Patrick BARENDT

City Canopy A Free Cultural Space as the New Center of Philadelphia Patrick J. Barendt - Thesis 2016 John DeFazio - Advisor

The Root of the Thesis: At the heart of this thesis are three fundamental philosophical beliefs: 1. Proper architecture is designed locally.

2. Cities are places for people to come together.

3. Philadelphia should have a space dedicated to experiencing the true meaning of its namesake.

City Hall A space to keep the city under control

City Canopy A space to set the city free

Phila- “to love, to cherish, to delight in” delphia “brother”, literally “from the same womb” or “of the same essence” William Penn envisioned Philadelphia as a city of freedom. Not just freedom of religion, but freedom in its richest sense. He imagined a city where each person could find their own means of self, and despite their differences, hold a deep love of kin for all people within their city. William Penn named us Philadelphia in hopes that we would cherish in the truth that we are all of the same essence.

DEVELOPMENTS

PHILADELPHIA IS RE-AWAKENING

MAJOR PROJECTS COMPLETED IN 2014 & IN THE PIPELINE

September 2011

A publication of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation and the Center City District 660 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 Society Hill went through 215.440.5500

SC

BE

NJA

FR

AN

CALLOWHILL ST.

SPRING GARDEN ST.

CALLOWHILL ST.

11TH ST.

JUNIPER ST.

19102

SOUTH BROAD ST.

44

2000

15TH ST.

16TH ST.

Philadelphia

601

h Statistics and Research, nt of Health; analysis 's Office, Philadelphia alth

2ND ST.

FRONT ST.

16

13% 45-54

CHRISTIAN ST.

11% 45-54

11% 55-64

10% 55-64

6% 65-74 6% 75+

FRONT ST.

2ND ST.

15

FRONT ST.

5TH ST.

4TH ST.

6TH ST.

Note: Several of the projects included on the map had not yet announced completion dates, development costs, or square footage as of the end of Q4 2014. As a result, these figures are not included in the respective totals.

7TH ST.

9TH ST.

12

Source: Developments Database, Center City District

14 12 10

10

14

8

8

6

10

10

6 4

2 0

2014

2015

2016

Total Number of Births: 29,025

1,500 1,000 500 2000

2002

Core

2004

2018

2014 2015 2016 2017 Center City District & Central Philadelphia Development Corporation www.CenterCityPhila.org

Lack of Green Space

2006

2008

Extended North

2010

2012

2014

“The cities everyone wants to live in would be clean and safe, possess efficient public services, support a dynamic economy, provide cultural stimulation, and help heal society’s divisions of race, class, and ethnicity. These are not the cities we live in. Something has gone wrong, radically wrong, in our conception of what a city itself should be.”

- Richard Sennett

Extended South

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE AND FREEDOM?

opment Corporation www.CenterCityPhila.org

2017

. . . With swelling numbers of people moving into 5 Philadelphia, primarily young people, the role of 73 culture in this narrative is becoming increasingly unclear. Are we forsaking culture when envisioning the future of our city?”

-Nick Stuccio, Fringe Arts

4

Note: Several of the projects included on the map had not yet announced completion dates, development costs, or square footage as of the end of Q4 2014. As a result, these figures are not included in the respective totals.

Center City District & Central Philadelphia Development Corporation www.CenterCityPhila.org

2,000

0

4

4

Births to Center City Parents, 2000 to TO 2014 BIRTHS TOGreater GREATER CENTER CITY PARENTS, 2000 2014 2,500

10

10

LACK OF FREE CULTURAL SPACE

57. 1401 Spruce Street Source: Developments Database, Center City District 58. 810 Arch Street 2 59. 1601 Vine Street Center City District & Central Philadelphia Development 0 60. 2400 Corporation South www.CenterCityPhila.org 61. 1213 Walnut

White 61.9% White 61.9%

14

14

16

49. 1430 South Street 50. East Market Phase 1 51. 1700 Chestnut 52. Eastern Tower Community Center 53. 2400 Market Street 14% 35-44 49. 1430 South Street 54. 1900 Arch Street 50. East Market Phase 155. 1900 Arch Expansion 56. One Water Street 51. 1700 Chestnut 57. 1401 Spruce Street 52.15% Eastern Tower Community Center 45-54 58. 810 Arch Street 53. 2400 Market Street 59. 1601 Vine Street 54. 1900 Arch Street 60. 2400 South 11% 55-64 61. 1213 Walnut 55. 1900 Arch Expansion 7% 65-74 56. One Water Street 6% 75+

Number of Projects

CATHRINE ST.

WASHINGTON AVE.

WASHINGTON AVE.

Source: Bureau of Health Statistics and Research, Pennsylvania Department of Health; analysis

by Health Commissioner's Office, Philadelphia Department of Public Health

613

8TH ST.

CHRISTIAN ST.

12% 35-44

THE DILEMMA OF EAST MARKET STREET

The Anti-Urban Gallery

NTS, 2014

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN CENTER CITY BY COMPLETION DATE

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN CENTER CITY BY 15 COMPLETION DATE

3RD ST.

FITZWATER ST.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2009-2013 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2009-2013

14

10TH ST.

11TH ST.

CATHRINE ST.

4TH ST.

CHRISTIAN ST.

27% Under 20 7% 20-24 13% 25-34

FITZWATER ST.

16% 25-34

CATHRINE ST.

6% 65-74 6% 75+

Black or Black or African AmericanAfrican American 24.3% 24.3%

orn y

26% Under 20 10% 20-24

BAINBRIDGE ST.

13% 35-44

CHRISTIAN ST.

Commercial/Mixed-use

Number of Projects

Other 1.3% Other 1.3% Two or More Races Two 2.4%or More Races 2.4% Asian 10.0% Asian 10.0%

CATHRINE ST.

FITZWATER ST.

5TH ST.

GREATER CENTER CITY RACIAL DIVERSITY ENDURING SOCIAL DIVISIONS

15% Under 20 City49 and University City today hold 11% 20-24 51% of all private-sector jobs in Philadelphia. Clustered close, in the 28% 25-34 most densely populated portion of the city, downtown residents enjoy a vibrant live-work and walkable setting that is the hallmark of all successful

Residential/ Mixed-use Mixed-use9,953,044 SF 9,953,044 SF 54% 54%

Commercial/Mixed-use 1,961,600 SF | 11% 1,961,600 SF | 11%

SOUTH ST.

tral business district and those adjacent to University City have increasingly become communities of choice for highly-educated residents – the young professionals and graying boomers who are the workforce of the post-industrial economy. Center

6TH ST.

FITZWATER ST.

BAINBRIDGE ST.

7TH ST.

Greater Center City Racial Diversity

Retail Retail 1,490,000 | 8% 1,490,000 SFSF | 8%

40%

National

12TH ST.

17TH ST.

18TH ST.

20TH ST.

43Greater Center City

SOUTH ST.

BAINBRIDGE ST.

30%

Residential/

Total SF:

Total SF: 18,418,264 18,418,264

31

8TH ST.

2014

20%

Source: US Census, American Community Survey

SOUTH ST.

9TH ST.

8

1,120,648 SF | 6%

Hospitality Hospitality 1,240,207 SFSF | 7% 1,240,207 | 7%

LOMBARD ST.

49

10TH ST.

2013

Extended

10%

Center 43 City has more than twice the national average of residents ages 25-34.

LOMBARD ST.

11TH ST.

2012

Core

0%

2010

31

Cohorts, 2010

10% and more

12TH ST.

2011

BAINBRIDGE ST.

1,120,648 Residential SF | 6%

5%

WASHINGTON SQUARE

PINE ST.

Chart 4: Age

5% to 10%

Government & Non-profit Institutions Residential 762,000 SF | 4%

7% 30

PINE ST.

13TH ST.

SOUTH ST.

22

5

SPRUCE ST.

YET OUR MOST SERIOUS OBSTACLES STILL EXIST Greater Center City Racial Diversity 2010

2ND ST.

8TH ST.

13TH ST.

12TH ST.

10TH ST.

19TH ST.

60

21ST ST.

23RD ST.

LOMBARD ST.

0% to 5% 15TH ST.

-5% to 0%

22ND ST.

In addition to Chinatown, the extended neighborhoods of Center City still retain60 a diverse mix of middle- and working-class residents: 54% Caucasian, 32% African American and 11% Asian. Greater Center City also contains more than 6,000 units of publicly subsidized housing. But the neighborhoods that surround the cen-

24TH ST.

More than -5% Source: US8Census Bureau

SOUTH BROAD ST.

Percent Change in Population, 2000–2010 (Number on the map indicates current population)

PINE ST.

LOMBARD ST.

16TH ST.

62,960

25TH ST.

61,900

PINE ST.

17TH ST.

61,260

7% 6%

SPRUCE ST.

19147

the latest estimates from the US 4 44Census Bureau’s American Comm-

13TH ST.

2000

59,700

19146

4

18TH ST.

0

58,882

22ND ST.

49,855

20,000

21

19TH ST.

21

SPRUCE ST.

SPRUCE ST.

square mile section of Philadelphia, which constitutes just 5.7% of the city’s land area, now holds 11.8% of its residents (179,903), increasing by 10.2% in the last decade, faster than any other portion of the city.

20TH ST.

120,280

LOCUST ST.

358,147 SF | 2%

Public EdsSpace & Meds 772,962 SFSF | 4% 759,656 | 4%

Public Space Government & Non-profit Institutions 772,962 SF | 4% 762,000 SF | 4%

47

WALNUT ST.

LOCUST ST.

358,147 SF | 2% Eds & Meds 759,656 SFCultural | 4%

22

SANSOM ST.

LOCUST ST.

Cultural MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN CENTER CITY BY TYPE & SQUARE FOOTAGE

34

10%

CHESTNUT ST.

SANSOM ST.

Major Development in Center City by Type and Square Footage

3

45

12%

8%

5

WALNUT ST.

LOCUST ST.

21ST ST.

118,600

60,000

40,000

CHESTNUT ST.

WALNUT ST.

of new space& SQUARE FOOTAGE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN CENTER CITYretail

BY TYPE

19

14%

12%

34

FILBERT ST.

SANSOM ST.

23RD ST.

117,010

Source: US Census Bureau, 2000 and 2010 Decennial Census; CCD Estimates

115,960

CHERRY ST.

ARCH ST.

WALNUT ST.

24TH ST.

114,402

80,000

25TH ST.

107,927

00,000

FILBERT ST.

CHESTNUT ST.

SANSOM ST.

40,000

20,000

CHESTNUT ST.

19TH ST.

157,782

60,000

Y

DILWORTH PARK

183,240

180,500

178,270

DILWORTH PARK

JFK BLVD.

PK

9TH ST.

IN

10TH ST.

KL

41 15%

3RD ST.

AN

1,961,600 SF ofincommercial/mixed-use development Major Development Center City by Type and Square Footage 2,331,315 SF

56

3

25%

45

8TH ST.

FR

6TH ST.

IN

5TH ST.

AM

CHERRY ST.

ARCH ST.

19 18%

FRANKLIN SQUARE

RACE ST.

7TH ST.

22ND ST.

23RD ST.

CHERRY ST.

NJ

JFK BLVD.

42

10% 41

VINE ST. EXP

ARCH ST.

BE

9TH ST.

RACE ST.

RACE ST.

56

8%

CALLOWHILL ST.

NORTH BROAD ST.

20TH ST.

17TH ST.

21ST ST.

18TH ST.

NORTH BROAD ST.

15TH ST.

CHERRY ST.

19TH ST.

13TH ST.

Y

4TH ST.

PK

JUNIPER ST.

IN

ARCH ST.

175,660

24% 18%

3RD ST.

KL

20TH ST.

17TH ST.

AN

22ND ST.

RACE ST.

23RD ST.

FR

16TH ST.

21ST ST.

IN

4TH ST.

AM

173,284

Extended Center City

11TH ST.

18TH ST.

NJ

80,000

42 SPRING GARDEN ST.

CALLOWHILL ST.

6 32 For the first time in 60 years, 46 8% 16 10 59 121: Map Philadelphia’s population has grown, SC 8% HU VINE ST. EXP netting 8,819 new residents between YL KIL 2000 and 2010, according to the 2010 L R LOGANIVE Census. While many older portions of 7 SQUARE R the city continued their long-term 32 trend of population decline or transiBE NJA MIN tion with the white population FR AN KLI N decreasing by 6.9% citywide and the PK Y 7 African-American population increasRoxborough/ 11 Manayunk ing by 2.2%, in several sections of Olney/ -1.1% 14% 20Lane Oak Near Northeast the city, particularly in South and 55 54 41,094 35-44 yrs 1 LOVE Germantown/ -4.9% 7.3%more dramatic shift in the age 12% The PARK Chestnut Hill Eastern North Philadelphia, Asian and PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION CENTER 183,451 220,938 33 2 -5.1% composition has occurred in the four Latino immigration was sufficient to 94,179 11 58 40 ZIP codes of Extended Center City25 offset decline. Philadelphia’s Asian 11% 20 55 54 1 38 45-54 yrs LOVE Bridesburg/ (19123, 19130, 19146 and PARK 19147) that population grew citywide by 52,684 9% 33 Kensington/ MARKET ST. WEST MARKET ST. EAST 2 CITY roughly correspond to the Queen (43.4%)53 in the last decade, while the North Richmond 17 HALL 40 Philadelphia 4.8% 25 Latino population grew by 66,073 Village, Fairmount, 50 Passyunk Square, 38 -3.0% 153,252 8% West 174,540 (47.7%).1 MARKET ST. WEST MARKET ST. EAST 55-64 yrs Philadelphia Northern Liberties, and Graduate CITY 14 28 35 10% 53 37 17 HALL -4.1% Hospital neighborhoods.

In those 50 172,282 But one of the largest, most visible Greater Center9City39 48 51 14 28 areas, there in 35 drop 37 10.2%was a significant and geographically concentrated 7% nearly all179,903 age cohorts, while the num-48 65-74 yrs 9 39 51 growth stories occurred downtown.

7% 61year olds increased by 47 24 ber of 25-34 The addition of more than 12,000 19130 19123 61 24 10,153, expanding from 18% to 25% new housing units since 1997 attract30 36 23 7% 23 of the population. 36 ed 16,698 new residents into the RITTENHOUSE South Southwest WASHINGTON Center City 75 yrs + 15 RITTENHOUSE SQUARE 7% Philadelphia Philadelphia 15 SQUARE Core eight ZIP codes that reach from Girard SQUARE 19103 19107 19106 4.2% -5.2% 16.3% The transformation in Extended Avenue on the north to Tasker Street 100,076 27 75,283 27 57,239 Center City neighborhoods is reflecton the south, (referred to in this 57 40% 30% 20% 10% 57 ed in educational levels as well. Using report as Greater Center City). This 7.8 BE

00,000

MAJOR PROJECTS COMPLETED IN 2014 & IN THE PIPELINE

and proChart 3: Age Breakdown 18 found demographic changes several decades earlier and contain a broad Center City Core mix of single- and multi-family, rental 26 29 and ownership options. As a result, the 16.3% rate of population growth 52 – 20 yrs in the last decade occurred across all age groups, with 25-34 year olds 18 13 FRANKLIN increasing modestly from 32% to 13% SQUARE 20-24 yrs 13% 35% of the population (more than Far Northeast double the citywide and nationwide 16 10 59 12 52 0.2% average) and those over 55 increasing 131,008 32% 25-34 yrs PENNSYLVANIA CENTER from 22%CONVENTION to 24%; but there were 35% 13 LOGAN onlySQUARE minor changes in the ratio of 58 other age cohorts (charts 3 and 4).

6TH ST.

Y

5TH ST.

PK

2ND ST.

N

R

3RD ST.

KLI

VE

7TH ST.

MIN

RI

16TH ST.

LL

15TH ST.

KI

12TH ST.

YL

$6.7 billion total investment MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS 6,686 residential units 1,938 roomstotal investment $6.7hotel billion 6,686 residential 1,961,600 SFunitsof commercial/mixed-use development 1,938 hotel rooms 2,331,315 SF of new retail space DEVELOPMENTS

YOUTHFUL DOWNTOWN

DELAWARE RIVER

29

46

FRONT ST.

SPRING GARDEN ST.

GROWING POPULATION “Our city is booming, there is no Leading denying the Way: Population Growth Downtown it. There continues to be unprecedented development by every measure, including Population Change 2000–2010 spectacular projects underway on East Market Street, in University City, and on the Delaware River waterfront, just to name a few. Every small lot is a target for a townhouse or condominiums . . .

Greater Center City Population GREATER CENTER CITY POPULATION

-Nick Stuccio, Fringe Arts HU

Population Growth Downtown

26

Center City Reports

6

SPRING GARDEN ST.

DELAWARE RIVER

www.CenterCityPhila.org

2018

73

SELECTING A CENTRALLY CONNECTED SITE The selected project site consists of the two blocks between 9th and 11th Streets and between Filbert and Market Streets. The proposed site lies ¼ mile from both City Hall and Independence Mall, and just one block away from Chinatown, Reading Terminal Market, Jefferson Hospital, and the retail and restaurant heavy Chestnut Street.

The site lies directly on top one of Jefferson Regional Rail Station as well as the Market-Frankford 11th Street subway station. An average of 20,000 pedestrians pass through the site per day. This section of Market Street has a noticeable lack of open green space, and is currently being considered for even denser development.

Proximity Radii

Usable Open Green Space

Average Hourly Pedestrian Activity by Time of Day

Pedestrian Activity by Season

Public Transportation

Existing Aerial from the Southeast

Avergae Daily Pedestrian Activity by Weekday / Weekend

Site Analysis Timeline “City Crowns” TimelineofofPhiladelphia’s Philadelphia’s Cultural Spaces

Religion

Government

A Connected Central Site

Craft Guild

Government

Nature

Art

Economics

Temporality

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMMING - A PLACE FOR EVERYONE Space Program Proportionality Central Multi-Use Courtyard

Program Relationship Diagram

Indoor Play Zone Video Game Area

Science Labs Basketball Courts Art Workshops

Arcade Area Activity Parks

Skateboard Zone

Music Spaces Tennis Courts

Pockets Parks

Cinema/Theater

Pedestrian Paths

Senior Citizen Center

Drop-Off Zone Restrooms

Day Care Center Cafe Indoor Beer Garden

Multi-Use Classrooms Rock Climbing Wall

Obstacle Course

Green Roofs for Activities

Event Space

Open Pool & Kids Pool

Main Entrance

Main Fitness Spaces

Hot Tub Zone

Central Gathering Space

Fitness Class & Breakouts

Soft Seating Areas Hearth

Sauna

Digital Resource Center Observation Deck

Restrooms

Lockers / Showers

Dance Studios

Quiet Niches

Parking Garage

Informal Spaces Large Instruction Space

Mechanical & BOH Lockers & Showers

Circulation

Open Gym

“Through contamination rather than purity BIGNESS can support genuinely new relationships between functional entities that expand rather than limit their identities. The complexity of BIGNESS releases function from its defensive armour to allow a kind of liquefaction; programmatic elements react with each other to create new events BIGNESS returns to a model of programmatic alchemy.”

- Rem Koolhaas, SMLXL

Programming a Dynamic Tower

PRECEDENT STUDIES - UNCOVERING THE BUILDING TYPE Rozet Culture Center Arnhem, The Netherlands Neutelings Riedijk Inspiration includes: a winding, flexible use stair organizing a cultural center.

Citygarden

Grace Farms

St Louis, Missouri Nelson Byrd Woltz

New Canaan, Connecticut SANAA

Inspiration includes: a naturalistic urban park at the center of a city.

Inspiration includes: free cultural space and a fluid inside / outside relationship.

THE CITY CROWN AND THE EARLY DESIGN CONCEPT The City Crown Bruno Taut

“A deep desire directs us all: we want cities again, in which we can, according to Aristotle, not only live safely and healthily but also happily.”

Intermediate Design Review

Program Axon

“Throughout every great cultural epoch, the constructive will of the time was directed at one ulterior, metaphysical building [type].”

“For all times, we have gravitated to the house of God as the one building that can convey our deepest feelings about mankind and the world.”

“The church is missing in the contemporary conception of the city. Although churches are designated in plans, they are distributed in such a way that they do not find a superior meaning [in the cityscape.”

“Some form of purpose must live in every human breast, a feeling that lifts the individual beyond a single temporal space and allows them to feel community with their contemporaries, their nation, fellow humans and the entire world. Where does it lie?”

“Socialism, in its non-political sense, means freedom from every form of authority as a simple, ordinary connection between people and it bridges any gap between fighting classes and nations to unite humanity. If one philosophy can crown the city of today, it is an expression of these thoughts.”

Park Plan

Master Plan

1680

1920

1950

THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF THE PENN PLAN William Penn laid out five public squares in his city of Philadlephia.

They were to be dedicated green spaces for all people. As the city expanded towards the Schuylkill River, this foresight proved itself to be a success.

As the city has grown since then, various modifications have been carried out upon the so-called Penn Plan. A building was built upon the site of the former Centre Square, a new city hall for Philadelphia.

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was driven up into Fairmount Park to connect the city with nature (and to easily get cars in and out of the city). Several blocks were demolished to create Independence Mall, honoring our city’s history as the birthplace of America’s indepedence.

Will our era bring forth a new intervention into the heirarchy of the city grid? If our generation were to make such a grand gesture, we should hope it would be a space that brings people together and fosters a sence of civic community.

2020

THE PHILADELPHIA MASTER PLAN

Civic Amenities Around Park

Market Street Greenway

9th St

10th St

Creating a 21st Century Agora

11th St

Cultural Corridor Trolley Line

Convention Center

Chinatown Reading Terminal Market

Love Park City Hall

Lit Brothers

Macy’s

PSFS

US Post Office

Jefferson Hospital

Independence Mall

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL PUBLIC PARK Play Play is any action in which an individual experiences something (such as an object or an idea) in a fundamentally new way. In this way, play inherently redefines objects and ideas.

Leisure Leisure is any freely chosen and intrinsically motivated activity by an individual.

As a result of this freedom and intrinsic motivation, Leisure is the mental state with the most fertile soil for culture to take root and grow. Leisure is the basis of Culture.

Expression Expression is the act of “pressing oneself outwards.” This action is essential to the cultural cycle which consists of the back and forth interaction of expression and discovery.

Discovery Discovery is the action through which individuals uncover their culture.

Discovery is also the action through which individuals uncover themselves.

“Cities are complex, hybrid spaces where divergent ways of acting, thinking about, and living urban life collide and transform.”

- Alfredo Brillembourg & Hubert Klumpner, Urban Think Tank

PLANS FOR ADAPTABLE USE Digital Library / Media Center

Winter Garden / City Living Room

Flex Event Space

Reading Room

A CIVIC CENTER THAT IS PERMEABLE AND OPEN TO ALL e ffe Co

PLANS FOR ADAPTA

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Ba

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Digital Library / Media Center ing ad Re es ac

Sp e ffe Co r Ba

Carpenter’s Hall

City Hall

PLANS FOR ADAPTABLE USE

City Canopy

Residential

Residential

g

City

es ac

Sp

Residential

Filbert Street

din

Hotel

Day Care

9th Street

10th Street

Mixed-Income Residential

a Re

11th Street

p ce Re

PLANS FOR ADAPTABLE USE

e ffe Co r

Ba

Hearth

Spray Plaza / Ice Skating Rink

11th Street

Business Incubator

Residential

g

Sp

City Gym

Welcome Center

To Great Hall

Cafe / Event Space

PLANS FOR ADAPTABLE USE Buffered Sidewalk

Digital Library / Media Center

with Integral Winter Garden / City Living Planters Room Benches

Flex Event Space

Reading Room

A PERMEABLE SITE PLAN Trolley / Bus Stop

Trolley / Bus Stop

Filbert Street

Great Hall

Business Incubator

Planters with Integral Benches

Residential

Sustainable Offices

es ac

Sustainable Offices

din

a Re

Hotel

Exhibit

Wifi Courtyard

Amphitheater

So

Reading Zone

Amphitheater

A PERMEABLE SITE PLAN

cia lS ta

ir

Play Area

Win

Flex Event Space

Reading Room

Digital Library / Media Center

Park Niches

Artist Live / Work Studios

Business Incubator

n

tio

Climbing Zone & Skate Park

10th Street

Hotel

Residential

A PERMEABLE SITE P

r Ba

City Gym

e ffe Co

Residential

Fle

Reading Room

Digital Library / Media Center

11th Street

A PERMEABLE SITE PLAN

Buffered S

Park Niches

e ffe Co

es ac

10th Street

Amphitheater Sp

Sustainable Offices

11th Street

g

City Gym

9th Street

din

Sustainable Offices

a Re

Residential

H

Spray Plaza / Mixed-Income Ice Skating Rink Residential

Day Care

Welco Cent

Filbert Street

Great Hall Climbing Zone & Skate Park Trolley / Bus Stop

n

tio

Buffered Sidewalk

p ce Re

Planters with Integral Benches

ator

10th Street

Hotel

r Ba

11th Street

Thomas Jefferson University Offices & Ambulatory Care

US Post Office Residential

11th Street

Market Street

A SUSTAINABLE AND ADAPTABLE CULTURAL COMPLEX Sustainability is not restricted to ecological concerns. The sustainabile approach for this new civic center is a holistic one. The four domains of sustainabilty considered here are environmental, economic, social, and cultural. In paying careful attention to the vibrance, diversity, and health of these four realms, we can sustain our city most properly. This new cultural complex is designed to adapt through time, revive and refresh its environment, foster a sense of civic community, invite us to partake in cultural activity, stimulate the surrounding businesses, and provide free space for the generation of new ideas in Philadelphia. If we can sustain ourselves, our relationships with each other, and our relationships with the world beyond, we can sustain our city far into the future.

In a Tree Canopy From heavy to light, and from rooted to free, the facade design is intended to mimic the feeling of joy in the dappled light beneath a tree canopy

Intermittent Truss Floors Intermittent truss floors brace the diagrid structure and provide space for mechanical equipment.

These floors also expel exhaust out of the building

WiFi & Device Charging Wireless internet is provided throughout the entire site while device charging stations are provided at several key locations

Indigenous Plantings Bioswales & Raingardens

The site is designed with only native Philadelphia plants for proper ecology and education to the public

Green Roof An occupiable green roof provides cooling effects, stormwater benefits, and a space for people to find solace within nature

Bioswales and raingardens provide stormwater management for the project site as well as for the neighboring streets and buildings

Heated Site Elements Paths and Hearth spaces are heated during the winter time to provide an enjoyable and communally warm park experience

Stormwater Path Stormwater travels from the building roofs through the rainwater conductors with the diagrid column wraps, around the site, and down into underground cisterns

Daylighting the Transit Hub The Amphitheater is designed with large plate-glass light wells, which provide ample daylight down into the Transit Hub and the Jefferson concourse

Geothermal Energy Geothermal wells dig several hundred feet below the city to harvest energy used throughout the building and site

Cistern and Water Features A series of underground cisterns manage stormwater, and site water features. Glycol tubes below the spray plaza transform it into an ice rink

The Great Hall With daylight provided by a crystalline oculus, this flexible use space is given expression with concrete space-frame trusses which also allow room for the tree roots above

Mat Slab Foundation This system allow heavy loads to be distrubuted across the entire building area, which is ideal for building large structures in Philadelphia

The Tower Stairs - A space to socializ

The Play Building - A space for children to play and interact

OPTIMIZING EXPERIENCE THROUGH TECTONICS

OPTIMIZING EXPERIENCE THROUGH TECHNICS

The Courtyard - A space to gather in a natural setting

The City Canopy - A space to feel companionship with the city

INSULATED SPANDREL PANEL

3D PRINTED BRICK SUNSHADES

Fritted Glass Various Colors

OPERABLE WINDOW

Fritted Glass White

The Tower Stairs - A space to socialize or to escape

The Play Building - A space for children to play and interact 18” X 18” TUBE STEEL WITH GFRC WRAP AND INTEGRAL DOWNSPOUT

OPTIMIZING THROUGH TECHNICS Building Envelope Section EXPERIENCE Diagrid Structure for Adaptable Use of Recycled 3D Printed Brick Floor Plates

Sunshading System

Insulated Spandrel

Glazing System Transition Up Facde

INSULATED SPANDREL PANEL

3D PRINTED BRICK SUNSHADES

Fritted Glass Various Colors

In a Tree Canopy From heavy to light, and from rooted to free, the facade design is intended to mimic the feeling of joy in the dappled light beneath a tree canopy

OPERABLE WINDOW

Fritted Glass White

Site Elements

WiFi & Device Charging Core Cladding

The Philadelphia Grid

Bioswales and raingardens provide stormwater management for the project site as well as for the neighboring streets and buildings

Insulated Spandrel

The site is designed with only native Philadelphia plants for proper ecology and education to the public

Diagrid Structure for Adaptable Use of Raingardens Diagrid Structure&for Flexible Use

Building Envelope Section Bioswales

Sunshades

Indigenous Plantings

A New Take

18” X 18” TUBE STEEL WITH GFRC WRAP AND INTEGRAL DOWNSPOUT

Wireless internet is provided throughout the entire site while device charging stations are provided at several key locations

Floor Plates

Glazing System Reclaimed Brick from Across Philadelphia Transition Up Facde

Recycled 3D Printed Brick Sunshading System

Heated Site Elements

Operable Door Door System at System Ground Condition Operable at Ground Condition

Operable Door Sy

THE METAPHOR OF GROWTH Growth is a universally understood concept. Thus, the metaphor of growth is well-suited to the wide spectrum of inhabitance that dwell within a civic center. The metaphor of growth is also ideal for a space dedicated to cultural experiences. The Roman orator Cicero coined the term culture when he spoke of “cultura animi”, or the “cultivation of the soul.”

The buildings are envisioned as objects growing out of the ground, mirroring the emergentism of culture intended to occur within the framework of the civic complex. Like brick monoliths once dormant below the city, the forms press out of the earth like Tautian crystals, blending the distinction between park and building. Vines of brick grow over these forms, climbing upwards until they reach the top, where they blossom in vibrant color.

Out of the old roots of Philadelphia, fresh cultures emerge and flower. The City Canopy is a space to grow together.

Summer View from the Amphitheater

Crystalline Forms Emerge out of the Ground

Plants Grow Over and Blossom Upwards

A Naturalistic Complement to City Hall

THE ESSENCE OF THE CITY Within the complex, people can choose to congregate in high activity areas and share experiences, or they can choose to seek out places within the complex that are more removed and introverted. From the main courtyard to quiet niches on the tower stairs, each inhabitant can find a space comfortable to their dispositions. At the same time, inhabitants also have the choice of which activities to partake in. An individual can choose to create a painting in the Art Make Space, skateboard or go rock climbing in the Play building, socialize in the Cafe or in the Garden Terrace, collaborate in the Media Center, enjoy a good book in the Reading Room, play in the Spray Plaza, warm up in the Hearth, or look back upon the city in the Observation Deck. Regardless of where each person goes and what they choose to do, each individual is still part of the city. The City Canopy covers and includes all. The essential truth of cities is that they are places for people to come together. This cultural complex is an embodiment of this truth. The City Canopy is a metaphor for the essence of the city.

The Play Building - a space for children to play and interact

The Lifecycle of the Building

The Tower Stairs - a space to socialize or escape

Weekday Morning

– commuters at transit hub, café-goers before work, dog walking or athletics in the park

Weekday Day

– children for educational electives or field trips, parents and children in park or play areas, tourists visiting, lunch breakers escaping, creative breakers thinking

Weekday Afternoon / Evening

– children after school, adults after work, retail and restaurant goers, people attracted by events or amenities in the civic center

Weekend

– Retail and restaurant goers, tourists, people attracted by events or amenities in the civic center

A PUBLIC PARK FOR ALL SEASONS

TEMPORALITY AND THE PASSING OF TIME The passing of time is constant. From day to night, summer to winter, and year to year, time moves forward. Temporality is a truth of existence. Architecture of civic importance must acknowledge this temporality. The spaces around and within the building are designed to express different atmopsheres through the passing of time, and to accommodate new uses as the city evolves into the next century.

A SPACE TO FEEL COMPANIONSHIP WITH OUR ENTIRE CITY “Of course there are some spaces which should be flexible, but there are also some which should be completely inflexible. They should be just sheer inspiration . . . just the place to be, the place which does not change, except for the people who go in and out.”

-Louis Kahn

A FREE CULTURAL SPACE AS THE NEW CENTER OF PHILADELPHIA

The Thesis: Philadelphia has a center, but does it have a heart?

A space that encourages our spirits and inspires our souls?

A space capable of bringing us together and healing our divisions?

Now is the opportune time to create a civic center dedicated to enlivening the public spirit.

A free cultural space to share meaningful experiences with each other. A space that can adapt through time as our city evolves. A space in which every person can find their place. A space in which we can be lifted beyond ourselves to feel companionship with our entire city. A space to stir in us the very feeling William Penn dreamt for our city when he named us Philadelphia.

THE PHYSICAL MODEL

REFLECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS The Issue of Local Design One of my early philosophical stances was the moral imperative of local design. Designing a project in our own city of Philadelphia, however, posed many obstacles throughout the year.

Under the scrutiny of local eyes, I was confronted with the opinions of countless Philadelphians.

My own intuitions and ideas about our city also proved influential as I uncovered the essence of my thesis and formed the project. In the end, many of these ideas slowed the process of creation as a result of the high sensitivity of local design. It is, in fact, easier to design in a place

far away than to design “in our own backyard”.

Ultimately, designing in our own cities results in spaces that are more deeply thought out , provided we are willing to exert the extra effort. I maintain that local design is the most proper way to create meaningful places for people.

The Role of Philosophy in Architecture The function of philosophy in architecture is to consider the built environment in context with everything that impacts and is impacted by it, and then to press architecture forward towards alignment with all that it is related to. Architectural philosophy is not merely architectural theory, but rather it is a less

architecturally focused and more broadly sweeping desire for wisdom. On this type of wisdom, the Buddhist philosopher Shunryu Suzuki says, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. […] It is the readiness of the mind that is wisdom.”

This broad, clear, and ready mind is what

the root “archi” in architect refers to, and thus philosophical thought is the half of architecture which complements the study of tectonics. The role of philosophy in architecture is to free our minds beyond the built environment.

Architecture as a Framework for Entropy This last thought was brought about as a result of striving to create a civic center that was simultaneously adaptable and timeless. I believe that architecture is both logical and artistic, but it is not a work of logic, nor is it a work of art.

Architecture utilizes systems of logic to result in incidental occurrences. These resultant happenings are the work of entropy. Entropy is commonly understood as the desire of a thing to return towards its most natural state. From the play of light and shadow, to the power of gravity,

to the emergence of human activity, human interaction, society, politics, culture, and in fact all aspects of human life, architecture allows entropy. A work of architecture is a layering up of systems of logic to produce a framework which fosters entropic episodes. This architectural form of entropy inherently displays the truths of the world and the truths of human nature. If entropy means “a turning toward”, a return to the most natural state, then architecture should encourage human beings and their cultures to turn towards

their own most natural states. Uncovering and celebrating the natural state of humanity is one of the primary functions of architecture. It is through the supporting hand of order that the artfulness of disorder is brought to light and celebrated.

This belief lies at the heart of my thesis. The civic center that I have envisioned is an atmospheric framework for the entropy of the city. A flexible and free cultural space as the new center of Philadelphia.