IV.
Industrial Legacy : Agitation Stand As a trasition to the next design process, a side project of building “Agitation Stand� was given. It represents what this thesis tries to achieve - seeking for current dystopia and reinventing it; what was dystopia is transformed into something new, ideally what is utopia.
Interior of Cooling Tower
Transition
IV. Transition
“An Illustration of Abandoned Factory”
“Industrial Legacy”
As social values have changed along history, new generations replaces the old ones. At the same time, it is inevitable that a legacy of older generations that used to flourish the precedent social values becomes futile to the newer generation. Unless adapting the new value with new system per se, the old legacy is eventually depreciated into abandoned derelicts. Throughout the globe, many sites where
industrial activities had occurred during their prime days have been found, and most of them such as waterfront, power plant and factory are still standing without any appropriate actions due to their enormous scales. Contaminated landscape and degraded infrastructure from the industrial activities have restricted any sort of activities incurring a new typology of dystopia.
“An Abandoned Shipyard”
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IV.
“An Abandoned Shipyard”
Interpreting these industrial sites as the new emerging dystopia of our time, many administrations have neglected these manufacturing facilities which had once contributed to our economic mainstream for past decades. Some fortunate ones with abundant budgets have spent tremendous amount of money on bulldozing them just to create a ‘white canvas’ and on an environmental purification to get rid of
contaminations. Furthermore, they pour additional money to construct another new master-planned infrastructure on their new ‘tabula rasa.’ Unfortunately, this vicious cycle does not guarantee the utopian direction they intended in the first place while vastly consuming the earth and resources.
“An Abandoned Power Plant”
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Transition
“A Grandiose Inner Space of Nuclear Power Plant”
“Agitation Stand”
Though it has been human behavior to desire newer ones, it is time to slow down relentless greed and to introduce new paradigm that approaches our architectures and cities from other perspectives. The project of “Agitation Stand” is the initial step of the thesis; while analyzing and reinterpreting new dystopia of today, industrial
manufacturing sites. It reinvents one of the most unwanted sites of our time. An imaginary silo of massive nuclear power plant was chosen as the main site; it represents the whole purpose of what this thesis tries to achieve.
53
IV.
“A Concept Sketch of Reinvention”
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Transition
“X-ray View of Reinvented Power Plant Silo”
The unused void of silo’s grandiose atmosphere allows many events to occur. In fact, silos at some power plants have been used in different programs: a moist greenhouse for vegetation to grow, a concert hall and base jumping place. The purpose of “Agitation Stand” in Russian communism period was to provide a place for social stimulation like a propaganda. A sense of awe come from
massive scale can serve such a program well. While the silo maintains its original structure and bio-meditated vegetation that has grown underneath, new intervention structure, metal trusses will be placed in a radial orientation. A circular base and pass will sit on top of the trusses. Illuminating panels of important messages can be hung on inner concrete wall of silo.
“Interior Shot of Renovated Nuclear Power Plant”
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IV.
“Floor Plan of Renovated Nuclear Plant”
“Section of Renovated Nuclear Plant”
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V.
Urban Regeneration : Conservative Surgery
Detroit, known for the abandoned city after its bankrupt, suits to be one of today’s industrial dystopia where majority of population have left and urban infrastructures have been destroyed. It is the city where both utopia and dystopia have coexisted. What could revitalize the city that was once the utopia of American manufacturers
An Illustration of Conservative Surgery, Patrick Geddes
Analysis
V. Analysis Detroit, MI
“Overview of Packard Automobile Plant, Detroit, MI”
“Packard Automobile Plant” The thesis focuses on how to reinvent a dystopia which people used to consider the utopia once. Thus the very first step of design is choose an appropriate site; population and economy of Detroit had grown substantially with increasing automobile business becoming one of largest cities in states - Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan can fit. Packard Automobile Plant is one of largest abandoned manufacturer in Detroit. Its multiple sectors in large scale have almost formed a megastructure that dissects the city along the old railroad that is no longer use. The site has a sound reinforced concrete
structure and other components like masonry walls, wooden panels and windows have decayed over decades. It is necessary to find the new strategy for Detroit of which administration can not afford budget to bulldoze these so called ‘hideous objects.’ The method of “Conservative Surgery” will be applied on massive megastructure of Packard Automobile Plant.
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V.
Conservative Surgery “Phase 1: Debris Removal” A pile of ruins have filled up the site, and its hideous appearance stimulates vandalism and slumization. The first step is to determine what to preserve and what to demolish and remove among these
“Elevation North”
“Elevation East”
“Elevation South”
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chaotic site status; decayed and unusable decorations and building debris will be removed leaving the solid concrete structure and large sunken plaza.
Analysis
“Reinforce Concrete Structure and Sunken Plaza”
“Mass Model of the Site”
“Elevation East”
“Elevation South”
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V.
Sector 1
Sector 2
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Analysis
Sector 3
Sector 4
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V.
Sector 5
Sector 6
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Analysis
Sector 5
industrial manufacture
commercial
distribution
service
office
Program Palette
infrastructure
residential
accomodation
public space
education cultural
“A City Within A City” The goal of ‘megastructure’ which had been one of utopian attempts in modern days, aims to realize the idea of ‘a city within a city.’ That is to say that it can be sustained with its own programs ‘self-sustainable.’ The program palette shown above is an analytical list of programs that enable megastructures to fully function as a city. As
one of these palettes fails to complement the others, the megastructure will begin to crumble either toward 1. no-human-dystopia or 2. nospace-dystopia. For such a large scale, it should be able to provide as many programs as possible allowing maximum amount of events and human flux.
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V.
“Building Cuts, Gordon Matta-Clark”
“Phase 2: Building Cut”
Gordon Matta-Clark and his works have been known for being ‘Anarchitect.’ He creates new dynamic spaces by cutting out the abandoned buildings in geometric patterns and reassembling these cut-outs. In spite of an absence of purposes, his reassmbled buildings are given with certain energy while addressing social issues like in works of ‘Fake Estates.’
The solid concrete skeletons are considered the new “landscape” where the new architecture can be born. Like Gordon Matta-Clark, there will be mainly carving and cutting-out of existing structure; a subtractive design method on the rigid megastructure creates new space and new program.
“Building Cuts, Gordon Matta-Clark”
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Site Analysis Detroit, MI
Facts
142.87 mi2 (370.03 km2) 138.75 mi2 (359.36 km2) 10.67 mi2 (10.67 km2) 1,295 mi2 (3,350 km2) 3,913 mi2 (10,130 km2)
area (city) area (land) area (water) area (urban) area (metro)
681,090 5,142 / mi2 (1,985 / km2)
population density
1,800,000 ~ 713,777 60.3 % ~ 80,000 ~ 100,000 ~ 27
population in 1950 population in 2010 percentage of depleted population abandoned homes vacant properties number of jobs per 100 residents
Analysis
Site Analysis
SITE
“Satelite Overview of the Site and manufacturing facilities�
71
V.
“Zoning Process�
Multiple blocks that surround the site perimeter are mainly consisted of two programs: a vast amount of residential blocks and its supplemental commercial programs. Theses properties used to
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accomodate workers at both Packard Automobile Plant and other manufacturing sites in the area. They fully occupied a vast amount of space in Detroit.
Site Perimeter
Residential Zone (Low Density)
Main Road
Residential Zone (Medium Density)
Non-Residential
Residential Zone (High Density)
Analysis
“Urban Axis�
The site is located by two of major axes in Detroit, I-94 Interstate (Edsel Ford Freeway) and Gratioit Avenue. As for its old fame being the automobile city in United States, the site has a great
advantage of vehicle approach with two major highways and small streets in a rigid grid.
N
N
1
3 2
Toward Downtown of Detroit
Site Perimeter
Main Vehicle Circulation 1 2 3
I-94 Interstate (Edsel Ford Freeway) Old Railway Gratiot Avenue
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V.
“Accessibility” A collection of streets are forming an urban grid, and within a grid, new urban measurement, ‘block’ are formed. Buildings with different programs has been placed in the perimeter of these different sizes of blocks. A network of grid provides an easier access to the city’s
two main axes, I-94 interstate and Gratiot Avenue that can potentially connect the area to central downtown of Detroit and to other part of city or state.
N
“Commercial” The avenue acts as one central axis into which other smaller grids converge, and active vehicle circulatioin occurs. As a result, it is coherent for commercial programs to be located along the central
axis of Detroit in order to be capable of serving as many surrounding urban grids as possible.
N
Major Commercial Blocks
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Analysis
“Industrial Axis” Industrial areas (ruins) are located along the longitude of Concord Street and Bellevue Street that are dissecting the two axes.
Their humongous occupation in the areas are forming one mega-city unit within the city.
N
Industrial Blocks
“Residential Properties” Around industrial areas, housings and public programs have been placed as workers in the industrial areas need their home. And as industrial areas decayed, housings consequently decay as well
starting with areas that are closer to industrial areas. Nowadays, it is difficult to find an active and lively community around the site, rather there are many empty housings that are left to decay.
N
Residential Zone (Low Density)
“Less Than 5 Housings”
Residential Zone (Medium Density)
“Less Than 10 Housings”
Residential Zone (High Density)
“More Than 10 Housings”
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V.
“Second Migration�
The first kind of migration dramatically increased the population of Detroit drawing labors from rural areas to the industrial city. When the city had hit its peak of population in 1950, another kind
of migration toward suburbs began to occur while leaving AfricanAmerican population in the center of city. The city kept on expanding outward but the urban core was already in decline.
site
~ 1,800,000
population of the city in 1950
713,777
population of the city in 2010
~ 60.3 %
% of depleted population
Caucasian African American Other(Asian, Hispanic)
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Analysis
Abandoned Homes With the declining economy and population in, the density of city became lower resulting a number of abandoned houses and vacant properties. They are densely concentrated in the center of city
and used to accomodate workers who had worked at manufacturing facilities in the city center. These abandoned properties spread over the size of Manhattan now symbolize the imagery of Detroit.
80,000 ~
abandoned homes over the city
11,790
foreclosure listings in 2008
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V.
Vacant Properties A demolition of unused buildings continued as an attempt to build something newer and appropirate for the energy of city until decades ago. At this point any kind of urban design has stopped
due to bankrupt administration with no budget. A repeated process of residential occupations and their demolitions have engraved the urban grid on landscape.
100,000 ~
vacant properties over the city
1,000 ~
demolition of broken houses per week
1930s
1980s
1990s
present ? future Occupied Residential Standing Vacant Vacant Lot / Green Space
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Analysis
Surrounding Parks One of noticable green component around the site is a park. There are 23 parks that served the core population that were mainly working-class families. In the satellite map, the widespread occupation
of these parks quickly jump into one’s eye despite the site being non-rural area. Above all, these vast range of acres have become underused and abandoned green areas.
2.0 mi
Armour-Knodell Park
Biraga Playground
Lodge Playground
1.0 mi
Harper Court Park
Karaniewski Park
Burns Lambert Park
site
Latham Playgroud Pingree Park
Lucky Place
Saint Anthony Playground
James Vernor Playground
Dueweke Park
Callahan Playground
Warren-Meldrum Park Johnston Park
Perrien Park
Sylvester-Seyburn Park Sylvester Field
Bradley Playground
2/23
number of active green area
da
to D
Mt. Elliott-Zender Park
ana to C
ow n
Illinois-Moran
tow no fD etr oit
Dabrowski Playground
~ 623 ha ~ 1,539 ac ~ 6,232,078 m2 ~ 67,081,538 ft2
total green area
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V.
Transformation The urban regeneration through conservative surgery can preserve both utopia and dystopia: one to celebrate how the city flourished once and one to witness the decline of it. One can
experience physical conditions of both uncanny old megastructure and newly integrated intervention.
Heterotopia well-managed industrial legacies with new functions and programs can elicit both new kind architectural experience and nostalgia in the past : a coexistence of utopia and dystopia
Urban Regeneration
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Dystopia
Utopia
growing derelict industrial infrastructures where there are no more human activities are becoming problematic for cities.
As manufacturing facilites demanded more labors, growing population gathered around the factories. Other supplemental programs also grew up to serve worker families
VI.
Urban Regeneration : Designs
After the decision of physical design strategy, the next step is to find out programs that will be placed in the physical fabric. Without strong infilled programs, physical design will be powerless as discussed in the earlier research. At the same time, these programs should be carefully considered by administration, not just mere political display. Not only did the inevitable shift of manufacture sites caused the decline but also poor policy making made Detroit fall in last decades.
Barnes and Nobles Store, A Renovated Power Plant( Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland)
Design
Program Research
“Current Urban Farming in Detroit”
“Urban Agriculture” One of common proposals of recent urban planners is to transform vacant properties to farmlands - urban agriculture. In fact, some of existing communities actually began a movement of urban gardens in their abandoned public parks nearby in their own. But simply going back to agrarian lifestyle does not necessarily solve the core issue; Detroit needs more taxpayers, and taxpayer means jobs.
Detroit used to symbolize the imagery of masculine labors at industrial sites and intense energy come from dynamic manufacturing process. Nowadays, it became a place where artists, designers and small entrepreneurs have begun to gather due to its cheap rental price and comparatively large space, and this small community can be a key to rebuild the city.
“Shinola shop in Detroit”
“Handmade Artisans” The handmade manufacture brand called Shinola is a perfect example of what the thesis pursues. All of the products are tagged with ‘made in Detroit,’ and many of Detroiters are empolyed at Shinola. It renovated old Argonaut Building, the old General Motors Research
Laboratory to its headquarter. Their local shops are also decorated with masculine theme of raw H-steel beams. Its product designs seems crude yet simple. Both representation and contribution of Shinola inspires a future direction of Detroit’s revitalization.
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VI.
Urban Agriculture
“An illustration how vacant properties can be transformed into urban agriculture�
Design
Potential Farmlands
“Site Model and adjcent properties that can be potentially transformed into farmlands�
VI.
Craftmanship
“Made in Detroit, Made in U.S.A”
Real estates price of abandoned and vacant properties dropped significantly providing spaces for cultural artists, social activists and new entrepeneurs. The ‘third’ type of migration to Detroit shoud be more encouraged. It could create more and newer opportunities for Detroit and Detroiters with new emerging business and activities that
“Graphic Representation of Detroiters’ new entrepeneurs”
can revitalize the city. The thesis specifically focused on a theme of ‘raw, masculine and industrial,’ that had been once a sprit of Detroit in its flourishing period. Followings propose a new daily timeline of Detroiters and their new business.
Whiskey Distillery Andy is savoring the aroma of justdistilled whiskey.
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10 : 30 am
Design
Butchery Dan is processing perfectily dry-aged beef.
Beer Brewery 08 : 20 am
Blacksmith Kyle is forging a steel to make a kitchen knife
Peter is inspecting the effervescence of freshly brewed beer.
13 : 00 pm
Leather Craftshop 10 : 30 am
Marc is softening split leather to make a suitcase.
11 : 00 am
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VI.
Barbor Shop Nathan is performing a traditional straight razor shave.
Tailor Shop 13 : 15 pm
Carpentry Ethan is carving out Oak tree for furniture.
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John is cutting textiles for a tailored suit.
16 : 25 pm
Mechanics 17 : 10 pm
Taylor is performing weekly engine checks.
19 : 00 pm
Design
“Savile Row, England”
industrial manufacture
commercial
distribution
service
office
Program Palette
infrastructure
residential
accomodation
public space
education cultural
“Man Cave Producs” A innate nature of mankind to fabricate never died in human history. When an act of fabrication was a survival tool in the ancient time, now it has changed into personal hobbies in modern times of large production era. These have been done in a personal workplace like a garage or basement level, and many men want their own man cave space, their own sanctuary, and the program planning of this project tries to bring out activities of man cave to public realm.
The collection of these craftmanship of fabrication can bind strongly and grow up together like prestige traditional tailors in Savile Row, England. They can ultimately achieve the exclusive quality whose brand name can be sold to other countries as Shinola has already set a foot gaining credibilities of its design and quality. Unlike the old days when Detroit had produced and sold products from the site directly, Detroiters can sell ‘names’ of their high-end crafted goods. Once these craftmanship are settled down in the site, other relative programs as shown in the palette above can be born.
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VI.
90
“Zones”
“Manufacturing Space”
“Supplying Space”
The design have divided into four main zones : workspace(studio, manufacturer), supply space, commercial and roof garden. Smaller derived programs listed on the program palette can be placed in these zones.
It connects each sector into one singular megastructure where workplaces(offices, studios and manufacturers) can fit.
Destroying the selected space for cargo warehouse where s commercial and manufactur products can be delivered ou
e provides a wide space supplies can come in for ring spaces and finished ut.
Design
“Commercial Space”
“Public Space”
Destroying parts of each sector will provide commercial and other service spaces. It will be the main gallaery where visitors can enjoy.
Roof level will be connected together to create large roof garden. Visitors can view few points of interest such as downtown, harbor and Canadian side along with dominating green areas around the site.
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Roof Garden Design
VI.
“Plan view (red line indicating the subtractive design plan)”
“Sketches of subtractive designs on Sector 6”
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Plan View
Aerial Plan View
First Level Floor Plan
Thrid Level Floor Plan
VI.
Isometric View
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 6 Building) program system, axonometric view Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, programs
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Design
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 6 Building) Packard Museum (previously structure system, axonometric view Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, structure system
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VI.
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 6 Building) skin system, axonometric view Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, skin systems
98 Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, skin systems
Design
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 6 Building) floor system, axonometric view
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, oor system
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VI.
Packard Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 6 Building) core system, view Packardaxonometric Museum (previously Packard Plant Sector 1 Building) axonometric view, core and circulation systems
100
Design
Spatial Design Sketch(1F)
Spatial Design Sketch(3F)
VI.
Section View
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Design
Ssection Comparison of Before and After
Section Section
After Before
Old Packard Mobile Plant (the site) New Architecture Intervention section view.
Fiinal Section
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VII.
Interior shot of Landscape Park Duisburg-Nord, Germany
Epilogue
Epilogue
While many who are captured by a mirage of Guggenheim effect in Bilbao strive to demolish urban abandonments and to rebuild from scratch, the thesis (1) explores derelicts in terms of their original purposes and architecture and how to preserve their industrial legacy, (2) performs ‘conservative surgery’, and (3) inserts appropriate programs. As neo-liberalism in today’s world has sought for newer and better economic system to satisfy its own dogma, a number of industries have experienced its flourishing moment and also its decline. Along the decline of industry, purposes of original buildings are lost, and these abandoned buildings are influencing
adjacent urbanism negatively serving as one small dystopia. The thesis reinterprets these increasing industrial derelicts and revitalize them with different purposes. The fact that many of these industrial derelicts will eventually fall wherever they are whether in India or China is an inevitable fate of many cities in developing countries. As shown in successful precedent cases such as Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland and Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in Germany, what the thesis pursues can propose a new future for these forthcoming fates of cities other than an extravagant demolition.
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