ARCHITECTURAL SIMULATION ARCH7012 / Minh Dung Le / UC Main Street
INTRODUCTION
The assigned study site is the University of Cincinnati’s Main Street, the main spine of circulation that connects almost all of the activities on the Main Campus together. In this second part of assignment five, a different set of space syntax analyzing tool will be utilized to assess the functionality of this vital and particular connection of the University. Together with the computerized result, assessments based on observation will also be used as a tool of evaluation.
Minh Dung Le / UC Main Street
VISIBILITY ANALYSIS
AGENT ANALYSIS
Minh Dung Le / UC Main Street
COMBINED ANALYSIS
The result to some extend, reflects the issues of Main Street. However, some limitation occurred in the computation process. For instance, the height, volume, function, and the actual topography of the site are left out of the analyzing program. That could and actually did bring about some false data, which is why observation as a methodology is used together with computing analysis as the two main sets of assessment. The most isolated spaces from the rest are actually the small and narrow relief spaces between the buildings. Surprisingly, the second most isolated space is the actual main street itself. This is explainable due to the fact that the width of the street gets narrower in the middle and the direction of the street is slightly curved. This results in the limitation of visibility, which would take part in diminishing the number of agents passing through. The most connected places are the two vast opening spaces at both ends of main street. These spaces are the relief spaces which house the large amount of people coming out of the adjacent buildings. They also serve as the release spaces for the narrowness of the Main Street.
Minh Dung Le / UC Main Street
COMBINED ANALYSIS
Minh Dung Le / UC Main Street
Solely judging from the mathematics of the computation, Main Street itself fails to be the main spine, or do not appear to be the most idealistic axis to connect people and their activities together. However, results from the observation process has proven that there are many unconcerned factors that could affects, in this case, emphasizes and strenghthens the circulation patterns.
Combined (Visibility & Agent) axonometric graph
Building mass
Main street direction
Base map
The first factor that affects the flow is the form of the surrounding architecture. In this particular case, that is the opposite and smooth curvature of the Main Street Classroom in the University REC Center and the Steger Student Life Center. Those consistent facing curves create a kind of strong and inviting forces that draws attention into the Main Street itself. This can be very well-illustrated in the image below
The second factor is the carefully thoughtthrough placement of the materials and colors assigned to the surfaces on Main Street. First, it’s the consistency of the paneling surfaces on the facades of the two opposite buildings on Main Street, which delivers a sense of unity in space. By doing so, smaller spaces are combined into a grander, more unified space. In addition, the continuous stucco paving, which is used as a means of symbology to define the paths that leads to Main Street, creates a vibe of continuity. The flow of space through Main Street, thanks to that, is much more diversified and intriguing to pedestrians because it provokes the sensation of discovery through moving. The third and final factor that minimizes the negativity by location of Main Street is the distribution of the activities on the buildings along its sides. Those are the buildings that promote students of different disciplines to have the greatest chances to interact, e.g. the REC Center, the Food Court, the Cinema and the Student Life Center. Main Street is turned into an ideal space for informal social encountering. The study has showed that with careful consideration, an allegedly un-advantageous space could be transformed into a primary space of livelihood and joy.