H.I. R.E.S.
A 2020 [HERITAGE INTERVENTION] ON [RESTORATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STONE] JONATHAN SHARF
SUTRO BATHS Jonathan Sharf
H.I. R.E.S.
Heritage Intervention on Restorative Experimental Stone By: Jonathan Sharf Presented to the Architecture Division, California College of the Arts. This thesis has been approved in accordance with the requirements for a 2020 Master of Architecture degree, California College of the Arts. Dean of Architecture, Keith Krumwiede Chair of Graduate Architecture, Brian Price Approved by:
Nataly Gattegno, Thesis Advisor, May 15, 2020
Christopher Falliers, Thesis Advisor, May 15, 2020
ABOUT JONATHAN SHARF M.ARCH, BA Jonathan Sharf was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and previously received an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural History and Theory from the University of Toronto. He has studied architecture abroad in Japan, Italy, Spain, and France and has worked for the Canadian renowned architecture firm, Kirkor, SDB Studio Team and WZMH Architects. After graduating from the University of Toronto, Jonathan competed in an application process amongst numerous students across Canada to work for the private design, build firm called the SDB studio team run by the Daniels Faculty of Architecture and Professor Marcin Kedzior. He was chosen as one of seven finalists on the SDB team to help design, and build multiple community projects across the province of Ontario. While working for Kirkor, Jonathan served as an assistant to Principle and Partner, Steven Kirshenblatt. He worked on a condominium concept proposal and a custom residential home project in Cedervale Toronto, which is currently under construction and will be completed by the fall of 2020. Jonathan completed a 3 year M.Arch degree at California College of the Arts and was a class jury prize nominee two times. In 2019 he was chosen as a representative of CCA for the annual AIAS Forum conference (Contra.) in Toronto, Canada to recruit future students. He was also a Curators Pick Award winner for the 2020 graduate showcase.
CONTENT S
HERITAGE INTERVENTION ON RESTORATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STONE 01| THESIS BRIEF & INTRODUCTION
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02| PRECEDENT STUDIES
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03| SUTRO BATHS HISTORY
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04| SUTRO BATHS PRESERVATION
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05| SITE INSTALLATIONS
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06| CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION
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07| MAIN STRUCTURE
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08|INTERVIEW
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H.I. R.E.S.
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01 | THE S I S BRIE F HERITAGE INTERVENTION ON RESTORATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STONE While the Sutro Baths once stood as a San Francisco marvel, it gradually lost its aura and authenticity through time due to unsafe conditions and a lack of interest due to restrictive site constraints by the San Francisco Conservation Committee. H.I. R.E.S. aims to use the Sutro Baths site at the Lands End in San Francisco, California as a test ground to recreate lost history and test new forms of stone masonry through the bridge of parametric design and the hand craft. The site becomes a new test ground for architects around the world to refer to as stone is pushed to its ultimate limits through casting and stacking. The site also presents opportunities for local artists, architects and designers to continuously move stereotomy techniques forward in a constantly evolving timeline of history.
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02 | PRECE DE NT S STONE INSPIRATION AND CURRENT PRACTITIONERS Stone innovation has been rapidly improving over the past decade due to readily available parametric software, robotics and technology. The architecture field has started to advance in material and fabrication techniques due to practitioners such as Phillipe Block, Mark Burry, Gramazio Kohler, The New Fundamentals Research Group, Howeler and Yoon, Brandon Clifford and Wed Mcgee. These inventive thinkers have created a foundation for further generations to improve the original methods of stereotomy. The hand craft has become a lost art in the architectural profession. Very few schools still teach these methods of stone carving and chiseling. However, the technological advances in parametric software, allow architects to thoroughly analyze a site and predict and forecast unexpected manifestations. Analyzing a stone’s geologic characteristics, site conditions, weather, structural and aesthetic qualities, and form are some of the important benefits that parametric software enable architects to ponder during schematic design. Furthermore, the mentioned practitioners paved a way for this thesis to explore these conditions through the Sutro Baths’ test site, to help intervene and incorporate new ways, which stone can be used to restore, preserve and reconstruct lost history.
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PHILLIPE BLOCK TREE STRUCTURE/ ARMADILLO VAULT
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Dr. Phillipe Block is a professor at ETH Zurich, which is a technological institute. He has a background in architecture and structural engineering. His research delves into digital fabrication and structural and architectural geometry. His work on the Tree Structure and Armadillo Vault helped guide the thesis research through the form and structural elements exemplified. Block interrogates and challenges the tectonic aspects of architecture through their built forms. In these two examples, the stone plays both a compressive and tensile role. The Sutro Baths also uses both compression and tension through elements such as the columns and roof structure.
PRECEDENTS
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PRECEDENTS
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PRECEDENTS
MARK BURRY DERMOID/ SAGRADA FAMILIA Mark Burry’s conceptual and practical thinking was influential throughout the design process of the Sutro Baths restoration and reconstruction. Burry is an avid believer in restoring and reconstructing history while incorporating modern modes of technology and representation. His work on Dermoid and Sagrada Familia exemplify how he uses parametric software to resolve tectonic problems and replicate historic methods of stereotomy. Specifically, the work of Antoni Gaudi in the Sagrada Familia exemplified how hyperbolic parabaloids were a historic phenomenon. These unique vaults helped tectonically enclose the cathedral and its interior nave. However, the death and lost history of Gaudi and his knowledge on these elements forced Burry to intervene and incorporate technology as a tool to continue his theories. Burry’s incorporation of computer software has also contributed to help progress the speed of the completion of the cathedral.
PRECEDENTS
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GRAMAZIO KOHLER THE ENDLESS WALL/ ACOUSTIC BRICKS
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Gramazio Kohler is a professor at ETH Zurich and is involved in research that concentrates on digital fabrication techniques for distinct architectural elements. Despite Kohler’s focus on materials other than stone, his critical thinking about individual components and their role to the overall structure and form was crucial in the analysis of the reconstructed Sutro Baths. Kohler relies on robotics to carry out the majority of his craft, which is what differentiates his work ethic to the one used in H.I. R.E.S. However, his incorporation of singular elements such as brick and wood, and their slight tolerances contribute to the innovation in his work. He uses these materials and analyzes slight shifts along the x, y, and z axis. When these geometric shapes are aggregated they contribute to an aesthetically beautiful larger form. The columns of the reconstructed Sutro Baths were based off of similar principles as each piece of milled stone is slightly turned. When the column is then fully assembled, it appeared to be twisting and turning. However, the fabrication process relies on hand assembly rather than robotics.
PRECEDENTS
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PRECEDENTS
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PRECEDENTS
THE NEW FUNDAMENTALS RESEARCH GROUP HYPAR VAULT/ GATE The New Fundamentals Research Group is made up of six Italian architects who focus their research on digital fabrication. One of their main design principles is finding ways to replicate historic, tectonic fabrication methods using robotics, and digital software. The Hypar Vault exemplifies how they have pushed stone and milling to its ultimate spanning limits through a compressive structure. The unique curves of the vault ensured that the reconstruction of the twisting stone columns at the Sutro Baths could be possible.
PRECEDENTS
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HOWELER AND YOON COLLIER MEMORIAL
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Eric Howeler and Meejin Yoon’s work on the Collier Memorial demonstrates ways in which stone is currently being pushed to its ultimate tectonic forms. This structure used 32 distinct pieces of stone that work together in pure compression. The architectural innovation is emphasized through the use of the contemporary keystone which helps the structure span and allow the public to intervene underneath. These principles helped reassure the idea that distinct and specific milling to numerous individual stones can help create a larger adjoining form.
PRECEDENTS
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PRECEDENTS
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03 | S ITE HI S TORY THE SUTRO BATHS The original Sutro Baths was erected in 1896 with funding from San Francisco billionaire Adolph Sutro, and quickly became one of the city’s most renowned marvels, operating as a public swim facility and entertainment center. Sutro was the Mayor of San Franicsco from 1894 until 1896 and wanted to present a large civic space to the city for major gatherings and events. He also wanted to give the working class an opportunity to take their families for a weekend getaway without having to go far out of the city. The Sutro Baths was constructed on the rough cliffside of the Lands End trail at the North-West side of the San Francisco Peninsula. Adolph Sutro built a rail track that allowed citizens to travel from Union Square all the way to the Sutro Baths for easy commute. The bath house was home to numerous events such as swimming competitions, boxing matches, magicians, beauty contests, and trapeze acts. However, the baths became outdated in the mid 1940’s and continuously lost revenue throughout the years until it eventually burned down by supposed arsonists in 1966. While numerous features on the site still remained standing up until 2020 such as the abandoned stair entrance, and bath footings, the site was in desperate need of innovation.
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THE ORIGINAL SUTRO BATHS HOUSE HALL The original Bath House Hall contained six saltwater pools and one freshwater pool. There were seven slides, thirty swinging rings, and one springboard. The saltwater pools were filled by an underwater filtering system that allowed water to flow directly in from the Pacific Ocean.
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THE CIVIC IMPORTANCE Despite, Sutro’s importance as a destination for enjoyment and relaxation. The site represented a civic location for communal events that brought large groups of people together. The massivity of the structure enabled thousands of San Franciscans to be united in one place. The reconstructed Sutro Baths aims to restore the grand civic space that once occupied the site.
HISTORY
THE WINTER SKATING RINKS Although Sutro Baths was primarily a structure dedicated to swimming, there were other areas inside the building that offered different entertainment. A skating rink (left), amphitheater, club rooms, and hundreds of dressing rooms were also inside the Sutro Baths structure. 23
THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE The original Sutro Baths structure was built of iron and glass. This presented major issues due to the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. The use of stone in the reconstructed Sutro Baths aims to avoid issues of oxidization.
HISTORY
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Sutro Baths Site
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY
MAP HISTORY 25
HISTORY
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04 | PRE S E RVATION THE SUTRO BATHS The interesting historic part about The Sutro Baths are the environmental restrictions designated to various aspects of the site by the San Francisco Conservation Committee. These restrictions explicitly state the limitations to intervention on the site for example the vegetation and various animal species that must not be affected. The San Francisco Conservation Committee ensures that the land remains intact and no heavy machinery is brought onto the site that would impact or disturb the natural habitat. Therefore the ideas put forward throughout this book through the designs represented take into consideration the various tensions between modern technologies, restoration and preservation of the land itself. Construction of the reconstructed Sutro Baths ensures that the site and its inherent elements remain in their original condition.
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THE ORIGINAL COLUMNS After the 1966 fire at the Sutro Baths, very few elements remained intact. Column bases were some of the remaining elements. The original iron columns had wooden bases that were submerged in concrete. Iron oxidizes when it is exposed to moisture and oxygen. The reconstructed Sutro Baths use stone columns to ensure the longevity of the structure. 28
RESTORING THE EXISTING FOOTINGS Concrete was very popular during the late 19th century as many builders were binding steel within the concrete to help improve tensile strength and spanning. The original Sutro Bath footings and foundation contained steel rebar to help carry the weight of water that filled the baths.
PRESERVATION
REMAINING IRON MEMBERS Iron was a common material used during the late 19th and early 20th century because of its economic factors. Readily available and easy to construct with, yet extremely sensitive to water and salt. This was one of the issues with its significance to the original Sutro Baths because of the high winds and close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. 29
PRESERVING WILDLIFE The vegetation located within the San Francisco Conservation Parks around the Lands End are very sensitive and delicate. Numerous native and sensitive species fill the terrain such as California Sage Bush, Dune Tansy, and Serpentine Bluff Scrub.
PRESERVATION
NATIVE VEGETATION
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GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY
PRESERVATION
SENSITIVE VEGETATION
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GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY
PRESERVATION
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05 | IN S TALL ATION S THE FOREVER EVOLVING HISTORY ON THE GROUNDS OF STONE INNOVATION Stone interventions and installations can become experimental and open new opportunities for recreating both functional and aesthetic architectural elements and components to highlight various stages of architectural innovation. The famous author and architect Violet Le Duc, once stated, “The term Restoration and the thing itself are both modern. To restore a building is not to preserve it, to repair, or rebuild it; it is to reinstate it in a condition of completeness which could never have existed at any given time.� Thus the historic ruin of the Sutro Baths represents an opportunity to intervene and examine both historic architectural elements, while testing the modern limits of tectonics created through new softwares. What once laid on this prestigious California Coastal Site untouched for 60 years has become a testing ground for architects, artists and designers to bring new meaning to the word history.
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Precedent: Hypar Gate - New Fundamentals Research Group
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THE POROUS VAULT The Porous Vault was designed to test modern modes of stone fabrication. This vault exemplifies how heavy stone can be aggregated together to reconceptualize the historic vault. Smooth surfaces, and a multiplicity of uniquely milled stones are assembled to create the continuous surface.
INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
Precedent: Hypar Vault - New Fundamentals Research Group
THE ACCORDIAN ARCH The Accordion Arch is a model used to exemplify how stone delicacy and weight can be efficiently used to push stone fabrication forward. Minimizing the weight of stone can be useful for specific building elements that can create a more refined aesthetic.
INSTALLATIONS
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Precedent: Nature Boardwalk - Studio Gang
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THE HONEYCOMB VAULT The Honeycomb Vault is a conceptual model that was based off work from The New Fundamentals Research Group and Studio Gang. This concept aims to push stone milling forward to allow forms to be configured to new geometric shapes and sizes.
INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
Precedent: Flux Vault - Giuseppe Fallacara and Mauricio Barberio
THE RIBBON ARCH The Ribbon Arch is a conceptual model used to challenge the modern modes of stone fabrication through its tensile strength and fragility. The idea for this installation is that stone can replicate similar tectonic properties to metal.
INSTALLATIONS
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TRANSFORMATION OF THE IONIC COLUMN The contorted and twisting column was a mock draft and research study for the eventual reconstructed Sutro Bath columns. The Ionic column was taken as a historic component to test formal reconfiguration. By eliminating the ornamental details of the column, including the capital, abacus and volute, to solely work with the flute and shaft, the column could be distorted to form a unique twisting motion.
INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
While Sutro Baths was a thriving institute in the early 20th century, there were numerous circulation paths to get you from one place on the site to another. One of the most famous entrances was at the NorthWest side of the site towards the Lands End Trail. This side was originally an access point from the shuttle that took passengers from Union Square, San Francisco all the way to the lands end trail for 5 cents a trip. The train was originally commissioned by San Francisco billionaire Adolph Sutro to help bring tourists and local civilians to the site.
Since the site was located at a peripheral location to central San Francisco, Sutro wanted as many civilians to have proper access to the swimming facility. This intervention on the newly reconstructed site brings back and revives the abandoned stair entrance from the lands end trail. The idea is to allow as many people access to the site as possible and to create a safe and welcoming landscape.
THE FALLING PRESERVE STAIR PRESERVATION INSTALLATION
INSTALLATIONS
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THE FALLING PRESERVE When this stair entrance was originally shut down, the area was labelled unsafe due to falling rocks and debris. To preserve the landscape and allow visitors to use this entrance, a major installation that keeps the public safe was necessary. The casted on site panels are a form of tilt-up construction.
INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
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INSTALLATIONS
THE FALLING PRESERVE Each piece is parametrically fit to the landscape using a scanned three dimensional model that allows the designer to read the undulations of the cliff. Once the cliffside is analyzed, the formwork can be designed for each individually unique piece of casted stone dust and concrete. The members are then tilted up and placed into position. They operate as benches and a retaining wall so the stair entrance can once again be open to the public.
INSTALLATIONS
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H.I. R.E.S.
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06 | CON S TRUC TION RECONSTRUCTING SUTRO FROM GROUND UP The Sutro Baths reconstruction, restoration and preservation project focuses on differentiating itself from current practitioners by combining modern modes of computational design and fabrication with the hand craft. The main bath structure features numerous components such as milled stone columns assembled by individually stacked mortise and tenon joints. A unique column capital is casted on the site to fit the angle of the curved lattice roof that sits on top. The casted column capital is equipped with steel rebar that attaches itself to the steel grid roof structure. The lattice roof structure combines steel panel members and rebar tension rods to restrict lateral forces. Paneled glazing slots into each grid section. The lightweight stone casted lattice members sit on top of the steel frame and lock it in place. The baths are filled with ocean water through filtered pipes located in the foundation. Once the baths are filled with water, they are heated by natural sunlight depending on their orientation in the structure.
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ROOF STRUCTURE
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The Sutro Baths roof structure is constructed using steel panels with interlocking grooves, steel rebar tension rods, glass panels, and stone casted lattice members. The assembly works in compression and tension. The steel panels are assembled on site and slotted into place. The rebar tension rods are then fit into slots in each square section. The glass is then slotted into inset grooves, which helps refrain water from entering the building. Once the assembly of the steel grid is complete, the stone casted lattice pieces are brought on top and fit into grooves that connect the steel grid and the stone. These stone pieces lock the roof into place.
CONSTRUCTION
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CONSTRUCTION
RESTORING THE FOOTINGS The ruins of the historic Sutro Baths were found in a state of disrepair. The only elements that remained from the original structure were the footings of the old steel columns, and some of the original matt slab foundation. The reconstruction restores some of the age old footings and others are replicated to look the same. 54
THE LATTICE ROOF STRUCTURE The lattice roof structure is mainly assembled by hand. This assembly ensures the precisenss of the aesthetic appeal. Once the steel members are in place, a crane is used to bring the stone casted members up to the top.
CONSTRUCTION
STONE CASTED MEMBERS Each stone casted member has been designed parametrically to fit in an individual location. Thus, each member is unique and must be carefully brought to its exact location on the roof grid.
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HAND ASSEMBLAGE The majority of the restoration and reconstruction process takes place by handcraft. The assembly of the stone milled columns are stacked one on top of another by virtue of a stone mortise and tenon interlocking joint.
CONSTRUCTION
H.I. R.E.S.
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07 | MAIN S TRUC TURE THE SUTRO BATHS BATH HOUSE When Sutro Baths was built in the late 1800’s, the concept introduced by Adolph Sutro was for the structure and site to represent a civic convention space. This space would allow thousands of San Franciscans to convene while watching entertainment, and swimming. However, the original Sutro Baths did not account for the rough site conditions and close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. The structure was built from iron, which oxidized from the salt and moisture in the air. The views were not prioritized as the glass was opaque and the natural landscape was at the back end of the designers’ priorities. The new bath house is a feature structure with a grandiose multi-use space constructed from stone columns and casted stone capitals. The structure represents a current moment in history that relies on parametric softwares to assemble and design unique architecture. The new site is a test ground for architects, artists and designers to push the limits of stone construction and fabrication.
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SUTRO PLAZA Sutro plaza is a space situated on the North side of the structure parallel to the Pacific Ocean. While the main structure and grand civic bath hall demonstrate the massivity of stone construction for mass gatherings, the back side of the Sutro Bath House carries on the notion of the test site. The large open spaces allow for architects, artists, and designers to install stone installations to continue the forever changing timeline of history.
THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
ENTERTAINMENT COURT The West faรงade of the structure features a continuation of the plaza installations and also the main plinth of the Bath structure known as entertainment court. While the original Sutro Baths contained large indoor spaces for civic gatherings, the newly reconstructed site features outdoor grounds for entertainment, and events. The delicate nature of the site prohibits the use of heavy on site machinery and therefore the expansion of natural elements enriches the existing grounds.
THE BATH HOUSE
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THE OCEAN WALL The ruins of the original Sutro Baths that were inherited contained numerous unsafe elements. One of these elements was the ocean wall that once collected salt water for the baths. The wall was never maintained or repaired. The new structure uses many of the leftover granite stones that laid dormant in the ocean wall bed. These stone members were milled and refined to form some of the structural columns.
THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
OCEAN FRONT SOUTH FACADE From the Ocean, the newly constructed Sutro Bath structure is meant to blend within the undulating hill tops of the Lands End. The large panels of glazing demonstrate the innovation of glass massivity during this moment in history. The glazing is included to allow for ample daylighting and also feature the colonnade from the waterfront.
THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATHS Temperature controlled baths are not included in the newly reconstructed Sutro Baths. The indoor baths are naturally heated through the glass atrium roof. The heated baths are located on the South – East side of the structure for ample daylighting during afternoon hours.
THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
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THE BATH HOUSE
THE BATHS The Bath House hall is engulfed in a colonnade that runs nearly three hundred feet from the East to West side of the site. The structure contains four baths; Two baths are for swimming events and competitions and have seating located on the second floor for guests to watch. The other baths are for swim therapy and spa treatments. The bath structure contains numerous massage beds and relaxation cots.
THE BATH HOUSE
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CONVERSATION WITH ZEIN BASMA ZB: How do you envision the future of parametric design in architectural restoration and preservation? JS: Parametric design is still quite pre-mature in relation to stone fabrication, in fact there are only a handful of practitioners who are focusing on this niche sector of the discipline. In relation to restoration and preservation, I believe parametric software can be important to saving historic architecture. The recent fire at Notre Dame is an example of how photogrammetry could be used to understand where intervention could take place. In that case, architects could be detectives and help restore certain components and strategically intervene and see where reconstruction can take place. ZB: Do you believe the parametric restoration and preservation stances and techniques that you’ve taken and followed through with on this project are applicable to any other project? or do you think each project sets constraints that might change your approach? 70
JS: Great Question. I believe that each architecture project has its own sets of constraints that make it unique to the surrounding architecture, site, weather, topography, program etc. However, the main principles of stone construction in relation to preservation and restoration could be used in various other circumstances around the world. I think these ideas put forward are proclamations and proposals for further research that can be used to save lost history and intervene where necessary. ZB: How did the research pavilions feed into the totality of the project? JS: The site installations were small tests for the larger structure. Studying the current practitioners and understanding their perspective on this topic was crucial to making a stance for this thesis. Mark Burry, Gramazio Kohler, Brandon Clifford, Wes Mcgee, and Phillipe Block pride themselves on robotics to carry out the entirety of the design process and craft, however that would completely diminish the essence of the hand craft. My thesis aims to give an alternative approach and a hybrid combination of parametric design, and hand craft.
INTERVIEW
CONVERSATION WITH ZEIN BASMA ZB: What has been the biggest challenge dealing this site in San Francisco? JS: I think the restrictions applied to the site from the San Francisco Conservation Committee were the toughest hurdles. They directly and implicitly state very specific restrictions for example: no machinery, damage to native and sensitive vegetation, intervention with existing debris, reduction of site to the Pacific Ocean, extraction of materials, amongst others. The strategy was to find loopholes and make the case that the stone being used was not going to be extracted and removed, but converted and repurposed to better the site. Incorporating the Falling Preserve Installation was another part that would help alleviate fear of falling debris that create a safer landscape. ZB: What motivated you on taking such a site and following such an approach for this project? JS: My original thesis research interrogated historic gothic cathedrals in Europe, however, certain political implications make those sites extremely sensitive to handle. While one person may be in favour of intervening with the materials and program to mark this moment in history, others may be adamant about retaining the existing properties. The Sutro Site provided an open palette to intervene, recreate, preserve, and restore all in one place. San Francisco has rarely had proposals for the site that deal with resurrecting the old structure and thought this would make for an interesting and challenging project. ZB: What are the most important levels you think your project engages/ benefits from? (Politics, History, Social, Other) JS: This project tackles many important social, political, cultural and environmental factors that are relative to architecture and the city of San Francisco. The 1966 fire of the Sutro Baths did not just demolish the structure but also the civic, cultural and social implications that came with the architecture. The site has been a ruin for decades, yet very little remains from the original structure. The goal for this thesis was not only to recreate the historic tectonic components that were used in the original bath house, but to create a place where community could come together. Retaining the environmental conditions, and resurrecting the social and cultural factors were at the forefront of priorities to bring forward a proposal that would entice all parties in San Francisco. INTERVIEW
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SUTRO BATHS Jonathan Sharf