Kaila Landau by Drexel Architecture Program

STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY, ART, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

KAILA LANDAU

ADVISOR RACHEL SCHADE

SENIOR PROJECT 2021

THESIS STATEMENT can impact a neighborhood by providing a public program which engages community members to learn a new skill and express themselves creatively. Art and design can also be an approachable way to change the way we feel in our environment. It can define a place, portray a moment in time, and add a layer of beauty to our surroundings. Community arts can give residents resources to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

NORTH DISTRICT

CENTER CITY

CONSIDERATIONS: Understanding human perception of design elements in an urban environment Introduce art to the community in an accessible and approachable way Design a creative public connection between a commercial and residential zone

NORTH DISTRICT

CITYWIDE Poverty 26% 46% Median income

$22,241

$37,192

College graduates 2%

25%

DOWNTOWN OF THE NORTH DISTRICT

20 MINUTE

15 MINUTE

CENTER CITY

The Philadelphia 2035 plan and their North District plan envisions a more equitable and diverse neighborhood. Hunting Park, a neighborhood in the North District, has a rich industrial past, which still shows through today. Philadelphia plans to improve the quality of living by providing more diverse housing and public amenities, focusing on the Downtown of the North District. Because of the industrial history, this area has large pockets of residential zones, which in the past was for the workers. Now, the pockets of housing separate people from public amenities. Also, over the years, Temple has expanded their medical campus to Hunting Park along Broad Street, which disrupts the fine grain of the neighborhood. Along with the input from community members (quoted from Philadelphia 2035 - above), there is an apparent need for architectural and landscaped program to serve the residents.

PSYCHOLOGY OF DESIGN ELEMENTS In the beginning of my research, I studied the psychology of colors, shapes, and patterns. These design principles influenced how I studied precedents, how I analyzed the site, and how I designed my project.

I was inspired by how game design artists visualize and design their games for user experience. Game designer, Chris Solarski described circles as friendly and organic. Squares are reliable and feel contained. Triangles feel stable, they can give a point of direction, and they can also feel aggressive, depending on the shape.

Researchers from Heriot-Watt University studied how our brains react to changing patterns. They found that the predictability of grid-like patterns make us feel comfortable. When additional information is added, our brain tries to understand the unpredictability of the pattern, making it feel more exciting and stimulating. Solarski, Chris. “The Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design.” Gamasutra, n.d. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/185676/the_aesthetics_of_game_art_and_.php. Stylios GK, Chen M. The Concept of Psychotextiles; Interactions between Changing Patterns and the Human Visual Brain, by a Novel Composite SMART Fabric. Materials (Basel). 2020 Feb 5;13(3):725. doi: 10.3390/ma13030725. PMID: 32033459; PMCID: PMC7040829.

RED Excitement Strength Love Anger

Psychiatrists from Very Well Mind researched how color can make us feel. Of course, everyone thinks differently, especially when considering different spiritual, cultural, and past experiences. Colors can create different moods, can connect you to nature, can create an identity for a place, and color can be a way to contrast our typical environment. TFor instance, in Philadelphia, color can be used to contrast the background of the brick and concrete, which appear as neutrals to us. WARM COLORS Energetic Excitement Warmth Advance

GREEN Nature Healing Freshness Quality ORANGE Confidence Success Bravery Sociability BLUE Trust Peace Loyalty Competence YELLOW Creativity Happiness Warmth Cheer PURPLE Royalty Luxury Spirituality Ambition

COOL COLORS Calm Comforting Nurturing Recede Cherry, Kendra. “Can Color Affect Your Mood and Behavior?” Verywell Mind, May 28, 2020. https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824. Cao, Lilly. “How Color Affects Architecture.” ArchDaily, December 19, 2019. https:// www.archdaily.com/930266/how-color-affects-architecture.

BLACK Formality Dramatic Sophistication Security WHITE Clean Simplicity Innocence Honest

CASE STUDIES URBAN LANDSCAPES When studying these urban landscape case studies, I used the design principles I learned and applied them to how colors, textures, and forms are used. At Superkilen Park, for instance, tones of red and pink are a way to identify the park, and to create different paths and spaces. They also use circles to form these organic shaped lines and landscape elements. I was also inspired by Isamu Noguchi, who is a sculptor and landscape architect. He uses these simple colors, and forms to re-imagine how children play. Instead of being instructed with conventional play equipment, children feel more invited to use the landscape however they imagine.

Superkilen Park | Denmark | BIG Architects

Piedmont Park | Atlanta, Georgia | Isamu Noguchi

Studying these urban landscapes alongside the Philadelphia art organizations made me wonder how the exterior could feel just as creative as the interior. When interviewing the directors and visiting each of these organizations, I learned about the importance of art in the Philadelphia community. The programs of course teach people new skills, as well as helping to beautify and add value to their neighborhood. Whether the program was efficiently planned, like Taller Puertorriqueno, or grown into a creative planned pattern, like Fleisher Art Memorial, each place felt unique and imaginative.

CASE STUDIES PHILADELPHIA ART ORGANIZATIONS - LILLIAN DUNN THE VILLAGE SPACES PROGRAM DIRECTOR

THE VILLAGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES NORTH PHILADELPHIA

TALLER PUERTORRIQUENO NORTH PHILADELPHIA

FLEISHER ART MEMORIAL SOUTH PHILADELPHIA “Homepage.” The Village Arts and Humanities, December 21, 2020. https://villagearts.org/. AME. “Fleisher Art Memorial Program Study,” March 12, 2010. SITIO Architecture + Urbanism. “TALLER PUERTORRIQUENO.” SITIO Architecture + Urbanism, n.d. http://www.sitioau.com/taller-puertorriqueno.

DESIGN PROCESS SEPTEMBER 2020 - DECEMBER 2020 My site was originally closer to the intersection of Broad Street, Erie Avenue, and Germantown Avenue. The intention of choosing this site was to connect the Downtown of the North District to the residential area, and to expand the public amenities past the main commercial district. I focused on designing a community center for the younger and older residents of Hunting Park. I wanted there to be a playful landscaped element between to bridge together the two generations.

Youth Seniors Outdoor space

Parti Diagram

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NU VE NA OW NT

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FLUID BOUNDARY BETWEEN INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR

NEW SITE

SCHOOLS

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ORIGINAL SITE

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Massing Diagram 01

WORKSHOPS CLASSROOMS MULTI-PURPOSE PLAY FLEXIBLE SPACE COMMUNITY GARDEN

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER

RESIDENTIAL

Massing Diagram 02

RETAIL (CAFE)

DESIGN PROCESS JANUARY 2021 - MAY 2021 After winter term, I decided to switch my site to an existing parking lot further down Germantown Avenue and more embedded within a residential area. The intention of choosing this site was to reclaim community land, and to again, create a connection between the Downtown of the North District and the residential area. Through the design process, I learned more about the impact of community arts in Philadelphia. I also studied how architectural program could blend with the landscape to strengthen the connection of art, community, and the built environment.

DESIGN REVIEW JANUARY 2021

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Figure 01 Playscape for imaginative and creative play

Figure 02 Main path with benches and bikes

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A Community garden B Event space C Extended living room D Outdoor gym equipment E Bike share

Section A Through community living room Community living room Storage Restrooms Meeting rooms/classrooms Greenhouse Community kitchen

Section B Through public meeting room

Conference room/ Public meeting room

Open work space

Private office

Storage

Admin/Lobby

Conference room Restrooms

After relocating my site further down Germantown Avenue, I adjusted my program to focus on serving the community. I wanted the site to feel open and minimally disturbed in order to respect the residential neighborhood. After receiving feedback from the design review, I re-focused on the benefits of community arts and how both architectural and landscaped program can work together to serve the local community.

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Axonometric View

TECHNICAL REVIEW MARCH 2021

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There is a direct visual and physical connection between Germantown Ave and Old York Road. Although there is a direct connection, my goal was to thread the three sites together to create a network of architectural and landscaped interventions.

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In order to thread the sites together, two identical masses anchor the site. The cubed masses are unaligned to allow for the built architecture to spill out onto the adjacent shared open spaces. This also allowed for a clear visual connection through the sites.

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The original intent of the massing in the middle was to force the circulation through the building. After some reflection, this massing did not quite react to the edges of the site, and hindered the circulation rather than guiding it.

10’-0”

30’-0”

15’-0”

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30’-0”

15’-0”

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Structural plan 35’-0” 3RD FLOOR 35' - 0"

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2ND FLOOR 15' - 0"

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15’-0” 0’-0”

1ST FLOOR 0' - 0"

METAL PANEL

BRICK

GLAZING

Section. Suspended floor with cables

AV E

Moving forward from the January design review, I focused on strengthening the connection between Germantown Avenue (the commercial corridor) and the residential neighborhood in which my site is situated. Structurally, I designed the building to fit within a 30’x30’ grid with hollow metal steel tubes. The structure is to feel light and simple, contrasting the dense and busy city around, as well as reflecting the industrial past. The materials chosen echo the surrounding context. The brick is placed at the cubes to anchor the site, while the metal panel clads the middle portion to contrast the heaviness of the brick. After receiving feedback from the technical review, I reconsidered the structure in the middle and focused on the edges of the site.

CONNECTION WELDED TOGETHER

16”X16” HSS BEAM

36”X16” HSS GIRDER 16”X16” HSS COLUMN

FINAL REVIEW MAY 2021

Temple University Hospital Main Campus

Downtown of the North District

GERMANTOWN AVE BROAD STREET

T HS

C MA

ERIE AVE

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The blue paths thread the sites together and break the direct connective path. Psychologically, blue is a calming color which contrasts the busy city environment, as well as visually contrasting the red brick found around the site. The site plan consists of an art store to continue the commercial corridor along Germantown Ave; affordable housing to re-stimulate this once empty part of the site; an open landscaped area to leave space for flexible programming

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such as concerts, festivals, and pop-up markets where artists can sell their work; an open maker’s space and workshop for community classes such as building furniture or crafting; an open gallery, lecture hall, and library for community members and artists to feel inspired by their neighbors’ work.

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In both the first and second floor plans of the visual art school and the gallery, the building is systematic and organizes the studio classes at the edges of the site, following the Philadelphia grid. The cubes disrupt the efficiency of the plan, echoing the beautiful chaos caused by Germantown Ave. This introduces flexible programming where classes, artists, and community members can spill out into these spaces, and re-imagine a predictable studio space.

IC ST

SITE PLAN 01 ART STORE 02 AFFORDABLE HOUSING 03 OUTDOOR MARKET 04 VISUAL ART SCHOOL 05 GALLERY 06 WORKSHOP SPACE 07 MAKER’S SPACE

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

01 ARTIST STUDIO 02 PIN UP SPACE 03 CERAMICS 04 PHOTOGRAPHY/FILM 05 FLEX SPACE 06 GALLERY 07 LIBRARY 08 CURATOR’S OFFICE

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OLD YO

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN 01 PAINT STUDIO 02 MEDIA ROOM 03 OFFICES 04 OUTDOOR CLASSROOM 05 FLEX SPACE 06 LECTURE HALL 07 CLASSROOM 02

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CONTEXTUAL MATERIALS AND PATTERNS The site is surrounded by a fine grain neighborhood, so it was important to be sensitive of nearby colors, textures, and forms. At the edge buildings following the grid, a combination of brick and concrete clad the façade to anchor the site, as well as reflect and extend the rowhomes around. Looking at the existing rowhomes on Camac Street, I patterned the elevations and designed a module to create a predictable edge condition. Contrasting the predictability of both the patterns and materials of the edge buildings, I chose a semi-transparent material for those passing by to feel connected to the artists and to feel invited into the building. The semi-transparent material also creates an ephemeral and light weight feeling against the heaviness of the brick and concrete.

CONTEXT IMAGES

Rowhomes on N Camac St - Adjacent to site

SECTION A Residents paint their homes different colors - Identity

SECTION B

Patterning of existing rowhomes/context

MATERIAL PALETTE

BRICK A material typically found in Philadelphia and in the adjacent rowhomes.

ELEVATION 01

ELEVATION 02 CONCRETE A nod to the industrial past as well as a contextual material.

ELEVATION 03

MOIRE PATTERN Using two layers of steel mesh, this light material constantly changes due to the sun and wind. Phenomenon Architecture, Fumihiko Sano

ELEVATION 04

View from N Camac St looking toward Old York Road

REFLECTION At the time of this senior project, my class was in quarantine due to COVID-19. Among the pandemic and mandatory stay-at-home order, the nation was battling against each other due to decades of social injustices. Although I envisioned this process to be amongst my peers in a studio setting, we spent the entirety of the year alone in our homes while fighting for human rights, specifically in the Black community. This year was unlike what I imagined, but because of the surrounding issues, I found myself trying to be more compassionate and thoughtful in my project. Before these events, I knew I wanted to learn more about both design and art, and how it could make a difference in a person’s life. I think as architects, we earn a skill which could be used to help people at a disadvantage. I wanted to research the psychology of design elements such as colors, textures, and forms to bring awareness to the importance and impact design and art can have. Truthfully, throughout this process, I struggled trying to design for a community that I do not know. As I was trying to educate myself on the surrounding social injustices, I was hyper-aware of the design choices I was making and wanted to bring a respected and valuable project to the North Philadelphia community. I learned a lot about

myself, personally and as a designer, as well as the world around me. Although I struggled trying to design for a community that I do not know, I learned how to be more open and responsive to people of the community. As a reflection from the final review feedback, as well as a personal goal, I would like to move this project forward with the hope to further understand how colors, textures, and forms can be used as an adaptable design tool to reflect its community. Understanding the importance of responsive colors, textures, and forms to the context can lead to more unique designs, especially for low-budget projects in marginalized communities.