SALVAGING the
SOUND
Re-Discovering Value in the Valueless through Music, Craft, and Architecture By Adam Naar
Advisor: Jon Coddington Drexel Architecture Thesis // 2016-2017
Thesis Statement This thesis is an exploration of re-discovering value in the valueless using music, craft, and architecture to create a regenerative civic space. The focus is a means of expressing architecture and its intentions through juxtaposition, including the individual and the collective, decay and growth, and temporary, yet enduring spaces.
“An ear, as a cavity, might attune to its own empty space, and thereby grow more familiar with the resonances in other absences.� -Rusty Morrison, Commonplace
At its core, architecture is able to deine the relationship between the material and the immaterial. Walls, loors, and ceilings act as material devices that are in the service of creating space; the immaterial. Spaces create relationships between humans to humans and humans to tangible items through various forms. These immaterial spaces capture the sounds of human life, from the closing of a door, to the opening words of a conversation, to a musical performance. The immaterial aspects of sound begin to shape a space, allowing a piece of architecture to act as an instrument in supporting human
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needs and aspirations. It is the juxtaposition between the material and immaterial that begins to dictate the fundamental function of architecture. Salvaging the Sound emphasizes this juxtaposition through a regenerative and culturally sensitive civic space for the residents of Cateura, Paraguay, by reusing elements from the surrounding landill to form a new music education, performance, and material-crafting area for the community.
Narrative The Cateura Landill in Asunción, Paraguay, is not only South America’s largest refuse deposit, but also its most crucial and dire form of creativity and inspiration. The residents of Cateura sift through the landill debris on a daily basis, selling certain items for a living while salvaging others that would later be used to craft instruments. The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura embodies the epitome of reuse; re-discovering value in an object that was once considered trash. The narrative (part fact and iction) was conceived as a sensorial exploration through the eyes of a resident in
Cateura to investigate the sounds, smells, and tactility of the surrounding landscape. The narrative ultimately informed an architectural language based on those experiential pieces listed below; a composition of elements that are evocative of the existing conditions of Cateura and its possible transformation.
COMPOSING AN ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE Resolution
Transformation... Valueless vs. Value
Raw
Harmony vs. Dissonance Temporary vs. Enduring Individual vs. Collective Additive vs. Subtractive
Organic Refuge
Rhythm Arbitrary
Refined
Repurpose Reorientation
Prospect Repetition
Reuse
Memory Identity
Renovation Endlessness
ADAM NAAR
Focus How can architecture and its intentions affect the perception of discarded elements through site and building design, simultaneously having global implications on how we recycle, while creating local solutions that respond to people, place, craft, and culture?
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Site Research + Analysis Asunción
4.0 mi
River Source: Matto Grosso
Paraguay Río Paraguay 1,629 mi
Bolivia
2.0 mi
Rí
o
P
ag ar
ua
y
400 sq.mi
Brazil
Río Paraná 3,030 mi
Paraguay
Clorinda
157,048 sq.mi
Asunción Argentina
Argentina
Cateura
South America
6,000 mi
6,000 mi
0 mi
Paraguay 200 mi
Asunción
200 mi
15,850’
15,850’
0 mi
0’
The village of Cateura lies on the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay’s capital and most populated city. The Rio Paraguay and surrounding parts of Asunción create a boundary around Cateura. This edge condition occurs at both local and regional scales, separating Cateura from the city’s cultural district while simultaneously creating opportunities to develop a new cultural identity within Cateura’s extents. Research and explorations of vernacular architecture, landill construction, and environmental systems informed the site analysis and architectural vocabulary. Rainwater Retention Basin
Landfill Process 1. Trucks dump waste onto compacted pile. 2. Waste decomposes over time, releasing methane. 3. Liquid flows into pipes under Landfill into the Leachate Collection. 4. Leachate is treated through nearby wastewater treatment plant; solids removed. 5. Landfill is capped with membrane to prevent stormwater runoff. Landfill Gas Venting Capping System
Cateura Site Usage Residential - 42% Vegetation
Water/Flora - 33% Landfill - 25%
6” min.
Planting Soil
1,500 tons of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis
tion Barrier Protec
Material
aye r Drainage L
Gas Vent Laye
Soil Barrier Lay
2’ min.
4’ min.
Overflow Drainage
6” min.
r
er
1’ min.
Solid Waste
Impermeable Plastic Liner
Leachate Collection System
Leachate Collection
Rainwater Retention Basin
Municipal Waste from City
Capping System
Leachate Collection
Multiple layers of soil/impermeable materials placed over solid waste to prevent byproducts from migrating from the site.
Leachate consists of percolated water from the solid waste, which is collected in an on-site Leachate Treatment Plant. The plant produces clean water and sludge, which is transported to another landfill.
Freshkills Park - Barrier Protection over Drainage Layer
Vacuum Gas Well
Passive Vent Pipe
Solid Waste
From Refuse Below
Leachate Collection System Primary Membrane Leak Detection System Secondary Membrane Impermeable Liner
4
To On-Site Purification Plant
Landfill Gas: 50% Methane / 50% CO2
Landfill Gas Venting
Compacted Clay Soil [2’ min.] Existing Ground Fill
Impermeable Cutoff Wall
Landfill gas is created from decomposing material. Gas is pumped to an on-site flare station to be burned off. In the future, small amounts of gas will be released passively through vent pipes. Freshkills Park - Vacuum Gas Well
Population (2016)
Cateura 1) Residential 2) Landfill Cateura
Site Areas Total Site - 100%
Paraguay - 6,783,272
Landfill - 25%
Asunción - 2,198,662 Cateura - 10,000
523 acres (0.82 sq. mi)
Scale Comparisons
Area (Square Miles) Paraguay - 157,048
Central Park, NY - 843 acres (6.5 Cateura Landfills)
Asunción - 400
4.0 mi
Cateura - 0.0075
130 acres (0.20 sq. mi)
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2.0 mi Cateura Landfill - 130 acres
2
Rittenhouse Square - 7 acres (18 Rittenhouse’s / 1 Landfill)
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Rí o
1) Town of Cateura
1,000’
Site Statistics 1,000’
0’
Pa ra gu
ay Average Monthly Humidity 100
8,000’
Cateura 8,000’
Humidity (%)
80 60 40 20 0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Summer
0’
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Winter
9am
Nov
Dec
Summer
3pm
Climate Region: Humid Subtropical -Hot, humid summers -Mild winters
2) Landfill Cateura
Legend Cateura - Housing
Site Analysis Deductions
Landfill - Capped Landfill - Active Vegetation - Dense Vegetation - Sparse Water - Landfill Site Composition Residential Coverage - 42% Landfill Coverage - 25% Vegetation Coverage - 21% Water Coverage - 12% 1,000’
Site Ecology 1,000’
0’
Average Monthly Rainfall
Boundary / Edge 300
Rainfall (mm)
REF UGE URB AN
250 200 100 50 0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Summer
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Winter
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Summer
Area Unaffected by 2014 Flood
RIO
PRO SP NATU ECT RAL
Landfill Boundary
R PA AG Y UA
Flooding Coverage Flood Zone - 72% Area Unaffected - 28%
Linkages
Orientation / Re-Orientation
Prospect / Refuge
1,000’
Rainwater Runoff 1,000’
0’
5
Flooding + Water Sanitation
ple
Clorinda
Asunción
Clorinda
Asunción
in
Paraguay
all
Argentina
Argentina
Due to Asunción’s close proximity to sea level and wetland conditions adjacent to the Rio Paraguay, extensive looding is an issue for residents living next to the river’s edge. The town of Cateura and the landill have been looded numerous times, most recently in January 2016. Flood waters breached the landill, pulling trash into the river, scattering it throughout Cateura, while carrying the rest down the Rio Paraguay and into the Atlantic Ocean. Constant looding not only forces residents to live in temporary shelters throughout the city, but also creates a myriad of health threats from trash and mosquitoes. Despite the high volume of water from loods, water sanitation efforts in Asunción are minimal. Communities on the outskirts of the city, such as Cateura, are desperately under served. The combination of poor stormwater and lood management, rapid population growth, and an increase impervious surfaces has led to recurrent looding over the past 3 decades.
January 24, 2014
January 12, 2016 Flooding Extents
12,000’ 12,000’
Asunción 12,000’
0’
These issues of looding, water sanitation, and a poorly managed landill were drivers that began to inform the design, phasing, and creation of a masterplan for Cateura.
Cateura Landill Evolution
October 13, 2003 6
May 9, 2005
July 1, 2009
Water Supply Deficiency in Asunción
Metropolitan Asunción Urban Footprint Growth
Water Supply Coverage [portion of population with access to clean water] Asunción City Center - 96% Asunción Outskirts - 64% 1840
1920
1940
-Deficient water supply and sanitation grew from population growth and expansion in Asunción. -Informal occupation of public spaces on the outskirts of the city with poor waste collection and disposal negatively impacted the environment and stormwater management. 1970
63% of Asunción’s population is covered by solid waste collection
-Absent stormwater management -Increased impervious areas -Rapid population growth
1990
2005
Source: Bernardo Bozzano, Third Paraguayan Population Congress, 2007
The remainder is burned or deposited in public spaces and creeks
Recurrent Flooding
Aguateros - Water Distributors of Asunción Small-scale water suppliers using well and pump houses in the outskirts of Asunción using abundant underground sources. Pump House + Well
Neighborhood
October 17, 2013 Cateura
January 12, 2016 [Flooding Peak-25 ft.]
March 3, 2016 7
Site + Building Program Quantitative Program Site Area: 5,600,000 SF [130 acres] Performance 25,800 SF Administration
Outdoor Theater
Kitchen Rehearsal Space Lounge Area
Service Restrooms Maintenance Mech/Elec Rooms Waste Disposal Circulation
Education
1,250 SF 600 SF 200 SF
1,200 SF 200 SF 600 SF 400 SF
10,000 SF 1,200 SF 5,000 SF
Residential
400 SF 200 SF 150 SF 50 SF 800 SF
600,000 SF
Trigeneration Plant
16,000 SF
Water Treatment
11,000 SF
Greenhouses/ Agricultural
7,000 SF
COMPOSING AN ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
2,200 SF 600 SF 300 SF 200 SF 100 SF 1,000 SF
Resolution
Transformation... Valueless vs. Value
Raw
Harmony vs. Dissonance
*Program based on Cateura Population of 10,000 residents.
OUTDOOR SPACE
16,200 SF
Plaza Lounge Seating Covered Markets
1,600 SF
Temporary vs. Enduring
Agriculture Growing/Harvesting
Individual vs. Collective
Organic Refuge
Rhythm Arbitrary
Refined
Repurpose Reorientation
Prospect Repetition
Reuse
Memory Identity
Renovation Endlessness
Additive vs. Subtractive
Growing Areas
Trigeneration Plant
Asunciรณn Connections
Agricultural Elements
Water Treatment Plant
CIVIC PROMENADE
CIVIC CENTER PERFORMANCE/MARKET
Crafting Space Ensemble Rooms
Flood Canal Composting Space
Material Processing Material Export to Site
Public Park
Bioremediation Wetlands/Flood Barrier
200,000 SF 490,700 SF 950,300 SF
Civic Space
3,500 SF 700 SF 2,000 SF 1,200 SF 800 SF
Restrooms Maintenance Mech/Elec Rooms Waste Disposal Circulation
1,600,000 SF
Pedestrian Paths Bio-remediation Basins Capped Landfill
8,200 SF
Service
2,300,200 SF
Public Park
700 SF 100 SF 150 SF
Music Studios (5) Recording Studios (1) Lounge Space Practice Rooms (5) Instrument Storage
2,050 SF
Outdoor Space
950 SF
Lobby Reception (2) Administration Offices
6,000 SF 8,000 SF 4,000 SF
Multipurpose Theater
Communal
1,600 SF 100 SF 150 SF 500 SF
18,000 SF
Stage Assembly Seats Auditorium
10,750 SF
Administration
2,350 SF
Lobby Reception Administration Offices (2) Conference/Meeting
Stage Assembly Seats Auditorium
Education
Admin./Storage
Rio Paraguay Connections
Music Elements
Rehearsal Rooms Recording Studio
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Precedent Analysis Location: Blaibach, Germany Architect: Peter Haimerl Year: 2014
Music Performance
PERFORMANCE VENUE PRECEDENT Concert Hall Blaibach // Peter Haimerl.Architektur Overview: The Concert Hall Blaibach represents the immaterial (music) bonding with the material (land) through its tilted form and materiality. The building is submersed within the ground, bringing users from the public realm into the private realm. The inclination of the concert hall is based on the increase of the slope for the stadium seating within, while creating a forced perspective pushing all visual accuity towards the stage. The concrete formwork in the concert hall not only absorbs mid-range and bass tones, but also acts as a chamber, further implying the belief that the space was carved right out of the bedrock. The angular formwork adds to this feeling by creating faceted edges for light slits and the bass absorbers behind. Light wood ceilings in the circulation spaces contrast with the heavy structure of the concert hall.
Area: 6,028 SF Diagrams:
edges for light slits and the bass absorbers behind. Light wood ceilings in
Circulation
Carved vs. Additive
PARAGUAYAN VERNACULAR Boceto // Estudio Elgue + Asociados Location: Asunción, Paraguay Architect: Estudio Elgue + Asociados Year:
Paraguay Vernacular
Volume + Form
Overview: The Boceto is a hybrid office/home that reused materials from the demolition of an existing building on site to reassign new purpose to each component. Some exterior brick walls were kept in tact, while others were demolished. Existing partitions have no new finishes; bricks were reused to add porosity into the existing and new partitions for natural air circulation and ventilation facing prevailing winds. The projections occur on vertical and horizontal surfaces, projecting light into the interior of the house. -Reflecting panels further project light into the space. Low and high clerestory windows allow for passive ventilation to flow through each space. -Reclaimed wood from pallets are used in doorways; light fixtures from the demolished building were reused. -Tempered glass stayed in the same shape that it was found in, embedded in floors and walls.
2013 bricks were reused to add porosity into the existing and new new finishes; Area: d ventilation facing prevailing winds. The projections occur on vertical and 1,500 SF Drawings:
Drawings:
LANDFILL PRECEDENT Vall d’en Joan Landfill Restoration // Battle i Roig Arquitectes
Architect: Battle Roig
Overview: The Vall d’en Joan Landfill was restored after opening in 1974. The existing steep site governed the design decisions, such as drainage, access, and internal fluids. The access to the site molds seamlessly with the stormwater management system. Passive rainwater collection allows for natural drainage throughout. Circulation was accommodated by a series of ramps leading up to the active landfill, which will eventually be phased out.
Year: 2010 Area: 70 ha Diagrams:
Drawings:
Diagrams: Walking
Landill Reuse
Location: Garraf, Spain
Drainage
Drainage Circulation Section
Retention
Sectional Study
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Cateura Masterplan + Material Creation Bioremediation Wetlands
Flood Barrier and Promenade
Public Park
Landfill Retention Basin
Stormwater Runoff Collection System
Water Treatment + Gas Flare Station
Civic/Market Space + Flood Canal
Performance/Education Center
Trigeneration Plant
New Residential
Farming + Greenhouses
Cateura From Asunción
Rio Paraguay
Cateura
400’
Cateura Masterplan 400’
0’
20’ Flood Extents
nci Asu
Cateura Extent
ón
Connect
Grow
Connect
Reuse
Harvest Compost
Annual Flooding
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Flood Barrier from Refuse
New Civic Promenade
Existing Grid Connectivity
Capped Portion Evolves
Power
Rammed Earth
Biogas from Landfill Other Sources: -Municipal Waste -Natural Gas -Biomass
1,500 tons
Unprocessed Waste / Scraps
Material Production [Brick Kiln]
Heating
Trigeneration Plant
-Wood -Metal -Glass -Gravel -Plastic
Cooling
Clay + Sediment from Río Paraguay
Kiln-Fired Brick
of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis
Waste Contribution
Adobe Bricks
-Residential -Institutional -Commercial -Industrial
Future Waste [Post-Capping]
Cateura
Greenhouses
Community Center Building Construction Materials
Cateura Landfill C.I.P. Concrete with Glass Aggregate Excess Biosolids from Water Treatment
Retention [Returned to water cycle]
[Used for compressive strength in materials]
Consumption
Public Park
Irrigation
Agriculture
Wood Screens and Diffusers
Leachate from Landfill Use
Water Treatment Plant Biosolids [By-product of treatment]
Several issues including looding, water sanitation, and the relationship to Asunción informed the masterplan design to renovate the standard post-landill typology. The idea of re-routing trash routes to go outside of the landill’s boundaries to form a lood barrier and promenade around Cateura take cues from the Recycled Orchestra’s idea of how we perceive trash; as an opportunity, rather than a lost element. An extensive analysis of landill deposit materials and site systems, such as Trigeneration and Water Sanitation, informed the material creation and composition of the Cateura Civic Center. Leachate Plant Process 1. Leachate is piped from the landfill to the on-site treatment plant. 2. Preliminary treatment includes a series of physical, chemical, and biological processes to breakdown the liquid. 3. Primary and Secondary treatment separates solids from the purified clean liquid, which goes through an aeration process and futher sedimentation. 4. The sludge created from the sedimentation is used for agricultural use as biosolids or composting methods. 5. The treated water is returned to the water cycle or used for industrial, irrigation, or consumption needs.
Trigeneration Process [CCHP] Combined Cooling Heating and Power 1. Biogas is piped to plant from landfill gas vents. 2. Gas goes through a series of turbines/generators, creating waste heat. 3. Waste heat is recovered in the form of hot water for heating, while a portion is sent to an absorption chiller for cooling. 4. Electricity from the generator is either sent to the building and/or surround grid.
Cogeneration: simultaneous production of electricity and heat. Trigeneration: simultaneous production of electricity, heating, and cooling.
Odor Control Electricity Cogeneration Leachate from Landfill
Biogas from Landfill
Leachate Pit
Screening Systems
Grit Tanks
Primary Sedimentation
Aeration Tanks
Secondary Sedimentation
Water Recycling
Other Sources -Municipal Waste -Natural Gas -Biomass
Trigeneration Steam/Hot Water to be Cooled
Waste Heat Engine/Turbine
Generator
Heat Recovery Unit
Absorption Chiller
Chilled Water Hot Water for A/C Unit Sludge Treatment Preliminary Treatment
Water Recycling
Primary Treatment
Building
Secondary Treatment
Irrigation
Biosolids
Water Recycled for Use
Industry
Consumption
Returned to Water Cycle
Retention [Oceans/Rivers/Ponds]
City Grid
Electricity
Trigeneration
Heating
Building + Cateura Houses
Cooling
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Cateura Civic Center The new Cateura Civic Center is centrally located within the town and new masterplan, similar to how the existing landill was centrally located within Cateura. The center’s form is a complimentary contrast to the typical landill. Rather than layering elements that are eventually capped and not visible, the Cateura Civic Center carves into the land, exposing the elements within and highlighting the immaterial space.
UP
2
3 4
10
5
The center embodies three programmatic elements: Music, Agriculture, and Material Crafting, arranged around a central outdoor performance and market area. The raised, more reined Music portion includes practice rooms, ensemble spaces, and a recording studio that create a much-needed space for the Recycled Orchestra to use. The lack of fresh produce outside of Asunción is accommodated by outdoor growing areas on top of and around a lower, earthen Agricultural promenade that serve the residents of Cateura.
1
6
11
10 7 8 8 8 UP
A central, carved out portion serves as the material exchange between the Agricultural and Music components. Refuse that can be reclaimed as either building elements for housing or pieces for instruments is sorted and crafted in the raw space at ground level. From there, reined pieces are used to create instruments for musicians while building elements are exported to the rest of the site for residential use.
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9
16’
Ground Floor 16’
0’
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Performance/Market Agriculture Ramp Concert Storage Material Processing/Sorting Raw Material Crafting Ensemble Space Raw Instrument Crafting Rehearsal Rooms Ticket Booth Restrooms Mechanical/Service
Masterplan Systems Asunción
RA TEU
ra
Asu
n nció
Capped Landfill
Public Park
RIO
RA TEU
Leachate Basin
PA RA G
UA Y
Parti+Context
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PR O NA SPEC TUR T AL
SI TE
CA
Active Landfill
teu Ca
RE FU G UR BA E N
Civic Space CA
New Residential
Cerro Lambaré
Circulation Asunción
ra teu Ca
Primary Site Access Civic Promenade to connect North/South Cateura Flood Barrier/Waterfront Promenade
Civic Space
Geometry/Orientation
n
1
1 UP DN
2
2 UP
3 UP
3 4
UP U
UP
3
4
5 6
7
3
8 5 DN
9
5 6 16’
Second Floor 16’ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
16’
Roof Plan 16’
0’
0’
Agriculture Ramp Produce Growing Space Material Storage/Export Refined Material Crafting Refined Instrument Crafting Recording Studio Administrative Offices Ensemble Practice Room Instrument Storage
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Bio-Remediation Swale Produce Growing Space Lightwells East Entrance Viewpoint Wind Tower
Gravity-Fed Water Tower ón nci
Asu
Power/Water for Cateura
6 5
35’
4
40’
2 70’
1
30’
3 0’
20’ RIO
Vegetation/Topography
nci
PA RA
GU AY UA Y
Hydrology Hydrology
Hardscape / Road Sparse Vegetation Public Park Flood Barrier and Bioremediation Wetlands Greenhouses
20’ Flood Line Rainwater Runoff Flood Canal Water Treatment Plant
Active
ón
Asu
Infrastructure Infrastructure
Power/Water for Cateura for Cateura
Trigeneration Plant Electricity/Running Water for Residents Water Treatment Plant New/Improved Aguateros(Pump Houses)
Phasing Phasing 1. Cap summit and remediate Leachate Basin. 2. Excavate center of site for Flood Canal. 3. Use flood canal/landfill refuse for Flood Barrier. 4. Build Cateura Community Center/begin capping landfill. 5. Use new construction materials for residential housing. 6. Cap remaining landfill. Create Farming/Greenhouse space.
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The building form responds to its gently sloping site by carving away from the land; revealing the immaterial spaces within. Materials such as rammed earth with refuse aggregate depict the layering of site and building elements. The vaulted catenary arch above the market and performance area is not only evocative of weaving the Agriculture and Music elements together, but also symbolizes the volume of solid waste contributed to the landill on a daily basis.
Form + Adaptability
RE UR FUG BA E N
O PR
N ME
E AD CIV
IC
O PR
N ME
E AD
U RE
IC
U LT
CIV
RIC AG
T AF MUSIC CR CO M M
UN
ITY
PR NA OSP TU EC RA T L
Existing Site + Context
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Contextual Response
Open / Weave with Context
Connect / Orient
1,500 to
Resolution
Transformation... Valueless vs. Value
Raw
Harmony vs. Dissonance Temporary vs. Enduring Individual vs. Collective
Organic Refuge
Rhythm
Repurpose Reorientation
Prospect Repetition
Arbitrary
Refined
Reuse
Memory
Renovation
Identity
Additive vs. Subtractive
Carving
Layering
Weaving
Re-purposing existing conditions to uncover what is not normally visible.
Re-organizing forms and information to discover a new process.
Renovating existing ideas to create new methods of design and craft.
Carnival Festival
Holy Week/Easter
Paraguay’s annual festivals for music, art, and dance.
Religious week leading up to Easter Celebrations.
Impromptu Soccer
Weddings
Niches as goalposts, chalk on concrete, ample seating for fans.
Communal celebrations; a stage to watch and be watched.
1,500 tons
Memory / Community
1,500 tons
1,500 tonsMemory / Community
[of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis]
Memory / Community
Day Use: Market Night Use:residents Performances During the day, can sort through refuse to either During Paraguay’s mild evenings, sell, use as building material communal concerts can be held under for residential housing, or to make new instruements for the orchestra.
Night Use: Performances During Paraguay’s mild evenings, communal concerts can be held under the stars.
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Material Composition The material palette developed during the masterplan phase sources local elements and new construction methods. Rammed earth piers, ly ash bricks, and adobe brick create the stereotomic elements from the earth. Concrete slabs with glass aggregate and wooden partitions and diffusers create the tectonic elements added to the center, as extensions of the land and new, high-end materials, respectively. As a form of redundancy, all materials on ground level are water resistant should another 20’ lood breach the lood barrier and reach the civic center.
Bio-Swales and Rain Gardens (Phytoremediation)
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Tempered Concrete Slab (Hydronic Piping in slab)
Rammed Earth Catenary Pier
Rammed Earth
Adobe and Fly Ash Brick
Rammed Earth is a natural layering process using the recycled elements from the landfill as compacted material for the Catenary Arch piers due to its compressive strength. The material is evocative of what once was in the land; carving away to highlight the intagible space.
The density of the Fly Ash Brick further supports the compressive force of the Catenary Arch. Adobe Brick is used for its thermal mass and acoustical absorptive properites, both separating the exterior market/performance space from the interior rehearsal areas, and also regulating heat transfer from the cooler, carved out portions of the building to the exterior humid climate.
Wood Diffuser
CMU Retaining Wall Market Niche
Rehearsal Rooms
Concrete Slabs with Glass Aggregate
Moveable Wood Partitions+Diffusers
Concrete Slabs are used as an aggregate and mediator between the Rammed Earth, Brick, and Wood partitions. The slabs are composed of traditional aggregate along with glass from the landfill to add compressive strength to the concrete slab. The portions of slab that are indoor are tempered with hydronic piping to cool the interior spaces throughout the day.
Reclaimed wood from the landfill along with imported higher end products for the Recording Studio help control the acoustics of each space. Moveable wood partitions allow for ease of access between spaces, while the diffusers provide acoustical separation and support.
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Approach from Promenade
Acoustic Relationships While the outdoor market and performance space is ideal for concerts with the entire orchestra, smaller, more intimate ensemble spaces increase in acoustical hierarchy as one moves deeper into the land. A lexible ensemble space located in the crafting area caters to quartets and smaller groups, while the rehearsal rooms in the music wing are for single user students to practice on their own. Acoustical separation relies on a combination of adobe brick’s absorptive qualities, along with wall mounted wooden relectors, speciically between the market area and the rehearsal rooms. Reclaimed wooden ceiling bafles from the landill inside each space help diffuse the sound evenly throughout the rooms. In addition to creating inely tuned interior spaces, the music portion of the building’s form uses external forces to create sound. The wind tower/solar chimney releases air through a stack effect, which drifts up and around wind chimes located within the tower, creating a subtle harmony for the melody within the market space. The chimes can be tied down when not in use, and untied to signal important community events, concerts, and other activities.
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Ensemble Space
Recording Studio
Ensemble Space
Rehearsal Rooms
Acoustical Ceiling Baffle
Recording Studio
Acoustical Wall Diffuser
Acoustical Wall Reflector
Rehearsal Rooms Exterior Market + Performance
Wind Chimes within the Wind Tower provide a natural acoustic backdrop to the open market while also acting as a signal to gather for concerts and important community events, among other activities.
Adobe Wall (Absorptive Qualities) Exterior Market
Acoustic Spaces
Ensemble Space
Acoustical Separation
Interior Rehearsal Room
Wind Tower as Signal
Acoustical Hierarchy
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Market / Performance Space
Structure + Detailing Bricks have been a staple of construction in Paraguay since the early 19th century, when ships unloaded their ballast from Europe in Asunciรณn. The imported bricks had a high compressive strength, allowing them to be used for intricate space-framing structures that double as sun-shading devices throughout the country. The catenary arch over the performance and market space not only acts as a sun-shading device, but is evocative of how an age-old building material can be used in a new and unique way; a new perception of traditional craft. The catenary arch rests within a steel channel base, which is then set on top of the rammed earth piers, evoking how the new ly ash brick is unearthed, yet still connected to its site. Each brick in the arch is frogged, which allows for acoustical relection and absorption (due to the porosity of the ly ash brick) within the performance and market space. The frogging not only makes the brick lighter for the catenary arch, but also possesses a part-to-whole relationship in terms of the frogged portion to the building footprint. It is the realization of building block to building that creates this unique type of craft.
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Material Crafting/Lobby
Brick Reuse + Experimentation in Paraguay
Catenary Arches
Catenary Pier Detail
Paraguay’s abundance of recycled bricks from demolished buildings that were once used as ballast on ships from England have a high compressive strength. Recently, these bricks have been used to form space framing structures that double as sun-shading devices in the hot summers and places to gather and socialize.
Catenary Arch Detail
Fly Ash Double Brick Arch
Steel Arch Support Channel Rammed Earth Pier
Quincho Tía Coral/Gabinete de Arquitectura
Hanging Arch in Pure Tension
Standing Arch in Pure Compression
These forms have taken the shape of Catenary arches, the inverse of a hanging chain. While the inverted chain is in pure tension, the Catenary arch is in pure compression, allowing for ease of construction due to the even distribution of weight throughout the arch.
Steel Channel Base Tube Steel Connection (carrying conduit for Catenary Lighting)
Fly Ash Double Brick Arch
Frogged Bricks Rammed Earth Outer Layer
The frogged bricks not only allow for a lighter catenary structure, but also act as sound diffusers for the market space. As sound travels outward, the angle of the frogged portion can reflect and absorb soundwaves, since Fly Ash Brick is somewhat porous, capturing Frogged Portion soundwaves within the openings.
Part-to-Whole (Building Form)
“Catenarius Vault”/Ramiro Meyer
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Passive Building + Site Systems Actual Roof Collection: 198,336 gallons/year Wind Tower/Solar Chimney
Water Supply Demand: 6,610,150 gallons/year
Percentage of Demand Met:
0.030%
Bio-Swales+Rain Gardens (Phytoremediation)
Avg. 11mph Winds from NE
As the Wind Tower is heated during the day, hot
20’ Flood Line
pressure. This in turn pulls air through a mechanical
Low Pressure Air Exhaust Hot
Operable Vent Black Metal (Heat Absorber)
transmission, which helps trap hot air towards the Fan to Increase Air Movement When Necessary
The Wind Tower passively cools the building by pulling air up and out of the tower through a wind-assisted temperature gradient.
Exhaust Purge
Operable Vents to Mechanical Chase Along Retaining Wall
Cool air is pulled through the building using a stack effect in the wind tower, exhausting hot air in the process.
As the Wind Tower is heated during the day, hot air rises up and out of the tower due to its lower pressure. This in turn pulls air through a mechanical chase next to the retaining walls on both floors, exhausting air from each room in the process. The adobe brick has a high resistance to heat transmission, which helps trap hot air towards the top of the tower while cooler air stays below.
Constant 52°F 22
Upper Level Entrance
Rooftop Promenade
Passive building systems were implemented to maintain the relationship to site and context. A majority of the buildings within Asunción do not possess mechanical systems; rather, they rely solely on orientation and wind. In order to passively cool the space, a wind tower/solar chimney in the music wing is used to pull air up and out of the tower through a wind-assisted temperature gradient. Air is heated during the day, which rises up and out of the tower due to low pressure, which in turn exhausts air from each room through a mechanical chase adjacent to the retaining walls. The combination of a constant ground temperature of 52°F in the carved out spaces and the adobe brick envelope for the wind tower create a conditioned interior space. Due to the civic center’s large roof area, stormwater collection is feasible for greywater usage. Water calculations based on building occupancy proved that the demand for potable water could not be met. Therefore, any roof runoff would be used as greywater throughout the building in addition to hydronic piping in the concrete slabs to further cool the interior spaces. Site water runoff is contained and iltered towards the agricultural wing, where bio-swales and rain gardens help cleanse and ilter water into the soil below. The Cateura Civic Center is an instrument itself, tuning the land around it and creating a space that deies existing perceptions of value emerging from the valueless.
Thesis Relection This thesis not only strengthened my skills as an architect, but also allowed me to explore a narrative that includes both of my passions: music and architecture. As a musician and cello teacher, I believe that music is a universal language that not only transcends cultures, but also time. The importance of preserving musical education is vital, especially for communities in dire situations such as Cateura. It is the intangible feeling of playing and listening to music that can change a community. Just as music can evoke certain emotions, I believe architecture can and should create visceral experiences for everyone to enjoy. The way in which we perceive spaces, cultures, and solutions to problems not only was the driving force in my thesis, but also had a profound impact on my perception of architecture. Looking back, I realize that my perception of my surroundings and the built environment is heightened now more than ever before. My newfound attention to craft has made me appreciate the time and effort put into buildings not just by architects, but by all trades in the design and construction process. I also believe that this thesis touches on several important environmental issues facing our society today, including how we deal with waste and looding on global and local scales. I know this thesis does not end here; rather, it has created questions that I intend to pursue for the rest of my architectural career. 23
Process Design iterations were documented through a series of mediums, including analog and digital practices, as well as physical concept models. Hand sketches proved to be most effective for quick iterations and generating the base for several of the sequential diagrams ultimately produced digitally. The inal model at 1/16”=1’-0” helped depict the Cateura Civic Center’s material dialogue. White museum board symbolized the stereotomic elements generated from the land; rammed earth piers, ly ash bricks, and adobe bricks. Basswood, on the other hand, created the tectonic elements, such as concrete slabs, wooden partitions, and diffusers.
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Cateura Civic Center Final Model 25
Cateura Civic Center Section Model Laser Cut White Museum Board/Basswood 3D-Printed Catenary Arch 1/16”=1’-0”
“People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words. These, too, seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to genuine music, which fills the soul with a thousand things better than words.” -Felix Mendelssohn “A professor once told me that if people don’t either love or hate your work, you haven’t done anything. Just being daring and provocative even though a lot of people are gonna hate it — it might just change architecture or design.” -Tinker Hatfield “Who knows, maybe the solution to the world’s waste crisis is sitting in the trash.” -Adam Naar