granary

granary in barragan-land

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In this studio, we studied the work of Luis Barragan and his contemporaries. We traveled to Mexico to visit the site and see the works of these artists and architects. The site was the land of the Barragan family’s hacienda, lost during the Mexican revolution.

The land resides in the hilly highlands of Jalisco, near the massive lake Chapala. The climate is temperate, with hot days and cold nights. In the rainy season, water rises higher than the stone walls that delineate the land. In the dry season the land drains and becomes crisp under the high sun.

The program includes an owner’s house, worker’s housing, guest houses, cows, horses, a granary, and cheese making. The models to the right show iterations of program organization inspired by the constellation of buildings on Phillip Johnson’s land. The red land represents the red soil of Jalisco.

In these models, the granary repeatedly appeared as a monumental tower on the land. A beacon for the site, I decided to concentrate on this part of the program. It becomes a cathedral to grain, grain that supports the hacienda year round.

JAN

JUN

DEC

90

80

70 °F 60

50

40

” 25-45”

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SECTION A-A

SECTION B-B

endless rock walls

guest houses with stone wall views

road to owner’s house with original gate

cheese, near road, upwind

retention pond

anaerobic digester uses waste to create energy, placed upwind

worker’s housing at top of hill (ownership over the land)

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edg

e

of

water

aso

y se

in dr

n

e

d

ge

of water in rain

y se

aso

n

N

N

IO

CT

SE A

A-

SECTION B-B

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In Mexico, I searched for elements of “magic� a word Barragan used in his Pritzker

acceptance speech.

I found it in

his paper staircase,

in massive walls,

in sharp forms, in tricks of light. The architect created deception with light, form, and orientation.

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Upon returning from Mexico, I defined magic through four terms: illusion, darkness, fantasy, and violence.

Modeling each term separately, and then combining these models, I was able to model the idea of magic.

An imposing task at first. The models then informed the design for the granary.

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d ce or f nd in re y, sa h r e c wa oo hig pla or n d 2’ in- do de in o ed ed e ur r th wo ur po d fo ick is po h e th se s t te or ir is u an’ cre f rk ta ag on wo te s Barr s. C m s r e Fo ncr king cro o e c i c im th . m e of nts s u gme se

a to nd up n a s. in or e ra s c sid s g ide ive rrie div ect ca h sp or hic re ey w eir nv tor, th co u to A strib t in di hea w

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Granaries need to satisfy three problems: how to get the grain in, how to get the grain out, and how to keep it cool.

The grain enters uphill, is scooped

up by a conveyor, released into

storage area, sliding down the

smooth interior wall.

The grain can then be gathered

through the door, framed by a

driveway cut into the land.

The grain is kept cool by being

submerged in the earth.

Heat is suctioned up to

the top of the

structure,

painted black

to heat up and draw

hot air, and vented.

i ei s co nf ns tr m o st es rced ucted er of h up conc te is to pa on w rete. hich bl inte ac do n like k an

l al w r ry e l na lac ee a r g p st la The i a P d in poure ld up lied. wh o h m p s p p fro cli , r is a plaste fresco o c z o Or

Section of tapered box beam, tower built in vertical sections

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view from road

from beneath at door

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view from inside

top of stair

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plaster model

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3d printed model

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take aways: -multiple scales: site, building, detail -knowledge on granaries -travel experience -translating ideas into form -sustainable concepts applied to site design

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