Benjamin GIAMPIETRO

BENJAMIN GIAMPIETRO NEW COLLEGE HOUSE JOANNE AITKEN | 2015-2016

EXISTING PROGRAM VS. PROPOSED PROGRAM EXISTING STOUFFER HOUSE

COMBINED W/ MAYER HALL

300 UNDERGRADUATE BEDS 10 GRADUATE ASSISTANTS 2 FACULTY MASTERS 2 COLLEGE HOUSE FELLOWS 1 HOUSE DEAN 2 FLOORS OF RESIDENCES STUDY ROOMS COMPUTER LAB DARKROOM 6 LOUNGE SPACES SHARED KITCHENETTES (FORMER DINING HALL THAT CLOSED IN 2001 - USE CLASS OF 1920 COMMONS)

LIBRARY

FACULTY BEDROOMS

FITNESS BEDROOMS

PROPOSED NEW COLLEGE HOUSE 300 UNDERGRADUATE BEDS -SUITE STYLE UNITS W/ BATHROOMS 10 GRADUATE ASSISTANTS 2 FACULTY MASTERS 2 COLLEGE HOUSE FELLOWS 1 HOUSE DEAN SHARED STUDY ROOMS FLEXIBLE COMPUTER LAB SPACE FITNESS CENTER (SIZE VARYING) ENTERTAINMENT ROOM SINGLE-POINT ENTRY SYSTEM EXTERIOR SPACE -PUBLIC -PRIVATE

EXTERIOR SPACES STUDY SPACES

DINING HALL RETAIL *FOR DIAGRAMMATIC PURPOSES ONLY

MARTELL COLLEGE RICE UNIVERSITY

TIETGEN DORMITORY NORTH RESIDENCE HALL UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

ENTRY LIKE MOST RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES, MARTEL UTILIZES A SINGULAR ENTRY POINT INTO THE INTERIOR SPACE OF ITS SITE. THIS AXIAL PASSAGE LINKS TO ONE OF THE MAIN CIRCULATION PATHS THROUGH CAMPUS, AND DRAWS RESIDENTS UP AN ALLEE OF TREES BEFORE A BREAK IN THE CANOPY REVEALS THIS MONOLITHIC THRESHOLD.

INWARD FACING. TIETGEN DORMITORY IS A CIRCULAR SHAPE WITH ALL OF THE COMMON SPACES CENTERED AROUND THE INTERIOR. THIS ALLOWS PRIVACY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL ROOMS, BUT EXPRESSES THE LIVELINESS OF THE BUILDING ALONG THAT SOCIAL CENTER.

ELEVATED COMMONS.

ELEVATED COMMON SPACES PULLS THE ACTIVATION FROM THE MAIN GRADE LEVEL. THIS ALLOWS FOR MORE PRIVACY FOR THE RESIDENTS WITHIN THE RESIDENCE HALL, AND ALSO INCREASES RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES TO CATER TO OUTLYING COMMUNITIES (STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS)

SOCIAL HUBS.

THE FLOORS ARE LINKED VIA THREE-STORY SOCIAL HUBS. THIS CREATES A CENTRAL ZONE FOR RESIDENTS TO GATHER, SPARKING INTERACTION BETWEEN FLOOR LEVELS, NOT JUST ON A SINGLE FLOOR.

DESIGN DRIVERS & GOALS BEACON. LIKE MOST RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES, MARTEL UTILIZES A SINGULAR ENTRY POINT INTO THE INTERIOR SPACE OF ITS SITE. THIS AXIAL PASSAGE LINKS TO ONE OF THE MAIN CIRCULATION PATHS THROUGH CAMPUS, AND DRAWS RESIDENTS UP AN ALLEE OF TREES BEFORE A BREAK IN THE CANOPY REVEALS THIS MONOLITHIC THRESHOLD.

LANDSCAPE INTEGRATION. THE UIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS KNOWN FOR ITS LANDSCAPED CAMPUS WITHIN THE BUSTLING URBAN CONTEXT OF WEST PHILADELPHIA. ORIGINALLY STARTED WITH COLLEGE GREEN, THE CAMPUS HAS EXPANDED THROUGH THE INTERIOR PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS AND PUBLIC COURTYARDS, KNOWN AS QUADS. TO KEEP WITH THE EXISTING FABRIC THE UNIVERSITY HAS ESTABLISHED, THE SITE SITS ADJACENT TO A MAJOR PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY, WOODLAND WALK. ALTHOUGH REMOVED FROM THE MAJORITY OF THE LANDSCAPED CAMPUS, VIA SPRUCE STREET, THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS TO CONTINUE THE DESTINATION & POCKET COURTYARDS ALREADY SEEN IN PENN’S MASTER PLAN.

CURRENTLY ON THE SITE THERE IS A ROUGHLY 10 FOOT GRADE CHANGE ALONG SPRUCE STREET. THIS CHANGE IN GRADE ALLOWS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SCULPT THE LANDSCAPE WITHIN THE COURTYARD, THUS SHAPING THE USE AND HOW PEOPLE ENTER THE BUILDING. AT THE CORNER OF 38TH & SPRUCE STREETS, THE BUILDING CUTS THE CORNER, FAVORING SPRUCE STREET. PEDESTRIANS WILL NOW BE ABLE TO SEE MORE OF SPRUCE STREET, AS WELL AS 38TH STREET WHILE APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION, AND WILL ALLOW FOR A TURNING OF THAT CORNER TO THE DINING HALL AND “QUICKPICK” RETAIL DINING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE SITE. ENTERING THE BUILDING ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SITE, ALONG THE INTERIOR SIDE OF THE BUILDING. THIS PROCESSIONS SLOPES DOWNWARDS 4 FEET IN GRADE TO A “SUBTERRANEAN” LOBBY THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM SIDEWALK LEVEL. THIS PROCESSIONS PASSES BENEATH A RAISED PATHWAY THAT RUNS ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE BUILDING, SO AS TO NOT FORCE PEOPLE TO USE THE SITE AS A PASS-THROUGH.

ELEVATION DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT. SINCE THE SITE FRONTS ALMOST THE ENTIRE 3700 BLOCK OF SPRUCE STREET, THE BUILDING IS VERY HORIZONTAL. TO BREAK UP THE HORIZONTALITY OF THE STRUCTURE, VARYING VERTICAL LINES WITH THE WINDOWS FROM THE BASE UPWARDS ARE EXPLORED. BASE. THE CONCRETE BASE THAT MEETS THE LANDSCAPE IS TREATED AS A MORE SOLID, UNBROKEN SURFACE. THIS MAKES IT SEEM AS IF THE BUILDING IS RESTING ON AN EXISTING ELEMENT OF THE LANDSCAPE (ROCK).

STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURE. THE AREA WHERE THE BUILDING MEETS THE SITE IS GOING TO BE BOARD FORM CONCRETE. THE PATTERN WILL ACCENTUATE THE VERTICALITY OF THE BUILDING, BUT IN A SUBTLE AND SOFT WAY. THE IDEA IS TO ENGAGE AND INTERACT WITH THE SITE MORE NATURALLY, AS IF IT EMERGED FROM THE SITE ITSELF.

STANDARD CANTILEVERED TRUSS. THE DIAGONAL CROSS BRACING OF A TYPICAL CANTILEVERED SYSTEM WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE VERTICALITY AND CONTINUOUS LINES OF THE FACADE & WINDOWS

VIERENDEEL TRUSS. TYPICALLY USED IN BRIDGE DESIGN, THE VIERENDEEL TRUSS DOES NOT NEED DIAGONAL BRACING; INSTEAD IT IS A SIMPLE BOX STRUCTURE THAT IS WELDED AND CONNECTED THROUGH MOMENT CONNECTIONS. IT HARMONIZES WITH THE CONCEPT OF CONTINUOUS VERTICAL LINES ON THE FACADE. THIS ALLOWS THE COLUMNS TO BLEND IN WITH THOSE VERTICALS.

GROUND floor

first floor

second floor

THIRD floor

FOURTH floor

FIFTH floor

TYPICAL UNIT PLAN

MATERIALS THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS KNOWN FOR THEIR GRAND, STATELY, RED-BRICK & LANDSCAPED CAMPUS. AS TECHNOLOGY IS ADVANCING, NEWER MATERIALS ARE BEGINNING TO BE INTRODUCED INTO THE ARCHITECTURAL FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSITY. TO CAPTURE BOTH THAT OLD-WORLD, STATELY STYLE, WHILE INTEGRATING A NEWER BUILDING MATERIAL, COPPER BECAME A SOLID CHOICE. METAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A COMMON MATERIAL, BUT USUALLY JUST FOR ROOF STRUCTURES. OVER TIME THE COPPER WILL WEATHER AND DISTRESS AND BEGIN TO TAKE ON THE OLD-WORLD LOOK AND BLEND INTO THE SURROUNDING CONTEXT. THE COPPER COMES FROM THE IDEA OF THE ORIGINAL COLLEGE BUILDING ON COLLEGE GREEN, AND THE ICONIC LIMESTONE BLOCK THAT HAS WEATHERED GREEN OVER TIME, AND THE MORE RECENT SKIRKANICH HALL’S GLAZED GREEN BRICK.

NEW COLLEGE HOUSE

BENJAMIN GIAMPIETRO | THESIIS 2015/2016 | AITKEN