Graduate Thesis

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University In partial fulfillment of The requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture Department of Architecture By LINDSAY NICOLE FALLERT Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2012

Advisor_________________________ (SCOTT JOHNSTON) Reader__________________________ (J.E. ELLIOTT) Reader__________________________ (SERGIO SANABRIA)

Table of Contents

Abstract

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Thesis Paper

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Thesis Addendum

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Narrative

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Site Exploration

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Case Study

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Corset Study

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Conceptual Site Design

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Programming Analysis

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Site Development

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Conceptual Work

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Presentation

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Digital Document

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STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

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Abstract

Cellular telephones, digital cameras, and touch screens emerge in the late 20th century as proof of a global and wired economy. Yet these technologies and the way that we interact with our, now mobile, devices have not been explored in a way that takes into account the inventor’s ideologies. Steampunk as an investigation and reinterpretation of Victorian era steam design and engineering allows us to revisit the past; to learn from opportunities missed. Thus, this paper will explore the emergence of a new architecture conceptually inspired by the retrospective futurism of steampunk. Steampunk is defined as a subgenre with roots in the dystopian novels of the 19th century and as a participatory subculture which operates within social networks to express a collective vision. As such, this paper will delve into the meaning of the term, the various stages of literary discourse, and how the steampunk subculture chooses to express their collective vision. Analysis of architecture inspired by the subgenre of steampunk will be provided, as well as a review of undefined architecture that has the potential to express this emerging aesthetic.

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

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Steampunk and Architecture: Retrospective Futurism as a Design Tool

Establishing a Precedent

Critical Investigation

In the fall of 2010, a filmmaker from the UK noticed a visual disparity in the 1928 Charlie Chaplin film, “The Circus.” In the background of a street scene, a woman walking alone appeared to be speaking aloud with her hand over her ear. Broadcasters around the world invoked speculation as they posited, since mobile phone technology did not exist at that time, was the woman a time traveler? The strongest and most viable argument against this proposition was that the woman, in her elder years, was testing a concealed hearing aid.

Steampunk is categorized as a participatory subculture which operates within social networks to express a collective vision, and as a subgenre with roots in both the utopian and dystopian novels of the 19th century. As such, this paper will delve into the meaning of the term, how the steampunk subculture chooses to express their collective vision, and how the various stages of literary discourse have influenced the visualization of steampunk.

Integrated into this investigation will be an analysis of four steampunk installations, an early steampunk architectural project, and a review of two undefined architectural projects that have the potential to express this emerging aesthetic.

The first United States patent of a hearing aid was in 1892 for A.E. Miltimore’s Magneto Telephone for Personal Wear. It was never put into production, yet the inventor’s clever integration of the telephonic transmitter as a decorative and portable timepiece has continued to inspire designs such as Apple’s ipod shuffle.1 This unique time period of innovation, held between the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, serves as the turning point of modernity, and the point at which we have the greatest opportunity to learn from both the successes and failures of past inventors, scientists, and engineers.

Reflecting on the Victorian era is not nostalgia; it is the purposeful investigation of an alternative history. As designers, we have traveled too far along a linear path, forgotten what it means to interact with and understand our modern objects and structures. In architecture we may reveal columns, beams, or even treat our mechanical systems as exoskeletons, but we do not touch, move, or replace these building elements. They are static and clean; washed, masked and altogether stripped of imperfections.

Steampunk as a design methodology is a method of release from these strictures of contemporary thought and practice. Therefore, this paper seeks to address the question, how can the unique retrospective futurism of steampunk inspire new architectural design?

More than a Combinative Term The term steampunk is thought to have first been expressed by the author K.W. Jeter in reference to his 1979 Science Fiction novel, Morlock Night, the sequel to H.G. Well’s 1895 novel, The Time Machine. In order to better understand the term steampunk and why K.W. Jeter chose to qualify his novel as such, we must separate the two seemingly disparate words steam and punk, and investigate their physical and cultural implications.

The word steam is evocative of the manufacturing process of the Victorian era.

This is the time of the Industrial Revolution, where mechanic cycles held time for sweatstained drudgers. The romanticized image of tailored lords and laced ladies is in stark contrast with the brute strength required to construct and operate these coal-fed monstrosities of iron. Steam thus arises from the pipes of industrial plants, while early automobiles, locomotives, ocean liners, and other coal powered operations also continuously release steam in their processes.

Steam is hot and emits moisture, which contrasts with the pre-existing purity of the air.

In this way, it represents both the progress and motion of industry while also revealing a oppositional force.

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

Underground Architecture Before the days of bullet trains, steam technology was used to collect workers under the hum of the streets and transfer them to their final earthly destinations via the underground. Thus the first architectural investigation of steampunk is the oldest, a renovation of the underground Paris Métro line 11, and the entrance to the Arts et Metiers.

The Musee des Arts et Metiers is relevant to the idea of steampunk, as it houses important Victorian era technological innovations such as early telescopes, calculators, and cameras.

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gallery exhibition, the Oamaru steampunk train arises out of the earth on a broken track. The nine ton diesel-turned-steam train was designed by Jack Grenfell, Brian de Geest, and Don Paterson for the exhibit titled, “Steampunk: Tomorrow as it used to be” which ran from October to December of 2010.2

Image 2 - Oamaru Train

Image 1 - Paris Metro Line 11

The renovation of this particular station was completed in 1994 by Francois Schuiten, a comic book artist from Belgium. His comics are set in futuristic urban landscapes which include industrial skyscrapers and steam powered locomotives. These visual investigations of architecture inspired the museum’s staff to provide him the opportunity to transform this particular Métro entrance for their bicentenary celebration. A steampunk defined project from the start, Schuiten’s underground station is aglow with copper panels lined with rivets, metallic cogs and port holes; conjuring images of submersibles. The underground station is not without contest for it is literally a comic book sketch come to life. The walls are crisp and clean and the portholes contain images of architectural vignettes. The gears at the arch of the structure are immobile; statues devoted to the bygone era instead of a rotating celebration of retrospection.

Steampunk Train In comparison, a more recent visualization of steampunk was installed in Oamaru, New Zealand. A featured piece of the Forrester

Visual features of the train include a rusty dragon’s head at the helm, reminiscent of ships, with large inoperable missiles attached at the sides. The application of steampunk accessories onto the train creates a piecemeal appearance as opposed to a cohesive design.

The ironworking of the train itself is very clean, yet the attached objects meant to denote steampunk are rusted. The conversion of a diesel train to steam is also a visual discrepancy since the engine is unchanged; only a steam pipe from an old riverboat relates to its new purpose. In spite of these contrasts, the train is meant to be bold and harsh. At this early stage of steampunk visualization, garish spectacle is to be expected as a means of broadcasting its presence.

Installation as Victorian Visualization Without the direct integration of steam, yet drawing on Victorian technology, the Telectroscope appeared in both London and New York City from late 2007 until June of 2008. The Telectroscope began as a historically inspired myth, and was facilitated in large part by the internet. The artist, Paul St George, allegedly found a suitcase which belonged to his great-grandfather, a Victorian engineer.

The contents of the suitcase included plans of the Telectroscope which provided the idea of visually connecting two distant locations through an underground tunnel.3

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

The Telectroscope, in the Victorian era, was an early image facsimile in response to the invention of the telephone. In a critique of the Telectroscope installation, David Pike writes, “St George parodies the naïve rhetoric of heroic engineering and emulates the often purposeless nature of its creations.”4 The first glimpse of St George’s project began with the appearance of an oversized drill on each of the sites, similar to the Oamaru train. Literally emerging from the depths of the earth with permission for use of the existing subway systems, these drills, and later the Telectroscope itself, captured the imagination of Londoners and New Yorkers alike. What was criticized as being “purposeless” became an interactive urban feature. Viewers, using their own ingenuity, personalized the installation by organizing dance offs and forming friendships across the Atlantic. Despite the internet’s ability to virtually connect the world, the combined myth and fabrication of a Victorianinspired machine engendered a novel collective experience.

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The Integration of Punk The Victorian presence of steam amidst the Industrial Revolution is only one half of the steampunk whole. Punk is a subculture which emerged in full force in the late 1970s, with later expansions and dissentions in the 1990s.

Punks are defined by their aggressive clothing, music, and their political view which leans towards anarchism. David L. Pike writes in his article, “New Agenda: Afterimages of the Victorian City” that “By combining an imaginative investment in technology with a profound distrust of conventional order and structures, steampunk manages to recover something of the Victorian relationship to engineering and the underground that had been wholly obscured by the dictates of modernism.”5 In this way, steampunk is not a quaint or quiet expression of Victoriana. Instead, it commands both the terms steam and punk; a direct criticism of the existing fabric of modernity, including architecture.

Thus, steampunk architecture should emerge in opposition to what is considered to be “of the time”; the glass and steel boxes of modernism to ironic post-modern designs to the new complexities of digitally generated and rendered architectural forms. Steampunk is a rare means of escape from what is deemed as “the right and only way” to design and understand architecture.

Steampunk Park

Image 3 - Telectroscope, United Kingdom

Apart from the aforementioned drill emerging on the site, the design of the Telectroscope is very similar to Shuiten’s station since it appears that the object is derived from a drawing or sketch. Much like prototypes extracted from a three dimensional printer, it also lacks the rough and textural qualities of Victorian engineering. The metals are too crisp and clean while oversized ornamental finials are affixed awkwardly to the top of the installation. In spite of these contradictions, the object itself is forgiven because of its social impact and its shameless promotion of the alternative history of steampunk; giving two nations a rare glimpse into the Victorian’s seemingly radical approach to the now simple task of global connectivity.

Begun in 1983 by Tom Every, the backyard park dubbed “Forevertron” is a mash-up of industrial remnants gathered from his previous employment in the wreckage and salvage business.

Disheartened by American consumerist culture and politics, Tom Every borrowed land from his friend Jim Delaney in Baraboo, Wisconsin to build his escapist fantasy. The park displays a Victorian style of futurism, distinctly dissimilar to the 1950’s space age retro-futurism of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland (since the original Submarine Voyage is no longer in existence). A notion of unrest becomes apparent in the material choice and composition of Forevertron. Instead of shiny, clean, painted white metals or solid concrete forms there is disintegration and rust.

The industrial pieces are placed in a way that is not delicate but instead contrastingly bold and powerful amidst the Midwestern landscape.

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

While creating the park, Every reinvented himself as a Victorian era doctor-inventor, Dr. Evermore, who would save himself via the Forevertron from a prophesized electrical storm. The Forevertron then, Dr. Evermore tells PBS in a video interview, is used “to perpetuate oneself back into the heavens on a magnetic lightening force beam inside a glass ball inside a copper egg.”6 Built up from what was torn down, the reflective futurism of the park reveals what happens when ingenuity, imagination, and a desire to escape the effects of modernity combine.

Image 4 – The Forevertron

Sensory Steampunkery This then brings us to the subculture of steampunk. Men and women from diverse social and economic backgrounds participate in steampunkery; invention and design through tinkering with found materials. Participatory steampunk is most popular in the UK, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Most individuals investigate the steampunk aesthetic through fashion, art, music, invention, fan fiction, blogging, photography, and graphic design. They then share their objects through teas, parties, gallery openings, or online.

Many of the objects created by the subculture are in the form popularized by Jake Von Slatt, founder of The Steampunk Workshop online site. With a kit-of-parts from found or purchased industrial objects, Von Slatt creates what could have occurred had a Victorian era designer been transported to affect our 21st century household machines such as a PC, an ipod, a guitar, and even a car. Critics of this mash-up of Victorianism using found material claim that, “Steampunk is humbug design,

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scrap-booking masquerading as the avantgarde.”7 The conflict imbedded in the practice of steampunkery is that personalized design was uncommon during the Victorian era, while industrialization presented a more rigid and unnatural aesthetic as compared to what the subculture wishes to emulate. What the critic misses is that these objects are not meant to define steampunk, but to allow the subculture to play out their own fantasy as inventors. The do-it-yourself approach may not yield the best aesthetic results, but the process encourages community, thus defining and expanding the subculture.

Despite the criticism of steampunkery, the authenticity of steampunk art has reached greater notoriety and acceptance. In the winter of 2010, the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford, UK held an exhibit titled, “Steampunk. Devices + Contraptions Extraordinaire” and in the Spring of 2011 the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Massachusetts held an exhibit titled, “Steampunk, Form & Function, and an Exhibition of Innovation, Invention and Gagetry.” These exhibits allow for a wider and more academic discourse in terms of the viability of the subculture and the opportunity for architectural exploration.

Literary Tradition Steampunk, as a visual expression, draws its inspiration from literature. Dime novels called Edisonades as well as full length science fiction novels began to visualize an alternative lifestyle in the Victorian era; encountering new lands and resolving dangerous situations with innovative inventions.

Two novels have been agreed upon as forming the basis of this Science Fiction subgenre and are direct inspiration for many of the steampunk installations and architectural works. They are Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and H.G. Well’s The Time Machine written in 1869 and 1895, respectively. The former novel forms a visualization of a perturbing underwater submersible; the 70 meter long Nautilus.

Captain Nemo, the protagonist, equipped his escapist vehicle with fantastic inventions such as an integrated breathing apparatus, salt and mercury batteries, an indestructible dinghy, and a myriad of gauges for the calculation of weather, location, and depth. The interiors are carefully described in the novel and include the ebony inlaid oak cabinets of the dining room,

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

the black rosewood and brass bookshelves in the library, and the illuminated Tridacna shell fountain surrounded by display cabinets reinforced with copper; the prime material used in Schuiten’s underground renovation of line 11.

In The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells, the Time Traveller similarly creates an escapist vehicle which leads him into undiscovered territory. On his journey into the future, the Traveller arrives at a post-apocalyptic landscape of architectural ruins reclaimed by nature, now similar to our own Brownfield sites. The Eloi, a docile breed of future-human, inhabit a large hall with broken colored glass and white metal flooring; the remnants of modern architecture.

Yet it is the opposing race, the Morlocks, who have created a steampunk vision with their above-ground bronze ventilation wells which lead to an industrialized underground city. This city is a logical continuation of the spirit of Victorian London’s ever-expanding underground system. It is with great misfortune that this location is not better described, yet it is these contrasting dystopian elements that form the post-apocalyptic escapist retreats of steampunk enthusiasts.

Furthering the Steampunk Subgenre Steampunk author Jess Nevins notes in his “Introduction: The 19th-Century Roots of Steampunk,” that the writers of the 20th and 21st century steampunk novels were split into two generations.8 The first generation explored the integration of the words steam and punk in almost an almost literal sense which allowed for a darker, more antagonist view of the protagonist.

The second generation of steampunk, from the mid-1990s to the present time, returns to the nostalgia of Edisonades and the science fiction novels in the 19th century.

Authors of the first generation of steampunk were able to create this darker form of steampunk by interjecting ideas from the burgeoning science fiction subgenre of cyberpunk; computerized technology as an Orwellian big brother with possibilities for human integration. William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, both prominent cyberpunk authors, collaborated on one of the best examples of the steampunk subgenre, The Difference Engine.

Published in 1990, The provides an alternative

Difference Engine history had the

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Victorian engineer, Charles Babbage, succeeded in the patent and production of two human-powered computational machines; the difference engine and the analytical engine.

These engines, in combination with an assumption of further development of steam technologies in the industrial and military realm, encourage a form of Foucauldian panoptic control by the government. The informational and statistical power inherit in the machine is of paramount importance to the culture of savants; a leading party of scientists, engineers, and writers who work to uphold the sanctity of science and protect data that could disrupt this new world order. The protagonists use retrospective inventions such as the Zephyr (a three wheeled high-speed coal operated vehicle) in order to fight against their antagonists. Thus the important relationship of the mechanic to the machine encourages a review of our own relationship to our modern technologies and reminds us of the possibility of governmental control over our physical and virtual information.9 The Difference Engine in particular does not have a direct connection to current architectural explorations, but it does clearly form an argument against the linearity of modernity; how individuals become lost in the shadow of progress. The novel also highlights the opportunities missed from the casual disposal of inventions such as Charles Babbage’s difference engine despite the problems that arose with its fictional misuse, and the Zephyr which was similar to the Victorian era Stanley Steam Car. Post Industrial Steampunk Armed with a thorough understanding of the term steampunk, we are able to critically analyze the architecture that integrates both the subculture and the subgenre. The Steampunk Treehouse, designed and built by Sean Orlando of Kinetic Steam Works and the arts collective Five Ton Crane (5TC) for the Burning Man Festival 2007 and Coachella 2008, exhibits a new way of envisioning a home of the future.10 Placed in a landscape similar to the one inhabited by H.G. Well’s Eloi, the Steampunk Treehouse is a post-apocalyptic memory of what a tree once was. Its creation is in homage to the way a tree serves as both refuge and vantage point; allowing us to revisit our childlike desire to hide away, develop our imagination, and express our creativity.

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not been defined as such by either the architect or the media. Despite this fact, both the Pullpo Advertising Agency and The Brain integrate key steampunk elements in their design and construction. These include the contrast of industrial forms and objects with the appearance of natural post-apocalyptic “recovery” elements. Also, the projects integrate a story; either a myth or a personal narrative. Lastly, the projects involve a certain amount of steampunkery; innovation and invention are used in either the structural form or the architectural details.

Image 6 - Pullpo Advertising Agency Image 5 – The Steampunk Treehouse

One of the project leaders, David Shulman, in an interview with Jeff Leads of the New York Times said of the project, “It’s very big, and visually it’s to scale. It sits in the environment but the closer you get to it when you climb up you see all the little bits of art and creation that went into it, the rivets and crown nuts on the bolts and the handmade windows, the handmade balconies; the little details that make it rich and alive.”11 In this way, the Steampunk Treehouse is an expression of steampunkery. Unlike Shuiten’s underground renovation and the Telectroscope, the artists of the Treehouse twisted metals and rusted steel panels, and then added Victorian objects to form the dystopian aesthetic.

Interactive elements such as a tire swing, telescope, and steam whistles bring human activity to the site; encouraging a visceral approach to this gritty post-industrial design.

Architectural Inspiration The final two architectural projects are an investigation of steampunk although they have

The Pullpo Advertising Agency, designed by Hania Stambuk Marasovic with the assistance of the structural engineer, Claudio Hinojosa, was completed in 2008 in Santiago, Chile.

Integrating new with old, the addition attaches itself to an existing abandoned salt factory via thin cables fastened to the ceiling. Individual prefabricated units (pods) create meeting rooms and break-out spaces. Nico Saieh of Arch Daily writes, “…the commission is considered as a counterpoint of industrial aesthetics of the precarious versus a clear and contemporary proposal that complies with the various demands of an advertising agency.” 12 A line of potted trees are framed by a rugged portal while Jules Verne inspired animal-human posters contrast the globed ceiling-mounted lights within the pods. This is post-industrial design, but the element of fantasy and the allowance of degradation to the fabric of the existing structure are what elevate the design to the steampunk aesthetic.

The second architectural investigation is by Tom Kundig, an American architect operating out of the Pacific Northwest. His architectural work contains a careful focus on the process of making or crafting objects. One such example of a design detail is located in the office of

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

Olsen Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. In order to open a large three ton window, allowing light and air to reach the architects, Kundig devised a contraption with two disc levers that utilize the power of Seattle’s water supply system. “In our high-tech digital age of wireless devices, the act of effortlessly moving several tons of building material at the turn of a lever brings out the giddy kid in all of us.” 13 With the same spirit of innovation, Tom Kundig’s 2002 home design for the filmmaker David Wild quickly becomes an integration of the steampunk aesthetic. Coined “The Brain,” this symmetrical concrete structure was conceptually driven by a garage; a place for thinking, tinkering, and most importantly, imagining. Thus the purpose itself is notably steampunk; promoting the development of an inventor. The details which promote the filmmaker’s artistic exploration consist of dangling post-industrial ceiling pendants, a reclaimed fire station pole and medical exam chair, and a steel-treaded custom stair which reads, “You’ll have lots of time to rest when you’re six feet under.”

Image 7 - The Brain

Located in Seattle, Washington, the structure opens out to a forest as a familiar contrast to the square paneled glass, mixed metals, and leather of the interiors. This contrast relates directly to the Steampunk Treehouse and its use of found objects to form a retrospective of the Victorian Era in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Thus the virtue of making and producing a relevant modern object from found

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industrial artifacts is as prevalent in Tom Kundig’s design as in the subculture of steampunk.

Conclusion The installations and architectural projects discussed present very diverse definitions of steampunk. It is this flexibility which allows for artistic expression in various forms.

Steampunk design is not only Jake Von Slatt’s kit-of-parts, but a unique expression of an alternative history; a glimpse of what the world could look like had the Victorian era continued without the influence of modernism.

If steampunk was narrowly defined, the actualization of the idea in architectural form would be very theatrical and impractical. It is the overarching ideas of steam, invention, engineering, exploration, and perhaps most importantly the integration in design of the edgy anti-establishment attitude of punk which provides designers the opportunity to produce visually exciting interpretations.

These expressions allow us to break away from the restrictions and guidelines of what it means to be “cutting edge” and instead reflect on the opportunity for investigation of the often overlooked and underutilized futurism of the Victorian era.

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

Bibliography 1

Washington University School of Medicine (Bernard Becker Medical Library). “Deafness in Disguise.”

Accessed April 02, 2011. http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/did/timeline/index.ht m & http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/did/20thcent/index.h tm

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12 Saieh, Nico. “Pullpo Advertising Agency / Hania Stambuk” Arch Daily.

June 15, 2009. http://www.archdaily.com/24773/pullpo-advertisingagency-hania-stambuk/ 13

Ngo, Dung. Tom Kundig: Houses. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.

Image Reference

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Bruce, David. “All eyes on the runaway netherworld train” Otago Daily Times: Online Edition. October 23, 2010. http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/northotago/133043/all-eyes-runaway-nether-world-train 3 St George, Paul. “Paul St George: The Telectroscope – 2009. London, New York and the World.”

Accessed April 02, 2011. www.telectroscope.net 4-5 Pike, D-avid L., “New Agenda: Afterimages of the Victorian City,” Journal of Victorian Culture Vol. 15 No. 2 (August 2010): 254-267.

6 PBS. “Off the Map Backyard Travelogue: The Forevertron, Baraboo, Wisconsin , USA.” Accessed April 02, 2011. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap/htm l/travelogue_artist_2.htm?true# 7

Nakamura, Randy. “Steampunk’d, Or Humbug by Design” The New Design Observer. Posted: July 07, 2008. http://observatory.designobserver.com/feature/stea mpunkd-or-humbug-by-design/7057/

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Vandermeer, Ann & Jeff, Eds. Steampunk. San Francisco: Tachyon Publications, 2008.

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Sussman, Herbert “Cyberpunk Meets Charles Babbage: The Difference Engine as Alternative Victorian History” Victorian Studies Vol. 38 No.1 (Autumn 1994): 1-23.

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Orlando, Sean & 5TC. “The Steampunk Tree House: An Oakland based large-scale installation project.”

Accessed March 26, 2011. www.steamtreehouse.com

11 Leads, Jeff. “The Steampunk Treehouse: An Offcentered Timelapse Experience.” The New York Times. Coachella: April 28, 2008.

1. Fifi Flowers. “U for Underground in Paris.” Posted April 25, 2011. http://www.fififlowers.com/2011/04/u-forunderground-in-paris.html 2. Boing Boing. “Entire New Zealand town goes steampunk.” Posted by Cory Doctorow on November 12, 2010. http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/12/entire-new zealand-t.html 3. Telepresence Options. “Victorian Telepresence today: Telectroscope connects New York and London.” Posted on May 23, 2008 by John Serrao. http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/2008/05/bbc_c orrespondent_matthew_pric/ 4. Daily Art Fixx. “Dr. Evermore’s Forevertron.”

Accessed June 23, 2011. http://www.dailyartfixx.com/2009/05/07/drevermores-forevertron/ 5. Melange. “Steampunk Treehouse.” Posted January 25, 2008. http://isiria.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/steampunktree-house-2/ 6. Arch Daily. “Pullpo Advertising Agency / Hania Stambuk.”

Posted June 15, 2009. http://www.archdaily.com/24773/pullpo-advertisingagency-hania-stambuk/ 7. Live Modern. “Tom Kundig’s Sublime House – ‘The Brain’.” Last modified March 7, 2011 by John Commoner. http://livemodern.com/modernblogs/c12d70026427 dd379958c198651c606d

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Addendum

Introduction The design process was unique in that I was taking an unfamiliar term to most architects and transforming it into a design that they can understand, imagine, interpret, and critique. Steampunk has to be explained, and there are a set of assumptions made based on individual experience as well as the literary definition. Many will not like the intent, idea, or the aesthetic right away. They will see it as nostalgia, or believe that it is a fad that could only serve to ruin our existing delicate urban fabric.

My challenge was to help others to see that when used properly, steampunk can become a viable tool that can be used to investigate our existing landscape, and to create new forms that spark future creativity.

Site Investigation The site investigation process began with a broad look at post-industrial opportunities. I am from Cleveland where there is a great appreciation for dilapidated buildings which show a rich history and character unique to the rust belt. I focused my site investigation on medium to large sized buildings that were built in the Victorian era and were used for purposes other than residential. The building that I chose to use for my design is located on the Detroit Riverwalk and is now called the Globe Trading Company, although it was known formally as the Detroit Dry Dock Complex. This structure was built in 1892 as a machine shop for the repair of ship engines. A dry dock has since been buried under dirt and water, and could be enlivened for a more interactive use.

Site Design My desire for the site was to create a place for steampunk enthusiasts to gather and work on their steampunkery. I wanted them to be able to work on everything; from digital artifacts to large scale installations. The existing building has three sections that were built between 1892 and 1902. Two of these sections have large three story ceilings while one was previously used for offices and has three separate stories. As for the rest of the site, I wanted to create an atmosphere of entertainment while providing amenities for the steampunk community and for visitors to both the steampunk workshop and for the greater Detroit Riverwalk. I found that building housing, a hotel, retail, commercial, recreation, and entertainment zones would work well for this large plot of land to the South East of the City of Detroit.

Building Process The building emerged out of a notable necessity; the ability to connect this site using what the Victorians would have been familiar with, a rail line. There is a current proposal for the Woodward Avenue Light Rail that could connect the City of Detroit to the greater Detroit area, and therefore it would be ideal to revive an old rail line that would connect to the site to this new system via the People Mover that surrounds the city’s limits. As the site looks across to the Canadian City of Windsor, I imagined that it would be in the spirit of the Victorians to express their adventurous spirit by bridging across the Detroit River. The connection there is Canada’s Via rail line which transfers passengers to sites from West to East. The line would most logically cross the site at the existing dry dock building, and could unload passengers inside the machine shop. The building could thus occur at the intersection of the machine shop and the new rail line. It has the ability to serve as a connector, intersection, and transitional element.

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Designing the Course The inherit struggle of designing with a tool never before used in the academic realm is to design the course in a way that encourages exploration, but also hones in on key aspects of the topic. I kept the site investigation very open but then found that the exploration was running away from me. There were a handful of good investigations such as exploring transportation, entertainment, and site opportunities that would later manifest in my final design. The second semester, with its focus on the design of the new structure, lends itself to a more traditional contemporary design studio. In this way I looked to art as inspiration, and discovered a song which had ties to my own experience of the site.

This song then led to an investigation of the process of narrative. I created a short story that linked my interpretation of the site with both the song and the subgenre. In this way it could inform my design of not only the new built structure, but also the site as a whole. I came across a bump in the road as I was encouraged to build multiple models of my structure. It was a challenge that I unfortunately was unable to complete because after I purchased my materials, I cut my middle finger down to the bone and my left hand was rendered relatively useless for two weeks, with full functioning arriving in a month’s time. The design of the course then refocused to an investigation of the building through drawings, and allowed me to test different materials, forms, and decoration visually.

Conclusion This thesis was a step outside of the box. There was a clear focus on process, and an exploration of the way that various design actions such as partis, songs, and narratives can ultimately propel a design. This thesis project also pushed me to rely on my own strengths as a designer and it uncovered weaknesses in my own abilities and in our current rendering and design tools. I find that relying on the computer for a base form and adding color, material, and atmosphere through rendering is successful, but computer modeling should not be used to build a complicated exoskeleton form. It works well when you do not have many layers of constraints and therefore can accept inconsistencies with your original design intent. Therefore, working in a physical model form combined with drafting did achieve the results that I believe are necessary for the construction of an object that is not linear.

Our critic, Andres Mignucci, pressed upon us at our critiques the importance of constructing a sectional walk-through of our structures so that we may experience the design through the drawings themselves. This I feel is an important element specifically for the client that would be an advantage in the schematic design process.

As for the thesis topic itself, I still feel very strongly that it should be investigated further in the academic realm. As it is both a subgenre and a subculture, steampunk lends itself to an aesthetic that clearly challenges the status quo. It is highly personal, tactile, and adventurous. It is not designated as sustainable, clean, or efficient, but instead contrasts this trend by being outwardly rough, tough, and complicated. Since there are still so few built projects that could be defined as steampunk I feel that engaging students in this aesthetic investigation could lead to new theoretical ideas, and exciting new futuristic visions.

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

13

Narrative

Fighting with the Wolves After consulting my compass I quickly remove the stretchy bands from my left wrist and loop them tightly around my hair. The wind picks up as the sky turns darker. Starting out slow at first the rain falls; tears from the forgotten city of perpetual motion. I run and take shelter along the riverwalk, further delaying my arrival. Age-worn bricks are piled in the corners of the three story industrial building, and the smell of damp soil and stale urine clashes with the rejuvenating rainfall.

A man arrives breathless. He removes his top hat and brushes the rain out of his hair; too consumed in the task to notice my existence. Retrograde binoculars survey my surroundings for a place of repose, but it appears I have no other choice but to stand awkwardly in the middle of this forgotten cathedral. He greets me with a crooked smile and offers a damp hand. Another lost soul stumbles in, looking distraught. I slide leather straps over my shoulders and offer her my handkerchief from a small backpack. Sitting lumped on the dirty floor she grabs it from my hand and tends to a sizeable wound on her leg. I put in an effort to converse with the two of them but my words are cut off by the deep and distant sound of a baritone. Leaving my backpack, I walk over to the open door and stick my head out.

Silence. The landscape has become a veiled wilderness dotted with low-lying buildings.

I pull myself in and shiver as the wind curls up my spine. The man, in an attempt to be useful, grabs scattered trash and sets it alight with the click of his Zippo.

Outside the distant baritone is raised to a tenor, ending with a cadence. I whisper, “Please come with me.” The other two arise and peer out the door. Their closeness comforts as my heart beats faster.

Four pairs of eyes emerge from behind a rain soaked façade mere paces from our shelter. “Take this,” he says, removing a glistening dagger from his ankle band. He swiftly pulls the lighter and a Swiss army knife from his coat pocket, while the woman rejects assistance and appears to be more comfortable crouched behind a pile of loose bricks.

Their glistening metallic exoskeletons emerge from the mist and saunter closer; confident despite their thinning fur and emaciated bellies. I spit out the words, “you must be kidding me” with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

One runs out ahead of the others, piercing the land with his prosthetic limbs. His nose is raised in the air, led by the smell of charring food waste from our fire. The man tells us to wait and stands in front of the door, casually spinning his weapons. The leader picks up speed; unafraid of our guard.

That’s it. I run back to the fire and sling my backpack fully over my shoulders. Without looking back I dash up the stairs to the third story balcony to find an old bed frame with a thin sweat stained mattress. I pull it to the corner, childishly fashioning a fort. Blind to the action, the sounds are menacing. Growls. Screams. Yelps. Self preservation? I felt ashamed.

I take in a deep breath; filling my lungs with cool smoke-laced air. I creep on hands and knees toward a window; still unwilling to give myself away. Two of the creatures are on the heels of the man; their fur now a muddled patchwork of pink and grey. He leads them westward towards the embracing arms of the city.

I crawl swiftly to another window to discover that the wounded woman also emerged from our shelter.

Looking with determination at Windsor, she directs one of the wolves toward the marina. Her swiftness is admirable as she leaps over wood posts to arrive at one of the smaller row boats. She pulls the rope off as the creature lunges; a mixture of red tongue and hands. Her arm is caught in the tightness of its jaw; she grabs hold of a paddle and strikes it firmly on the head. Released, she uses

STEAMPUNK AND ARCHITECTURE: RETROSPECTIVE FUTURISM AS A DESIGN TOOL

14

all of her remaining strength to row even as he springs into the rushing water; eager to continue the fight.

The sound of rhythmic scratches echo from below. I peer over the ledge and see a shadowy monstrosity circling the small fire. Yellow eyes dart upward. Damn it.

If he climbs the stairs, I’m trapped. I slowly creep down level by level. When I reach the last few steps I jump up and down, raising the dagger above my head. He lunges but I strike back, pushing him to the wall. The already crumbling façade is punctured by the force of the blow. With my advantage I rush towards the door and approach him outside. Side stepping he tries at my heels but I force him back, catching his flesh with the tip of the dagger as it falls out of my hands. A dip in the earth creates a muddy chasm, separating our bodies as the passing rain forms a cloud of fog. I quickly glance around, pick up a large rock, and hurl it with all my remaining strength. Sparks fly off his armored body and he recoils. Claiming victory, I slowly move backward in retreat, but he hunches down with his back lifted and ears held tightly back.

I brace myself for the attack.

EARLY AUTOMOTIVE AGE: 1905-1915 AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY BOOM: 1921-1973 POST-INDUSTRIAL AGE: 1990-NOW

PITTSBURGH, PA

CLEVELAND, OH

TOLEDO, OH September 5, 2011 Steampunk Empire Grand Survey 9,000 Participants Worldwide

REGIONAL CONDITIONS - The Rust Belt

DETROIT, MI

RAILROAD INDUSTRY: 1875- 1891

15

STEAMPUNK PARTICIPANTS - Events

SITE EXPLORATION

T EN

ER

PEOPLE MOVE

RE

TO

HE

TO N T OR RN

DETROIT RIVER M IC

M HI N GA

H RT

NO

WATER WORKS

DETROIT RIVER

HI N GA

JEFFERSO

N AVE.

THE NEW HO

RIZONTAL

RIVERWALK

AXIS

ROAD ACCESS AND TRANSPORT - 1872

DE QUINDRE

TO DETROIT RIVER

N

DEQUINDRE TRAIL

TO SUBURBS

RE

TO CITY CENT

ER IC

ROAD ACCESS AND TRANSPORT - 2011

R

NC

TIO

VEN

CON TO

TO CITY CENT

NTRAL

RE

MICHIGAN CE

TO CITY CENT

SITE EXPLORATION 16

DETROIT DRY DOCKS 1922

DETROIT DRY DOCKS 1957

DETROIT DRY DOCKS 2011

SITE BY YEAR - The Dry Docks Development 1910

1897

1884

THE DRY DOCKS 1892

CONSTRUCTION OF DRY DOCK NO. 2

DETROIT DRY DOCKS PLAN DIAGRAM 1894

SITE FOCUS: The Detroit Dry Docks

DETROIT DRY DOCKS

DETROIT DRY DOCKS

DETROIT DRY DOCKS

DETROIT DRY DOCK COMPANY 1894 19th CENTURY DETROIT FROM THE RIVER

17

SITE EXPLORATION

DETROIT RIVER

SITE EXPLORATION

18

Just sending this email. And… done. I quickly close my laptop, stash it under my desk, and rush out the door. I’ve volunteered to lead a group of 20 or so kids on their tour of the workshop grounds today. No longer working 9-5 for an insurance company I thought I would just find a new job, doing something similar. I never really expected that my life would take this much of a turn. I told my friend Becky that I wanted to make jewelry for some cash on the side while I search for a job, but I didn’t realize that it would lead me to a career making steampunk art. I’m really lucky that I have received a grant which lets me stay on the grounds. It makes this transition so much easier. Walking to work. I love it! I walk the path to meet them at the workshop. Seems like a good place to start. Show them around, and introduce them to the teams. Then Ben is set to get the circus ready, and I think Joanne has control of the tracks for some train testing. Actually, I should run over to Josh’s place while they’re watching the performance and ask if he can give a demo. He’s way better with kids since he grew up with 3 brothers and 2 sisters. And… here they are! Aw. So cute. I really hope that I can spark their imagination with the tour. It won’t be too difficult. The structures are really easy to operate, but show how much we can learn from the industrial revolution; mechanics, engineering, exploration.

Fieldtrip CHILD viewpoint Today I’m on a class trip to the steampunk park. I’m really excited to get out of school today. I hate gym class and this means I don’t have to do any more pull ups! Those things are impossible. When the bus pulls up I wonder what they packed us for lunch. Peanut butter and jelly? Adrienne’s allergic to peanuts. Probably ham and cheese. I really hope they have Doritos. Those are my favorite. I hop off the bus and run to catch up with the class. They’re walking up to this crazy looking building. Lots of metal. This girl in a Halloween costume is asking us if we have heard of steampunk. I have no idea what she’s talking about, but she looks like a character from a comic book! She leads us around the other buildings in the area. One is underground. I can sit and watch as adults move things which turns into more things to play with! It’s like a giant playground. The funny looking lady tells us that we can learn a thing called mechanics and engineering from these things. It’s like a giant erector set! After lunch we are going to watch a steampunk circus performance.

They don’t have elephants, but they do have fire! They say we have to sit back a little further so we don’t get burned. We also get to ride on these funny looking trains she says that people can learn to make at the workshop. I can’t wait to tell my little sister Brianna about this. She is going to be so jealous!

Dequindre Trail RUNNER viewpoint What are they building, eh? What a contraption. These crazy metal forms. What have they done to that existing building? Looks kind of fun though. Those kids seem to be having a good time. I don’t know how I feel about these crazy costumes these people are wearing.

What, is it, always Halloween? I remember when my Dad talked about how his ancestors worked at the docks. I never really knew that they looked like this. Seems I only saw them when they had water in them. I wonder if they are going to have performances like Chene Park. That place has been fun to go to in the summer, but I’m not sure that many of the acts are good to take kids to. This looks a lot different though, wouldn’t seat as many people. I wonder who is going to live in these little homes. They are in such a contrast to the new development two blocks away. I wonder if the developers are angry that they now have a view of all this twisted metal. But, anything new is good for Detroit. Seems that this oddly connects to the history of the place. Maybe I can come back with my kids so they could check it out. They have some cool classes we could take as a family on the weekends. Well, all I can say is that I’m glad Detroit is moving again. It’s been great to see life brought back to the waterfront.

NORTH ELEVATION

WEST ELEVATION

SOUTH-WEST PERSPECTIVE

SOUTH ELEVATION

SITE USERS: Participant, Student, Citizen

Steampunk PARTICIPANT viewpoint

FROM ATWATER

R PA

RE TIAL TU T FU IDEN MEN S RE ELOP V E D

Y. FW

IL

FE

F

JE

E AV

RA ET

.

N

O RS

DR

IN QU

ER YSL

HR

DE

-C

E D TT YE TAL FA LA SIDEN RE

T. RS

ATE ATW

N OW T WN DO ROIT T DE E TAT LS NIA UR N E NT ARBO ICE TR K & H R PA CE

AN ISS NA RE TER CEN

O

TR

DE

K

L WA

ER

IV IT R

DETROIT RIVER

E EN CH K R PA

CURRENT SITE CONDITIONS

375

K

& ICT

R IST

SITE EXPLORATION

19

CASE STUDY

Issue # 6 of Murky Depths written by James Johnson

Built for the movie “City of Lost Children”

The Factory

A Steampunk Treehouse

Set from Microid’s 2002 adventure game, Syberia

Set design for the 1995 movie “City of Lost Children”

Syberia

The City of Lost Children

20

CASE STUDY

Illustration by Anthony Giacomino for slashthree’s 12th Exhibition, Steampunk

Illustration by artist, Imperial Boy

S3 Factory

Cityscape

Illustration for China Mieville’s novel, “Perdido Street Station”

Screen shot from the video game Bioshock Infinite

Perdido Street Station

1912 Columbia

21

CORSET STUDY 17th Century “Stays or Bodies” Usually made with whalebone rather than iron.

Petticoat hoops and rolls fall out of favor, giving the lower half of the body a more natural shape. These stays graudally turned from outer to underwear.

Turn of the Century “S Curve - Health Corset” The Health & Electric corsets (below) were a less harsh design; no longer restricted a woman’s movements and breathing, but kept the small waist. It also pushed the bust forward & the hips back, creating an “S” shape. Steel is used for the ribbing and the front piece (no longer bone).

18th Century “Underwear Only” Tabs over hips are formed by cuts from the lower edge up to the waistline that spread when the stays were worn, giving hips room. Stays laced in the back or across a stiff stomacher in the front.

Very decorative. End of the 17th century they became shorter. Tight-lacing controversy begins.

22

19th Century “Gibson Girl” In 1828, lacing eyelits with hammered-in metal grommets are invented. Planchet or busk two metal strips, one w/ little mushroom shaped heads, the other with eyelits, used to close and open the corset in front (keep lacing).

1930s - 1950s “Merry Widow”

1980s “Madonna Revolution”

Based on the populatiry of Warner Bros. movie.

Rigid tape was used around the waist to nip it in sharply. Women removed this tape for comfort.

Working out became the image of the time; fit, healthy, and muscular. Madonna used the corset with modified cone shaped bra as an in-your-face approach to music costumery.

CORSET STUDY

1990s “Gothic Rebirth” In 1988, the Neo-Gothic clothing store Hot Topic opened its mall-centric doors to a crowd of eager rebellious teenagers. Thus the corset returned, tamed in form and material. Taking cues from Madonna, all Hot Topic corsets are meant to be worn on the outside.

Steampunk #1 This steampunk corset has particular features which separate it from the others thus far. First, the material is leather, which has give to it. Thus, this is not about restriction of shape, just a gesture. Second, the corset sits under the bra. The laces tie in front with metal eyelits. Most importantly perhaps is the integrated bullet storage straps, which lends this more to a vest than a corset.

2000s “Spanx”

2011 “Crossing boundaries”

Women use lingerie to help get the body shape they deire - thin. They use corsets, body-shapers, control tights, push-up bras, and magic knickers.

Spanx reach a hight of popularity as they are supported by celebrities such as Oprah.

Matched with jeans, or with a lightweight jacket, the modern corset is seen again as outerwear, but with a similarity to the camisole. Embellishments are few, and colors are muted. Underwear Corsets are still seen as “sexy” lingere.

Steampunk #2 The corset is a mesh of ribbon and buckles. The lower part is similar to Victorian corsets; it has noticeable ribbing, and ties in the back. The eyelits again are metal, but smaller. The top, which would have been “posture straps” now looks like a backpack, and is a smaller decorative copy of the corset. The materials are a gothic pink & black with brown. Leather, fabric ribbons, satin, and metal.

23

Steampunk #3 The corset consists of an inner and outer layer.

The outer layer is similar to leather, and like the first one, ties in the front. It opens at the top to reveal a riding-style fabric which has metal pieces and an open-faced pocketwatch. The clasps on the front are metallic, with a large ribbon. Again, this is more about image, and less about literally shaping the body. The sides continue down the leg and are accented with buckles.

CONCEPTUAL SITE DESIGN

AN ITERATION GUIDE My family is obsessed with invention. My aunts come up with a new idea each holiday, finding a way to solve a common problem (i.e. foot pedal flush toilet). I WANT TO ADDRESS CURRENT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. We look to technology for a quick fix, but find it actually takes us longer to learn new programs and FIND OUR OWN VOICE in the algorithms. We look to vernacular architecture to root ourselves in a place, but then the global economy forces us to UPROOT and move for a new job. Steampunk is for the NOW. It’s current, not high-tech, and doesn’t force place-making.

Instead, it’s about learning from the visions of the Victorians, making, sharing, and creating groups to figure out how to be human again through design. I’m working through this process by creating MONSTERS. I want them to attach to the site and meld with the landscape of broken glass, patchy earth, and brick rubble. They express our FEAR of being rendered useless by machines, but by putting them in the rust belt city of Detroit the monsters become FANCIFUL. Only in a post-industrial landscape can we realize the futility of our time on earth, and the need for us to enjoy how far we have come with our vast capacity for imagination.

CORSET RIBBING UTILIZING THE CURVED RIBBING FROM CORSETS AS A BASIC STRUCTURE TO ENVELOP THE EXISTING GLOBE TRADING COMPANY BUILDING.

CORSET BUCKLES GIANT BUCKLES INSPIRED BY CORSETS AND STEAMPUNK GOGGLES SQUEEZE THE EXISTING STEEL & BRICK BUILDING KEEPING THE STRUCTURE FROM FURTHER DEGREDATION VIA FORCE.

MONSTER STRUCTURE MOVEABLE IRON AND STEEL ELEMENTS ATTACH TO THE EXISTING BUILDING TO CREATE A NEW RENEGADE STRUCTURE THAT ENGAGES THE DETROIT AUDIENCE.

24

CAPTURING THE SITE

CONCEPTUAL SITE DESIGN

25

MIRRORING

CONCEPTUAL SITE DESIGN

26

SECRET AGENT

CONCEPTUAL SITE DESIGN

27

BUTTERFLY

CONCEPTUAL SITE DESIGN

28

PROGRAMMING ANALYSIS

SITE REQUIREMENTS: STEAMPUNKERY

STEAMPUNK WORKSHOP EXHIBITION SPACE ENTERTAINMENT / PERFORMANCE ZONE

CONNECTION TO GREATER DETROIT DETROIT RIVERWALK GUION RAIL LINE & TRANSIT HUB DEQUINDRE TRAIL

CONNECTION TO CANADA

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO THE QUEEN’S NATION OF CANADA

INDUSTRIAL CONNECTIONS

EXISTING DRY DOCK (DRAINED) EXISTING MACHINE SHOP, FOUNDRY, AND INDUSTRIAL LOFT REVIVING GUION AS A RAIL LINE SCIENCE, ART, ENGINEERING, AND EXPLORATION LIBRARY

TIME

LARGE CLOCK TOWER FACING THE QUEEN’S NATION OF CANADA MEDIATION OF EXISTING MACHINE SHOP & NEW TRANSIT HUB

COMMUNITY CREATION

COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL HOTEL RECREATIONAL SPACE (BEACH, BATHING HUTS, GREEN SPACE)

PROGRAM STEAMPUNK WORKSHOP FORMER 1892 MACHINE SHOP: EXHIBITION HALL & THOROUGHFARE RETAIL/SALES (3 LEVELS)

TRANSPORTATION HUB 7,640 S.F. 16,080 S.F.

UNDERGROUND CONNECTION FIRST FLOOR CONNECTION TO WORKSHOP

5,600 S.F. 4,200 S.F.

HOTEL

FORMER 1902 FOUNDRY: METALS & LARGER PROJECTS

9,400 S.F.

FORMER 1902 INDUSTRIAL LOFT (3 LEVELS) CERAMICS & WOODCRAFT FINE ARTS & FASHION COMPUTER LAB & MEETING ROOMS TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE

8,600 S.F. 8,600 S.F. 8,600 S.F. 25,800 S.F.

5 LEVELS W/ 80 ROOMS TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE

7,000 S.F. / FLOOR 35,000 S.F.

GUION RAIL

FIRST FLOOR

SPATIAL ZONING

SECOND FLOOR

THIRD FLOOR

29

CONNECT TO RENAISSANCE CENTER PEOPLE MOVER STATION

THE DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER

CONNECTING GREATER DETROIT AND CANADA

TRANSPORTATION

PROPOSED WOODWARD LIGHT RAIL TO GREATER DETROIT

NEW TRANSIT HUB

DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER

NEW AIR BRIDGE

GLOBE TRADING CO.

NEW QUION RAIL LINE

CANADA VIA LINE

WINDSOR VIA TRAIN LINE TO GREATER CANADA

EVEREST INSTITUTE STATION (END OF LINE)

SITE DEVELOPMENT 30

GUION RAIL LINE

PROMINADE INTERSECTION

RECREATION

HOTEL

TRANSIT

ENTERTAINMENT

DESIGN INTERVENTION

EX. DEQUINDRE TRAIL PLAZA

RESIDENTIAL

COMMERCIAL

ZONING SITE PLAN

SITE DEVELOPMENT 31

LIBRARY NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO CANADA

THE CITY OF DETROIT VS. THE POST-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE RESTROSPECTIVE FUTURISM VS. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY VS. HUMANITY

WOLVES REPRESENT A CHALLENGE - A FIGHT

MONSTERS

My family is obsessed with invention. My aunts come up with a new idea each holiday, finding a way to solve a common problem (i.e. foot pedal flush toilet). I WANT TO ADDRESS CURRENT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. We look to technology for a quick fix, but find it actually takes us longer to learn new programs and FIND OUR OWN VOICE in the algorithms. We look to vernacular architecture to root ourselves in a place, but then the global economy forces us to UPROOT and move for a new job. Steampunk is for the NOW. It’s current, not high-tech, and doesn’t force place-making. Instead, it’s about learning from the visions of the Victorians, making, sharing, and creating groups to figure out how to be human again through design. I’m working through this process by creating MONSTERS. I want them to attach to the site and meld with the landscape of broken glass, patchy earth, and brick rubble. They express our FEAR of being rendered useless by machines, but by putting them in the rust belt city of Detroit the monsters become FANCIFUL. Only in a post-industrial landscape can we realize the futility of our time on earth, and the need for us to enjoy how far we have come with our vast capacity for imagination.

ADVENTURE

ANIMAL IS A VEHICLE FOR STUDY AND

VICTORIAN VIEWPOINT:

THE WOLVES

CONCEPTUAL WORK 32

CONCEPTUAL WORK

33

CONCEPTUAL WORK

34

PRESENTATION

35

PRESENTATION

36

PRESENTATION

37

PRESENTATION

38

PRESENTATION

39

PRESENTATION

40

PRESENTATION

41

ELEVATIONS

MATERIAL LEGEND

LITERATURE - - THE WOLF AS A SYMBOL OF FEAR AND ADVENTURE

SOUTH ELEVATION

EAST ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION

PRESENTATION 42

SECTIONS

ENGINEERING - - STRENGTH IN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

EAST WEST SECTION

SITE SECTION

SITE ELEVATION

SITE ELEVATION

SITE SECTION

SECTION DETAIL

UNDERGROUND DIMENSIONS

PRELIMINARY DESIGN: IT

NORTH SOUTH SECTION

WEST ELEVATION

PRESENTATION

43

FLOOR PLANS

GROUND FLOOR

MEZZANINE LEVEL

PRESENTATION 44

FLOOR PLANS

SCIENCE - - YOUR BODY IS A BLOOD CELL FLOWING THROUGH THE SYSTEM

UNDERGROUND LEVEL

OUTBOUND TO GREATER DETROIT

INBOUND FROM DETROIT

PRESENTATION 45

UNDERGROUND

GROUND FLOOR

MEZZANINE

ISOMETRIC

TWO STAIRS LINK THE UNDERGROUND LEVEL TO THE GROUND FLOOR PLANE

TRAIN TRACKS PUNCTURE THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND LEVEL

UNDERGROUND CONCRETE WALL CONSTRUCTION WITH STEEL SUPPORTS AT CEILING

COLUMN AND BEAM STRUCTURE FROM UNDERGROUND PUNCTURING THROUGH GROUND PLANE

GROUND FLOOR PLANE

DOUBLE VOLUME FIRE STAIR AND TUBE FORM ELEVATOR

BRIDGE CONNECTION TO THE GLOBE TRADING CO. BUILDING

MEZZANINE

SIMPLE STEEL TRUSS STRUCTURE

PRESENTATION 46

PRESENTATION

47

PRESENTATION

48

PRESENTATION

49