Alvin Arellano Community Cultural Center of Trenton Robert Nalls
Site Context and Information Site Information: Trenton, New Jersey Area: 2,120,000 SF / 49 Acres
These are some of the existing conditions including what Community Centers currently exists near the site. Other research including demographics are included as it the community center is going To be built based on their needs and the needs of the city.
The site contained Freight Yards that are now considered a historic part of the city. It located in between Lincoln Ave. and North Olden Ave. in East Trenton.
Site Conditions
Building Zoning • Existing zoning is IB Industrial. • Proposed Zoning is Mixed Use Residential for Public Facilities of Trenton since it is a Community Center that contains an Athletic Space, Art Studio, Café, and a Library. Historic District • New additions and new construction shall abide by using related architectural design by height, materials, roof shape, and size.
Site Edges The Assunpink Creek and the New Jersey Transit rail borders the North and South borders of the site. The main challenge is the noise that comes from The railway. Green Spaces There are small parks scattered through the vicinity of the site.
Most Influential Case Studies Silver Spring Civic Center The most influential elements of the Silver Spring Civic Center is the design of the outdoor space and its elements leading to the interior space. The outdoor spaces also had dual purposes making it a versatile space. While doing all that it manages to stay aesthetically pleasing.
Youth Community Center, Jilin China The creation of outdoor rooms by depressing them was heavily influential on my design. It offered an opportunity to provide soil for the sound barrier in reducing the noise coming from the railway. The soil excavated from the site won’t need to be Transported as there is a use for the excess soil.
Gormley Studio What is influential on this project is the use of the industrial form of a building It is located within warehouses and it takes cues from the surrounding building’s design. It is an abstract take to the industrial design. At the same time, the building is tall enough to house art sculptures.
Inspiration
S.A.G.E. Windows of Soul is a non-profit organization dedicated to planning and organizing inner city beautification projects. They organize different types of professionals and artists that create diverse murals and pieces. Some of their pallets include abandoned houses by putting up plywood and painting them with murals.
Process Drawings Initial Site Organization The mission of the site was to integrate the Art with the green space. The program was kept on to two buildings to keep the footprint as small as possible, also keeping the logistics of the Buildings as close to the entrance. Having the buildings closer together would give an Opportunity to make most of the site as green space.
Initial Site Design Progress The buildings are split into sections where the Community building is the one on the right and the library and cafĂŠ are on the left. The center is then an outdoor room where all the outdoor art will be placed. The pedestrian routes all lead to the center of the site. However it lacks the community aspect of serving the community further.
Site Design Process Exterior rooms are beginning to form. The center exterior space is still the space for where all paths lead to. Education forms the most left exterior room, the middle is the open space and the art studio, while the right is the athletic spaces of the Community Center and the soccer fields.
Process Model
The model still lacked details. It was a created as a base for future development. The model displays some of the exterior rooms and idea of excavating and creating exterior programs and reusing the soil to create a berm to block the noise of the trains passing through.
Intermediate Review
Intermediate Review: Site Plan and Design The site was redesigned going from a linear progression to an exterior space having exterior rooms. The site is divided into three sections. From left to right, the sections include the education area, the cultural area, and the community area.
Feedback The diagram over the site is informative Of how to get in the site. The dashed lines Help explain the concept on the design and How the exterior rooms are being created. The arrows however need to show hierarchy To define the main entrance and the Secondary entrances. The site should be more rendered to differentiate it from the rest of the site context. On the design, there has to be more community aspects rather than just having the center as a sculptural area. The paths in the cultural exterior area should be reduced and simplified to make it more useful as as a space.
Intermediate Review: Floor Plans and Site Section Floor Plans: The Buildings are in the process of being redesigned. Some of the buildings were left blank for future as the programs were separated in order to reduce the foot print of each building. The approach of separating the programs is to give flexibility to the site design and help the buildings anchor each exterior room of the site. Sections: They give context to how the berm is built up to deflect the noise coming from the railway. Feedback The floor plans need to be developed further and site context should be added. The sections should be cutting through the building and details should be further developed to give more information.
Intermediate Review: Site Views The site views show the current state of the project, how the buildings is situated on the site. The secondary objective of the site views is to express the exterior rooms and their use. What is displayed here so far is the Community Center and the Art Center as they were further developed than the cafĂŠ and the Library. Feedback The site views should show more people and details, further defining the use of the exterior space. The site views lack details of usage and should be used more as a vignette to express its purpose.
Structural Design The structural design expresses the industrial heritage of Trenton. The building acts as a glass case that displays the structure inside and out. The structure is exposed in the interior spaces. The columns line up the hall of the main library, while the trusses hold up the roof. They are held together by beams going across the span of the roof. The design mimics the factory the Jagged factory roof. Feedback The truss should be reduced in structure and size. The column grid should be regularized to equal spaces to reduce the amount and make it more efficient.
Mechanical Systems
The chilled beam was chosen to more efficiently cool the space and to save space. Using chilled beams reduces the duct size. Air handling units and a duct system is still required in order to use an active chilled beam system. Since chilled beams don’t have fans, they still rely on a conventional hvac system to circulate the air. The drawback is the heating element as chilled beams are not as efficient at heating spaces.
http://www.pointenergyinnovations.com
Sustainability According to Trane Systems, as shown in this graph, the Chilled beam requires less energy and airflow to do the same job. As for sustainability, we explored the basics of how Mechanical systems work and how it can save energy. I consulted with one of the Mechanical Engineers from Vanderweil Engineers about what system I wanted to use. They said that this can be used for this space. The main drawback was heating the space and the cost. As with other sustainability solutions, cost is always the main drawback.
https://www.trane.com
Feedback on Structure and Mechanical Systems The structure overall needed to be refined with the trusses being reduced. The column grid needed to be regularized in distance between each other. The structural column should be moved closer to the exterior walls and be seen throughout the main library. The mechanical systems drawbacks were the main criticisms for the system chosen. Its not good for heating which reduces the efficiency of energy use. Although it was meant to be a space saving solution with the reduction of duct size, the space may just be too tall for the chilled beams as the amount of air that goes through them is minimal even with the help of an active HVAC system.
Community & Cultural Center of Trenton Site The main site is highlighted with graphic color. The Roof plan is displayed along with shadow to
The main entrance and the exterior athletic area is shown in the images.
The site section shows the art center and the community center situated On the site.
The Library
The axonometric shows the adjustments made on the structure. The trusses have been reduced while the column distances have been normalized.
The library is shown with site context and the adjacent playground right next to it. The flor plan is divided into sections based on its furniture layout.
The perspectives show day time and night time on how the library showcases its structure.
The site section emphasizes the shape of the roof and the structure of the library.
The Café The purpose of the café is to support the center courtyard as well as the library. It serves as a destination for visitors who want to take a break from viewing sculptures, playing at the athletic center, or studying at the library.
The Cafe
This is the exterior seating area adjacent to the main courtyard. The design of the café reflects the industrial roof inspiration of the library.
This perspective is the main entry of the café. It has a murial next to the main entry that represents the modern culture and the active city beautification going on in the city of Trenton.
This image is an interior perspective looking outside to the courtyard that is anchored by the art studio and the community center.
The Art Studio
Floorplans The Art Studio’s design is to represent the building as a canvas. The exterior walls have no windows as a center courtyard is used as a light well. There is also a double level space for taller sculptures.
Images They show the exterior wall and the interior courtyard that acts as the light well as well as the main artery for entering and exiting the building.
Section The Art Studio section shows the ramp that goes down to Assunpink Creek to make it an inspirational experience. The section going through the building shows the double level studio for taller sculptures.
The Community Center First Floor This shows the exterior athletic space in relation to the interior space that has spaces for the community as well as multipurpose space for athletic activities or community related events.
The perspectives show the exterior faรงade of the Community Center.
Second Floor The north wing shows the classroom and the south wing has exercise spaces on the upper floor.
The section highlights the depressed space for the exterior to create an outside room where activities can be held.
Final Model
The model is the reflection of the site plan. It displays the main site, the buildings on the project, and the adjacent north and south of the site as these neighborhoods will be the main users of the facility. Feedback The model showed building massing and the main details of the site. However, the model itself received the same criticism as the site plan as it is too small that it is hard to visualize the relationship between the buildings and the site.
Feedback
Site Plan The site plan was clear and informative with the exterior spaces and rooms. It is clear how the programs are laid out. There needs to be hierarchy on how to get to the site. The story about the city culture, and the city beautification should be showed as it is one of the main inspirations that led to the current state of the design.
Library The library showed improvement with the structure as well as the grid layout. The renderings need to show more of the activities done in the library to help tell the story of the project.
Feedback
Café/Art Center The Café and Art Center have come a long on their designs as auxiliary buildings. However, similar to the library, the murials alone don’t tell enough of the story. There needs to be a rendering showing a space where people are creating arts on the wall of the buildings and beautifying it.
Community Center The redesign of the Community Center was a welcome improvement. Dividing the building into two wings help spread the foot print, enabling the creation of the exterior athletic space. Some of the perspectives showing the approach to the building should not have been included as they took away from the project.