tt
Fk ienldtino gn the alterna tive berre
in preparation:
thesis exploration and research K E L T O N
R E E D
B E R R E T T
soli d : m eltss into o a i r
h
“Liberation rests on the construction of the consciousness, the imaginative apprehension, of oppression, and so of possibility.” -donna haraway What can architecture do to contribute to a vision of this new left, of the alternative? Perhaps its the process, the anti-speculative, the accreted long view of communities of continuity. Do communities of continuity exist? Or is the alternative one for cyborgs? Is this an architecture of affinity, a frankensteinian lovechild of Michael Reynolds and shards of Norman Foster. An architecture seeking to resolve technology, humanity, and nature though embracing the tension, making it known. An architecture that is at once archeological, minimal, and ornamental. Utopian, but plausible. An architecture that confronts the treadmill, subverts what it needs from it, and uses it to succeed despite of it. A building that asks:
“Who are you? Are you in touch with all of your darkest fantasies? Have you created a life for yourself where you can experience them? I have I am fucking crazy But I am free.” -Lana del rey
literary genera ccyborg manifesto
Myths and
donna haraway
over time - h
Haraway offers tremendous insights for this project in charting a new course. Unlike so many neoliberal critiques, it is not asking for a return. Instead it argues for an embrace of the tension, an acceptance of the contradictions of our world, and a realization that we all will be cyborgs. In Haraway’s words, it is an “effort to build an ironic political myth faithful to feminism, socialism, and materialism.” Haraway offers three realms, the human realm, the natural realm, and perhaps most radical, the technological realm. For this project, I desire to engage all three actively. It is my intention (referencing “Doppler” here), to use this project to contribute to the construction of a new consciousness. Aspects of this new consciousness include shifting visions of “self” away from a state that relies on the reflections of “other” to define it. I believe this is where my explorations of perception and visual trickery is rooted, in an interest in what our perceptions of reality are based on, and how these mechanisms can be manipulated towards this end of redefining “self.”
Of particular intere zog and de Meuron chaeological, the m tal. The archaeolog I take in adaptive re mundane, and the r ing.” Minimalism as of Modernism I find terms of the Miesia and allowing the be on its own terms. H this to stunning eff winery. Finally, I wa tion of reclaiming o into a timeless aspe reappropriating cla taps so much poten vian delight, and be place, through the for example.
ators of vision
d collaborations capitalist realism
herzog & de meuron
est to this project was Hern’s three themes, the arminimalist, and the ornamengical appeals to the interest e-use, the elevation of the recurrent theme of “layers a theme from the world d useful still, particularly in an adoration of connections eauty of the material to speak Herzog and de Meuron use fect both in the Napa Valley as very compelled by the noornamentation, and tapping ect of architecture, while not assical themes. For me, this ntial in terms of adding vitrueginning to root a building in use of vernacular patterns,
mark fisher Capitalist Realism is a visceral text for me, in that it starts to define a framework for this project, creating a “new left,” in which this project will contribute to defining. As a Marxist thinker, I am concerned about the effects of neoliberalism at a societal level, an ecological level, and an individual level. Capitalist Realism perhaps for the first time cements in my mind concern the assumption of inevitability surrounding capitalism, and particularly neoliberalism, is a problem. This is problematic even by our own capitalist/ American metrics, there is no competition in the “marketplace” of ideas. Without conceiving of any alternatives, how much are we denying ourselves the ability to engage problems, particularly in the social and environmental fields. With this, I really have based the premise of my project. What is an alternative? A workable solution that limits the influence of the treadmill of production, but can operate within the system to the extent that it begins to shift paradigms. A community focused process and outcome. A anti-speculative process and outcome. A vision of the new left, leaning on the definitions of the cyborg manifesto, and integrating themes of archaeology, minimalism, and ornamentation.
precedence: Caixa forum - herzog & de meuron
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The Caixa Forum epitomizes Herzog & de Meuron’s archaelogical approach to adaptive re-use. Unlike typical preservation practices, this approach is not nostalgic in trying to re-create a specific time period for the building, but is simply treated as an artifact of material on the site, to be adapted to today’s needs. This is exemplified by infilling the historic windows, and opening up windows to respond to the newe urban conditions, leaving the echos of the past use (a power station built in 1899). Furthermore, the project, by surgically removing the base, allows for greater urban permeability, and the creation of public space.
precedence: umass dartmouth carney library paul rudoph - designlab
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The Claire T. Carney Libary serves as an excellent precedent study for my interest in adaptively reusing specifically concrete brutalist architecture. The intervention encloses a portion of the campus (UMass Dartmouth) with a class casing. By doing this, the raked concrete texture becomes an interior element and design feature, and the areas created by the raised pilotis that were once unhospitable to inhabitation as an outdoor space, find themselves to be intimate private study spaces. The minimal intervention does what it can to re-interpret the the classic features of Modernism, by making them features to be used and enjoyed.
parameters: location and context
downtown salt lake cityg 3
state street main street
interstate 15
: 3
5
energy solutions arena
ygalivan plaza 8
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salt palace convention cntr. city creek center 7
parameters: location and context
state street
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main street orpheum st. regeant st. Plum alley 8
For this project I have chosen Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is experiencing a robust return of urbanism spurred on by Utah’s rapid growth since the 2002 Winter Games. Much of the fine grain of the historic urban fabric had been dealt a double blow, first by the massive disinvestment typical of any city in the post WWII era, two by the massive amounts of reinvestment in the post Winter Games era that brought massive super projects such as the Salt Palace, and the Galivan Center. The counterpoint to this is the progressive planning policies and investment choices by the city in recent years that has brought light rail, and an attention to breaking up the massive 600’ x 600’ blocks with smaller units of development, reclaimation of pedestrian friendly alley ways, and inner block plazas. It is representative of the tensions playing out in our cities in the neoliberal era. The project itself is a 9 story Modernist era parking structure, accessed by a ramp (Plumb Alley) from 2nd S. to the south, as well as Regent and Orpheum streets, which are examples of the inner block alley ways that have a great deal of urban potential.
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: program ideas K-12 School Retail Bars Restaurant 20% Affordable/Subsidized Housing Market Rate Housing Office Floor Parking Health Clinic Day Care After-school Center
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In a typical growth scenario, this block would be slated for redevelopment, and likely would have been given a great deal of support from municipal government. Upon purchase, the parking structure would be eliminated, new parking would be located underground, and an office/boutique retail/luxury condominium mid rise would have taken its place, unable to add affordable rentals to downtown, or places for small business to incubate. What if this structure was put into a community trust? Land banking is increasingly a tool utilized by communities to preserve open land, or provide affordable housing. Why not “building-banking?” Instead of designating the block as a urban renewal zone and throwing a soft pitch to private developers, could municipal government ensure that this public structure ended up under the control of a group of locals that cut across the socio-economic structure? Such a group would be responsible for part of its purchase, then play the role of client by selecting an architect and contractor. The building then could be phased and adaptively re-used, utilizing passive design features such as the thermal mass of the hulking concrete for ventilation and passive heating. Materials such as reinforced rammed earth and gabion basket walls could be used as infill, these materials lend themselves to the work of lay people, adding an element of “Habitat for Humanity” to the project. By reusing the structure, I fulfill a couple of goals. First, there is a huge amount of embodied energy, energy it took to produce the concrete and steel (extremely energy intensive processes), ship it to the site, and build it. It preserves a piece of Modernist heritage that should in no way be undervalued, but transforms it from underutilized parking storage, to a contributing community building. The environmental benefits of a sustainable focused adaptive reused structure are visceral rejections of treadmill/growth machine outcomes, and likely wouldn’t gain traction for a short-term-gain focused developer, but for a community that stands to benefit for the long term in terms of energy savings. The structure would be truly mixed use, provided mix-income, mixed-mode housing, many for the members of the trust, as well as affordable downtown retail space. Perhaps a school could be included to accommodate the growth of families in downtown. The process of retrofitting with again, environmentally and place sensitive materials that don’t require trade knowledge is an effort to bring the community together for a common purpose, reclaiming the blight of their city, instead of the typical urban renewal of either the public or private sectors. Think of the social capital building that would be happening simultaneously, the probably more weak ties that are being forged in the process. This is a development scenario, versus a growth scenario. Finally, allowing the project to be phased, ultimately builds an element of affordability, and a way to avoid the “insta-urbanism” we often see today. Urbanism is a process of accretion, of sedimentation. It is laid out in strata over time. It the difference between Jane Jacob’s gradual money, and cataclysmic money. The phasing allows the community trust the ability to get smaller loans from banks (reducing the chances for default and control by bankers), and simply allows the pooling of personal money to be less burdensome to modest incomes.
parameters:
The {new} performing arts center 2
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The final consideration of mention is the current construction of the George S. and Delores Dore Eccles Theater. This Pelli Clark Pelli designed theater and adjacent office tower epitomizes the growth model, and the erosion of fine grain urbanism. However, the theater will provide generous open space for the users of the project, and represents a valuable opportunity for urban intervention. I view this development as an opportunity to provide a stark contrast to the current paradigm, to ask “What is the alternative?�
:works cited: 1. “Caixa Forum - Herzog & De Meuron.” Caixa Forum - Herzog & De Meuron. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http:// www.arcspace.com/features/herzog--de-meuron/caixa-forum/>. 2. “George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater -.” George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater -. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ecclestheater.com/>. 3. GoogleEarth 4. “DesignLab Architects.” DesignLab Architects. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.designlabarch.com/claire-tcarney-library/13/>. 5. “Energy Solutions Arena.” SAHARA. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.sahara1.com/projects/detail/energysolutions-arena>. 6. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mpiweb.org/CMS/uploadedImages/Education_and_Events/ WEC_2009/ Travel/SaltPalace_SteveGreenwood.jpg>. 7. “City Creek Center.” Www.shopcitycreekcenter.com. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.shopcitycreekcenter. com/>. 8. “Family Fun & Kids Attractions | Things to Do in Salt Lake City.” Visit Salt Lake. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http:// www.visitsaltlake.com/events/family-events/>.