at any moment the speed skating track can be reconfigured to take over the arena, it is currently home to three different blocks: one dedicated to track and field programs, another to basketball, volley ball and racket sport courts and the final to two international size ice rinks. It is the flexibility of the design of this athletic center that allowed it become accessible and a viable fitness center for a multitude of professional and semi-professional sports programs. The periphery of these high intensity sports areas is dedicated to fitness and training which are available through membership (Athletic Business). Thus, the design of the Oval becomes a building that escapes the trappings of Olympic facilities and becomes a community space. It is these qualities that also let the Oval prepare the site around it to be activated and have the potential for the city of Richmond to develop a vibrant social setting. Instead of remaining as a lingering monolith, the Olympic Oval has become a captivating urban amenity, with large exterior

public spaces and an easy hub to help anchor a mixed use urban development as planned by the city of Richmond.

This hybridization of historical and future considerations allows it to exist in the present.

This conceptual marriage of past and future, nature and science and the mixing of human cultures are also embodied in the engineering and structural design of the Oval. Wooden architecture is a language very familiar in the west. The warm tones and textures of the material allow for very human spaces to form. This is exhibited in the engineered vaulting glulam beams of the Oval (Cannon). Natural materials meet scientific advancement to create a new dialect which speaks to the building’s ideas.

The composite glulam beams strengthened with steel trusses with exquisite attention to detail and reveals demonstrate the engineering finesse of the project particularly within the design of the complex structural interface connected the glulam elements through steel to the concrete foundations along the periphery of the building creating large open spans critical to the facility.

Meanwhile the structural ceiling integrates into this system through its construction of reclaimed wood from the pine forests ravaged by beetle infestations becomes a comforting and familiar sights for users and provides an easy environment for athletes and trainers to continue using the building (Canadian Wood Council).

Conclusively, the Oval auspiciously joins a multitude of elements and unites them to form a building conscious of its legacy. Cannon Design has put together a building where the history and culture are given as much importance as performance and science without compromising the environment and nature of the site. The “legacy use” of the design creates a space wherein the end user is kept in mind just as much as the short term Olympian user. With this design sensibility and conscious respect for the future the Richmond Olympic Oval has paved the way for a new type of Olympic architecture to emerge especially in the field of long-track facilities. The future growth and development of this type of architecture is almost assuredly going to continue revolutionizing the playing field.

Works Cited Canadian Wood Council. “Richmond Olympic Oval.” Canadian Wood Council Wood Works! Canadian Wood Council, n.d. Web. 20 June 2013.

“Cannon Design - Richmond Olympic Oval Media Kit - Arts & Architecture.” Cannon Design - Richmond Oval Media Kit - Arts & Architecture. Cannon Design, n.d. Web. 30 June 2013.

Olympic

Chodikoff, Ian. “Oval and Above.” Canadian Architect 11 (2009): n. pag. Print.

“Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group.” Exploring Vancouver. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013.

Fields, KJ. “Olympic Hero.” Eco-structure (2010): n. pag. Print.

Macdonald, Christopher, Adele Weder, Veronica Gillies, and Matthew Soules. A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Vancouver. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2010. Print.

“Our Story.” Musqueam. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013.

“Post-Games.” Athletic Business 2 (2010): n. pag. Print.

“Richmond Olympic Oval.” Richmond Olympic Oval. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013.

Slavid, Ruth. New Wood Architecture. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2005. Print.

35

Surrey Central City Surrey, B.C. Miller and Hull Partnership Diana Koncan

Surrounded by mountains and trees, western Canada is a wonderful area to experience. In British Columbia’s expanding city of Surrey is “Surrey Central City”, a multi-use building aimed to attract visitors’ city wide. This building includes retail, academic and business spaces, bringing together every program the city was missing. Prior to the Center being built, Surrey did not attract any outsiders, and it struggled with lower income levels from a lack of education it was able to provide.

Land in Surrey was very cheap, and there was a lot of it but there was no point for anyone to build in Surrey because there was nothing that made the city thrive. The city needed a center to bring in all the missing pieces, draw people in, create revenue, and that is what they did. With the center as it is today, Surrey draws people in, giving back what people want and need. As a center of multi uses, different people (young and old) are coming into the center for themselves, and by doing so are giving back to the city by being part of this revitalization project. Success is achieved through the openness it expresses in design decisions, which is though tectonics as well as the public-private partnership.

By attracting people to a place that is now one to be proud of, both for what it has brought into the city, and for what it leaves people with, the struggling city of Vancouver is gone.

Surrey is located on the lower west end of Canada, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean on one side, and towards the rest of British Columbia on the other. The city is also constrained geographically by Pacific Coast Mountains, and as a result the city can only expand south. This makes transportation more difficult and costly. British Columbia responded to this need for a better connected transportation system by introducing a plan called “the Livable Region Plan.” Essentially it was a series of town centers linked by a transit line. People did not have to spend as much time travelling as they would have without this line, to get to and from work. The transit line is known as “Skytrain”, and continues to be the most efficient way to navigate around Vancouver. The Skytrain stops in each city of British Columbia. The region decided a town center would be built in Surrey within the next couple of years, therefore they connected the train to Surrey as well. At this time, it is important to understand there was no plan that planners had come up with as of yet, therefore there was no “downtown city” in 37

Surrey.

Presented with suburban sprawl, the planners came back to the project and decided that large mix-use development could be the solution to a downtown Surrey. Luckily, there were three major clients interested, on a provincial, municipal and private level; all willing to work together. On the provincial level, a major insurance company was in need of a regional head office. On a municipal level, Simon Fraser University needed a new campus for students.

Lastly on a private level, the region saw fit that a shopping center was needed and could bring opportunity to the community. This concept of mix-use development came from an urban planning technique called “Vancouverism”, where mix-uses are arranged in one development, accommodating high densities. Typically, the base is commercial, and the tower that sits above it is a medium high rise residential tower. In this plan, the main level is the shopping mall, as well as second level retail space. Above that is a podium that holds the University. The office tower sits above the podium as a middle sized high-rise tower. The problem with this mix-use plan was

that no one was willing to put in enough money to get this project going. Insurance company client, Bob Williams decided to take matters into his own hands by buying out the shopping center and agreeing to be the developer of the university and office building. Bob Williams realized that if he could create a place that brought people in, he could transform the Surrey community.

The main idea behind Surrey Central City’s design is its context, “West Coast.” The concept is openness. It starts with the ability to incorporate everything uniquely, and goes on to the overall design, showing how openness is achieved through the atrium and the entrance. The atrium and the entrance are the two points where the most interaction occurs within the building; everyone experiences the atria and entryway to get to their place in the building. The entire building is organized around atriums, thus openness is achieved throughout the entire building. The architects’ idea behind the atria was to include multiple areas of interest in one enclosure. The atria enabled the architect to organize multiple programs in one space, separating them but at the same time keeping them visually connected.

The atria was how the architect translated his understanding of nature. Nature to Bing Thom Architects is everything working together, as one.

The architects also believed that if the center could bring everything together and work as one unit, success could be achieved.

There is a direct relationship between the material choice and spatial composition, representing British Columbia as a whole. The main material used is wood, one of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary resources, and a resource known to come from British Columbian forests. The overall design shows a relationship to nature through the use of wood in the structural connections, again achieving a sense of openness. This openness resembles the openness of a forest.

The structural connections are symbolic of trees, recognizing the strength in nature. Specifically, heavy timber wood is used for the support connections, branching off at the top. This is similar to how a tree would shield anything beneath it. The ceiling bracing and supports are made of refurbished wood, showing the high-tech focus in the University and the idea of sustainability that is widely encouraged in British

Columbia. It is a sustainable design choice as all of the wood is local and some is waste from peeler core systems. The peeler core system is the center core of a tree trunk that would have been disposed of otherwise.

Three different timber systems are used in the structure of this building, each supporting one of three areas in the building. By doing this the architect is separating the spaces but maintaining visual connection throughout them all. The university classrooms are located right above the shopping mall, and this direct visual connection between the two programs shows how closely linked programs are. With these two programs sharing the same atria, operational and capital costs are reduced. Less heating during the summer and cooling during the winter is required. Also, in spaces like the cafeteria and mall food court, the architects created a shared eating space for both types of users further saving on capital and heating costs.

This idea of a public-private partnership was the result of wanting everyone to come to one location. This public-private partnership was drawing in two crowds, local and worldwide. By

Figure 4

39

drawing people of the city and beyond the city to this one location and allowing the people to see different parts of the building working in unison simultaneously, the designers are able to create a sense of â&#x20AC;&#x153;beingâ&#x20AC;? in the project, which keeps people coming. This was essential to the growth of the city. The more people involved, the more chance of success rate. They did not know if the whole project would work out, but they were hoping it would. Because of the public-private partnership, inclusion design, and openness, the project was a success.

Furthermore, the plaza arrangement around this building creates a connection to the programs and its major people supplier, the Skytrain. People using the train, walk in front of plaza complex and into the building. This integration of all three programs as well as the transit line is what ultimately brings success to this project.

Thus it is clear that the Surrey City Center was created to revitalize the struggling city in British Columbia by attracting people to a place that is one to be proud of, for what it has brought into the city and for what it leaves people with.

The project was a revitalization project that

revitalized the entire community. By combining three major programs at a private, provincial and community level, the project has transformed into something people want to be part of. Surrey is now known for its downtown core, which is now the center. Without it, there would be no desire for people to make their way to the city. The integration of the university, shopping center and the insurance company in one complex has brought a community together. The openness that Bing Thom architects achieve through heavy timber connections in the entrance and atria, create interaction between the different clientele which directly relates to the interaction that Surrey needed. With this project, the community is strong. They can now address their city center as Surreyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown core, thanks to the uniquely integrated architecture.

Works Cited Thom, Bing. Bing Thom Works. Vancouver: Douglas &McIntryre, 2011. 104-126. Print.

Images Thom, Bing. “Site Plan.” 2011. Vancouver. D&M Publishers Inc. Thom, Bing. “Perspective.” 2011. Vancouver. D&M Publishers Inc. Thom, Bing. “Exploded Axonometric.” 2011. Vancouver. D&M Publishers Inc. Koncan, Diana. “Surrey Center Atrium.” 2013. JPEG file.

Koncan, Diana. “University and Shopping Mall Integration at Surrey Center.” 2013. JPEG file.

41

Newton Library Surrey, B.C. Patkau Architects Rachel Law

Patkau Architects’ uncompromising portfolio of work draws its expressive power from inventive form-making and complex geometries whilst embracing local culture. Internationally recognized as “ambassadors of the best of West Coast and Canadian architecture” (“John And Patricia Patkau-Patkau Architects”, 2009), they carry a unique aspiration to their work that draws from the West Coast culture. The essence of their designs can be regarded as an amalgamation of art and technology, a social service, an environmental agent, and a political statement. With building concepts grounded in investigations of the particulars of a site, the Patkaus’ crowned phrase and overriding theme of “found potential” arises. This phrase is used to describe what makes specific cultures and locales unique, taking into consideration factors such as topography, climate and architectural context. By integrating these fundamental features into the Newton Library in Surrey, BC with attentiveness to materials, proportion and functionality, a close interchange between natural surroundings and architectural construction was established.

Surrey as a low density city currently faces the problem of urban sprawl. Not unlike many suburban areas across the West Coast, this rapidly increasing growth at the turn of the century shifted towards the redefinition of the idea of a civic building and a civic space. The Newton Public Library both redefines the Surrey suburbia and responds to the context of its environment. Not only have the Patkaus invested an interest in the particulars of a site, but above all, their designs have become increasingly explicit about the details of architectural construction; “the way in which the richness of [a] space is developed directly out of an expression of how the space is constructed” (Patkau, 1995).

This idea of the particular is ultimately “manifested through differentiation” (Patkau, 1995); whether it is the differentiation of spaces, or within the materials and construction of a building. The Newton Library explores both ideas of differentiation, manipulating light and materials concurrently to create spaces of significance within the Surrey community.

The library was designed to stand out as a civic monument among the dull monotony of suburban Surrey, BC. The building opens up and extends its edges out to the landscape which 43

surrounds it. The inverted roof is one of the main highlights of the design. Consequently, the north and south elevations are exaggerated to a twostorey height, which gives the library a greater street presence. Additionally, large amounts of natural light are able to permeate through the entire space: on the south through carefully controlled openings, and on the north through a glass curtain wall that allows a soft ambient light to fill the interior. This manipulation of light as it interacts with the materials in various areas of the library further defines, complements, and ultimately, differentiates the intended program of those spaces. While the north and the south are exaggerated, the linear east-west axis is compressed to a human scale. Running the entire length of the building, this compression allows for an intimate connection to the library itself, creating a warm and inviting space suitable for the reinvented concept of an open and informal library.

With an interest in the library as “an informal place, but also a meeting-point and exchange of information” (Patkau, 1995), the Patkau team made sure that the institutional nature of the building’s

function did not interfere or dominate through sculpting the interior to encourage users to feel more welcome and comfortable. The northern face of the building allows an abundance of soft daylight to wash over the more public gathering space, inviting the users to pause and read, while the individual study carrels are provocatively placed at the edge of the library along the south side, looking across the site to the forest beyond.

Formed as a series of small enclosures, these carrels have lowered ceilings, carefully divided and detailed windows, and simple desks that are integrated into the concrete footings of the main structure. Since the solar potential of the local climate is quite high, the south wall is transformed from an otherwise glassy south face of a typical building into a “thick sculpted wall” (Carter, 1993) working in tandem with horizontal external light shelves to manipulate the light that streams in.

These shelves direct light into the main room, while also shading the carrels from the harsh southern sun. This attentiveness to the particulars of the materials and its interaction with light combine to ultimately reflect the various roles of a library in a design that welcomes, protects, and supports

the user.

The valley of the roof viewed tectonically, angles and reflects natural daylight deep into the interior. The design on the exterior, however, is more mechanical and operates as a gutter system where it drains rainwater from the roof to cleverly placed rock cisterns, allowing it to be filtered underground. This valley also works in conjunction with the duct system located within the sculpted aluminum rooftop mechanical room.

Listed as the first ‘green library’ in Canada, the magnificence of the Newton Library lies in the integration of all these systems into one feature of their design, with an emerging interest in the construction of sustainable buildings developing within the public sector.

The structural system developed by the Patkau team is expressive, dramatic, and organized to drive daylight into the space, an element which is essential to the success of any library. This constructional system refers “directly to the natural sticks and stones of [Surrey, BC]” (Carter, 1993). Heavy timber glu-lam beams, supported off a central spine and circular concrete columns, sweep up in a grand gesture

extending out to create rain canopies around the building. The exposed structure sliding through from interior to exterior suggests ways of being in the field of influence of a building before even entering.

Renowned for their honing of the West Coast Modern style and what Kenneth Frampton deems “critical regionalism,” the stylings of which seek to provide an architecture rooted in the modern tradition, but tied to geographical and cultural context. As such, Patkau used the abundant resource of wood in local British Columbia, particularly glu-lam and the advancements of its manufacturing, to articulate their design intent.

Taking advantage of its sustainable and structural properties, glu-lam beams were used throughout, bringing forth its intrinsic qualities of warmth into the space. It is seen that the range of materials used throughout the Newton Library, apparent throughout the West Coast, is dialogical in its relationship to its narrative and to the significance of its parts. The tectonic expression of the light-absorbing concrete columns and heavy timber beams contrasts the light-reflecting clad construction with volumes defined by dry wall

45

and stucco surfaces. “Each of these personalities within the library struggles to dominate” (Patkau, 1995); always in contrast yet also in balance.

This dialectic struggle is a conscious choice made by the architects as each material is used honestly to direct and distribute natural light into a relatively deep floor plate, creating an appropriate environment for designated spaces.

“Where its luminous and enclosing characteristics are not required the layer of cladding is feathered out to its own thickness, eventually giving way to exposed construction.

This allows the tectonic, more durable parts of the building to extend outside as a rain canopy...

These assertive shapes allow the clad construction to take on a more figurative quality which enables it to act as a more positive counterpart to the robust quality of the timber and concrete. In this way dialectic of construction types energizes the architectural expression of the building.”

- Patkau Architects

The conspicuous layering of the construction “recalls the work of Carlo Scarpa” (Carter, 1993) and, again, emphasizes how the tectonic makings of the library are essential to its connection to the natural context.

What was envisioned for the Newton Public Library was a refuge within a fast-growing city, formally adapted into a civic monument.

This image was expertly portrayed, suggested by the light airy spaces contained within the robust frameworks of structure and glazing and reinforced by the grand sweeping roof forms. With a strong theme planted in the “found potential”, experiencing the Newton Library changes one from an observer to an “engaged participant in the architecture” (“John And Patricia Patkau-Patkau Architects”, 2009), fully immersed in the atmospheres created. The complexity of the built form along with the designers’ eccentric palette of materials, “finely yet economically detailed in their assembly” (Carter, 1993), combines to make a building that performs magnificently as a complete unit, integrating tectonics, mechanics and architecture into one that responds to the context that surrounds it. The Patkaus’ exploration in the particulars of site and architectural construction strengthens the Newton Public Library’s ecology within the community as a landmark and as a public space that is intrinsically grounded in the landscape indigenous of British Columbia.

Works Cited Carter, Brian. “Civic Exuberance: Newton Library (Surrey, BC).” The Canadian Architect 38.5 (1993): 16-21. 8 June 2010. Web. 10 June 2013.

“John And Patricia Patkau--Patkau Architects.” John And Patricia Patkau--Patkau Architects. The Canadian Architect, 1 May 2009. Web. 8 June 2013.

“Patkau Architects Newton Library.” Patkau Architects Newton Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2013.

Patkau, John. Patkau Architects: Investigations into the Particular. Ann Arbor, MI.: University of Michigan, College of Architecture + Urban Planning,

1995. Print.

“CLA 2005 ~ June 15 - 18, 2005 (Calgary, Alberta).” CLA 2005 ~ June 15 - 18, 2005 (Calgary, Alberta). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.cla. ca/conference/2005/poster_sessions.htm>.

Gracey, M. Patkau Newton Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2013. <http://www.sfu.ca/~graceym/Portfolio/Patkau%20Newton%20Library.pdf>.

Images Patkau Architects - Newton Library. Personal Photography by Remi Carriero. 08 May 2013.

Roof at Entrance. Personal Photography by Rachel Law. 08 May 2013.

Patkau, John. Cross-sections of Newton Library. 1993. Surrey. Canadian Architect. 18 June 2013.

North Curtain Wall. Personal Photography by Remi Carriero. 08 May 2013.

South “Sculpted” Facade. Personal Photography by Remi Carriero. 08 May 2013.

“Patkau Architects Newton Library.” Patkau Architects Newton Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2013.

47

Figure 1

Seattle Public Library Seattle, WA. OMA Anusha Ramesh

Chartreuse stairwells, a lipstick red meeting room, green lavatories, yellow floors, and sky blue windows are well and truly the Land of Oz come alive, an imaginative space where real world intersects, which is essentially the dialectic between the social and the cerebral. We have always tended to keep these worlds distinct, designing distinctly different spaces for each, but Rem Koolhaas’ iconic Seattle Public library makes us pause to rethink this distinction and become more inclusive in our approach by interacting with his integrative spaces in this library.

How is this integration of social and cerebral spaces achieved? It starts with a breakdown of the old order of spaces which is typical of a Koolhaas design. A library can have a very staid pattern of spaces, and when Koolhaas took apart and reordered them in this library, it was the beginning of a dynamic schema: the ribbon shelving system which makes for the cerebral spine of the library, the base of which is a groundswell of public space, the meeting room on the first floor being the nodal point where librarians and public interact, and the entrances at various levels creating a prismatic effect. It is the era where there is slight to none distinction present between the digital stream and the physical book [Dijkstra, 68]. Rem along with Josh Ramus, a fellow architect working at OMA, propose a situation of the present where technology has penetrated through the social, economic and political context forming a vibrant electricity reliant culture. A failure to intermingle the two worlds of new and old in an important public arena of ‘nerdism’, the library, will not withhold as a book storage system past the era of micro sized information modules (Dijkstra, 111). Computers as small as a human palm are able to store and provide a tsunami of information, but with new technology Rem has learnt that one still needs a place of solitude to escape from the crass city life. May it be a café in France, or a park in Washington D.C., the library can perform as a combination and be utilised for the individual and the group. The interior reordering of spaces is essentially an exercise in deconstruction with Koolhaas removing every part of a functioning library until he came to the very crux which is that thin interface between technology and human beings, from where the design must have sprung. For those who know Rem’s design ways, this is a distinctive trait of all his design process’, to take apart 49

the programmatic qualities and place it back delicately creating a logical piece of art resulting in a genuine programmatic quality of the building concerned.

How does the exterior faรงade converse with internal elements? The exterior faรงade of the Seattle Public library attracted 250,000 people on the day of its inauguration, a very large crowd indeed for the inauguration of a library (Hackett, Marshall, Denn, F-12). Almost immediately, the structure received scorn and praise in equal measure. Some compared the exterior to an AC duct; others were awed by the shape, which is again no particular shape at all (Hackett, F-2).

What the exterior of the Seattle library does is to defy stereotyping, by creating a shape that deconstructs itself constantly, with the clever reflecting surface of diamond shaped glass panes and the irregular stacking of floors. Placed as it is at the intersection of Madison Street, Fourth and Fifth avenues, it affords a different perspective when approached from these different angles, thereby creating a fresh perspective every which way you look at it. Historically, Seattle was an industrial port city that transformed into a technological hub

from Microsoft to Amazon, and AT & T to name a few. With the library channeling the technological resources along with its traditional function, the exterior architecture qualities are seen to be far from the west coast architecture typology viewed in other cities. Noticeably, the lack of timber construction, post and beam use or the horizontal tectonic form many buildings on the west coast boast, the public library stands out as a modern dynamic form incorporating an industrial outlook in its design. Structural issues are also made interactive with the context in which it is set, by creating an irregular and seamless faรงade of steel and glass. Trusses discretely hidden behind opaque glazing, function as support to the floors and transfer the loads from one sloping column to the next; thus, eliminating the increased use of columns (Badders, F-6). An inability to view the trusses and the transfer slabs, prevents the viewer from seeing the Library as an eleven storey building. Also such transfer slabs are essential in creating large public spaces, and can be experienced to a great extent when you enter the library through the Fifth avenue entrance.

Whereas, the entrance from Fourth Avenue is

Figure 2

designed under a forty foot cantilevered portion of the facade leading to a stark interior with low ceilings and contrasting pod shaped lighting fixtures. This entrance leads to the children’s section that presents itself as an unimaginative space holding a few brightly coloured chairs, several caution foam guards placed against the sharp angular pillars and just a one sided view to the outside.

The building is designed inside-out; beginning with the program requirements, nine basic elements were realised out of which they were divided into two categories, of stability and instability (OMA, 18). Elements such as vehicle parking, staff rooms, meeting rooms, book storage system and the administrative department were of a stable condition requiring no ‘shift’ from the vertical stacking arrangement (OMA, 22). But, those of instable condition are shifted outwards to form a zig-zag form causing the building to resemble a ‘quaked’ tower (Mattern, 70). Using the several design parameters, the architects involved placed the levels in a staggered fashion one above the other to optimise the daylight conditions and the views of the city, finally

Figure 3

creating a zig-zag sectional form by connecting each level with the next (Badders, F-6). Although in materiality, the library is far from traditional, it incorporates what the west coast takes pride in; the pristine view of the water, the mountains and the city in one panorama.

Is the library homage to the people of Seattle as Koolhaas wanted it to be? Does the structure form the underlying concept, support the social fabric and give it meaning? As an image, the design embraces the staggered mesh of metal and glass wrap reflecting the city as a disjoined puzzle. The strategically hidden structural system designed to create large public spaces and promote seismic strength, creates a dynamic outlook on the inside and out. According to a survey conducted by Berk and Associates, the economic viability of the public library has drastically improved due to its image and identity, character and as an anchor to the surrounding neighbourhoods (Berk and Associates, i).

Koolhaas’ interest in designing a library stems from his view that libraries are the social meeting grounds of the present and future, where large numbers of people would congregate for various

51

individual and collective reasons. Keeping this in mind he created multiple individual computer stations, approx.

132, with a capacity for extension, several mixed utility meeting rooms, extensive common areas, and conveniently appointed sound domes, thereby successfully integrating social interaction with silent zones (Badders, F-6, 7). Even a raised flooring system was implemented to ensure easy rewiring for the future advances in technology (OMA, 58).

The library has been designed for flexibility of its resources and to accommodate for more than 1.5 million books (Berks and Associates, 7).

The amoebic shape of this seemingly seamless flow of people is also created by designing haphazard elevations, setbacks and aesthetic designs which all in all filter sounds in a discerning manner. Arup Engineers were the masterminds to the structural coordination of the building; in order for the structure to function, engineers connected each platform to the one above like a game of connecting the dots.

Columns are angled to align themselves to the different grid pattern at the lower parking levels, and also to ensure that the large columns would not attach to the façade (OMA, 62).

Knowing human nature which seeks social interaction and isolation in different and varying degrees, Koolhaas has made it possible to remove the tomb like nature of a typical library and juxtapose it with the vibrant nature of a sidewalk, while retaining quiet pools for reflection and study. According to Rem, the form and function of the 21st century library should be as dynamic as the technology within its walls (OMA, 63). The library becomes a living, breathing space for people instead of a cold monument to knowledge where people were incidental. The economic impetus of the $155.5 million project (Berk and Associates, ii), the library positively resulted in an increase in visitors from the region and outside due to the accessibility of new resources, architectural image, and the cultural space it represents. Tying the downtown neighbourhoods of Belltown, Pioneer Square and First Hill the library acts as a vibrant â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;third placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the society (Berk and Associates, ii). It can be said that the Seattle Public Library has been designed above the norm and provides a comfortable space for students, researches, the home-less, event or meeting attendees or the individual stopping by for a lunch break.

Figure 4

Works Cited “Brief History of The Seattle Public Library | The Seattle Public Library.” Home | The Seattle Public Library.

N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.spl.org/about-the-library/library-operations/brief-history-of- the-seattle-public-library>.

Dijkstra, Rients. The architecture of knowledge: the library of the future = De architektuur van kennis : de

bibliotheek van de toekomst. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers ;, 2010. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem. Seattle Public Library. S.l.: OMA/LMN, 1999. Print.

MUSCHAMP, HERBERT. “ARCHITECTURE; The Library That Puts on Fishnets and Hits the Disco - New York

Times.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/arts/architecture-the-library-that-puts-

on-fishnets-and-hits-the-disco.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm>.

Mattern, Shannon Christine. The new downtown library: designing with communities. Minneapolis: University

of Minnesota Press, 2007. Print.

“Seattle, Washington (WA) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation,

travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news.” Stats about all US cities - real estate,

relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales,

income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more. N.p., n.d. Web. 30

June 2013. <http://www.city-data.com/city/Seattle-Washington.html>.

Rebekah Denn, David Badders, John Marshall, and Regina Hackett. “Cool House.” Seattle Post Intelligencer

20 May 2004, sec. F: 2-12. Print.

Sheri Olson, “Seattle Central Library, Seattle,” Architectural Record (July 2004), p. 89 Murphy, Amy. “Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media: Places: Design Observer.”

Places: Design Observer. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2013. <http://places.designobserver.com/feature/

seattle-central-library-civic-architecture-in-the-age-of-media/813/>.

“Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to the Local Economic Development.” <i>Urban

Libraries Council</i> Jan. 2007: 1-35. <i>www.urban.org</i>. Web. 15 July 2013.

Berk and Associates. 2005. “THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY CENTRAL LIBRARY: ECONOMIC BENEFITS

ASSESSMENT: The Transformative Power of a Library to Redefine Learning, Community, and

Economic Development”. http://www.spl.org/pdfs/SPLCentral_Library_Economic_Impacts.pdf Images Figure 1: “Seattle Public Library | Rem Koolhaas OMA.” plusMOOD. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. <http:// plusmood.com/2008/09/seattle-public-library-rem-koolhaas-oma/>.

Figure 2: “SEATTLE CENTRAL LIBRARY.” REX – Architecture PC. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. <http://www. rex-ny.com/work/seattle-library/>.

Figure 3, and 4: “OMA- SEATTLE-CENTRAL-LIBRARY.” OMA- SEATTLE-CENTRAL-LIBRARY. N.p., n.d. Web.

27 Oct. 2013. <http://oma.eu/projects/2004/seattle-central-library>.

53

View of Urban Plaza from street

Ballard Library Seattle, WA. Bohlin Cywinki Jackson Stuart Vaz

The Ballard Library was constructed in 2005 in Ballard, a neighbourhood in Seattle, Washington.

In the late 1990s, the residents of Seattle approved of a $196M bond to upgrade their libraries with new books, technology and facilities. The money was used to fund the world renowned Seattle Central Library, designed by OMA, and three other branches. Amongst the three new branches was the award-winning Ballard Library, which replaced the older Ballard Carnegie Library that had stood as the area’s branch library since 1963. The architects, Bohlin Cywinki Jackson, were commissioned by the Seattle government to design a library that would be the first of many projects to compose a lively civic district in Ballard. This new district would include revitalized museums, parks, public art, as well as a new light rail system. Bohlin Cywinki Jackson Architects were able to respond to this challenge with a sustainable solution that would propel the building to win numerous awards, including the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Award and the AIA Washington Council Award. The architects’ main goals were to achieve a sustainable building that would connect to the city’s culture while also focusing on the diverse community of the city’s future.

The Ballard Library’s distinctive form was inspired by the neighbourhood’s strong roots to Scandinavian culture. This connection originated in the 1850s when the Europeans discovered that the neighbourhood’s location by the bay was ideal for salmon fishing. Subsequently, many Scandinavians migrated there and became fishermen or shipbuilders. The architecture of the Ballard Library directly responds to the neighbourhood’s history of fishing and boating. Various architectural elements incorporate the fishing history in their characteristics, namely the form of the roof, the columns, and the plants used in the green roof. The roof of the library, in particular, responds to the cultural and historical footprint in several aspects. One aspect is the smoothly curved wood roof and how it resembles an upturned boat hull. Another aspect about the architecture of the roof that characterizes Ballard’s fishing history is the curved joists and exposed decking that match the joists used in viking boat typology. The columns that are seen from the entrance also incorporate a boat-inspired characteristic because they are painted white to follow the form of a boat’s mast. The materiality and formal qualities 55

of the roof and columns are not the only features that link the library to the neighbourhood’s cultural background. Perhaps the strongest connection to this richly cultured neighbourhood is the green roof, which is composed of flora that have a wide variety of shrub-like plants. The plants vary in drought-tolerance and are placed according to their required soil depth dictated by the roof’s curvature. Quite effectively, this composition of carefully chosen plants creates the appearance of the traditional Scandinavian sod roofs. The library’s unique form achieves a restoration of significant cultural icons such as the viking boat and the traditional sod roof, in order to make the building a successful piece of architecture.

Aside from connecting the building’s appearance to Ballard’s heritage, Bohlin Cywinki Jackson Architects also aspired to create a building that would interact with the community inside, outside and from a contextual perspective. In doing so, the building would be able to fully embrace its diverse neighbourhood.

The architects tried to attract people to the outside of the building to gather in an urban plaza defined by both the curved roof overhang

View of Multipurpose Room

to the west and the deeply set back façade that is situated at a comfortable distance from the sidewalk. Steel furniture, including chairs, tables and benches were designed by the architect and placed in the plaza to reinforce the space’s function. The architect’s vision of the urban plaza was to attract a variety of age groups to activate the space; children would visit with their parents and use the furniture while adolescent teens were free to congregate as they please.

The programming is intended to unify the community with spaces that cater to the diverse population.. It consists of five main spaces: the main reading space, a quiet room, a multipurpose room, a children’s area, and the Neighbourhood Service Center. The quiet room offers a place of silence and is abundant with natural light – a perfect environment for secondary and postsecondary students to focus on their studies. The main artery of the building – the main reading space – is flooded with natural light and has comfortable seating. The volume encompasses the reference desk and the children’s area.

The rationale to have a space that is functional for adults and children was primarily motivated by the idea to attract the children to the library so that their caregivers would come with them.

The multipurpose room is a special place in the building that serves all users. It is private, yet welcoming to the community and has a striking visual connection to the park that sits diagonally from the site. The Neighbourhood Service Center is another special program in the library that draws in the public by serving public needs.

The library’s five main program spaces and its urban plaza are well conceived and successfully combine together to focus on the community.

While the site was the main focus of the project, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects also focused on developing a strong civic presence for the facade in conjunction with the city plan to develop a vibrant city district. The building’s location fits in a context where it shares a visual connection to the park that sits diagonally to the site. The link between the civic park and the library would increase the pedestrian density of the sidewalk as well as generate more activity inside the library.

Aside from creating a building that roots to its history and focuses on interaction and

diverse community, the architects were driven towards designing a building with a sustainable initiative in conjunction with the vernacular of the West Coast Architecture Movement. They satisfied this requirement with contemporary sustainable technology and strategies as well as bringing a sustainable awareness to the users.

The technology that was used were photovoltaic panels for the windows that received the most sunlight along the west, south and east facades.

This particular technology is common in buildings in the northwest environment. The sod green roof is another technology that exemplifies the northwestern sustainable approach. The educational aspect that helped drive this design to become the recipient of many awards were the clever methods of teaching the user about how the building strives towards self-sufficiency.

A primary examples would be the kaleidoscope and the viewing space on the roof. These were effective educational tools that teach children and adults the basics of the green roof and the advantages of storm water drainage. Another example is the thermometers that measure the heat stored in the windows and the anemometers

that gather wind data.

Initially, the architects from Bohlin Cywinki Jackson were commissioned by the Seattle government to design a library that would implement a lively civic district composed of revitalized museums, parks, public art, and a new railway system. Their response to the design challenge was a building that would be the recipient multiple awards commending the building for its progressive qualities. Awards aside, the building is a primary example of a great piece of architecture because it is linked to culture, responds to the diverse community, and is progressive towards a sustainable future.

With these requirements met, the architecture recognizes its past, is programmed for the present, and holds a prosperous future.

Works Cited “Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson” 04 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 28 Oct 2013. http:// www.archdaily.com/?p=100821 “Ballard Library+Ballard Commons Park .” courses.washington.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2007. <https://courses.washington.edu/ gehlstud/gehl-studio/wp-content/themes/gehl-studio/downloads/Winter2010/ballardlibrarycommons.pdf>.

“Ballard Carnegie Library.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballard_ Carnegie_Library>.

“Ballard Library and Neighborhood Center.” 2013 Winners. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.aiatopten.org/node/153>.

“Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center—Seattle, WA.” http://designobserver.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2007.

<http://designobserver.com/media/pdf/Ballard_Librar_97.pdf’>.

“Ballard Library.” Mimoa. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2013. <http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/United%20States/Seattle/Ballard%20Library>.

“Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center.” http://www.bcj.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2007. <http://www.bcj.com/ public/projects/project/51.html>.

Image Sources Lehoux, Nic. Sketch. N.d. Nic Lehoux, Seattle, WA. Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Web.

13 July 2007.

Lehoux, Nic. Cover photo. N.d. Nic Lehoux, Seattle, WA. Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Web. 13 July 2007.

Lehoux, Nic. Axon. N.d. Nic Lehoux, Seattle, WA. Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Web. 13

July 2007.

Lehoux, Nic. Roof. N.d. Nic Lehoux, Seattle, WA. Ballard Library and Neighborhood Service Center / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Web. 13

July 2007.

57

Figure 1

Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle, WA. Weiss/Manfredi Rémi Carreiro

The landscapes along the Pacific Coast of North America are a natural wonder and it seems only natural that we hope to make our cities as beautiful and exciting. Weiss/Manfredi’s Olympic Sculpture Park is one such project that looks to accomplish this alongside the ideas of the Pacific coast and delivers beautiful public space. Olympic Sculpture Park is a link between Seattle’s city edge its last portion of unclaimed waterfront. Previously an industrial brownfield, the site prompted some nimble remediation of the grounds in order to create this museum and park space. The remediation of the grounds, led to the creation of a park that interacts with its immediate and further surroundings.

It reflects Seattle’s past while providing a glimpse of more successful and well-integrated future.

By reclaiming and recovering land that was lost to industry until this point and completing Seattle’s waterfront, a new park is formed.

The Seattle Art Museum’s latest addition to their collection of exhibition spaces is located in Belltown. This neighbourhood of the city falls under the larger neighbourhood of the Denny Regrade, named this due to the grading that established the area in the early decades of the 20th century (Crowley). This grading flattened out Denny Hill by sluicing water from Lake Union, North-East of the site (Crowley). As a result much of the original topography was flattened. This erosion occurred once again the set up of the train yards where much land was removed to form a flat plain for the numerous rail lines for UNOCAL – Union Oil of California. Weiss/Manfredi looked to recover the land, restoring the natural form of the earth. The site had been occupied by UNOCAL during 75 years from the beginning of the 20th century (Washington 1). UNOCAL eventually left the site and it was deemed a brownfield (Washington 1). Status aside, this plot was the last section of undeveloped Seattle waterfront, leading to it being a great candidate as a site.

The issue of the brownfield was the first significant hurdle that needed some close inspection.

During the 1990s, UNOCAL set out to remove the 120,000 tons of contaminated soil that occupied the site (Pearson 111). The Seattle Art Museum [SAM] stepped in and purchased the land in 1999 for a steep $17 million (Pearson 112). The purchase was made possible by a “significant operating 59

endowment from the family of Microsoft’s former CEO Jon Shirley and large capital donations by others […]” (Huber 6). As a result of SAM’s international design competition, Weiss/Manfredi were chosen for their unique approach to reconnecting the disparate urban centre and Seattle waterfront. The decision to use this last bit of waterfront property fell under the rich Seattle history of land reclamation (Huber 9). Like in the case of Elliot Bay, onto which the site faces, where several areas were filled in with rocks “to extend the shoreline away from the bluffs.” (Huber 9) Additionally, lumber Baron Henry Yesler decided to fill in the bay’s mud flats with sawdust and a final seawall was completed in 1934 (Huber 9).

Huber states that originally, land reclamations were industrially-rooted and that the Olympic Park’s own reclamation is promoting a “decidedly postindustrial vision” – a place of culture, art, experiences and enjoyment of the city (9).

The park’s realized form is a “continuous Z-shaped folded landscape” (Huber 6), which allows a multitude of vantage points, sculpture installations and experiences through the grounds. This project seemed to perfectly fit the

firm’s enthusiasm for creating “linkages where separations now exist” (Huber 6). As it originally stood, Elliot Avenue and the railway system that runs parallel to the shoreline split the site into thirds. In addition to this infrastructural dilemma, topography also caused some concern as from top to bottom the site sloped 40 feet and for the past several decades had remained relatively flat.

The sloping Z-shaped continuous ramp solved the issues that the site presented. Utilizing two bridges to pass over the existing infrastructure, the ramped park remains continuous (see fig.

2,3). The sloped nature of the Olympic Sculpture Park is a result of 200,000 cubic yards of clean soil being brought on to the site to form the angular banks (Balmori 76). Beauty is in the details as 93,000 cubic yards soil transported to the site were taken from the grounds of the Seattle Art Museum’s expansion at the downtown location (Huber 9).

As a result of the decision to pursue to this project, SAM aided in successfully linking the city back together. Not only does the project offer the reconnection but it has also given back the site its accessibility. During the three-quarter century

Figure 2

period for which UNOCAL was located on site, this portion of the city could not be experienced and enjoyed by the public. Moreover, the status as a brownfield, following their departure, delayed any good use of the area. In an effort to recover the site and regain its accessibility as a public benefit, it has been designed to fill in the missing piece of waterfront and of the Denny Regrade. The steep drop from the top end of the site is now a gentle slope to the waterfront, as the Regrade process had originally planned (see fig.

5). As evidence of the accessibility the park is now completely free to explore to all visitors.

The topic of linkages is pieced together through a multitude of dualisms that the park reifies. The duality most commonly dealt it is the idea of the city and its waterfront. It has been decades since this part of the city has experienced its waterfront due to the inhibitors of the UNOCAL site. As a means of bonding these unconnected elements the park creates a collection of experiences for users to experience Elliot Bay’s waterfront. At the very foot of the park’s path is a small beach that further reinforces the connection to nature that the park aids in offering.

This relation between the downtown and water’s edge is further experienced by the views offered throughout various vantage points around the park. Each major installation piece commands a moment to look around and to notice how the city moves around the user as you descend and ascend through the park.

As a firm with a constant eye on the history of a project’s site and surroundings, the industrial past of the grounds played a significant role in the design of the park. First and foremost, Weiss and Manfredi were eager to celebrate the industrial narrative that still remained along with the postindustrial achievements of Seattle (Huber 11).

The requirement of maintaining current transport infrastructure through the site enabled the designers to highlight and celebrate the site’s original dividers. Rather than simply cover and forget the infrastructure, the throughways have been exposed as to be part of the architecture of the site. There is an evident juxtaposition between pre-existing industrial elements along with the new, natural and technological aspects.

The battle for natural versus urban space is elegantly resolved through the work of Marion

Figure 4

61 Figure 3

Weiss and Michael Manfredi. To further the importance of nature within the site’s boundaries, the architects reconstructed the ecologies of three indigenous Northwest areas (Huber 7). The first consists of a dense evergreen forest lined with ferns. The following section forms a sloped forest of quaking aspens. Finally the park culminates with “a shoreline garden with tidal terraces for salmon habitat and saltwater vegetation” (Manfredi 20). The importance of nature is very fitting as Seattle is uniquely positioned, placed between beautiful mountains and rainforests. As a result of these conditions, the climate of the area is quite temperate ranging between 25˚C and 2˚C. This climate allows for comfortable access to the park at any point during the year. The proximity to the water is also extremely relevant as Seattle and Tacoma both serve as ports offering centers of major international trading and offer great boating experiences (“The Seattle Times Company”). To further establish a contiguous relation between natural and urban, the dualism of organic and inorganic forms was used throughout the park.

A system of modular retaining walls composes the foundation system of the park. As a clever move, they have anticipated any future shifts and

settlement that may occur; further reinforcing the natural evolution of the area due to seismic activity (Huber 9).

When all is said and done, the park serves as an outdoor, and occasionally indoor, gallery space completely available and prepared for current forms of art and what may come as technological demands rise. Several permanent pieces by prominent artists are experienced along the winding path down to the shoreline. The street-level pavilion offers an education, exhibition and performance space with an ever-changing array of pieces. At the foot of the amphitheatre space, North of the pavilion, is where one will find Richard Serra’s Wake, consisting of his signature flowing and towering Corten steel walls (Manfredi 52). Returning to the Z-path visitors are presented with glimpses towards Mark Dion’s Neukom Vivarium, Calder’s iconic Eagle, and Tony Smith’s Stinger (Manfredi 52). An additional often-overlooked piece of art adorns the bridge, which covers the railway (see fig. 4). As per the regulations that govern the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line a “throw fence” was constructed along the edge of the bridge. The artist Teresita Fernandez’ Seattle Cloud Cover is placed as a

Figure 4

laminate of the glass of the fence and canopy – the artwork creates a multi-coloured image of a “fictional horizon” (Manfredi 52).

There seem to be countless layers of technological incorporations within the site.

Everything is present beneath the surface.

Surface/Subsurface – it is yet another dualism that Weiss and Manfredi embody within their projects. “[A] landscape for art” as it has been called is what is most evident to visitors. Beneath the artificial topography and “program precincts” lies a complex system of infrastructural networks, composed of bollard lighting, power, teledata, and security conduits.

Exploring beyond this superficial layer are located drainage systems that aid in curbing that amount of rainfall that reaches the city’s system and Elliot Bay (Huber, 9). Surface drainage passes alongside the Z path through the park, over bridges and down to the beach below. Furthest beneath all of the built up layers of the park are a series of wells used for monitoring water table levels, recovering petroleum pollutants from the soil and piezometer wells to monitor gas and liquid pressures of the soil.

At all levels of use the Olympic Sculpture

Park reclaims an unprecedentedly lost portion of the Seattle waterfront and makes it freely available for all to enjoy. Its easily navigable pathways promote taking the whole park in at once. It solves many issues hitherto not attempted by reconnecting the city to its waterway and continually aiding in cleaning its foundation. Its success is marked by the many excited visitors and events that have been staged here since its opening. The Olympic Sculpture Park marks a successful addition to the Seattle Museum collection while bringing in equal parts nature and urbanism.

Works Cited

Figure 5

Crowley, Walt, and Paul Dorpat. National trust guide, Seattle: America’s guide for architecture and history

travelers. New York: Preservation Press, J. Wiley & Sons, 1998. Print.

Balmori, D., & Sanders, J. (2011).Groundwork: Between Landscape and Architecture. New York: Monacelli Press.

Huber, N. (2008). Olympic sculpture park - Seattle, WA: Weiss-Manfredi architecture - landscape - urbanism.

Places, 20(3), 6-11. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/ docview/55434953?accountid=13631 Mandell, J. (2002, September). On the boards. Architecture, 91(9), 37. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup. com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA91916181&v=2.1&u=rpu_main&it=r&p=CPI&sw=w Manfredi, M. A., & Weiss, M. (2008).Weiss/Manfredi: Surface/Subsurface. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Pearson, C. A. (2007). OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK. Architectural Record, 195(7), 110-117.

“The Seattle Times Company - Seattle is a Great Place to Live.” The Seattle Times Company Corporate Web

Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.seattletimescompany.com/working/seattle.htm> Washington State Department of Ecology. “Former Unocal Marketing Terminal – Seattle Art Museum Olympic

Sculpture Park Site.” 2003. PDF file.

63

Rainier Tower Seattle, WA Minoru Yamasaki Demitri Delean

Located on 5th Avenue and Union Street, in the former location of the White-Henry-Stuart building - one of the most prestigious office addresses of downtown Seattle (Humphrey, 2006), lies the site of the Rainier Bank Tower designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki. The project was a reaction to the post-war economy boom and an attempt to establish a distinct design for Seattle while solidifying his reputation as a prominent architect. The project was influenced by strongly developed ideas from the modernist movement, which were laid out in the Athens Charter by the Congres Internationaux dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Architecture Moderne (CIAM), with an emphasis on rational urban planning, the importance of open space, the emphasis on views within the city, and its surrounding context. (MacBurnie, 2013) These fundamental underlying ideas, paired with its distinct architectural form and its inherent impact on the city of Seattle, are the critical factors which lead to the international recognition of this West Coast project.

Minouru Yamasaki was an American Architect born in Seattle, Washington (1912-1986). He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Washington and later received is Masters of Architecture at New York University. After working at two important architecture firms, Shreve, Lamb and Harmon and Smith, Hinchamn, and Grylls, Yamasaki started his partnership in 1949; Yamasaki & Associates. His architecture is very prominent and very important to the West Coast as he designed some of the first high-rises in Seattle.

Over the years, Yamasakiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architectural style developed into structures that incorporate strong vertical lines, white concrete, simplifies Gothic arches, and open plazas, merging ideas influenced from the International Style of architecture with his own architectural ideas. Furthermore, he held that function, such as programmatic requirements, and aesthetics, such as scale, materiality, shape and arrangement, were generators in creating structure that is in harmony with the built and human context.

(Yamasaki, 1979) The Rainier Bank Tower design brings all these elements together to create one of the most unorthodox, yet architecturally astonishing, skyscrapers in the world to date.

The Rainier Bank Tower became his third internationally renowned architectural design after 65

the (original) World Trade Center Towers located in New York and the failed urban housing project Pruitt-Igoe, located in St. Louis, which was later demolished due to the high levels of crime, poverty, and segregation. The design of the Rainier tower was an idea previously explored during the design iterations for the World Trade Centre, however the client did not select that design.

The 1960’s mentality of the United States was still prominent in the early 1970’s and played an important part in the development of this building. With the success of World War II still lingering, there was a very free-mentality to try new ideas and play with new structural forms.

Even though the design was clearly influenced

by Modernist architectural ideas, Yamasaki broke free from its inherent shape and material constraints. (Yamasaki, 1979) Furthermore, there was opportunity to show off their newly acquired power and wealth. Seattle, at the time, did not have an issue of urban density, therefore this design move was not due to a space issue, it was more of a “look what we can do” type of move. With the conventional IBM tower that was just completed a few years before, there was a drive and passion to create something new that pushed the boundaries of architectural and structural design, which in a sense created an architectural competition between his buildings.

This was also in-part an effort to create two distinct building designs for each client while at the same time keeping true to his design reputation and architectural style.

The main idea and clear design gesture of this project was to create an open urban space within downtown Seattle, minimizing the buildings footprint on the site in a distinct way that broke away from modernist design conventions.

(PCAD, 2013) The modernist movement and CIAM addressed urban conditions and aimed to revolutionize city planning and building design at a fundamental level. (MacBurnie, 2013) It was responding to poor planning, congestion, and foul living conditions of the industrial city. The essence of CIAM was one of rationality, economic efficiency, openness, and human comfort. The intention was to “clean-up” urban congestion, public health, and living conditions by using rational site planning to create more open urban

public spaces. Yamasaki manipulated these ideas into the conceptual form of a chamfered base which allowed the design to devote much of the ground space to high end retail and a pedestrian friendly, urban plaza with an emphasis on openness. Not only was this a space saving form, it was proven highly effective in resisting large seismic forces, which will be discussed in more depth below. Yamasaki’s design explores a new approach in creating open space within a given site and plays with our idea of what the form of a structurally sound high rise building should be.

The development of the Rainier Bank Complex was the result of a unique combination of two clients: UNICO and the National Bank of Commerce. The goal was to make a complex that serves the needs of the entire downtown community in a pleasing atmosphere, while meeting the best environmental standard (Montgomery, 1980). In terms of the final architectural form, the 32 story modernist financial tower rises up from a narrow11 story-pedestal, making it a very unique form for West Coast architecture.

Although the shape of the structure suggests that the tower is balancing on a single point, it was built to be one of the most resilient structures dealing with high wind loads and the earthquake prone location. The pedestal of the Rainier Bank Tower is constructed of thick, poured-in-place concrete finished with delicately scaled tile, which carries the load of the thirtytwo story aluminum-clad office tower of steelframe construction (Sale, 1994). Furthermore, the unique shape of the concrete pedestal acts as a Vierendeel truss, which the project engineer claim, helped to make the Rainier Bank Tower one of the most earthquake resilient buildings ever built (PCAD, 2013). As mentioned before, this structural idea and architectural move was not just a way to make a statement, it was an idea aimed to address the issue of creating an open public space that brings an identity to the city of Seattle.

The form of the design was not only structurally sound, but it also allows the building to only occupy 25% of the total site. This design move creates a feeling of openness at the base condition and makes the building more inviting.

Furthermore, the fluted pedestal provided an

opportunity for a pedestrian friendly public space around the building, which is not typical when thinking about office towers. Finally, the design move allows for light to flood the public space underneath the building which makes the design even more inviting and opens up views around the site. This is particularly important in the city of Seattle as there is a noticeable decline in pedestrian interaction within the downtown core.

(Humphrey, 2006) These spaces serve to address the disconnect between the people (especially the workers who commute from the suburban to downtown area) and their city enticing the public to stay within its downtown core and make it a more vibrant place.

Despite the success of the unique design, and like any interesting design, there was a sense of controversy which surrounded the form of the building. To the public and architectural critics, Yamasaki had design a mad bomber’s dream tower - a soaring sky scraper with no visible means of support. (Darton, 1999) As mentioned above, the actual tower structure is resting on an inward-fluted-pedestal, which gives the illusion that it is balancing on a single point. Being located in an earthquake-prone area, the design was very unnerving to many citizens of Seattle and implanted destructive ideas in their heads.

However, this controversy seemed to work in favour of this architectural work by Yamasaki.

Any building that has a controversial buzz around it in terms of structural worries, and is proven to be one of the most structurally sound buildings in the world at the time, should be considered a great success in the eye of the architectural design team and public. Anything that is created will always have some form of criticism behind it, which also means he was making an impact with his architecture. Furthermore, the project became a source of pride and a defining project for the city of Seattle and Yamasaki, giving them both a more developed sense of identity.

The Rainier Bank Tower to this day remains a unique approach to West Coast highrise architecture. The design sought to establish an architectural presence and identity for the city of Seattle by breaking away from the Modernist constraints of that era, even though Yamasaki was still clearly influenced by some of its urban planning principles. The final design that was

proposed and built was so radically different for the city of Seattle and the rest of the surrounding architectural framework that it created a sense of controversy. This new found public interest in this unique architectural proposal was important for the city and Yamasaki because it created a sense of awareness towards architecture.

The advancement of architecture relies on impactful projects like this which re-define how we think a certain type of project should be. It is this successful shift in architecture, planning, and public interest is what led to this project’s international recognition.

Works Cited Darton, E. (1999). Divided we stand: a biography of New York’s World Trade Center. New York:

Basic Books.

Humphrey, C. (2006). Vanishing Seattle. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publications.

Dr. Ian MacBurnie, “Urbanization, Regulation & Design Part 2” (Lecture, Ryerson University,

Toronto, ON, September 25, 2013).

Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD). (n.d.). ArchitectDB. Retrieved September 10, 2013,

from https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/structures/5087/ Sale, R., & Randlett, M. (1994). Seeing Seattle. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Woodbridge, S. B., & Montgomery, R. (1980). A guide to architecture in Washington State: an

environmental perspective. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Yamasaki, M. (1979). A life in architecture. New York: Weatherhill.

Images Beyond Crowds - Top heavy (Rainier Tower, Seattle, Washington). (n.d.). beyond crowds - Top

heavy(Rainier Tower, Seattle, Washington). Retrieved January 9, 2014, from http://

www.beyondcrowds.com/post/46534520196/top-heavy-rainier-tower-seattle- washington Rainier Tower Sublease. (n.d.). ur•bis \ ûr-bis \ [L urbanus, city]. Retrieved January 9, 2014, from http://www.urbispartners.com/property/rainier-tower-sublease

67

Figure 5: Night shot of the EMP Museum besides its neighbouring context.

The Experience Music Project Seattle, WA. Frank Gehry Krystyna Ng

Architecture and the built form that surrounds us are greatly influenced by the design tools and construction methods available. Through architecture, we can see a history of production and manufacturing techniques, as well as a myriad of design processes. Overtime, the methods of building architecture have advanced leading to more complex and global projects.

Both the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution have attributed to great advancements in the design process, construction methods, and materials used in contemporary architecture. This essay will explore the changes that took place throughout these time periods and their influential effect on architecture, particularly the work of Frank Gehry.

Since ancient civilization, man has created built form utilizing reliable and well-known construction methods with materials that were readily and locally available. As human civilization advanced, so did construction techniques as well as material production and availability, causing architecture to follow suite.

The era of the Industrial Revolution that took place during the eighteenth and nineteenth century marks a period of time when advancements in agriculture, textile and metal manufacturing, heavy machinery and transportation occurred (Montagna, 2013). The changes that took place throughout this time were closely interconnected and development in one area would often lead to progression in another. Architecture started to reflect the industrial growth and never before seen buildings were coming into existence.

For example, the construction of Joseph Paxtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crystal Palace in 1851 stands as a symbol for the latest technological advancements that were occurring. Since the building was to be disassembled following the Great Exhibition, an international fair in England, ease and efficiency in onsite construction as well as cost reduction were important factors in the design. Paxton used modular and prefabricated materials made possible by the advancements taking place in the Industrial Revolution, specifically the production and distribution of cast iron. Due to new manufacturing methods, cast iron was being produced at a rate that was cheap and in large enough quantities to use in buildings. Paxton used 69

cast iron to achieve long structural spans that supported large panes of glass, another material also being produced in large quantities. The use of these new materials gave the building a feeling of extreme transparency and lightness that had never before been accomplished in architecture.

Paxton’s design continues to inspire architects today by representing the possibilities of experimenting with new building materials and new methods of modularity and prefabricated parts. Paxton achieved transparency with his forward thinking ideas and pushed the envelope of architecture. This created the mindset for future designers that industrial evolution and economic demands could lead to producing progressive architecture.

The digital age is here and now, within it holding an abundant amount of power to change the future. Like the Industrial Revolution, the Digital Revolution marks a period of time where significant advancements and fundamental changes are taking place. Soon, all forms of media will become digitally driven, combined by the forces of convenience, economic imperative, and deregulation (Negroponte,13). In addition to

this, being digital creates the potential for new content to originate from a whole new combination of sources (Negroponte, 19).

“As one industry looks at itself in the mirror and asks about its future in a digital world, that future is driven almost 100 percent by the ability of that company’s product or services to be rendered in digital form.”

The quote above from Nicholas Negroponte’s Being Digital describes the future state of the industrial workforce and its inevitable transition into the digital world.

Architecture, like many other disciplines, has been deeply influenced by digital technology.

The increasing demand for more complex and cost efficient buildings has compelled architects to take advantage of the digital technology that is available. Efficiency in project delivery and collaboration between cross disciplines are now critical aspects for a project’s success. However, the affect that the digital revolution has had and continues to have on architecture goes far beyond the obvious benefits of efficiency, complexity, and global communication. Digital technology has provided architects with a new medium of

Figure 1A: Adobe or mud brick homes in Africa demonstrate the use of local materials and are a cultural representation of practiced construction methods.

Figure 1B: The current Djenne Mosque in Mali was completed in 1907 and built of mud brick and adobe construction. However the predecessor is estimated to haven been constructed between 1200 and 1330 and one of the greatest accomplishments of the Sudano-Sahelian time period. (Preuss, 2000)

design.

The release of AutoCAD in the early 1980’s was the catalyst for digital change. Hand drafting quickly turned into a medium of the past and since it’s release, computer technologies have consumed the office. Today, digital technologies such as BIM (building information modeling) software and new construction methods for example 3D printing and CNC machines have changed the face of architecture and design.

Frank Gehry is arguably the most advanced architect in the realm of digital technology that is practicing today. He celebrates the challenges that today’s industry demands and seeks to solve these problems through digital technology, constantly looking for new tools in which to solve his complex building structures. To achieve his dramatic and unusual forms, Gehry had to develop a new type of computer software.

Gehry began experimenting with Catia, the computer software originally used for aerospace engineering and the design of Boeing 777. Boeing 777 is a long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner that was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (Boeing, 2013). It was

produced in 1993 and its first flight was June 12, 1994. Boeing 777 itself represents an important milestone in digital technology, as it was the first entirely computer designed commercial aircraft (Boeing, 2013).

Gehry saw a solution in Catia for his complex building structures and took advantage of the digital technology by using it as a design tool. Gehry’s team worked with and developed Catia to better suit the production of buildings.

The software was first used for architectural purposes in the design and construction of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Since then, Gehry Technologies has taken off and he continues to push the boundaries of design with computer software. Soon after, Gehry developed the GTeam whose research and development have led to further advancements, putting Gehry Technologies at the forefront of digital innovation (Stott, 2013).

Similarly to Paxton, Gehry benefits from development in material production and transportation that took place during the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, Gehry takes full advantage of the possibilities and opportunities

Figure 2A: Long spans of cast iron are filled with glass form the façade of the Crystal Palace.

Figure 2B: An interior view of the arch.

71

available in his own era, the Digital Revolution, by using computer technology to push architecture to the limit. He continues to produce unique buildings by experimenting with new digital tools and methods for design.

The following quote from Nicholas Negroponte discusses the new possibilities held by the digital age.

“Better and more efficient delivery of what already exists is what most media executives think and talk about in the context of being digital. But like the Trojan horse, the consequence of this gift will be surprising. Wholly new content will emerge from being digital, as will new players, new economic models, and a likely cottage industry of information and entertainment providers.”

(Negroponte, 18)

Today, many cities and art institutions show an increasing demand for signature buildings by well-known architects that will ensure their place on the cultural map (Giovanni, 2000). Frank Gehry continues to satisfy this demand by delivering unique projects internationally that become landmarks within the cities he builds in.

The Experience Music Project (EMP Museum) is a rock and roll museum located

Figure 3A: Gehry uses the computier software Catia in his design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

along the west coast in Seattle, Washington and was completed in the year 2000. Situated in a park along side Seattle’s infamous Space Needle, Gehry’s building strives to co-exist with the long standing symbol Seattle’s west coast architecture. The stark contrast between the two buildings has brought a lot of attention to the site by creating an interesting architectural tension.

While the Space Needle demonstrates a clear structural intention that expresses certain aerodynamic qualities, Gehry’s EMP Museum speaks more of the form and space that is a result of a less obvious structure. From the exterior, EMP Museum appears as an assemblage of organic forms that are clad in various colours of stainless steel and painted aluminum shingles.

However, unlike the Space Needle, the structure of the museum is hidden behind the skin and used to form the interior spaces of the building.

From the interior, the arched ribs of the structure are visible and create a separation between the different exhibits and spaces within the building. The structure is surprisingly simple and straightforward, consisting of irregular arched ribs that fan out to mold to the organic contours of the forms (Giovanni, 2000). To make the construction

Figure 3B: Interior view of the structural elements used in the EMP Museum.

Figure 4A: An image capturing the Space Needle, EMP Museum and Seattle’s Sky Train

Figure 3B: Interior view of the structural elements used in the EMP Museum.

of the forms possible, Gehry used advanced computer software to determine member sizes and connections, a task that simply could not have been done without digital technology.

Gehry’s EMP Museum has had major success in terms of tourism and attraction for the city of Seattle, drawing visitors that are interested in both architecture and music. Its location beside the Space Needle and the fact that it is unlike any other building in the city, are perhaps reasons that attribute to the buildings success.

Frank Gehry is truly an architect ahead of his time and has once again created a technological and innovative masterpiece. Like Paxton’s Crystal Palace, EMP Museum is a symbol of the latest technological advancements taking place. The building itself represents the prodigious achievement of computer software and demonstrates the possibilities available in the realm of digital technology. Gehry’s advancements in the digital field have made it possible for him to create buildings with dramatic forms and materials to suit the form. In terms of computer software, Gehry is an inspiration as he carves the path for others to experiment with the use of technology as a building tool. As

an architect, he has truly pushed the envelope of design in a direction never before dreamt possible.

Similarly to Paxton, Frank Gehry, is an architect who recognizes and understands the demands of the present day industry with a desire to solve these problems by discovering new methods of building and designing, as well as new materials. Paxton capitalized on advancements taking place during the Industrial Revolution that supported his use of cast iron as a building material, as well as the possibility to make prefabricated modular pieces that could be transported to the site. For Gehry, advancements in digital technology have allowed him to construct organic forms that are supported by irregularly curved structural members. What is perhaps most notable is that neither Frank Gehry nor Paxton found themselves bounded by the distinct time periods they practiced in, but rather took advantage of the developments of those periods and used them to develop their innovative ideas.

Works Cited Boeing. (2013) 777 Family. Boeing. Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/777family/ Crystal Palace. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145293/Crystal-Palace Frank Gehry uses CATIA for this architecture creations. (Video File). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEn53Wr6380 Giovanni, J. (August 2000). Experience Music Project. Architecture, Vol. 89, No. 8, p. 80-91.retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/ docview/227792431 Montagna, J. (2013). The Industrial Revolution. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html Preuss, S. (2000). The Great Mosque of Djenné: the largest mud brick building on earth. Environmental Graffiti. Retrieved from http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/travel/ news-great-mosque-djenne-largest-mud-brick-building-earth Stott, R. (April 16, 2013). Gehry’s software enters the cloud, promotes paperless construction”. Archdaily. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/360262/gehry-s-software- enters-the-cloud-promotes-paperless-construction/ Taras, E. (May 6, 2013). Design and demand. Business West. Retrieved from http://businesswest.com/blog/design-and-demand/

Figures Figure 1A: Visima, Peter. “Adobe Homes.” Photograph. Getty Images. Web. N.D. Retrieved from http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/materials/adobe-construction.htm Figure 1B: Cruz, Miguel. “The Great Mosque of Djenne” Photopgrah. Personal Blog. Web. n.d. Retrieved from http://www.irtiqa-blog.com/2011/01/preserving-culture-versus-modernity.html Figure 2A: N.A. “Greenhouse.” Photograph. Personal Blog, Word Press. Web. August 4, 2011. Retrieved from http://onthefutbol.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/the-crystal-palace-is-burning-down-part-1/ Figure 2B: N.A. “Glass and Iron Vaulted Roof of the Great Exhibition Hall.” Photograph. The Victorian Web. N.D. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/history/1851/2.html Figure 3A: N.A. “Walt Disney Concert Hall.” Computer Image. Personal Blod. Web. N.D. Retrieved from http://architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.ca/2012/08/f-gehry-guggenheim-museum-bilbao.html Figures 3B, 4B, 5 & 6: Ng, Krystyna. Photograph. May 2013.

Figure 4A: Bianco, Jen. “EMP and the Space Needle.” Photograph. Personal Blog. Web. November 2, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.mylifesatrip.com/tag/emp-museum/

73

Figure 1

South Lake Union Discovery Centre Seattle WA. Miller and Hull Partnership Dami Lee

In his book, “Towards a New Regionalism,” David E. Miller describes the origins and characteristics of Northwest Regionalist architecture. He notes in particular, the harmonious relationship the buildings have with their natural sites. The beauty of the Northwest landscape has beckoned architects such as Miller and Hull, Patkau, and Bing Thom, to design with the utmost respect for its site, resulting in a style that is inevitably sustainable and eco‐friendly. These Northwestern architects are respected for creating designs that commonly use wood and other local materials for meaningful integration with the site. The post‐and‐beam structures, reminiscent of Indigenous structures, often sit lightly on the ground, allowing nature to flow underneath, and the site to be preserved in its most natural state. The region’s abundance in wood allows them to use local wood for elaborate finishes and structures, obtaining a warm, organic atmosphere in buildings. Miller and Hull Partnership, a Seattle‐based architecture firm, follows with the principles of “[using] a building’s structure to create a significant place within a site, [of being] sensitive to climate and [responding] to environmental demands with the form of the building.”

Their Tillamook Forest Interpretive Center, in Oregon, reflects its natural surroundings with the use of wood and makes improvements to the site by creating outdoor classrooms and a series of interpretive trails. An example of an urban project is the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, which is integrated into the existing landscape by pushing the building down into the ground. Its discreet method of siting allows for the adjacent park space to run uninterrupted, with an elevated field of grass as the building’s green roof. South Lake Union Discovery Center, along with their other structures located along the West Coast, embodies the Northwest Regionalist spirit in its choice of materiality, siting, or use of daylight, which all have an impact on the design. Furthermore, the temporary nature of the building’s program has allowed for Seattle based‐Miller and Hull Partnership to expand on their Northwest Regionalist ideals and redefine the traditional concept of genius loci by creating a modular and mobile building that is technically siteless ‐ in turn, the manifestation of an infinitely adaptable building that positively impacts its sites socially and environmentally, wherever it goes and whenever time requires it.

The neighborhood of South Lake Union is not only Seattle’s geographical center, located by 75

Seattle’s downtown and densely residential Capitol Hill, it is the growing social and commercial hub of the city. It boasts its well‐thought out and sustainability‐based approach to city planning; its pedestrian, cyclist, and public transportation networks; in turn, creating a “livable, walkable and hospitable” city. The small neighborhood generates about $3 billion in sales revenue, its employee population expected to double in the next five years. It is also the heart of biomedical research centers, who contribute to the well‐ being of the city by assisting in the building of low‐income housing and public amenities. When Vulcan Inc. undertook the redevelopment project for South Lake Union, they saw the opportunities that lay in the neighborhood’s fast progressing economic sector as a pioneer for social and ecological betterment of the neighborhood. As a part of the masterplan, the South Lake Union Discovery Center became the centerpiece of the neighborhood, displaying the area’s history while holding viewings for the newly developed housing units and the neighborhood’s future plans. As a result, the South Lake Union Discovery Center is symbolically an embodiment the progressive

spirit of its neighborhood and its devotion to sustainability.

In order to achieve ultimate sustainability, Miller and Hull proposed a modular, demountable building that will have infinite flexibility for future uses. In fact, portability was a deciding factor in the building’s module. The size of each module, which consists of two structural bays, derives from the 45‐by‐110 foot spec from a local building mover and the possible relocation routes. The building is connected at 3 points, joining 4 similar modules. The connections are made at the structural bays, which are bolted together instead of being welded, so that the parts can easily come apart. (Figure 1) The typical building separation joints are openly revealed on the interior floors as well as on the exterior envelope, exhibiting its demountable nature.

In addition to its separation in plan, the building’s envelope is also composed of prefabricated and modular assemblies, then clad with metal walls and roof panels. Therefore, while the main structural bays repetitively strike the ground, the slight variations in the positioning of the glazing allows for different

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 3

spatial situations. (Figure 3) For instance, by stepping the glass back into the structure, the entry point becomes an undercover landing point that is spatially enclosed by the steel structure and the perpendicular glass on its opposite side.

Although only a slight variation has been made to the modular structure, the entry is clearly defined and is further accentuated by the gangway ramp that brings pedestrians through the walking garden. (Figure 4) The glazing units on the South, pedestrian side of the building slants inwards with the structural bays, the building stepping back to engage pedestrians with ongoing exhibitions, while the angle is appropriate to receive ample diffuse daylight.

Although most components can be dismantled and moved, by accepting that some parts will behind to be replaced, the lifetime of the building is expected to increase while minimizing costs. For example, the concrete point load footings, which allow the building to rest lightly on the ground, is possibly left behind because it is specifically catered to the sloped terrain of this particular site. For ease of separation, the building sits gently on the footings, rather than being joined

Figure 4

together. The OSB panels on the underside of the roof are not laminated or waterproofed, and the constant rain and dampness in the winters will eventually have an effect on the wood.

However, the affordability and availability of OSB allows for frequent replacement of the ceiling panels, leaving the building to look polished and new over the years. Had it been finished with a more expensive type of wood such as Oak, the replacement would have been more tedious and the building would age faster.

Furthermore, an aspect of social sustainability is that the buildings should be composed of an architectural language that speaks to the most universal audience.

SLUDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bold use of OSB panels on the ceiling surface and structure showcases a modesty and temporariness that cannot go unnoticed.

(Figure 6) The revealed separation joints, bolted connection of the steel structures and the use of an uncommon building material are not merely building assemblies, they are the signs that speak to its users of its temporary and demountable nature. This expression in craft gives users an opportunity to learn about the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meaning,

77

while allowing for a deeper connection with the building. By creating a building that people enjoy and understand, its life is extended, and social and environmental sustainability achieved.

The building sits comfortably on its site, welcoming pedestrians, displaying and informing of the neighborhood’s past and future. However, with its visible building separation joints and OSB Panels, the building is architecturally and quite audaciously a structure that is meant to be disassembled and relocated. By embracing its temporary nature, the building is a statement that not only embodies the progressive spirit and sustainable aspirations of the South Lake Union neighborhood, but also responds to the critical issue faced by architects globally. In the past few centuries, the profession of architecture has become an elitist undertaking, no matter how public or social, working for the privileged 3% of the world. With population on the rise and “sustainability” questioned, architecture must strive to be simple, affordable and easy to construct. Instead of a lifetime of 5 years, SLUD’s mobile nature will allow the building to last 50‐70 years, since each part can be re‐manufactured and replaced upon need. The building can grow,

or shrink, according to the needs of its people at the time, resulting in a building that will always be at its maximum useful capacity.

The adaptability also means that it is not bound to one particular site, and the building fundamentally defies the traditional idea of the genius loci, the spirit of place, architecturally signifying a building as a being in its site. Some of the most significant buildings of the past have almost always been strongly characterised by their sites, and some, could not have been without.

(Eg. Fallingwater) However, its modularity does not indicate that SLUD does not have a dialogue with its site. In fact, with a green factor of 0.51 (0.3 being standard in Seattle Green Factor Program), it ecologically benefits its site upon placement. It features an intelligent stormwater runoff system, feeding nearby gardens and allowing its immediate surroundings to flourish.

The gutters stick out and directly spill water onto the garden below, and become an extension to the metal frames. The building sits lightly on the land, allowing nature to flow underneath.

There is a visible gap where the building meets the ground and the building appears to float, appearing only to be supported by the structural

Figure 5

bays that strike the ground. The two concrete stairs are the elements that aesthetically connect the slightly elevated building with the pavement and the sidewalk, illustrating the fact that while the building is connected to the site, it has minimum impact on its existing conditions.

Since the building can be moved upon need, its social effects on its neighborhood is almost always positive. The lightness and porosity of the building invites pedestrians and sparks interaction, ultimately becoming a building that is crucial to the South Lake Union Discovery Center takes “sustainability” a step farther. It not only looks to its construction and its green technology as a means to sustainable design, it looks to fundamentally rethink a building’s lifecycle by making modular, a building that is the symbolic representation of a community’s ideals.

Doing so, Miller and Hull brings into fruition a building that is embraced by its community and can be sustained in any economic or social tide, prolonging its lifespan by multiples, while also using relatively inexpensive, prefabricated construction assemblies. When the program of Discovery Center and open house ceases to be useful in the neighborhood, the building will

move to a different site in need. If the Discovery Center becomes a permanent exhibition space and grows along with its neighborhood, more modules can be added to the building; hence, the building gives power to the program and economy, rather than demanding importance by existing without regard for its economic or social tide. By taking the architectural language of Northwest Regionalism, Miller and Hull Partnership address modularity – architecturally deemed unprofessional – in an architecturally pleasing, environmentally responsive and socially inclusive manner, and achieves sustainability that neither the architecture of “modularity” or “Northwest Regionalism”, could have achieved alone.

Works Cited

Figure 6

”About the Miller Hull Partnership.” The Miller Hull Partnership ‐ Spirited architecture through continual

exploration. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2013. <http://www.millerhull.com/html/about.htm>.

Discover South Lake Union | Why South Lake Union. (n.d.). Discover South Lake Union | Welcome. Retrieved

June 25, 2013, from http://www.discoverslu.com/why‐south‐lakeunion/‐Discovery Center at South Lake

Union | AIA Top Ten. (n.d.). 2013 Winners | AIA Top Ten. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://

www.aiatopten.org/node/133 The Miller/Hull Partnership public works. (2009). New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

79

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient House Seattle, WA. Weinstein A/U Gary Luk

All architecture attempts to respond to issues that people encounter during their everyday lives, whether they are social, physical, or metaphysical aspects. The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) Patient House, designed by architects Weinstein A/U, is such a creative response to the fastmorphing urban lifestyle that people are heading towards during the 21st century. The idea behind this residential/institutional building is to establish and integrate a healing centre within the bustling city of Seattle, designed for stress reduction as a basis towards creating a suitable environment (AIA Seattle, “SCCA Patient House | 2011 AIA Honor Awards”). In order to make the cancer patient home as non-institutional as possible, three factors were strongly considered for the design, and can be clearly referenced after in depth analysis of the architecture: control, movement, and sensorial distraction.

Control within the design is aimed to create a comfortable, user friendly environment for staff, supporters, guests, and most importantly patients. By arranging spaces to provide different levels of interaction within the building, as well as using regional materials for sustainability, control is achieved.

As one ascends the building and moves further way from the street elevation, the level of privacy is noticeable. Different typologies of users are controlled with the inclusion of a private back entrance.

In order to maintain the fine balance between hominess and having a controlled medical environment, the option for total, self contained retreat, as well as the option for communal active living is present.

Adjacent to the protective serenity of a rooftop garden is a group kitchen, preserving a supportive residential atmosphere. Minimal design was key factor to this project as to reduce clutter. Although interior common spaces are spare, they still feel warm, using the high degree of transparency to become inviting and welcoming. Additionally, the warm exterior wood siding in the parquet pattern adds a vaguely interesting feel to the otherwise flat façade (UW Medicine, “About SCCA House”). The lack of exaggerated signage at the street level condition further reinforces this idea of non-institutional.

In addition to the spatial qualities of the architecture, the technical resolution addresses the patients’ health concerns.

81

Sustainability is a rising issue in today’s urban lifestyle; awareness toward the issue can repel the feeling of isolation from the patients.

Each patient has special circumstances and sensitivities, so each room can independently control its own temperature (UW Medicine, “About SCCA House”). Plentiful natural light through operable windows add to the energy performance of the building, and low-volatile finishes contribute to interior air quality. Sustainable building technologies are prominent within west coast design, due to accessibility of natural resources.

Sustainable building materials such as regional brick, bamboo, and linoleum strengthen the atmosphere of healthy living and effective patient care. The brick is extracted from within a 500mile radius, while bamboo and linoleum are both rapidly renewable resources. Comfortable design created through control of programmatic spaces, as well as regional sustainability is further emphasized by the dynamic of movement. (UW Medicine, “About SCCA House”)

Walking has been identified by doctors as an important factor to recovery. Through efficient circulation, the SCCA House grants comfort and

convenience to patients and caregivers. The building is strategically planned to support the most circulation on the ground floor, which hosts a large atrium and a major alleyway running from front to back. This strong design decision allows for a secondary entrance in the back that is much quieter and ambulance accessible. Privacy is a concern for the patients, as well as a peaceful environment, one where circulation is spread out on the ground floor as to avoid large clusters of people. Leading up to the more private spaces is a wide staircase of bamboo, which is flooded with natural light at all times of the day, and emanates a warm therapeutic radiance. Although the upper floors are where all program is located, the abundance of break spaces within circulation routes allow for a good mixture of activities so patients feel more relaxed and in a communal, supportive environment (UW Medicine, “About SCCA House”). The most easily located area is the rooftop garden, which has ample room to walk around. Rapidly growing urban life is characterized by views to the downtown core of Seattle. However, the architecture also introduces the factor of sensorial distraction for the benefit of

the patients.

From the meditative landscape of the courtyard with commanding views to the breakout spaces with appealing games, this project delivers sensorial distraction for the patients, a vital method of stress reduction. As a home away from home, the architecture appeals to all senses and seemingly allows for the tenants to forget they were only a few miles from the downtown core of Seattle. The exterior cladding of the building is of warmly weathered ipe hardwood, installed in an alternating horizontal and vertical pattern, giving the six storey structure a handmade, basket-like feel (UW Medicine, “About SCCA House”). The Japanese maple tree in the exterior garden was specifically selected by landscape architect Karen Kiest for its serene properties. The addition of the rooftop garden provides excellent views of the mountains, the Space Needle, Lake Union, and the city of Seattle. Furthermore, this rooftop garden adds to the already robust thermal envelope through heat recovery. This high performance heating and cooling system is sensitive to variations in air temperatures and allows for the patients to live comfortably.

The SCCA Patient House is seeking LEED Gold status, adopting an environmental position that prioritizes energy efficiency and durability, qualities that help reassure patients of the facility (AIA Seattle, “SCCA Patient House | 2011 AIA Honor Awards”). Using the three important factors of control, movement, and sensorial distraction, Weinstein A/u achieved their intent to design for stress reduction, and respond to the specific needs of the community. The architecture clearly showcases and performs as intended, providing a quiet affordable healing centre integrated within the bustling city of Seattle for cancer patients.

83

Works Cited AIA Seattle. “SCCA Patient House | 2011 AIA Honor Awards.” 2011 AIA Honor Awards. Web. 29 June 2013. <http://2011honorawards.aiaseattle.org/node/370> Enlow, Claire. “Seattle DJC.com local business news and data - Architecture & Engineering - Project of the

Month: Balancing cancer care with city life at SCCA.” Seattle DJC.com local business news and data.

Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.djc.com/news/ae/12031115.html> UW Medicine. “About SCCA House | Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.” Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred

Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.seattlecca.org/SCCA-House-About.cfm>

Images Figure 1: Burns, Michael. July 13, 2011. <http://www.djc.com/news/ae/12031115.html> Figure 2: Burns, Michael. July 13, 2011. <http://2011honorawards.aiaseattle.org/node/370> Figure 3: Burns, Michael. July 13, 2011. <http://2011honorawards.aiaseattle.org/node/370> Figure 4: Diagram by Gary Luk

85

Art Stable Seattle, WA. Tom Kundig Lily Jeon

Built in 2011, Tom Kundig’s Art Stable was an urban infill project on the site of a former horse stable. It is located in the heart of the rapidly developing Cascade / South Lake Union neighbourhood of Seattle. This neighbourhood has an interesting past, and has undergone drastic transformation in the recent years from what once was a wasteland filled with parking lots, large industrial buildings and other mixed uses. The building is 16000 square feet tall with 7 levels, the main level being commercial, second level for parking, and 5 living suites, one on each of the remaining levels. It establishes a unique intimate multi-story residential typology that finds a middle point between single-family housing and denser high-rise apartment blocks. This unique typology is then adorned with many unique design features. The resultant award-winning design of the Art Stable stands as a fusion of art and architecture. Everything about the project, from the architect’s ideology, to the artistic culture rooted in its neighbourhood, to the materials used in the design, to the special design features of the building, alludes to art.

Tom Kundig’s passion for visual art is an intrinsic part of what his firm Olson Kundig does, and thus an important part of the Art Stable. Olson Kundig is based in Seattle, the hometown of all four principals of the firm. Unlike many other architectural offices established in large cities, their location in the Pacific Nortwest is more remote. They are exposed to the large natural landscape, as well as the bustling city of Seattle. This has impacted their work to be very context based in terms of culture, environment, craft, and tectonics. Many of their clients are the Northwest’s upper-class art patrons who either do or collect art, and are frequently commissioned buildings for exhibiting art. In many of their projects, architecture becomes the secondary vessel that supports a specific art installation. In others, the two are formed together to create a seamless experience of art and space. Nearly all their projects have specific architectural elements, detailed with the help of craftspeople and artists, which relate directly to the larger expression of the building. Together the firm thrives to design beautiful buildings in which it is hard to tell where architecture ends and art begins. Tom Kundig carries this awareness of art and the environment to this Art Stable project.

87

The building program is geared toward the high concentration of creative types in the city of Seattle. The units are intended to be livework spaces in which artists who wish to both live and work in the city can dwell. They are sold as open-plan, empty shells with a concrete grid that are highly flexible and ready for build-out. This accommodates flexibility in use and maximizes creativity as the 4000 square foot units come without any finishes, partition walls, etc. Owners can also punch windows into the Northern steel facade to access more light and views. Artists can adapt the space into a home studio that can be changed over time and people with large art collections can move their pieces in and out of the unit easily using the crane and art doors. This is unparalleled in other downtown condominiums, and is thus meant for people who are willing to pay premium for its inventive highly crafted nature.

The Art Stable is designed like a work of art itself, from the materials used to its innovative details. The materials used are an integral part of the design, as in art. The main structure is made of concrete for taking heavy loads. The concrete is left exposed, as are all structural

and mechanical systems inside. Rusticated steel panels and large glass panels clad the exterior walls. The steel was left to oxidize in the damp Seattle air, so it could develop a natural, authentic look. There is no excess ornamentation, so the materials are displayed in the raw to be appreciated for their earthy textures and qualities as they are. This is characteristic of Pacific Northwest art and architecture. With a strong awareness and sensitivity of the environment, the artists and architects have an appreciation for natural materials, striving for a simple and elegant aesthetic that blends in. The art stable is a natural extension of its site. The resultant palette of concrete, steel and glass echoes the warehouse typology of its surrounding neighbourhood, achieving a mixed industrial yet warm vibe.

An overall rough, agrestic look is achieved, which pays homage to the rural past of the site while still keeping things distinctly modern. It is meticulously assembled and detailed, with sleek hardware, pops of bright colors, and clean-cut lines, to combine toughness with refinement. This hybrid composition of hybrid and rustic reads like a work of art. An AIA jury described it as

“a home for artists that rises to the level of high art itself… It is very cleverly detailed… It almost has a handmade look – it seems to represent what the art is all about and harken artists to the workshop.” Indeed like a piece of handmade art, it is simple and easy to read as the exposed materials and structure give us an understanding of its construction. Its thoughtful, unique details and design features prevent it from feeling like a building assembled from factory-made cookie cutter parts, but rather like a carefully handcrafted work of art.

The unique design feature of the building is the award-winning kinetic art doors. On the East alley-facing façade are 5 large 2,250-pound, 8-foot by 12-foot steel doors, one for each unit, stacked vertically on atop one another. Stretching up the facade is an 80 foot-5 inch tall hinge mechanism that is attached to the steel-clad doors. A custom designed hand wheel behind each door is cranked to turn the hinge and operate the doors.

Furthermore, the giant hinge is topped with a rotating davit crane, which can pick up large art pieces or furniture from the street and move them and out of each unit through the large doors. On

the West street-facing façade there is a similar, smaller hinge system that controls 8-foot by 8-foot steel framed windows. These large doors and windows allow for natural ventilation and daylighting. Though functional, the hinged door system also acts as an art piece that references the warehousing tradition of moving oversized objects into buildings using cranes. At the same time, it is a literal allusion to the rope pulleys used in barns for lifting hay, a nod to the property’s history as a horse stable.

These special doors and windows also allow the building to express an indoor-outdoor connection in an edgy, physical way, exploring it dramatically with their full-story heights. They allow the building to open up visually to dramatic views of the cityscape and the Cascadian mountains just beyond. It also opens up physically and is easily accessed from the street through the crane, therefore offering a feeling of continuity to the street. The doors are unproportionately large for the building, but right on scale with the surrounding city and mountains, therefore connecting the building with and celebrating its extraordinary surroundings. Tom Kundig

89

designs a line of steel accessories on the side, focusing on hardware components. He is well known for his interest in the ways people interact with their environment, in the moments when people touch the buildings and spaces they inhabit. He says that the act of opening a door for example becomes “a ballet between user and structure. They stand as a tribute to the beauty and pragmatism of nature, from the raw materials we use to build to the way the human body is designed to move – the rational and the poetic.

I want to make the parts of buildings you touch every day an enjoyable experience.” Therefore, his special artisan door and window system in the Art Stable were intended to add emphasis to the connection between the loft and its resident – frame the moment in which the protective confines of the home is opened up to the outdoors.

The Art Stable is a contribution to art as much as it is a work of architecture. It is representative of Tom Kundig’s commitment to art, and his dedication to the strongly rooted local art culture. Its unique program and design features offer great appeal to a specific artist audience. Its application of exposed, raw materials achieves

the typical natural, earthy aesthetic of Pacific Northwest art and architecture, and its carefully crafted details and composition display artistry.

Its innovative hinged door system acts as both functional piece and an artistic expression of its history as a barn and its industrial context. The expansive glazed facades emphasize connection between the building and its environment. The project is a unique gem, carefully and successfully designed for a very specific intent. It is an inspired addition to the cityscape of Seattle, as well as an innovative prototype for future projects like it.

Works Cited “Art Stable.” AIA Housing Awards. Web. September 2013. <http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/2011/housing-awards/ art-stable/index.htm>.

“Art Stable.” Olson Kundig Architects. Web. September 2013. <http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/1003/Art- Stable>.

“Olson Kundig Architects Art Stable.” Designboom. November 24, 2010. Web. September 2013. <http://www. designboom.com/architecture/olson-kundig-architects-art-stable/>.

“What does a $2M loft-condo in Seattle look like?” Puget Sound Business Journal. October 14, 2011. Web. September

2013. <http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2011/10/03/Seattle-2m-loft-condo-photo-gallery.html>.

Drueding, Meghan. “Project of the Year: Art Stable Seattle.” Residential Architect. May 2, 2011. Web. September 2013. <http://www.residentialarchitect.com/award-winners/art-stable-seattle.aspx>.

Hickman, Matt. “Evergreen Homes: Art Stable”. Mother Nature Network. April 15 2011. Web. September 2013. <http:// www.mnn.com/your-home/remodeling-design/blogs/evergreen-homes-art-stable>.

Sudermann, Hannelore. “Outside In, Architecture of the Pacific Northwest.” Washington State Magazine. Web.

September 2013. <http://wsm.wsu.edu/s/index.php?id=842#>.

Weber, Cheryl. “Northern Lights: Olson Sunderberg Kundig Allen Architects explores the spirit, nature and art of

building houses.” Residential Architect. October 19, 2004. Web. September 2013. <http://www.

residentialarchitect.com/architects/northern-lights_4.aspx>.

91

IBM Building Seattle,WA. Minoru Yamasaki Ariel Cooke

In the design for the IBM building in Seattle, completed in 1963, Seattle-born architect Minoru Yamasaki sought to combine beauty and function in such a way that a user can experience the structure in a simple and straightforward way. His humanistic approach is what most accurately merges function, structure, and aesthetics in Yamasaki’s IBM Building (Yamasaki, 1979). Through the use of modern design and construction techniques, and the use of the available materials and technologies, Yamasaki was able to create a rational building, which fittingly brings classical elements into modern architecture. As a result of the postwar economic boom, and the developments of new technologies, the IBM building rose as an example of a more sensible architecture, contributing to a richer and more varied skyline for Seattle. Yamasaki believed that the richness of society is stated through what can be created from the materials at hand, and is measured through the thoughtfulness and tastefulness of how this is achieved (Peter, 1994).

The substantial industrial production required for World War II led to the end of the Great Depression, and after the war the United States rose as the economic leader of the Western World.

American industries grew and national corporations attained a stronghold in the world market. In the 1950s, a new generation of baby boomers brought about an increase in consumption, demanding more goods and infrastructure. There was a new enthusiasm for technology, which in turn directly affected architectural developments of the time (Gelernter, 1999). Postwar United States left behind its former preference of historical style and embraced the simpler forms of International Modernism. The acceptance of modernism was due to several factors: ‘Modern’ was analogous with a break from the past, as it symbolized a new age, additionally, the new enthusiasm for technology was complemented by the modernists’ rational and efficient building technologies (Gelernter, 1999). World War II gave architects the opportunity to develop buildings better suited to current materials and technologies (Yamasaki, 1979).

In Seattle the metropolitan population grew from about to 450,000 in 1940, to 700,000 in 1950, and to one million in 1960 (Andrus, 1976). As the population grew, increased urban development 93

surpassed developments in the downtown area, leading to a decentralization of the city.

Construction in Seattle’s downtown area was increasingly modernist, following the national, rather than regional trend; In the 50s, the first Modern buildings in the area were commissioned by the Seattle city government (Ochsner, 1994).

The 1950s were a time when several architects were experimenting with the Modernist language. As the decade drew to a close, the austere style of modernism began to fade (Solomon, 2008). Modernism constrained the designs to specific shapes, colors and materials, and architects sought to break free (Peter, 1994).

Yamasaki was among those architects, and it is through this rejection of the limits of American modernism, and his efforts to apply classical styles of the past into new technologies and design elements, that he became one of the pioneers of New Formalism. Yamasaki was against the constraints posed by modernism, and believed that the qualities of classical architecture, such as proportion, detail, and graciousness, should be drawn upon in order to achieve a quality of humanism (Heyer, 1993). Additionally, the IBM

building was constructed in a time when Seattle was searching for a local character, seeking to contribute to American architecture.

Seattle was in the midst of the postwar boom when Yamasaki received the commission for the IBM Tower. This project proved to be of much significance to Yamasaki since Seattle was his hometown. Both Seattle and IBM were in good standings; The Seattle World’s Fair was held in 1962 in order to celebrate the city’s growth — giving birth to the wonderful steel Space Needle, the Monorail, and many buildings, including Yamasaki’s own United States Science Pavilion (Kueter, 2001). IBM was undergoing a transition to a modern corporation as it grew to become the world’s leading high-technology firm (IBM, 2008). Yamasaki’s United States Science Pavilion brought him national acclaim, and later gained him the commission for the World Trade Centre in New York City, for which his design for the IBM building served as a model for the structural system (Follansbee, 2012).

The race for the sky sought initially by architects of the late 19th century was still on, and arguably still is. Yamasaki used steel in

order to attain marvelous heights. Though the IBM Tower was no match for giants of the time such as the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings in New York, it was among the tallest buildings in Seattle. Yamasaki later went on to take the lead with his design for the World Trade Center in New York City. However, Yamasaki still appreciates the sensitive and responsive architecture that can be attained through smaller structures. He believed that the higher the building, the simpler the design has to be, and he blamed this for the monotony of the contemporary skyline, criticizing buildings clad completely in glass or aluminum.

He sought to create an honest building, and did so with the IBM Building by clearly stating its structure and establishing its relationship to the building’s purpose (Yamasaki, 1979).

Yamasaki approached the design of the IBM Tower with a marriage of function and aesthetics, defined and exemplified through the use of structure. The structure is designed around the functional needs of an office building, meeting the program requirements while defining a beautiful facade. Yamasaki believed that the key to simplicity and beauty lies within the

building’s structure through which he reflects the building’s function. He held that function; such as programmatic requirements; aesthetics such as scale, materiality, shape and arrangement, are generators in creating a structure that is in harmony with the built and human context (Yamasaki, 1979). His break from strict modernist ideals is likely the cause for the lack of documentation on his projects, including the IBM Building, as he strayed away from what was praised at the time (Bishop, 2001).

The structure of the IBM Tower consists of a dense array of steel pipe columns forming an external bearing wall, clad with precast concrete units, all supported on a floor and core system of concrete (Bishop, 2001). The weightlessness of the structure is emphasized with the contrast of the columns against large areas of glass (Heyer, 1993). Large steel arches, clad in marble, support a colonnade of slender columns that run along the entire face of the building. The arches frame the access to the building and create a beautiful arcade along its four elevations. The cornerless building further emphasizes its openness, which parallels Yamasaki’s intention of creating

95

an open space in the middle of downtown. In it, Yamasaki created a paved plaza, complemented by greenery and fountains where people can gather (Yamasaki, 1979).

The large arches along the base of the building are a great example of how Yamasaki uses structure for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Through the use of these steel arches, he was able to eliminate the need for horizontal girders to transfer the load of the columns to the building’s base (Yamasaki, 1979). The lack of horizontal members, along with the tall array of columns, drastically emphasizes the building’s verticality. These arches are also clear elements of classical architecture, designed and built through techniques contributed by the International Style, a main characteristic of Yamasaki’s New Formalism. In the IBM building, the arches are made of steel, but are disguised with marble in order to attain a smoother, more elegant aesthetic.

The lack of a keystone in these arches, however, tells the truth about their materiality.

The IBM Building truly embodies the new formalist approach to the modernist box, perfected by Mies, through the implementation of classical elements and ornament, which was

neglected by Modernist architects in favour of pure, unornamented buildings (Gelernter, 1999).

Yamasaki was able to give his building a more sophisticated and powerful presence, while maintaining its minimalist simplicity. Yamasaki was a believer that a building needed ornament; however, he argued that ornamentation in contemporary buildings, in the same way as structure, should be made with the new available technologies and materials. He also believed that this ornamentation should serve a technological purpose, rather than merely being tacked on to a blank face of the building (Peter, 1994). This can be seen in the IBM Building in the prefabricated concrete spandrel panels. The elegance of the tall and tight array of columns also serves as ornament on the façade of the building, which is also such that a person inside of the building can feel security in an environment of beautifully proportioned, delicate elements (Yamasaki, 1979). This truly humanistic approach is another influence drawn from the classical cities of the past.

“We must provide – through order – a background of serenity for today’s feverish activity, and scale architecture to frame man

happily in this environment. Finally, we must be truthful in expression of structure and purpose, and advance today’s industrialized technology for the benefit of society.”

-Minoru Yamasaki

Yamasaki saw architecture not as a shape derivative of a physical problem, but as a structure resultant of the needs of man (Peter, 1994). He designed with the purpose to create a comfortable environment for users, providing them a sense of security and emotional fulfillment as they go about their daily activities.

He looked at the functional needs of the people in Seattle and attempted to minimize the amount of structural elements without compromising the building’s structural integrity, beauty and program. (Yamasaki, 1979) For example, the windows’ height is neutralized by the proximity of the exterior columns, separated at shoulder width, such that a user can feel safe even at such a magnificent height. This is; however, also a direct response to his own acrophobia; fear of heights.

The IBM building, completed in 1963, is located in Seattle and designed by Seattle-born architect Minoru Yamasaki. Its design comes from

the marriage of function, beauty and structure, achieved through a sensible and humanistic approach. Born as a result of the post-war boom and the social upheaval of the 1960s, along with the use of new technologies in tandem with modernist and classical ideologies, it stands as a landmark of Yamasaki’s New Formalism. The architectural climate in Seattle at the time reflected national modernist tendencies, yet architects sought to transform the international style to be more in tune with the Northwest context, aspiring for a unique regionalism (Ochsner, 1994). His humanist approach to architecture comes as a direct response to the political disorder, increased automobile dependency, population boom, and the effect of the machine on man that followed the war, in an attempt to bring serenity back into the environment (Heyer, 1993). The IBM building communicates a feeling of security, experienced in a simple and honest fashion, and translated through the serene use of structure.

Works Cited Andrus, A. Phillip. Seattle. Cambridge, Mass.: Ballinger Pub. Co., 1976. Print.

Bishop, Todd. “Seattle’s IBM Building was Model for N.Y. Trade Center.” Puget Sound Business Journal 22.28, 2001. Web Follansbee, Joe. “The Lasting Impact of Seattle’s World’s Fair Architects.” Seattle Magazine Apr. 2012: xx. Print.

Gelernter, Mark. A history of American architecture: buildings in their cultural and technological context. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 20011999. Print.

Gillespie, Angus K.. Twin towers the life of New York City’s World Trade Center. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1999. Print.

Heyer, Paul. Architects on architecture; new directions in America.. New York: Walker, 1993. Print.

Kueter, Vince. “Seattle through the years.” The Seattle Times Company, 2001: xxx. Web. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. Shaping Seattle architecture: a historical guide to the architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press in association with the American Institute of Architects Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Architectural Foundation, 1994. Print.

Peter, John. The oral history of modern architecture: interviews with the greatest architects of the twentieth century. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1994. Print.

Prudon, Theodore. “Rediscovering Yamasaki: Appreciating 1960s Architecture.” Welcome. N.p., 15 June 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. <http://www. docomomo-us.org/news/rediscovering_yamasaki_appreciating_1960s_architecture>.

Solomon, Nancy B.. Architecture: celebrating the past, designing the future. New York: Visual Reference Publications ;, 2008. Print.

“THINK: A History Of Progress. .”International Business Machines Corporation.. N.p., n.d. 2001. Web Yamasaki, Minoru. A life in architecture. New York: Weatherhill, 1979. Print.

97

Figure 3

St. Ignatius Chapel Seattle, WA. Stephen Holl Architects Christopher Chown

No Barrier can divide where life unites: one faith, one fount, one spirit, makes one people – St. John Lateran. With the chapel of St. Ignatius Steven Holl defined not only the church but the campus and university as well, both physically and conceptually. With the project’s siting and thinking, the ideas of Steven Holl become understood in experience. This phenomenological aspect of the project is furthered through Steven Holl’s most interesting medium; light. Through the seven ‘bottles’ within the whole, light shapes the church in response to program and the ever-shifting nature of the medium.

This church on the campus of Seattle University becomes a statement of faith at large, and the understanding of the church looks to serve each person through both a singular and holistic sense.

The thinking of Steven Holl emerges from his schooling, where the emergence of postmodern eclecticism left Holl critically questioning how architecture was being done (Woods 6). He was constantly trying to incorporate the modernist’s forms and critical spirit into a new and more complex mode of architecture. Stephane Malarme once said that to name an object is to suppress threefourths of the enjoyment…to suggest is the dream; and Holl transferred this notion into an architecture of imagination and inspiration (Woods 10). With St. Ignatius Holl envisioned it as “seven bottles within a stone box”. This concept longed to bring this chapel from the Earth where the stone box is the land the chapel is on, with the light carving through this solid mass. This is carried through with the metal cladding used for the roof and bell tower that “reflects the changing reflection of the sky and clouds”.

This place becomes a space for all where the University mission is one that fosters a diverse society of many faiths, providing a community that seeks God in all things (Sundborg). Historically, this church is also a reflection of this mission, where the ties to the Oregon Trail led to the available emigration route for whites along the United States in 1843. This route was shared by two specific individuals, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, that impacted faith and the church in 1833 through the trials and tribulations. With the establishment of the Whitman Mission in the Western United States around 1835, Marcus Whitman set up a place where he preached to both the white and the Cayuse population. The American Board saw this population as a vital group to spread the word of Christianity to (Whitman).

99

When Whitman returned for fundraising efforts, he married Narcissa, and along with Henry and Eliza Spalding, Father Jean DeSmet, they returned in 1836. Father Jean DeSmet was the first of the Catholic missionaries, who with this westward travelling, baptized tribal members (Fanning).

With these travels and establishments of ministries of the word of God, modern day Seattle is found where these missions ended up, becoming this ground for diversity, transformation and faith.

This mission then set out by the University is an extension of the historical events and serve as a basis for St. Ignatius.

St. Ignatius in its siting acts as an edge boundary for the campus, and therefore, also as a welcoming. This threshold is clearly defined by the Eastern edge where the retaining wall is a clear transition between the campus and the city. The metal cross and bell tower even looks to define an edge where the cross is only seen when on the campus grounds. With the elongation of the plan, the chapel is suited as a definition of the campus and respective city, also allowing for the processional act desired (Holl 56). The chapel though looks to be a place for all, not just

the campus, where material separation defines the area of the chapel (1). This definition creates a sacred space from the outset, where there is a transition and establishment even before entering. This establishes the chapel grounds as both part of the campus and separated from it, representing the nature of this chapel as a place for all. Holl continues to form transitions within the chapel spaces by the definition of light. The chapel is arranged by light and the way one moves through experientially, with the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the mission of outreach facing north (Sundborg). This is also found with the processional space oriented south. With the orientation of the building Holl defines each space as such, but also unites them back at the nave as the place of main sanctuary and gathering. The definition of these spaces is reinforced through the use of colour, where the colour field and lens of each bottle defines the space as such.

The recognition of the use of complementary colours with each â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; representing Hollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in transformation, where the influence of light shining and causing the reflection to be of the opposite colour describes his concept with

Figure 5

Figure 1

respect to consolations and desolations (2). In the Ignatian tradition, discernment is comprised of this notion of consolation and desolation as either moving towards or away from God. Holl is always interested in the materiality and immateriality of light, where through his projects there is a play between light, space and colour. Similar to St. Ignatius, the MIT Masterplan is a formation of a “porous membrane…with a particular identity” (Holl). Through the play between solid and void, colour, and with light, these spaces create an individual experience for each of the undergraduate units. Another example is the Glasgow School of Art where Holl recognizes the original buildings manipulation of the section to create natural lighting in an inventive manner (Holl). The new building follows this idea, and with the integration of “driven voids”, similar to the light bottles of St. Ignatius, there is a constant play between light and space.

Perception then as an experiential interaction is what Steven Holl was most interested in, and what St. Ignatius was hoping to achieve. The way in which the body interacts with the physical world is of great importance

in his work that is further shaped by materiality (Woods 9). St.Ignatius, just as the ‘bottles’ use colour field to define the space by light, also sees a wide array of materials used to create a phenomenological experience. With the main mass being precast concrete panels, the tilt-up method of construction was both economical and reinforced conceptually by the resolution of the joint. Where the panels meet, a window is formed, and the linking of these panels were capped with bronze covers that allowed for an interlocking detail. This solid mass then is formed by many panels that link like a jigsaw puzzle (3), defining a unified body made of many parts.

These panels being stained an ochre colour speak to the nature of many churches in Rome as a resemblance of typology through visual identification. Further resemblance is found upon entry by the different door heights, one for a more private entry with the other for a more ceremonial congregation. The separate spaces within the chapel as well each speak to this idea of many parts coming together as a unified whole. Where the procession is finished with plaster roughly scraped in each direction, the blessed sacrament

Figure 2

Figure 4

101

chapel is finished with walls made of a thick coat of beeswax (4) and the narthex having the handmade wool carpet designed by Holl; each space evokes an importance within a recognized body being the chapel.

Holl then looks to define the church in a new way. Where postmodern eclecticism that saw the returning to scale, orientation and critical placement of space, Holl questions this form of architecture and its relevance to the modern chapel. St. Ignatius is the manifestation of this thought, where space defined by light creates the dialogue between the dichotomies.

Part and whole, light and dark, and through the use of complementary colours Holl creates

a phenomenological spatial experience that represents faith for all (5). Through the use of historical references from other chapels and biblical text, Holl continues to redefine the church in a new way, but not in one way. Just as each experiences faith in a different way, Holl simply creates a spiritual space for one to experience by their own means. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He sees architecture not as an isolated specialty-however exalted-answerable only to its formal rules, but as an art serving wide and diverse human interestsâ&#x20AC;? (Woods 9). It is no longer about a set framework but St. Ignatius defines the church by the light, by the message and by God. It is about the transforming illumination, the chapel comes second.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Works Cited Fanning, William. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pierre-Jean De Smet.â&#x20AC;? The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton

Company, 1908. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04752a.htm>. Web. Holl, Steven, Lebbeus Woods (foreword). Architecture spoken. New York:Rizzoli, 2007. Print.

Holl, Steven. Chapel of St. Ignatius and MIT Masteplan. 8 Jun. 2013 and 7 Sept. 2013.

<http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail>. Web. QSX Software Group. Colour Wheel Pro: Colour Meaning. 15 Jun. 2013.

<http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html>. Web. Sundborg, Stephen V. Mission, Vision and Values: Seattle University Statement. 15 Jun.2013.

< http://www.seattleu.edu/chapel/>. Web and Print.

Whitman, Marcus (quoted), Oregon Pioneer Association Transactions, 1893. Manuscript Collections, Oregon

Historical Society. Print.

Whitman, Narcissa Prentiss. My Journal: 1836, third edition. Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon Press, 1990. Print.

103

East Pike Apartments Seattle,WA. Olson Kundig Architects Sarah deVries

People invest in what they want. When there is a chance to personalize something significant in one’s life, such as the colour paint in one’s apartment or to choose a specific decorative piece to display in their living rooms, they take on that chance. Chances like these allow people to make their apartments or houses feel more like a home. It’s a chance people have to define their personalities and characteristics through the distinctive touches they put into their homes. 1111 East Pike apartments designed by Olson Kundig Architects, is an apartment that speaks to people of all ages. The design team wanted this apartment to create a homey and inviting presence on this bustling street and neighbourhood, Capitol Hill, in Seattle. The head architect, Tom Kundig, encourages residents to personalize their own apartments and make it their home through the unique exterior façade, as well as with the flexible interior spaces. This idea of customization and personalization creates a healthy environment and sense of empowerment to residents which will be looked at through the effects of the streets history and the layout of the units which create a successfully appealing apartment.

The first major element that allows residents to customize and personalize their apartments is by allowing them to choose from 5 different colours chosen from classic cars from the 50s, for their exterior panels outside their apartments. This decision was made by the design team based on the history of the street. East Pike street was once a hub for auto sales and a service known as Auto Row in the 1940s (CHS Capitol Hill Seattle, 2013). Jim Olson started a firm in the 1960s, therefore he himself grew up with the fancy old cars and to him that was a significant memory to his childhood and followed through to his adulthood. This memory was a positive one, and not just for him but for many others. On his website he states that he wants his architecture to have a positive effect on people, “Olson started the firm based on some simple ideas: that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture, and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people’s lives” (Olson Kundig Architects, 2013). By bringing back the old memory of the street by allowing residents to pick colours of old 50s cars for the façade outside their apartments, he mixes old with the new quite powerfully and yet it is also done quite subtly. People from the neighbourhood who drove these 105

kinds of old cars in the 50s can relate and enjoy these colours of the façade, because it may bring back great memories of their youth, when they drove around in their fancy colourful cars. Youth now can also enjoy these colours because it may remind them of old pictures of their parents or grandparents who may have owned these cars.

It’s a very unique and playful façade that is seen nowhere else in the neighbourhood. It was a bold and risky move of the design team to allow the residents to choose their own colours, but in the end it turned out to look as if it was planned to be laid out the way it is now. It is a tricky business choosing colours for exterior facades because colours can quickly be outdated. Olson Kundig Architects were smart in creating a colour palette from classic cars because these colours have strived to become repeatedly popular throughout time.

Olson Kundig Architects made a design decision to continue with the industrial feel of the street with the automotive background, and at the same time they added a modern twist. They achieve this with the use of wide floor to ceiling windows, high ceilings, and a large steel door at

Figure 1

the entrance of the residents lobby (ArchDaily, 2013). By keeping with the history and industrial feel of the street this provides the comfort of familiarization to the residents and to the people of the neighbourhood, which was an important design decision that was made to emphasize the design concept of personalization. The production of the automobile in the past has been an interrelationship for personalization in housing and its production led to ideas of mass customization (Piroozfar, 2013, pg. 43). The production of the automobile occurred during a time of great industrialization and set the stage for how society is able to have the freedom to personalize their lives. These ideas relate to the façades automotive industrial feel. However, recent studies show that housing personalization and automotive production mass customization have very many differences. Unlike housing, automobiles are able to move freely from place to place which made them so appealing in the first place. But through the concept of personalization and customization, it creates independence which can be seen in both housing and vehicles (Piroozfar, 2013, pg. 43).

The second major element that allows residents to personalize their apartments is by the flexible interior spaces within the apartments.

The main element inside the apartments that allows for such personalization of the space is what Olson Kundig Architects call the “Puzzle door”. This unconventional door acts as a room separator that slides from the ceiling. It can close off the bedroom, but when opened up exposing the bedroom, it can close off the kitchen to the living space (ArchDaily, 2013). At the time this apartment was built, inventions such as the moveable wall/door were rare to be seen in built into apartments, making it very new and exciting. In an article called Living Art, Kundig states that, “Innovation with new construction is merely a product of challenging the status-quo.

As an architect, I have an opportunity to create something that doesn’t already exist, and ideally, it won’t ever be duplicated again” (Newswire, 2009). Successful new inventions become quite appealing to people, these new inventions become something people want. This sliding MDF door allows for flexibility to create different spaces and settings of environment within the

apartments. Mass customization is a popular strategy to respond to everyone’s diverse needs and wants (Piroozfar , 2013. Pg. 53). By giving this flexibility to the residents it allows them to inhabit the spaces and generate the layout of their apartments as desired. This leisure lets residents further to personalize their apartments.

Other elements within the interior spaces of the apartments are that each wall is painted white.

White walls allow for furniture pieces to provide the colour in the home. Since furniture is picked out personally by the owner it adds the comfort of familiarization to the home of the residents.

People have always personalized their homes, no matter what the cost or income nor culture. It doesn’t matter what the type of home or where it is located, each home reveals someone’s personalization on the inside and out (Piroozfar, 2013, pg. 42). At East Pike residents were able to personalize both interior and exterior to a certain extent that allows them to live in a healthy environment.

Another element that allows for customization and personalization of space is the open flow throughout the apartments. Open

Figure 2

107

flow allows flexibility and adaptability of space.

Each space is very minimalistic with materials as well as built in features besides the kitchen, the bathroom which is enclosed, and the sliding door. This minimalism provides a blank canvas for the resident and acts as a fresh start or new beginning for them. A new beginning is a way for residents to create the spaces they want from scratch. Each resident will interpret their apartment living spaces differently, each in their own creative way making it very personal, making it a home. The ceiling heights are 9 feet tall which is not the norm for most apartment buildings.

This difference in height creates a sense of extra space and freedom. Residents even got to choose the colour of their front door according to the colour palette chosen by the architects.

The natural light coming in from the large floor to ceiling operable windows brings in warm to the apartment. Olson Kundig Architects laid out the living spaces so that where the residents will use the space most, it will get the most natural light.

The windows look like doors, giving them a sense as if they had a terrace or balcony outside their window. This also gives residents the feeling as though they have more space than they actually do because of the connection to the outdoors.

This apartment provides spatial attractiveness.

It provides it for every space which improves liveability in each space. Adaptability is the key to providing qualities such as flexibility, dynamicity, and resiliency. Spaces should be arranged in an adaptable way to maximise residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversified necessities (Piroozfar, 2013, pg. 55).

Most apartments have a very small step out balcony that does allow them to physically feel the sensations of the outdoors, as well as the connection to the streets. The apartment is only 6 storeys tall. This height is significant to note because it is just tall enough so that the residents do not lose the connection to the street level. Also, from street level its presence of its height is not overpowering what so ever and keeps within the relatively same height as neighbouring buildings.

Residents can still feel their connection to their home from street level because of its height as well as the definition and connection to the colour they chose for their place.

In conclusion, Olson Kundig Architects have successfully added an inviting and welcoming apartment to the presence of East Pike street. They have successfully achieved this by personalization and customization for residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefits, to make it their home unique, adaptable and flexible through interior and exterior spaces.

Works Cited “1111 E. Pike / Olson Kundig Architects.” ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.archdaily. com/68031/1111-e-pike-olson-kundig-architects/>.

“1111 E. Pike | PCS Structural Solutions.” 1111 E. Pike | PCS Structural Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct.

2013. <http://www.pcs-structural.com/projects/1111-e-pike>.

“CHS Capitol Hill Seattle.” CHS Capitol Hill Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www. capitolhillseattle.com/2009/03/before-and-after-and-after-images-of-1111-e-pike/>.

“Gallery: INHABITAT INTERVIEW: 8 Questi....” Inhabitat Sustainable Design Innovation Eco Architecture

Green Building 1111 E Pike Street Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://inhabitat.com/ inhabitat-interview-8-questions-with-architect-tom-kundig/1111-e-pike-street-2/>.

“Living Art - New Capitol Hill Lofts Designed by Nationally Acclaimed Architect Tom Kundig Open for Sales:

Post-Auction Market Conditions Influence Seller to Offer Units Up to 25 Percent Off List Prices Using

Bulk Sales.” PR Newswire 25 (2009): 1. Print.

“Olson Kundig Architects.” -Projects. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/461#>.

Piroozfar, Poorang A.E.. Mass Customisation and Personalisation in Architecture and Construction. New York:

Taylor & Francis Group, 2013. Print.

Images Picture #1: “CHS Capitol Hill Seattle.” CHS Capitol Hill Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www. capitolhillseattle.com/2009/03/before-and-after-and-after-images-of-1111-e-pike/>.

Picture # 2: http://blog.naver.com/PostView. nhn?blogId=joycg&logNo=130089689836&redirect=Dlog&widgetTypeCall=true Rest are by Sarah deVries 109

Figure 1

Museum of Flight Seattle WA. Ibsen Nelsen Amanda Crisp

The early 1900’s brought transportation such as aviation to evolve in various ways. A man by the name William Boeing established an airplane company in 1916 that was founded in Seattle, Washington, thus causing an economic boom in the City of Seattle, specifically regarding the transportation for the World Wars. (Rose 283) In1964, supporters of aviation noticed that the evolution was not being preserved properly, and the artifacts were getting destroyed, therefore, the Pacific Northwest Aviation Historical Foundation was established to preserve artifacts. (Executive Committee) By 1987, the Museum of Flight was built in appreciation of the Boeing Company’s big boom before the War and to preserve and display the evolution of aviation.

The Museum of Flight sits on the site where the Boeing Company originated. It celebrates the War, specifically the US military and the location becomes significant for this reason. In comparison to a Canadian culture, Canada would not celebrate the War in the defensive manor, but recognizing its veterans versus its aviation. This makes a Museum of Flight a unique building program to the United States. The Museum focuses on structure and envelope, and also function and contextual architectural aspects to follow Nelsen’s “as if in flight” concept on the program of a Museum of Flight.

Further technologies were being invented and applied in the early 1900’s, such as the manufacturing of different shapes and sizes of structural steel. The Museum of Flight took this exploration further and architect, Ibsen Nelsen, designed a space frame structure and curtain wall facade out of structural steel and relatively new connections for the Museum. The structure and thought process of the Museum’s Gallery space was similar to that of an aircraft hangar invented in 1919, as a result of the war. (Reid) The structure of the building was driven mainly by the architect’s intention to have free suspended planes with the backdrop of the sky, which is why the space-frame was applied to allow an airy space where the light can penetrate through the structure. (Bachman 63) This specific structural and envelope system is one of the only systems that could achieve this idea of planes flying through the sky, yet keeping the same strength. (Bachman 68)

Space frame systems were invented in the 1950’s structurally; therefore, Nelsen comprehended 111

this new technology and applied it because of the long spans it can provide, allowing for less structural supports in the mid-span of the Gallery.

Since the scale of a plane is so large, Nelsen had to work with a system and material that could provide for the program required. A strong structure was delivered allowing the airplanes to suspend from it on wires, creating the notion that they are airborne. The structure mimics the airplane a great deal, and reflects the weight to strength ratio that steel has, similar to the reason why planes are now fabricated with the lightest materials. A contextual issue Nelsen had to deal with was soil conditions; the area was prone to flooding and therefore needed a lightweight structure. (Bachman 63)

In addition to the long spans and hanging load of the steel space-frame structure, the amount of natural light that is let through the members is also looked at. This difference between natural and direct sunlight is essential because Nelsen was trying to diffuse the daylight on the artifacts.

This was achieved as the structure was obstructing the way and the choice of glazing used for the roof was triple glazed with a reflective coating, (Bachman 50) only allowing small amounts of the direct sunlight to penetrate in. Glare was also seen an issue while looking at the foreground and having such a bright backdrop. Nelsenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy

consultant, Bazjanac, built a similar project, the Crystal Cathedral, (Chamberlin) in which day lighting was not an issue. Nelsen took this precedent into his own thoughts and trusted that similar situation that glare was not going to be an issue. (Bachman 70)

The appearance of the roof is very balanced; this equality in the members does not draw the eye to anywhere in specific and provides a nice backdrop, and shadowing appeal projected on the ground. Note the white structure and round members allows for an easy appeal to the eye not interrupting the focus of the sky.

Large amounts of members were required for this Museum; resulting in making this construction more efficient and the idea of mass customization, which is the ability to produce the same size pieces in large quantities. (Caglar Can 13) This resulted in decreasing the budget and increasing the easement of assembly during construction.

The curtain wall system used in this Museum is different than the customarily used because Nelsen created an exo-skeleton façade.

He hung the glass on the interior of the structure, providing more space with no interruption of columns on the inner side. The structure on the exterior of the glazing is quite extensive; thus providing great amounts of shade diffusing the light from directly entering the Museum. This

allows the artifacts to stay persevered and the glare of sunlight is not so much of an issue.

Seattle can successfully have an exo-skeleton mainly based on its climate conditions. Buildings do not need to achieve a high R-value compared to those of Toronto because the climate is milder, and ideas of insulation and thermal breaking are not seen as major issues. The benefit of an exoskeleton structure is seen as providing shading mainly for a lesser consumption of heat gain.

Small amounts of artificial light are required in the Gallery space because of the glazed facades, therefore reducing the electrical lighting loads. If the glazing was hung on the exterior, shading would still be provided, but the heat gain would be much greater. The space is fully glazed, and by providing the shading on the exterior it benefits in the warm weather, as the HVAC system does not need work as hard.

However is reacts negatively in the winter when heat gains want to be achieved through day lighting, and the structure on the exterior blocks the sun from penetrating in. Nelsen took this dilemma into consideration; therefore basing his decision on Seattle’s milder winters and hotter summers. Thus creating the notion that shading of the building on the exterior is more important than interior increasing of heat gains. (Straube) The seventeen foot wide space-frame structure of the roof allowed a lot of room for the HVAC and mechanical systems to run through, while still providing a transparent structure on the backdrop. (Bachman 68)

Allowing for this light space brought Nelsen a lot of code issues when designing the building. This was a contextual issue because it was only the code recommended for the local jurisdiction. The building did not follow the

energy and allowable annual energy use mainly because of all the glazing involved. Discussions were held and the municipality did not have any good provisions that were directed toward the Museum, therefore a strict Energy budget was created. (Bachman 63) To capture the essence that the planes were airborne, Nelsen had to get a specialized Energy Consultant to deal with the issue to continue with his architectural intent.

Maintaining a clear street view to the Museum was essential and Nelsen achieved this by using three different types of tint as the glass façade vertically rises; the top being the most tinted to control solar and light transmissions and the lower as it decreases down to street view.

(Bachman 70) Since the roof did not have exterior structure like the walls do, a lower shading coefficient was used. While still providing the visual connection with the sky, it minimizes as much solar energy as possible.

Nelsen achieved the idea of “as if in flight” through the envelope and structure, and also how it functions and affects its surrounding context.

Nelsen successfully achieved the construction of building using new technologies. The main idea was represented in the context of Seattle and the role it portrays on aviation in history.

Works Cited Bachman, Leonard R.. “Integrated Buildings.” Integrated buildings the systems basis of

architecture. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 48-79. Print.

Caglar Can, Kemal . “Postponement, Mass Customization, Modularization and Customer

Order Decoupling.” Postponement, Mass Customization, Modularization and

Customer Order Decoupling. Linkoping University, n.d. Web.15 Oct. 2013. <http:// www.divaportal.org/smash/get/diva2:17751/FULLTEXT01.pdf>.

Chamberlin, Holmes. “Travel United State.” Holmes Chamberlin. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. http://www.dchamberlinarchitect.com/page-travel-us-washington seattlemuseum%20of%20flight.htm>.

Executive Committee . “About the Museum.” and The History of Aviation. The Museum of Flight,

n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://www.museumofflight.org/about>.

Malloy, Betsy . “Museum of Flight, Seattle.” About.com California Travel. N.p., n.d. Web.

25 Oct. 2013. <http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/waseattle/a/waseamusflight.htm>.

Reid, Chad. “History of Airplane Hangars | Why are Hangars Called Hangars?.” History of

Airplane Hangars | Why are Hangars Called Hangars?. John Reid and Sons, n.d.

Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.reidsteel.aero/history.htm>.

Rose, David C.. “City Profile: Seattle.” Cities . Seattle: University of Washington, 1990. 283-288.

Print.

Straube, John F., and E. F. P. Burnett. Building science for building enclosures.

Westford, Mass.: Building Science Press, 2005. Print.

Images Amanda Crisp

Drawings Bachman, Leonard R.. “Integrated Buildings.” Integrated buildings the systems basis of

architecture. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 48-79. Print.

113

Tacoma Art Museum Tacoma, WA. Antoine Predock Pouya Pak

West Coast Architecture fulfills the need of true architecture. Although this statement might seem bold, one can argue that West Coast Architecture has it’s own very unique entity in response to many local and regional problems. True Architecture can be defined as the response to the root of social, economical, environmental and political problems of a certain region. To elaborate we will be looking at the Tacoma Art Museum which is located in Tacoma, Washington, and examining it as a response to a Westcoast thinking. TAM has changed it’s location a few times throughout the history and now remains in the heart of Tacoma where it attracts a lot of tourists. The Museum was designed by an alien architect from New Mexico named Antoine Predock just when the committee was in desperate need of a new location. When the committee had decided to choose Antoine Predock as the head architect for the project, there was extreme uncertainty as to weather or not it would built apprehension amongst the local architects and the the committee. As a result, Predock was intended and expected to educate himself about the history of Tacoma and especially what the committee had envisioned for the new TAM. The new TAM was going to be the next attraction point within Tacoma, and was going to hold many art festivals aside from educational classes that were going to take place. Predock had a challenge yet an advantage to his vantage point. The challenge was to design a monument that was used for educational and entertainment purposes which had to reveal Westcoast culture and social values. He then decided to majorly impact his design with the local Context and the view of Mount Rainier. Analytically, one could state that the architect has resolved many of the social values that are carried in the hidden geometry of Westcoast architecture. In this paper we will analyze the direct relationship of context and the impact of Westcoast architecture on Predock’s work.

Then we will critically analyze the Architectural Making of TAM, in other words how does the building program respond the social and environmental values of Tacoma. On the whole, Predock has won many prizes for his designs in the architectural world and his work has left a gateway for many to follow and perceive.

There has always been discussions around context when it comes down to design. Some 115

architects may find context irrelevant within their works, and some may disagree with that approach. Tacoma Art Museum on the other hand has exemplified a work of regional and contextual architecture. The challenge was to build a museum that could be seen as a time machine, connecting the past of Tacoma with it’s future. Ultimately, this had to be done through several mediums. First, it had to be it’s location. Geographically speaking, the museum is placed within a very hybrid yet unique location. Views to the Mount Rainier yet being located in the heart of Tacoma city elevated in two heights, are some of the features the site possesses. The location has definitely revealed challenges and opportunities for the architect to emphasize on context and westcoast way of approach. In response, Predock has challenged himself to be able to create view from and to the mount Rainier as a response to context. There are many view points within the building at different heights and levels that Mount Rainier the Thea Foss Waterway, the growing museum district, a thriving University of Washington campus, and the underpinnings could be seen. In contrast, there are times throughout the day depending

on the exposure the building dissolves within its natural context. Secondly, materiality and using regional material that emphasized on the history of the city has been an approach that Antoine has taken. The building’s stainless steel skin resembles the industrial, port- city surroundings as its silver patina glistens in the Northwest’s watery light. inversely, the wood that has been used in the interiors, solidifies a connection and care for the natural and regional materials of the westcoast. The appearance of wood within the interiors can only be seen on the ceiling panels and in some occasions on walls as decoration feature. nevertheless, Predock has incorporated the two, location and materiality in order to respond to the Westcoast Architecture.

Architecture is responsive to a problem unlike arts which can be moderately abstract.

It must convey the right procedures to fulfill a social, economical, environmental or even political need. West Coast architecture has it’s unique way of conveying a response to nature and civil responsibilities of preserving the nature.

Substantially, one can argue that Westcoasters socially are not as tense as other regions. The

reason may be weather, social responsibilities, demographics,age and unity of race. Therefore, Construing such a delicacy may be tough for many architects whom choose to build in other major cities of the world, where social responsibilities and way of living is different.

Antoine Predock had understood this difference and the manifestation of his response could be seen in his work. First, he had an understanding of weather and it’s effect on the interiors. Tacoma just like any, westcoast city faces high levels of rain that comes with many cloudy days, therefore, light must be amplified and directed into the interior space. Predock has designed a hallway that contains large windows which wraps the core of TAM, no matter where you find yourself you have access to natural light within the outside belt of the interior space. The second issue that Predock had seen as an opportunity to establish his design was a replication of Westcoast landscape within the interiors. Unlike Toronto, Westcoast is not flat yet contains mountains, hills and harmonic elevations throughout. Ironically, Predock had used soft elevations throughout the building that did not necessarily need stairs to connect spaces. Subsequently, this change in elevation throughout the building is a response to the natural contours of the westcoast. Some visitors have referred to their visit to TAM as an adventurous journey oppose to a museum visitation. Aside from the architectural makings and responses to the context and social values of westcoasters, the committee of Tacoma Art Museum believes in experimental education. The spacial programming of the building has allowed for the committee to have classes up and running while there are people visiting the museum. There are also spaces for artists to create art within the

building and later display them, which is a great way to eliminate outsourcing and invite local artists to home their work. These quality spaces not only teach each individual about the contextual entity of TAM yet educate them on modern, local and regional art of westcoast.

Nevertheless, architecture requires a wide vision of thinking, acting and responding.

As a result, anything that has the potential of responding to needs of society must have a past, present and future. The role of an architect is to understand the history with respect to current values and to construct a sustainable complex that others could use future ahead of time.

Antoine Predock the Lebanese architect of New Mexico has definitely esolved this physic problem through his coursework or Tacoma Art museum.

The effectiveness use of context and materiality in response to a Westcoast way of living has definitely revolutionized his work amongst other architects. On the whole, one could argue that true architecture has no correlation with ethnicity or place of residence, yet, it remains in the thoughts actions and responses of an architect to his/her time.

Works Cited “Tacoma Art Museum - The Building.” Tacoma Art

Museum - The Building. N.p.,n.d. Web.

28 Oct. 2013 Collins, Brad. Antoine Predock

Architect. Vol. 4. New York: Rizzoli, 2006. Print.

“Museum of Glass.” Museum of Glass. N.p., n.d.

Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://museumofglass. org/>.

Jen Graves, “This Gay Art Show: A Revolution at

Tacoma Art Museum”, The Stranger, 3

August 2011, p. 26.

117

Mount Angel Abbey Library St. Benedict, OR. Alvar Aalto Stephanie Wu

The Mount Angel Abbey was established in 1882 by a group of Benedictine monks from Engelberg, Switzerland, a high alpine community that found its likeness in the hilltops of Oregon.

In 1926, a fire destroyed the majority of the abbey’s buildings, including the library and most of its original collection. Several decades of rebuilding passed before attention was turned towards the construction of a new library, a commission accepted by architect Alvar Aalto on a nominal fee.1 The Mount Angel Abbey library is one of only two buildings Aalto constructed in America, unique in an oeuvre that is predominantly based in his native Finland. Aalto had a lifelong love of libraries, and the opportunities presented by the sloped site at Mount Angel were ideal. The library was dedicated in 1970, only six years before Aalto’s passing on May 11, 1976. It stands as a preeminent example of his late work and a final statement on leitmotifs he returned to again and again over the course of his career.

Alvar Aalto is widely considered one of the great masters of modern architecture, named among the ranks of Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius but exceptional in his rejection of pure modernism. Aalto’s humanistic approach to design mediates criticisms of the functionalist style, whose opponents found “inhumane, mechanical, placeless, alienating, and standardized.”2 In his 1940 essay “The Humanizing of Architecture,” Aalto refutes the idea of architecture as science and proposes a functionalism beyond the technical and mechanical. By “humanism,” he sought to create a rational architecture sensitive to the human being as a thinking, perceiving entity. He discounted no tools of design, readily referencing the past, mixing old and new, and rejecting the straight line and rectilinear form. For Aalto, who designed even door knobs and lighting fixtures, each individual part of a building contributed to a unified, phenomenological experience. In his libraries this was explored in the fundamental interrelationship between book, reader and light.

“When I designed the city library in Viipuri …” he wrote, “I drew all kinds of fantastic mountain landscapes, with slopes lit by many suns in different positions, which gradually gave birth to the main idea of the library building.”

119

Mount Angel Abbey Library echoes many of the design innovations first developed in the Viipuri City Library (1925-37) — recessed reading wells, circular skylights, the weaving of natural and modern building materials and the idea of the library “book pit.” Sunken against a hill, the library overlooks a vast, sloping expanse of farmland to the northern horizon. It is the last frontier of the abbey, enclosing a rectilinear lawn around which the abbey is structured. From the lawn, the library presents an unassuming yellow brick façade to the austere monumentalism of the surrounding buildings. This decision was made to accommodate the monks’ desire for privacy from the road to the north, while adhering to Aalto’s belief that both building and individual ought to be intimately connected to the landscape. The library was originally planned to step down even further into the hillside, deferring to an unbroken vista of the landscape.5 Its final construction appropriates the only view beyond the lawn and reflects the self-containment and introversion of its monastic use. An ambulatory around the building instead directs the individual’s experience of the landscape.

Aalto’s ideal library was envisioned as a sunken enclave in the landscape, stacked with books and filled with light. He found a solution in the fan-shaped orchestration seen in Mount Angel Abbey Library but preceded in many of his earlier designs, with radiating shelves converging onto a single surveillance point where the central administration desk is rationally located. From the demure single-storey entrance at ground level with the lawn, also the top floor of the building, the library expands dramatically outwards both on the interior and exterior. This openness is conducive to the excellent quality of light which permeates the space from a large clerestory skylight, but also speaks to the kind of experience Aalto intended to create, from entrance to the main body of the library to the landscape beyond, framed carefully by windows terminating rows of book stacks which function also as sources of northern light.

Yet the clarity of the plan does not detract from the diversity of spaces and experiences available to the individual. The central reading area, with individual seats curved around the concentric tiers of each level, offers the greatest connection to the library as a whole and access

to the dominant, sculptural skylight at the center of the fan. A quiet meditation room sharing the top floor, east of the skylight, provides the only unimpeded view overlooking the land from the hillside, symbolic of the significance of the site.

The lower floor contains areas for group study buffered by the cantilevered upper level. On the perimeters of this floor, closed study carrels in wood and frosted glass offer privacy while diffusing light into the stack areas.

Aalto was particularly sensitive to the problem of drawing light inside his buildings due to Finland’s predominantly dark, overcast weather.6 This problem was perhaps the most crucial in libraries, which must negotiate the protection of books from direct light with the kind of spaces conducive to study and reading. In the Viipuri City Library, he developed a conical skylight system that is repeated throughout his portfolio—the multiple suns he dreamed of in his sketches. No light rays penetrate the cones at an angle of 52 degrees or less, ensuring that the light remains constant, diffused and indirect throughout the year.6 The result is sympathetic to both reader and book and complimented by the

white, plastered surfaces and undulating wood curves. Except on the bottom floor, light is readily and democratically available in all parts of the building.

“Just as in nature every cell is related to the whole, so in architecture the parts must be ‘conscious of the whole’ ... ” — Alvar Aalto 7

While Aalto underwent several stylistic changes over the course of his career, what remained a constant in his work was a desire to create architecture that would wholly and holistically engage the entire spectrum of the senses, called gesamtkunstwerk, a German word meaning ‘total art.’ Aalto designed not only the building itself, but its furnishings, fixtures, openings and décor to create a unifying typology that would speak to the “language of sensorium.”8 The Mount Angel Abbey library contains one of the largest collections of Aalto furniture in the world. In addition, he designed its door handles, lighting fixtures, fixed carrels and shelving.

The building’s yellow brick exterior is complimented by the generous use of locallysourced Oregon wood, which is expressed in a repeated motif of curves and slats throughout

121

the building, most notably in the auditorium, the ceiling above the administration center and the exterior of the windows. Even the white walls and ceilings, often bare surfaces in purist modernism, were designed in consideration of their light and tactile qualities. Here speckled for texture, there smoothed in strokes to reveal the play of light. This fastidious attention to detail is the basis of the library’s tectonic resolution from both the standpoint of distance and proximity, the experience of the building in relation to site and the “total art” of the spatial experience itself.

The Mount Angel Abbey library has been largely relegated to the margins in the study of Aalto’s work. The project was limited by a budget funded entirely by private donations, but this limitation reveals some of the best qualities of a career spanning the change from classicism to modernism to post-modernism. What is clear is Aalto’s empathy towards people in an age dominated by technological and mechanical aspirations, much maligned for its adherence

to rhetoric in lieu of users and place. After visiting the architect in Finland, Fr. Barnabas Reasoner published a report in 1966 describing the meeting, revealing the dialogue between architect and client that drove the process of the design. He expressed his amazement at “how he [Aalto] accomplishes so much with so little.”9 The elegance of the Mount Angel library lies in the simplicity of its architectural language executed in a “beautiful and intelligent way,” from the first letter written to Aalto by the Benedictine monks to its continued use today as the academic heart of the abbey.

Works Cited ”Mount Angel Abbey - St. Benedict, Oregon.” Mount Angel Abbey. Mount Angel Abbey. Web. 22 Oct 2013. <http://www. mountangelabbey.org/index.html>.

Aalto, Alvar, Stanford Anderson, Gail Fenske, and David Fixler. Aalto and America. New Haven [Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012.

Print.Dean, Jodi. Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies: Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Durham:

Duke University Press, 2009.

Aalto, Alvar, Stanford Anderson, Gail Fenske, and David Fixler. Aalto and America. New Haven [Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012.

Print.Dean, Jodi. Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies: Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Durham:

Duke University Press, 2009.

Quantrill, Malcolm. Finnish architecture and the modernist tradition. London: E & FN Spon, 1995. Print.

Emmons, Paul. The cultural role of architecture: contemporary and historical perspectives. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge,

2012. Print. ”Mount Angel Abbey - St. Benedict, Oregon.” Mount Angel Abbey. Mount Angel Abbey. Web. 22 Oct 2013. <http://www. mountangelabbey.org/index.html>.

Aalto, Alvar, Stanford Anderson, Gail Fenske, and David Fixler. Aalto and America. New Haven [Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012.

Print.Dean, Jodi. Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies: Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Durham:

Duke University Press, 2009. ”Mount Angel Abbey - St. Benedict, Oregon.” Mount Angel Abbey. Mount Angel Abbey. Web. 22 Oct 2013. <http://www. mountangelabbey.org/index.html>.

Aalto, Alvar, Stanford Anderson, Gail Fenske, and David Fixler. Aalto and America. New Haven [Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012.

Print.Dean, Jodi. Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies: Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Durham:

Duke University Press, 2009.

Aalto, A. “The Humanizing of Architecture”, The Technology Review, November 1940. Republished in: Schildt, G. (ed.) (1997) Alvar

Aalto in His Own Words. Otava, Helsinki, pp.102-107.Dean, Jodi. Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies:

Communicative Capitalism and Left Politics. Durham: Duke University Press, 2009.

Schildt, Göran, and Timothy Binham. Alvar Aalto: the mature years. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. Print.—. “Panopticism.” In The Foucault

Reader, 206-13. Edited by Paul Rabinow. New York: Pantheon, 1984.

Images Niebuhr, Matt. “Untitled” Unknown Niebuhr, Matt. “Untitled” Aalto, Alvar. “Mount Angel Abbey Library Floor Plan Level Two”

123

The Gordon House Silverton, OR. Frank Lloyd Wright Kristen Smith

In 1956 Conrad and Evelyn Gordon commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for their farm overlooking the Willamette River. (Tour, The Gordon House, May 2013) As a farmer and student of the arts respectively, this modest employment succeeded to express a precedential clarity for the American population to pursue. As Wright produced at his most prolific rate, the Gordon’s home became one in a series of Usonian Houses (Wilkinson 98) which aimed to capture and define the identity of a modern American individual, their family and their changing lifestyle. Through a level of autonomy newly imparted upon America’s emerging middle class, The Gordon House embodies this identity on three scales; that of the city, the architect, and the homeowner.

Frank Lloyd Wright deemed the light of American spirit to be “the freedom to decentralize, to redistribute and to correlate the properties of the life of man on earth to his birthright – the ground itself” at the public reveal of his utopian plan for Broadacre City. (Broadacre City 345) In an era where the amenities of technological innovation may reside in a natural setting (Fishman 332), the distinction between city and suburb were able to expand and blend so that a new method of urban planning could emerge. With vast amounts of space and greater levels of mobility, sprawling suburban settlements redefined what was previously a rural landscape. (Broadacre City 344) Population density decreased in urban centres, much to the pleasure of Frank Lloyd Wright who felt they “represented all that was unnatural and fraudulent” about America. (Twombly 538) Consequently, the notion of a family homestead gained strength amongst the middle class whereby one could possess urban conveniences all while residing on a private, cultivated plot of land. Furthermore, with increasing levels of financial security, the notion of suburbia was imbued on the American identity with the realization that this dream was attainable by the population’s vast majority. The commission of the Gordon House was a direct example of the influence this new generation of working class consumers possessed.

Their homes were the reflection of an organic distribution of wealth diffusing itself amongst previously rural areas and opening the door towards mass customization in residential design (Broadacre City 344).

125

Conscious of the new epoch of America’s middle class housing demand, Frank Lloyd Wright applied himself to create the modestly priced precedent of the Usonian House. Through these single family homes, Wright’s designs and the “architecture of American democracy” became synonymous works. (Broadacre City 344). As a continuation of the architectural principles established in Wright’s more elaborate residential commissions, the Usonian series reinforced Wright’s architectural identity through exposing his design approach to a more diverse and populous group of people. (Wilkinson 102) Conrad and Evelyn Gordon were part of this larger audience, with their home consequently being one in a prolific succession of quintessentially American structures with several features in common. Consistent with Wright’s principles of previous eras, he continued to seek out “practicality, open plan living rooms, and an organic unity between house and site.” (Lind 9) He further sought “to destroy box-like rooms, to wed a building to its site, to simplify the parts of a house, to use materials and technologies in innovative, honest ways.” (Lind 10) Typically

the homes were designed with an L-shaped plan transcribed over a simple grid, with each arm being flexible in length to accommodate lot size variations. In some circumstances the L-shape plan additionally allowed for the home’s construction on irregularly shaped lots which were significantly less expensive. (Wilkinson 105) Most importantly they all had flat, generously overhanging roofs which provided shade and picked up the dominant horizontal lines of the building’s composition. These overhangs also frequently extended to create carports while large windows brought in generous amounts of natural light and heating was provided through a concrete slab on grade. As a “good-quality house for ordinary Americans,” (Wilkinson 105) the Gordon House embodies all the qualities of the conceptual Usonian identity.

While in discussion the Gordon House is often referenced in relation to its broader identity as a Usonian House, it still possesses its own unique design elements and a remarkable history that sets it apart from its greater building typology.

Originally constructed in Wilsonville, Oregon, for the Gordon family, the home was constructed

in 1964 under the guidance of the Taliesin Associated Architects, two years after Frank Lloyd Wright passed away. Upon the sale of the home’s property, The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy was compelled to save the structure from its pending demolition under the condition that it be moved to a new site. Deconstructed in 2001, its original components were restored and reconstructed during the springtime of 2002.

(Tour, The Gordon House, May 2013) Now open to the public, the experience of this home is one of restrained elegance. Economical masonry blocks and warm, locally sourced Western Red Cedar juxtapose dramatic architectural proportions. Furthermore, flexibility offered by a large original lot size allowed the construction of a predominantly linear plan with a seven by seven foot square grid, as opposed to the typical Usonian L-shape with a three to four foot grid (Wilkinson 104) , further extending the horizontal lines characteristic of Wright’s work. Following the axis of the carport and lengthened front steps, space in the front entrance is compressed to contrast the volume of the main living spaces.

As the ceiling height rises, walls become flanked

with floor to ceiling glass doors, a small indication of the home’s original orientation overlooking the Willamette River. Finally, it remains to be mentioned that what is most compelling about this home are the details that both distinguish and unify the design with Wright’s full body of residential work. An abstract filigree design is represented on the home’s exterior with its joints matching the cement block masonry lines precisely, while furthermore, window casings remain flexible and can be rotated to eliminate sharp corners in rooms.

In closing, while The Gordon House was the lifelong home of two individuals, the principles it illustrates through its form and siting communicates in a much broader sense the values of its architect and societal context. Furthermore, the frame of reference created by the home’s Usonian distinction allows its own unique history and features to be highlighted against those of a larger typology. Through equal measures of personal and professional independence, this home was able to be designed, financed and constructed in a manner which communicates the modern American identity.

Works Cited Broadacre city: a new community plan. (1935). Architectural record, Retrieved from http://www.metu.edu.

tr/~gedikli/Wright[1].pdf Fishman, R. (1977). Urban utopias in the twentieth century, ebeneezer howard, frank lloyd wright, and le

corbusier. (p. 332). New York, NY: Basic Books Group. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/ action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5331572 Lind, C. (1994). Frank lloyd wright’s usonian houses. (pp. 9-15). Rohnert Park, CA: Pomegranate Artbooks.

Twombly, R. (1972). Undoing the city: Frank lloyd wright’s planned communities.

American quarterly, 24(4), 538-549. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/ discover/10.2307/2711688?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=2

Wilkinson, P. (2010). Frank lloyd wright: 50 key buildings by america’s greatest architect. (2nd ed., pp. 98-

108). London, England: Quercus Publishing Plc.

127

bSIDE6 Portland, OR. Works Patnership Architecture Caeleigh Kinch

bSIDE6, named for its location on Burnside Street and Sixth Avenue, is a seven storey commercial work studio building in Portland Oregon. It was designed by Works Partnership Architecture in 2007 and completed in 2009. (“ArchDaily”) There are three contexts that relate to the building design, physical context, cultural context and planning context. The physical context influences the program of the building while the cultural and planning contexts influence the design of the building. The combination of these contexts creates the final design of bSIDE6. Therefore, the context directly influences the building design.

bSIDE6 is designed in the Southeast Portland district, specifically in the Central employment zone. This area of Portland is a combination of commercial and industrial with two residential neighborhoods. The plan behind this zone was to allow commercial and industrial uses that need a central location, to have one. (“Portland Zoning Code”) Due to the area being primarily industrial, the rents stayed relatively low. Consequently, the low rents attracted first time business owners to the area which resulted in the area becoming known for its businesses. (“Neighborhood Notes”) The demand for creative workspaces increased with the increased interest of small business owners for the area (“Project Overview: SE Quadrant Plan”). As a result, the works partnership architecture designed bSIDE6 to meet the need of the people in the area. The architects even used their design to their own advantage and bSIDE6 hosts their firm. Another aspect to the physical context, which influenced the design of bSIDE6, is the circulation around and inside the building. Burnside Street is known for its history of traffic congestion. In the past, the city had to widen Burnside Street to accommodate the amount of cars. (“Burnside Street History”) The architects decided to respond to this history by promoting alternative transit. The site promotes alternative transit because it is located on four frequent bus lines and is a short walk from the light rail. The architects added to this alternative transit by providing accommodations for bicycles in each unit and the lobby. (Walter) Overall, the physical context surrounding bSIDE6 developed the design through the program.

bSIDE6 is located in the historical arcade district that was created in the 1920’s when Burnside 129

Street was widened (“ArchDaily”). The concept of an arcade originated in the 18th century when cities were expanding and the streets were becoming too narrow for the increased number of cars. The arcade concept required buildings to setback their lowest floors to create a covered walkway. This action allowed for the sidewalk to be incorporated into the building creating more space for the street. In the past, arcades tended to be dark and not pedestrian friendly but with the invention of glass and steel, new styles began to arise. (Ford) bSIDE6 reinvents the historical arcades by creating interior balconies that extend over the sidewalk. These balconies provide the historical connection to the arcades but also create a new atmosphere that is light and more pedestrian friendly. The balconies are also designed with windows perpendicular to the circulation path which creates a new perspective of Burnside Street for the tenants who now have the option to look up and down the street (Walter).

This idea also influences the pedestrians because it creates a safer environment by having eyes along the sidewalk. Consequently, the historical

context surrounding bSIDE6 influenced the main design of the building.

Portland has always been known for its city planning. In 1972, a bill was passed that regulated all the planning in the city. The priority of the city planning department was always about improving the resident’s way of life. There were two plans that developed out of this bill, the 1972 Downtown Plan and the Central City plan in 1980. (Hovey) Both plans had the objective of decreasing urban sprawl and enhancing each district so that the residents would remain in the downtown area (Peirce & Guskind). These plans later developed into a very detailed zoning code which created a lot of the design aspects evident in bSIDE6. There were three zoning regulations that influenced bSIDE6, the ground floor window standards, pedestrian standards and the streetfacing façade standards. All of these regulations focus on promoting pedestrian safety and creating a more visually appealing environment for the pedestrian. (“Portland Zoning Code”) bSIDE6 meets these requirements with a ground floor of floor to ceiling windows. These windows

allow for maximum light and view into the spaces and also out of the spaces for more safety along the sidewalk. The windows also allow for a more pleasant environment through the views they provide. The street-facing faรงade of bSIDE6 also accounts for these requirements with its balconies that extend over the sidewalk. The balconies add to the safety along the sidewalk as well as providing a more pleasant environment for the pedestrian and the tenant. Overall, the planning context has a direct influence onto the design of bSIDE6.

In conclusion, the design for bSIDE6 was directly influenced by the contexts surrounding its conception. Through physical, cultural and planning contexts the design for bSIDE6 was developed and all of the contexts influenced bSIDE6 to be a great architectural piece. The way that bSIDE6 was designed caused it to be only possible for the piece to be created where it was and when it was. The idea of architecture directly relating to its context is something that should be strived towards in all design.

131

Figure 5

Works Cited “bSIDE6/Works Partnership Architecture.” ArchDaily. 10 Feb 2011: n. page. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www. archdaily.com/108876/bside6-works-partnership-architecture/>.

City of Portland. Planning & Sustainability. Portland Zoning Code. N.p., 2013. Web. <http://www.

portlandoregon.gov/bps/31612>.

City of Portland. Planning & Sustainability. Project Overview: SE Quadrant Plan. N.p., 2013. Web. <http://www. portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/445684>.

City of Portland. Portland Bureau of Transportation. Burnside Street History. N.p., 2013.

Web. <http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/295412>.

Ford, Larry. Cities and Buildings: Skyscrapers, Skid Rows and Suburbs. Maryland: The Johns Hopkins

University Press, 1994. Print.

Hovey, Bradshaw. “Making the Portland Way of Planning: The Structural Power of Language.” Journal of

Planning History. Buffalo: Sage, 2003. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://jph.sagepub.com.ezproxy.

lib.ryerson.ca/content/2/2/140.full.pdf html>.

“Neighborhood Guide.” neighborhood notes. N.p., 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.neighborhoodnotes.com/neighborhood_guide/>.

Peirce, Neal, and Robert Guskind. “Portland’s 1972 Downtown Plan: Rebirth of the Public City.”

Breakthroughs: Re-creating the American City. New Jersey: Bruner Foundation, Inc., 1993. Web. 28

Oct. 2013. <http://www.brunerfoundation.org/rba/pdfs/1989/03_chapter2-Portland.PDF>.

Walter, Michael. City of Portland. Metro. bside6. 2013. Web. <http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/ by.web/id=27181>.

Images bSIDE6. 2009. Photograph. Works Partnership Architecture, Web. 28 Oct 2013. <http://www. worksarchitecture.net/bsid1.html>.

Kinch, Caeleigh. bSIDE6 Sidewalk. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Print.

Miller, Stephen. bSIDE6/Works Partnership Architecture. 2011. Photograph. ArchDaily, Web.

28 Oct 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/108876/bside6-works-partnership-architecture/>.

133

Field Observations/Recordings Objectives • observe the essential composition of completed architectural artifacts and identify their component parts, assembly and composition • deconstruct the architectural artifacts visually and intellectually • note the design and construction process of the artifacts, to appreciate the intrinsic value of the artifacts and their cultural context in which they were realized • learn and execute traditional recording techniques and media • continue to develop observation and recording skills, and produce documents of a professional quality

135

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

d.johns

137

d.johns

139

141

d.johns

143

145

147

149

151

d.delean

153

155

d.johns

157

159

d.johns

161

163

c.kinch

165

167

s.deVries

169

171

173

175

d.johns

177

l.jeon

179

d.johns

181

k.ng

183

l.jeon

m.deman

185

r.law

r.kim

187

189

191

d.lee

193

r.carreiro

195

a.cooke

197

r.law

199

201

203

Seattle, Washington, USA

s.wu

205

207

209

211

213

d.johns

215

217

219

221

d.johns

223

225

227

229

231

m.navabi

233

235

s.vaz

r,law

237

239

241

d.johns

s.wu

243

245

d.johns

d.delean

247

249

h.kara-yacoubian

251

253

g.luk

255

Portland, Oregon, USA

d.johns 257

259

261

263

265

267

269

271

a.crisp

273

275

277

279

281

k.smith

d.koncan

283

r.carreiro 285

287