Congestion growing geometry Marissa Nava 1 Congestion
Portfolio M.S. in Advanced Architectural Design GSAPP Columbia University
CREDITS: Andrei Tarkovsky Haruki Murakami Alejandro González Iñárritu Michelangelo Antonioni Monica Vitti David Lynch IMAGES: Ciudad Juárez, México Nuevo Casas Grandes, México Caral, Perú Machu Picchu, Perú New York, United States
Congestion 2
INTRODUCTION
Congestion is an architecture created by the repetition of lines, objects and ideas. Through personal design, politics and landscape. “All he can do is present his own image of the world, for people to be able to look at it through his eyes, and be filled with his feelings, doubts and thoughts.� Andrei Tarkovsky
3 Congestion
Congestion 4
CONTENTS
NEW YORK / PARIS Fall 2011 6
MONOGRAPH Spring 2014 16
SUPERPOWER URBAN ENACTMENTS Summer 2013 212
JAMAICA BAY 2050 Fall 2013 256
5 Congestion
Manhattan NY, USA
Congestion 6
NEW YORK / PARIS
Babak Bryan + Jane Kim + Thomas De Monchaux + Philip Nobel + Patrick O’Connor + Rodrigo Zamora
7 Congestion
Congestion 8
New York / Paris program was reflected on the way I design now:
9 Congestion
Congestion 10
Congestion of lines. They way I look at the city.
11 Congestion
Congestion 12
Necessary tools to design that doesn’t exist but there is always a chance to create them.
13 Congestion
Congestion 14
The importance of stairs.
15 Congestion
Manhattan NY, USA 39th and 40th street
Congestion 16
MONOGR APH
LOT-EK + Thomas De Monchaux, ciritcs
17 Congestion
Congestion 18
By different actions such as rotate, scale and repeat the perception of an object will be different as we see it in every day life.
19 Congestion
Book Layout
Congestion 20
Congestion came from life-long memories. This is a congestion of people, architecture, feelings, confusions, objects and ideas. We tend to want more for ourselves, never satisfied, adding more to the point of saturation. For the first half of the semester we were tasked with creating a building a week. I began with unrealistic geometries composed of many lines. In some of these spaces I used common services, such as toilets and stairs, to help me project a vague idea of scale and function after the linear saturation. For this I relied on intuition and guidance from life-long memories. Through the process my memories became brighter, stronger and allowed me to make design decisions.
For the second half of the semester, I utilized the same congestion process for giving order to my lines and geometries. I turned to our use of every-day objects incorporating them to my architectural vision. For example, mattresses in which we spend approximately 8 hours per day and toilets for around 20 minutes per day. Both of these are imbued with a sense of privacy. Then I included objects that become public spaces, such as stairs and doors. What if we multiply the amount of these objects to the point of congestion? How would that change our every day lives? The book is divided in five chapters, each one is a building.
21 Congestion
Retail
Congestion 22
Toilets / Pipes
LAUFREN bathroom manufacturers 1963
23 Congestion
toilets Congestion 24
plumbing
How to build a Retail place with Toilets and Plumbing?
25 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 26
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size
plumbing
A place of privacy, an scape of reality. Where we spend around 20 minutes per day.
27 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 28
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color
plumbing 29 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 30
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality
plumbing 31 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 32
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality Fourth Floor: 145 toilets categorized by age
plumbing 33 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 34
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality Fourth Floor: 145 toilets categorized by age Fifth Floor: 30 toilets categorized by technology
plumbing 35 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 36
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality Fourth Floor: 145 toilets categorized by age Fifth Floor: 30 toilets categorized by technology
plumbing 37 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 38
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality Fourth Floor: 145 toilets categorized by age Fifth Floor: 30 toilets categorized by technology
plumbing 39 Congestion
Components
toilets
Ramps: 8” diameter pipes Walls: 6” diameter Heating / Cooling pipes of 6” Stairs: 12” diameter pipes Structure: 12” diameter pipes Envelope: 12” diameter Steam pipes
Congestion 40
First Floor: 9 toilets categorized by size Second Floor: 80 toilets categorized by color Third Floor: 50 toilets categorized by functionality Fourth Floor: 145 toilets categorized by age Fifth Floor: 30 toilets categorized by technology
Total: 568 toilets
plumbing 41 Congestion
toilets Congestion 42
plumbing 43 Congestion
toilets Congestion 44
plumbing 45 Congestion
Components
17.19 ft
17.19 ft
toilets
17.19 ft
17.19 ft
Left page: Plumbing and toilets details Right page: Section trough structure
Congestion 46
200 ft
plumbing 47 Congestion
Components
toilets
Left page: Concept plan Right page: Ground floor plan
Congestion 48
plumbing 49 Congestion
toilets Congestion 50
plumbing 51 Congestion
toilets Congestion 52
plumbing
-What do you think about the building? -I don’t know it is too much for me.
53 Congestion
toilets Congestion 54
plumbing
-Too much what? -Too many colors, too many shapes, too much history behind these objects, it is hard to choose.
55 Congestion
toilets Congestion 56
plumbing
-But they are just toilets, you know them, I’m sure you can make a decision. -This place just confuses me.
57 Congestion
toilets Congestion 58
plumbing
-I thought you would like it... -I’m scared
59 Congestion
toilets Congestion 60
plumbing
-How come? With all this humidity, there is no place like this -I told you...
61 Congestion
Warehouse
Congestion 62
Stairs / Electricity
Nikola Tesla appears in a multiple-exposure photo in 1899, while a Tesla coil discharges millions of volts.
63 Congestion
stairs Congestion 64
electricity
How to build a Warehouse with Stairs and Electricity?
65 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 66
First Side: 90 stairs
electricity
What if we multiply the amount of these objects to the point of congestion? How would that change our every day lives?
67 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 68
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs
electricity 69 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 70
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs
electricity 71 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 72
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs Sixth Side: 90 stairs
electricity 73 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 74
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs Sixth Side: 90 stairs Interior: Capacity for 1500 stairs per level (14)
electricity 75 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 76
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs Sixth Side: 90 stairs Interior: Capacity for 1500 stairs per level (14)
electricity 77 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 78
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs Sixth Side: 90 stairs Interior: Capacity for 1500 stairs per level (14)
electricity 79 Congestion
Components
stairs
Stairs: 3ft width, 6ft rise Structure: Electricity wires Circulation: 374 stairs per level
Congestion 80
First Side: 90 stairs Second and Third Sides: 183 stairs Fourth and Fifth Sides: 200 stairs Sixth Side: 90 stairs Interior: Capacity for 1500 stairs per level (14)
Total: 23, 437 stairs
electricity 81 Congestion
stairs Congestion 82
electricity 83 Congestion
Components
stairs
Left page: Electricity around the building, private and public spaces plan Right page: Stairs different uses- circulation, private or public space
Congestion 84
electricity 85 Congestion
Components
stairs
Left page: Concept plan Right page: Elevation, building and site
Congestion 86
electricity 87 Congestion
stairs Congestion 88
electricity 89 Congestion
stairs
Wireless electricity all around
What is that for?
I think it is a way for you to turn on any music player
Congestion 90
In a sense that if you want to spend some time listening to the noises that you like, you can come here and play them all together.
electricity
It is a disaster here! I can’t understand how to get in or out, not even those interior spaces.
I guess those are the ones that people rent to have some kind of event there and even concerts.
91 Congestion
stairs
I utilized the same congestion process for giving order to my lines and geometries. I turned to our use of every-day objects incorporating them to my architectural vision.
Congestion 92
electricity 93 Congestion
stairs Congestion 94
electricity
“Biutiful is the story of Uxbal. Devoted father. Tormented lover. Mystified son. Underground businessman. Ghost seeker. Spiritual sensitive. Consumer goods pirate. Guilty conscience. Urban survivor. A man sensing the danger of death. Who tries to reconcile with love, Yet fails.
95 Congestion
stairs Congestion 96
electricity
Who hungers to do the right thing, But stumbles. Whose heart is broken, seduced, emptied . . . Then filled with more than desire. He has blood on his hands. Weight on his soul. Urgency in his every breath.
97 Congestion
stairs Congestion 98
electricity
He may lose it all yet suddenly. . . In a kind of midnight finds everything to give. Sometimes our lives are like this:
99 Congestion
stairs Congestion 100
electricity 101 Congestion
stairs Congestion 102
electricity 103 Congestion
stairs Congestion 104
electricity 105 Congestion
stairs Congestion 106
electricity
Sometimes our lives are like this: Fractured, overpowering, emotionally electric And still breathtakingly beautiful.�
107 Congestion
Hotel
Congestion 108
Mattresses / Columns
Crewmen aboard the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Akagi lash futon mattresses to the carrier’s island superstructure to provide extra protection from attack as the carrier heads towards the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in November or December 1941.
109 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 110
columns
How to build a Hotel with Mattresses and Columns?
111 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 112
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses
columns
Sleep, eat and have fun.
113 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 114
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses
columns 115 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 116
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses
columns 117 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 118
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses Seventh Floor: 875 mattresses
columns 119 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 120
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses Seventh Floor: 875 mattresses Eight Floor: 659 mattresses
columns 121 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 122
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses Seventh Floor: 875 mattresses Eight Floor: 659 mattresses Ninth Floor: 700 mattresses
columns 123 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: 616 Queen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 124
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses Seventh Floor: 875 mattresses Eight Floor: 659 mattresses Ninth Floor: 700 mattresses Tenth Floor: 659 matresses
columns 125 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Floors: WQueen mattresses Structure: 8� columns Walls: Queen mattresses Stairs: Queen mattresses
Congestion 126
First Floor: 859 mattresses Second Floor: 666 mattresses Third Floor: 705 matresses Fourth Floor: 815 matresses Fifth Floor: 458 mattresses
Sixth Floor: 529 mattresses Seventh Floor: 875 mattresses Eight Floor: 659 mattresses Ninth Floor: 700 mattresses Tenth Floor: 659 matresses
Total: 6,925 mattresses
columns 127 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 128
columns 129 Congestion
mattresses
A nap, one night, one week.
Congestion 130
columns 131 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Left page: Concept plan Right page: First floor plan
Congestion 132
columns 133 Congestion
Components
mattresses
Left page: East and North elevation Right page: Concept Elevation
Congestion 134
columns 135 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 136
columns 137 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 138
columns
“When you see an aging building or a rusted bridge, you are seeing nature and man working together. If you paint over a building, there is no more magic to that building.
139 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 140
columns
But if it is allowed to age, then man has buildt it and nature has added into it- it’s organic. But often people wouldn’t think to permit that, except for scenic designers.”
141 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 142
columns
“How we see films is changing. The video iPod and videos online are changing everything. A tiny little picture, instead of a giant big picture, is going to be how people see films.
143 Congestion
mattresses Congestion 144
columns
The whole thing is, when those curtains open, and the lights go down, we must be able to go into that world. And in many ways, it’s getting very difficult to go into a world. People talk so much in theaters. And there’s a tiny crummy little picture. How do you get that experience?”
145 Congestion
Performance Center
Congestion 146
Doors / Catwalk
Wall crossing the border between El Paso Tx. and Ciudad Juarez, 2009.
147 Congestion
doors Congestion 148
catwalk
How to build a Performance Center with Doors and a Catwalk?
149 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 150
First Floor: Scenario
catwalk
Move the doors. Arrange your scenes.
151 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 152
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors
catwalk 153 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 154
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors Third Floor: 241 doors
catwalk 155 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 156
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors Third Floor: 241 doors Fourth Floor: 669 doors
catwalk 157 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 158
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors Third Floor: 241 doors Fourth Floor: 669 doors Fifth Floor: 845 doors
catwalk 159 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 160
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors Third Floor: 241 doors Fourth Floor: 669 doors Fifth Floor: 845 doors
Sixth Floor: 1,012 doors
catwalk 161 Congestion
Components
doors
Scenario: Three levels of seating area Structure: Spiral catwalk Walls: Mobile doors of different shapes and materials
Congestion 162
First Floor: Scenario Second Floor: 70 doors Third Floor: 241 doors Fourth Floor: 669 doors Fifth Floor: 845 doors
Sixth Floor: 1,012 doors
Total: 2,837 doors
catwalk 163 Congestion
doors Congestion 164
catwalk 165 Congestion
doors Congestion 166
catwalk 167 Congestion
doors Congestion 168
catwalk 169 Congestion
Components
doors
Left and right page: Eisenstein study
Congestion 170
catwalk
“I think it’s going to be a bit of a bumpy road. But the possibility is there for very clean pictures- no scratches, no dirt, no water marks, no tearing- and an image that can be controlled in an infinite number of ways. If you take care of how you show a film, it can be a beautiful experience that lets you go into a world.”
171 Congestion
doors Congestion 172
catwalk 173 Congestion
doors Congestion 174
catwalk
When I get inside I just look at more doors one after another, that are the ones that create different scenes. It is like getting into a movie, where the actors are there, the montages too, but there are too many to see the difference between you been a visitor or part of the movie.
175 Congestion
doors Congestion 176
catwalk
Everything was silent when I got in, but there is moment in the half of the passage where I started listening to music, so I wanted to keep walking. As I did it the music was louder, until I got into the void where was an orchestra playing.
177 Congestion
doors Congestion 178
catwalk
It feels like a mass but with some transparency on the interior that create the scenography.
179 Congestion
doors Congestion 180
catwalk
Everyone is involved once you get in.
181 Congestion
doors Congestion 182
catwalk
Move the doors and you will see!
183 Congestion
Performance Center
Congestion 184
Shoes / Communication
Old lady walking on the streets of Chihuahua in 2010.
185 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 186
Ground Floor: Public Plaza
communication
The place of cult as a sanctuary for the ordinary objects.
187 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 188
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment
communication 189 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 190
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment Fifth Floor: Shoemaker confesion area
communication 191 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 192
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment Fifth Floor: Shoemaker confesion area
Sixth Floor: Shoe fabrication Seventh Floor: Shoe fabrication
communication 193 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 194
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment Fifth Floor: Shoemaker confesion area
Sixth Floor: Shoe fabrication Seventh Floor: Shoe fabrication Eight Floor: Metitation Ninth Floor: Meditation Stairs
communication 195 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 196
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment Fifth Floor: Shoemaker confesion area
Sixth Floor: Shoe fabrication Seventh Floor: Shoe fabrication Eight Floor: Metitation Ninth Floor: Meditation Stairs, toilets
communication 197 Congestion
Components
shoes
Floors: Queen mattresses Structure: 12� diameter pipes Walls: Queen mattresses
Congestion 198
Ground Floor: Public Plaza Second Floor: Hole body punishment Third Floor: Half body punishment Fourth Floor: Feet punishment Fifth Floor: Shoemaker confesion area
Sixth Floor: Shoe fabrication Seventh Floor: Shoe fabrication Eight Floor: Metitation Ninth Floor: Meditation Stairs, toilets and door.
communication 199 Congestion
Components Right page: Ground floor plan
And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm.
shoes
No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others. And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” Congestion 200
communication 201 Congestion
Components
shoes
Left page: West elevation Right page: North elevation
Congestion 202
communication 203 Congestion
shoes Congestion 204
communication
“Sometime fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why?
205 Congestion
shoes Congestion 206
communication
Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm,
207 Congestion
shoes Congestion 208
communication
closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones.
209 Congestion
What if we multiply the amount of these objects to the point of congestion? How would that change our every day lives?
Congestion 210
211 Congestion
Manhattan NY, USA 184th and Broadway
Congestion 212
SUPERPOWER URBAN ENACTMENTS Andres Jaque, critic
213 Congestion
Network of Interactions
Congestion 214
New York / Santo Domingo
Protesters at Rockefeller Center against Dominican Republic’s Rafael Trujillo, New York, NY, Justo A. In 2010, there were approximately 1.41 million people of Dominican descent in the US, including both native and foreign-born.
215 Congestion
New York
There are currently around 400 thousand Dominicans in NYC, 46% in Washington Heights.
Congestion 216
Santo Domingo
How to build a Newtwork of Interactions between NYC and Dominican Republic?
217 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 218
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway
Santo Domingo
-Papers, papers all around. -What kind of papers?
Block between 184th st. and Broadway
219 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 220
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow.
Santo Domingo
Apartments flexible to grow
Local stores Community gardens
Beach
221 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 222
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional.
Santo Domingo
Place to become professional
223 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 224
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional, place to live and work.
Santo Domingo
Work / Live
225 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 226
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional, place to live and work. Streets, school, offices, baseball court, church and elevator.
Offices
Church
Elevator Streets School Santo Domingo
Baseball court
227 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 228
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional, place to live and work. Streets, school, offices, baseball court, sochool and elevator. One person studio, elevator to Rivas Travel Agency.
Rivas Travel Agency
One person studio
Santo Domingo 229 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 230
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional, place to live and work. Streets, school, offices, baseball court, sochool and elevator. One person studio, elevator to Rivas Travel Agency.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Beach
Live / work flexible to grow
Ground Floor: Shanty Town- housing Beach- live and work houses flexible to grow, hotels
Shanty Town
Santo Domingo 231 Congestion
Components
New York
Washington Heights, New York, NY
Congestion 232
Ground Floor: Block between 184th st. and Broadway First Floor: Beach, community gardens, local stores, apartments flexible to grow, place to become professional, place to live and work. Streets, school, offices, baseball court, sochool and elevator. One person studio, elevator to Rivas Travel Agency.
Ground Floor: Shanty Town- housing Beach- live and work houses flexible to grow, hotels Connective belt- connects Shaty Town and Beach housing, it provides places to work, study and hobbies.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Place for study and hobbies
Santo Domingo 233 Congestion
New York Congestion 234
Santo Domingo 235 Congestion
New York Congestion 236
Santo Domingo 237 Congestion
New York
Immigrant faces many barriers such as citizenship, language and education towards integration in NYC. That is equal an opportunity of architectural response to social and urban network.
Congestion 238
To help them cross those barriers, it exist places like the one that I was working on: Rivas Travel Agency. This Enactment work as a Dominican identity system creating a visual language by peculiar advertisement sensitivities. Located at Washington Heights, the largest concentration of Dominican immigrants. Decorated by its owner Mr. Rivas, workins as meadiator between the clients and the rights such as economic, political and social participation) system. Through the services such as bankruptcy, divorce, tax income, insurance, travel and citizenship.
The domininicans move to a foreign society in order to look for the possibility of economic growth. In response to that, I am proposing a way to implement the support of immigrant network by creating community on a block in Washington Heights. This project offers different places for immigrants to live, work and study depending on their economic situation. In total this architecture, could offer a place to live for around 2,000 people.
Santo Domingo 239 Congestion
Rivas Travel Agency 1. Citizenship desk 2. Insurance desk 3. Second Insurance desk 4. Travel ticketing desk 5. Everything desk 6. Travel Agent desk
2.
3.
4.
5. Congestion 240
6.
New York
1.
7. Office decoration 8. Office section
7.
Santo Domingo
8.
241 Congestion
Work and live situations
New York
1. Washington Heights block 2. Shanty town Dominican Republic 3. New York Ciry community 4. Studios proposal for new immigrants in NYC 5. Apartments with communal kitchen 6. Apartments for settle immigrants
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Congestion 242
7. Work / live 8. Flexible growing place to live in NYC 9. Flexible growing place to work in NYC 10. Place to become professional 11. Flexible growing place to live / work in Dominican Republic 12. Connective belt Dominican Republic
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Santo Domingo
7.
243 Congestion
Flexible place to grow Work / Live 1. New immigrants current place to work 2. Settled immigrants place to live 3. New immigrants current place to live
New York
1.
2.
3. Congestion 244
Santo Domingo 245 Congestion
Studios for new immigrants
New York
1. Studios flexible to grow 2. Studios section
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1.
2.
Santo Domingo
The community on the proposal promotes integration by offering immigrants in the majority Dominican, convenient flexible spaces that promote economic, social and political empowerment.
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Place to become professional 1. Acting 2. Music level one 3. Music level two 4. English level one 5. English level two
1.
New York
2. 9.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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8.
6. Finance 7. Economics level one 8. Economic level two 9. Areas to start a new business 10. Daycare
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New York Congestion 250
Santo Domingo
One of the things that makes this place special is The advertisement-decoration that gives the desire to travel -Show how the immigrants are already part of the American culture and they use to visit cities such as Disneyland, Washington DC, San Francisco, etc.
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New York Congestion 252
Santo Domingo
What makes it successful Is that it expand its network by word-of-mouth jumping into familiar relationships of the Dominican Republic and by working for the clients ordinary demands.
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New York
By enhancing the network of interactions between immigrant workers in NYC and Dominican Republic, we can leverage the community’s inherent institutionalized knowledge to promote integration.
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Santo Domingo
Evidence that this place is successful because after it help them to be naturalized, they can go to travel around the world and come back to the US without a problem.
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Jamaica Bay, NY
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JAMAICA BAY 2050 Katherine Orff + Kate Ascher, critics In collaboration with Emily Koustae
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National Park
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Working Landscape
“Jamaica Bay is one of the greatest natural treasures any city has within its borders, and our administration is working hard to make the bay an even greater, stronger, and more resilient natural resource for decades to come,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The new consortium we’re announcing today is an all-star team of research institutions and non-profits who will do important work to protect and preserve urban ecosystems from development and from the effects of climate change.” August 12, 2013
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Working Landscape
Provide facilities for the resiliency institute to conduct their research which will ultimately improve the water and ecology of Jamiaca Bay, establish Floyd Bennett Field as a destination in the National Park system.
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Jamaica Bay 2050
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Water Transects
Working Landscape
1. Causes affecting the water 2. CSO outfall
1.
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Jamaica Bay 2050
2.
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Working Landscape
Impacts on habitat
OSPREY
PIPING PLOVER
prefer coastal sand and gravel beaches migrate north in the summer and winter to the south threatened and endangered
MAN
fishing bycatch poaching
ALGEA BLOOM
climits the amount of light that reach the inhospitable to marine life
HORSESHOE CRAB’s EGGS
FRESH N2
attract migratory shorebirds Dealaware Bay Plumb Beach : station for monitoring
3500lb per
HORSESHOE CRAB
each spring clamber onto bay beaches to reproduce
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Jamaica Bay 2050
SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA
accumulates sediment allows shellfish to settle roots may draw nutrition from and kill terrapin eggs
PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS cleans water attracts poanes viator
BLUE HERON
MOSQUITOS
H2O
DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN nests on islands rise of water levels
RACCOON despoil nests
floor
H WATER INTRUSION TERRAPIN’s EGGS
r day
EELGRASS
captures N2 to grow
SHELLFISH (OYSTERS/RIBBED MUSSELS)
shellfishing prohibited in 1921 - diseases from sewage now absent or extremely limited water column filteration nursery habitat for marine animals aid in the process of wetland creation by reatining sediment and organic material allow plants to take root
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Birds’ nest strategy
Working Landscape
Engage water and sand.
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Jamaica Bay 2050
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Desing framework
Working Landscape
1. Floyd Bennett Field design 2. Fieldwork methodology
Runways as a starting point to develop the grid as a reference to fieldwork methodology. 1.
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oysters
preserve existing
Jamaica Bay 2050
plant restoration
soil recycling
2.
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Island redevelopment Left: Bird nests, soil island Right: Water filtration island
1. Island made of soil 4. Island made of oysters and spartina 5. Polluted water 6. Clean water
Working Landscape
1.
2.
3.
The material from dredging activities is treated and reused. Congestion 270
4. Jamaica Bay 2050
5.
6.
Oyster shells to filtrate the water. 271 Congestion
The alliance for Floyd Bennett Field Park 1. Phasing pro-forma 2. Health progress report
CONCERTS & FESTIVALS
Annual Revenue: $2.4MM One time Revenue: $3.5MM DREDGING
Construction Cost: $12MM Working Landscape
MARINA
Annual Revenue: $400K One time Revenue: $1MM URBAN ECO/FISHING VILLAGE
Construction Cost: $40MM Annual Revenue: $11-16MM HOTEL PROPERTY
Annual Revenue: $2.5MM One time Revenue: $8MM AMPHITHEATRE
Construction cost: $3mm 1.
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PHASE 2
PHASE 1
PHASE 3
Jamaica Bay 2050
2.
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Congestion 274
Working Landscape
marina
Jamaica Bay 2050
concert venues
fishing village
hotel
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wetland center
resiliency center
Working Landscape
plots
marina cottages Congestion 276
Main canal allows water to flow.
Jamaica Bay 2050
fishing village
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Cut & Fill
CUT + FILL
1. public recreational activities
Working Landscape
2. ecological / restoration / scientific activities
3.
4.
5.
6.
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community protection / public circulation
1. Public recreational activities 2. Ecological / restoration / scientific activities 3. Community protection / public circulation 4. Floyd Bennett Field 5. Bay 6. Belt
Jamaica Bay 2050
279 Congestion
Cut & Fill
Working Landscape
Summer 2017: Wetland & bird watching
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Jamaica Bay 2050
281 Congestion
Cut & Fill
Working Landscape
Sunny day 2018: Water canal
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Jamaica Bay 2050
283 Congestion
Cut & Fill
Working Landscape
Summer 2050: Water recreation
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Jamaica Bay 2050
285 Congestion
Plots Unit
Working Landscape
spartina and eel grass testing and experimenting plots
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Jamaica Bay 2050
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Working Landscape
Fishing Village Unit
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Jamaica Bay 2050
289 Congestion
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Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Bay restoration Low Tide
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Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Active bay Summer Time
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Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Public canal Sunny Day
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Congestion 296
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Wetland center Sunny Day
297 Congestion
Congestion 298
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Wetland center Rainy Day
299 Congestion
Congestion 300
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Concert venue Day Time
301 Congestion
Congestion 302
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Concert venue Night Time
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Congestion 304
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Resiliency corridor Summer Time
305 Congestion
Congestion 306
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050
Resiliency corridor Winter Time
307 Congestion
Congestion 308
Working Landscape
Jamaica Bay 2050 Current Situation
309 Congestion
shoes Congestion 310
communication 311 Congestion
Congestion 312
RENDERING AS A FETICHISM THE MORE REALISTIC, THE BETTER. The word rendering evokes images of complex visual representations only possible thanks to recent technological progress. In reality the term has been used, as related to architectural visualization, since the early 1960’s. It was in this decade that designer William Fetter coined the term to describe the layout inside Boeing’s airplanes. He used this process of graphical representation to maximize the efficiency of describing a new design. Renders revolutionized the world of design by leveraging technology. To date, the evolution of renders has been tremendous. Almost every architecture practitioner uses renders to express and ultimately sell their ideas. As a consequence, the experience of hand-drawn representations has become old fashioned; audiences are expecting visuals closer and closer to reality as technology may permit. But, is realism necessarily better? “What is a rendering? An alluring device to win over a jury or public? A realistic depiction? Or perhaps it’s an entity unto itself… The rendering has “become to architecture what pornography is to every teenage boy”. (Quirk 2012) JANES CAROUSEL Jean Nouvel was commissioned by David Walentas the design of a building for Jane’s Carousel in order to keep people coming to the neighborhood where Mr. Walentas has been selling luxury condos and lofts for more than a decade. Jane’s Carousel wad originally built in 1922 and recently restored back to its original nostalgic elegance by its owners, the Walentas. It serves as
a memorial to the people that have worked to keep this memory-filled object alive. To facilitate this preservation, Jean Nouvel was commissioned to design a Pavilion that could cover it, so the Carousel may be able to enthrall its spectators for years to come. In contrast to its monumental surrounding backdrop, Nouvel aimed to create a “fragile little monument” for the city. Nouvel uses a minimalist architectural language that is far removed from the ornate visual qualities of Jane’s Carousel. This appears to produce an interesting juxtaposition of styles. However, this contrast also reveals that the primary purpose of Jean Nouvel’s Box is to protect the main attraction from the natural elements. In essence, Nouvel’s Box appears as a simple shelter or shed. That being said, Box has a strong ceiling pattern that reflects the movements below. Otherwise without this pattern, the contour could become part of any building. This begs the question, without the Carousel inside, is Nouvel’s box a landmark in its own right? Can the Carousel stand as a “fragile little monument” on its own? The Carousel’s history speaks volumes by itself. The carnivalesque musical tunes played in the Carousel transport its visitors to another time and place. The striking colors and shapes remind the viewers of their own childhood and unite them through a sense of shared nostalgia for times past. This is the result of a years-long effort to carve the horses, create the steel shapes, repair the carpentry, bringing it to its original essence. Add 1200 lights, and the result is an eye-catching device for reliving old memories. Finally, despite serving very simple kinetic functions, it invites you to take a ride, enjoy, and promises more than a smile. “In the heart of the newly developed Brooklyn Bridge Park, facing Downtown Manhattan, Jane’s Carousel sists between the massive stoned pier of the Brooklyn Bridge and the slender blue 313 Congestion
steel pier of the Manhattan Bridge, a few feet from the East River. The pavilion’s aim is to be a protective shelter for the carousel, as well as a welcoming public space for the children of the city coming for enjoyment and fun-filled ride. At night, the pavilion turns into a magic lantern, visible from the surrounding, environment: every hour the horse’s shadows dance on the building’s facades, marking the hour in the way of a city clock.” (Jean Nouvel: Jane's Carousel 2012)4 Jean Nouvel created a shelter for the Carousel, but not in a way that was faithful to its rendered representation. The building was supposed to create this “magic lantern” at night but that did not happen. The night show that every one was expecting to see from it was just a pure idealization of the building function. JEAN NOUVEL One architecture practitioner that is taking this method of representation to its limits is 2008 Pritzker Prize awardee, Jean Nouvel. Nouvel has been taking leveraging new technologies and methods to make this other architecture seem impossible to realize. As rendering techniques give people the opportunity to produce complex visual representations, the image begins to represent the architect's ideas, not only of potentiality, but also of reality. That is, the architect's ideas achieve a life of their own as they are represented in ban increasingly real way. At the same time the architect loses the tangibility of pencil and paper, which is replaced by virtual lines in a computer screen. As a result, the render denies the viewer the ability to imagine. It is at this point where the visual loses the potential for interpretation. The viewers no longer see what they wants to see, because what the visual Congestion 314
they are consuming has already been defined by strict interpretational parameters. The render is realistic, but loses sensuousness. Instead, rendered architecture appears idealized and unreal. “Our era, Nouvel believes, is preoccupied with the relationship of light and matter, and how one renders the other invisible. "The paradigm of modern architecture is simplicity and complexity: The more it seems simple, the more it's complex," he explains. "The best engineer a few decades ago was someone who could create the most beautiful beam or structure; today it's to do a structure you cannot see or understand how it's done. It disappears and you can talk only about color, symbols, and light. It's an aesthetic of miracle." (Murdock 2008)2 One of his works in New York City, at the Chelsea District Condominium Tower shows an example of where the design on the representation is different from the reality. The renders show that the curtain wall façade was supposed to have delicate aluminum framing but in the reality is even more visible that the glass and even its true colors were represented differently. The design images give a misleading vision of how the building will work and how it is going to deal with the control of natural light, that is one of Jean Nouvel’s main concerns when he describe his architecture. Nouvel is a model for the starchitect team of our age that is becoming dependent on this method of representation, using it even at the begging of the design process. Digital design for Atelier Jean Nouvel has become a “production amplifier and solution generator”. As Atelier Jean Nouvel tries to induct all of its office collaborators to the Computer Graphics (CG) society, where the employees and the computer become a mechanized production conveyor with lack of sensitivity, the office starts to give off confusing ideas of where the architect ceases to
society, where the employees and the computer become a mechanized production conveyor with lack of sensitivity, the office starts to give off confusing ideas of where the architect ceases to be a designer. Interview with Andrew Hartness of Ateliers Jean Nouvel: CGA: Where do you see the future of architectural rendering and how will new rendering technologies affect the future of AJN or the industry for that matter? More capable machines, more evolved intuitive programs and a higher percentage of 3D users will definitely increase potential render quality, which will enable CG firms and architectural firms—in theory—to increase production rate. (Mottle 2003)3 The architecture firm of Jean Nouvel, as most other architecture firms nowadays, uses the computer device not only as a graphic tool, but also as a production amplifier and solution generator. In particular, Atelier Jean Nouvel is on the cutting edge of leveraging new technologies. For this reason, they are one of the principal perpetrators of a growing overreliance on rendering. The slippery slope of rendering makes it easier for Atelier Jean Nouvel to lose control of reality, not in favor of artistic expression, but of techno-fetishism. Renders are given an artificial look, without showing the identity of the architecture firm. This desire to give impossible shapes a realistic feel, in turn sacrifices the architecture firm’s ability to communicate with the client, since the render becomes the principal method of communication. This manner of work has given the architect important opportunities to evolve his craft. Nouvel was commissioned to design a building for DUMBO's Brooklyn Bridge Park; a quickly-developing site in New York City. This neighborhood is currently one of the city's most expensive
DUMBO This manner of work has given the architect important opportunities to evolve his craft. Nouvel was commissioned to design a building for DUMBO's Brooklyn Bridge Park; a quicklydeveloping site in New York City. This neighborhood is currently one of the city's most expensive places to live, serving as the new SoHo, with abandoned massive warehouses and factories since 1990’s when artists first gentrified the neighborhood. RENDERING “Perhaps a rendering schism is needed – in which a preliminary, slightly idealized design is presented to the client/public, and a more realistic rendering (a practical document that can be used for construction purposes as well) follows suit. Indeed, technology has been created that allows for renderings so real, it is often difficult to distinguish the rendered building from its neighbors; perhaps this technology, which gives clients an honest replica of what to expect, could become the norm (Reidel 25).” (Quirk 2012)1 We do not need to get rid of the use of rendering, but rather to use it in a more detailed way, where it could show not only the idealized spaces, but also the way the building works as a hole; giving the most exhaustive detail that a section plan can give, from how the air conditioner will work, to how the structure of the building will be designed. If the objective is to give a realistic representation, why not use it to its full potential? Rendering's current function of idealizing paradise visions of an architect's uncompleted work is a crutch. Not only is it misleading and dishonest, but it misses the opportunity to transform ideas into actualized reality. 315 Congestion
Go wild. Then go back.
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