ARTS CAMP INSTRUCTOR | Christine Brill DATE | Fall08
ARTS CAMP
understanding the landscape
INSTRUCTOR | Christine Brill DATE | Fall08
This project began with a series of exercises to gain a full understanding of the landscape. The possible locations for the specific program were anywhere within the lower portion of Frick Park in pittsburgh. This area of the park is centered around the Nine Mile Run creek bed and bounded on the south by the Monongahela River. Historically, this area was leased by Pittsburgh steel companies and used as a dumping location for slag, a by-product of the steel manufacturing process. Over time the slag dumping locations grew into large, non-porous plateaus above the creek bed on which very little vegitation has been able to grow. Lower Frick Park is not officially maintained by the city and is far less developed than the upper region of the park. Because of a lack of supervision over this area, a large amount of debri has been dumped on the site over time, drastically effecting the landscape. Despite this abuse, many people from the surrounding neighborhoods have been using the landscape for recreation, creating a series of bike paths that extend throughout the site. As a group project, two exercises were performed to study this unique landscape. The first was a transect drawing taken accross the creek valley and slag plateau. The second was the construction of an installation. The installation was composed from a collection of dumped materials found on the site built into a circular structure, revealing the use of this area as a dumping site for a variety of discarded materials.
collage (paper and photographs)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
installation (recycled materials found on site)
installation (recycled materials found on site)
THESIS SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM ARTS CAMP
transcect (pencil drawing)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
installation (recycled materials found on site)
ARTS CAMP
process work + concept
INSTRUCTOR | Christine Brill DATE | Fall08
After numerous site visits, the decision was made to focus my attention on crest of a ridge, spanning from the upper of the two slag plateaus to the edge of the hill which overlooks the river and Homestead neighborhood. This area offers a very interesting change in perception as movement occurs along the existing paths. The openness of the plateau created a strong visual connection to the neighborhood across the valley. As one moves up the hillside, a seperation from the surrounding city is perceived as dense vegitation and change in slope provides a sense of enclosure. At the edge of the hill towards the river, views of the surrounding urban condition open back up. This change in perception through the landscape proved to be a very important concept which would influence the design of the architecture. The initial design featured studio spaces which were enclosed by vegitation and placement within the landform as well as those which were opened towards the river as the hillside sloped below. This design was re-evaluated with the development of a sereies of vertical planes which moved across the ridge. While defining a hierarchy of programmatic spaces, these planes also reinforce the idea of directionality of movement and change in perception through the landscape.
process model (chipboard, cardboard)
THESIS SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM ARTS CAMP
building plan development (Rhino rendering)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
building plan (pencil, colored pencil)
process section drawings (pencil, pen, Adobe Photoshop)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
final design stage
ARTS CAMP INSTRUCTOR | Christine Brill DATE | Fall08
The final design brings together ideas from earlier iterations by resolving the way in which the architecture fits into the landscape. Landform manipulation and planting serves to enhance the sense of enclosure and openness of the spaces. Variation of the width of the vertical planes creates a hierarchy of spaces. An intermediate zone of public gallery space was developed which connects to the surrounding neighborhoods by means of an existing pathway. The language of folded roof and floor planes acts to define the programmatic, while not detracting from the directionality set up by the vertical planes. The architectural detailing of the spaces also reinforces this directionality with the use of board-formed concrete, corrugated roofing, and hardwood flooring.
parti (pencil drawing)
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
detail of section drawing (Rhino, pencil, marker, Adobe Photoshop)
PLAN KEY context
2
1 9 MILE RUN CREEK
1
2 SQUIRREL HILL 3
3 SWISSVALE 4 DUCK HOLLOW 5 MONONGAHELA RIVER 4
6 HOMESTEAD
arts camp
5
6
a REGISTRATION DESK b MAIN ENTRANCE c PUBLIC GALLERY d LIBRARY e VIEW CORRIDORS f STUDIO g STUDIO 920
h STUDIO i STUDIO j STUDIO k STORAGE l ARTISTS’ QUARTERS
d
0
l
k
f k
9 2 0 9 3
0
0
92
93
910
900
j
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
a b
l
c
i
plan (Rhino, Adobe Illustrator)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
k
e
k
h
g
k
0 91
THESIS
SURFACE
LIGHT MUSUEUM
ARTS CAMP
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
bird’s eye view (Rhino, pencil, pastels, ink, Adobe Photoshop)
THESIS SURFACE LIGHT MUSUEUM ARTS CAMP
section drawing (Rhino, pencil, marker, Adobe Photoshop)
GREEN HOTEL LAWRENCEVILLE OTHER WORK
detailed section (AutoCad, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop)
JOSIAH HASKELL email: josiah.haskell@gmail.com phone: 970-319-7403