NICHOLAS COATES RIVA SAN VITALE SPRING 2014
STUDIO
The most important thing is that you love what you are doing, and the second that you are not afraid of where your next idea will lead.
-Charles Eames
PA R T I
Background
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Riva San Vitale Situated at the southern tip of Lake Lugano, Riva S a n V i t a l e i s t h e g a t e w a y t o t h e n o r t h f r o m I t a l y. The town is in a valley between Monte San Giorgio and Monte Generoso.
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Riva San Vitale Located in the Swiss Canton of Ticino, Riva San Vitale is home to around 2,500 people. The town is primarily residential with a few small shops and restaurants.
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Lake Lugano Meaning shore in Italian, riva is more than the name of the town. Lake Lugano adorns the nor thern por tion o f R i v a S a n V i t a l e , f i l l i n g i t w i t h b e a u t i f u l s c e n e r y, fantastic public spaces, and an abundance of wildlife.
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Villa Maderni S e r v i n g a s t h e h o m e b a s e f o r t h e s e m e s t e r, t h i s structure was built around 1750 for an attorney and his f a m i l y. T h e h o u s e i s s u r r o u n d e d b y M o n t e S a n G i o r g i o to the back with views of neighboring churches and fields to the front.
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Villa Maderni In addition to being a home, the villa was an ideal space to work and experiment through the making of architecture. Creaking wood floors led you through the studio to large windows that allowed an abundance of sunlight and sweet, crisp breezes inside.
PA R T I I
Site Analysis
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Site Located at the public lakefront in Riva San Vitale, the site for the studio project granted undisturbed views of the nor th. The site currently houses a park, a playground area, and public boat access.
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Project Site Villa Maderni
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To w n C e n t e r To V i l l a M a d e r n i Project Site Lake Lugano To C a p o l a g o Mountain Runoff Post Office Pharmacy Residential
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Site Recordings When visiting the site, two things came to the forefront. The first was a mysterious stream that flowed from the mountain, under the foundation of Chiesa di Santa Croce (completed 1591), and through a small canal, ending in the l a k e . S e c o n d l y, t h e p l a n a r q u a l i t y o f t h e s i t e w a s a p p a r e n t and that much consideration would be needed to not disturb the views from the neighboring residential buildings.
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Entry Conditions
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Physical Features
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North / South Flow T h r o u g h Va l l e y
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Interrupting Flow Through Orientation
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Orientation Creates E a s t / We s t E m p h a s i s + Ve r t i c a l F l o w f r o m Mountains
F l o w s T h r o u g h Va l l e y
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From Mountain
To L a k e
PA R T I I I
Project
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Project Description
EN The site is located along the lakefront in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, and c u r r e n t l y c o n t a i n s a p a r k a n d p l a y g r o u n d f o r t h e c o m m u n i t y. T h e p r o j e c t is composed of two buildings linked by a thin plane. The west building c o n t a i n s t h r e e r e h e a r s a l s p a c e s , t w o b a t h r o o m s , a n d a n e l e v a t o r. T h e e a s t building contains a large per formance space. The buildings are 7.63 meters (25 feet) tall, with the plane located 2.44 meters (8 feet) from their base. The façade is composed of a two layers of glass channels. The channels are translucent, allowing light to enter but limiting the view. The nor th and west walls of the per formance space open to allow the per formance to extend onto the plane. The plane is 0.46 meters (18 inches) thick. A metal channel forms the perimeter with wood decking at the top and bottom. The w o o d w i l l q u i c k l y w e a t h e r t o b e c o m e a r i c h g r e y, m a t c h i n g t h e m e t a l . T h e plane is 0.30 meters (1 foot) off the ground at the western edge of the site and is 1.22 meters (4 feet) off the ground at the eastern edge. A path leads from the southern por tion of the site and slopes to allow access to the two buildings beneath the plane. The path then continues until the slope meets t h e w a t e r. The project resulted from studying the intersection between elements. These elements range in scale from the conceptual idea to the detail of a c o r n e r. A n e x t e n s i o n , w h e t h e r p h y s i c a l l y m a n i f e s t e d o r i m p l i e d , i s c r e a t e d from this intersection. The result is a project that isn’t contained within a s e t b o u n d a r y, b u t e x t e n d s o u t w a r d t o t h e s i t e , t h e l a k e , a n d t h e t o w n o f R i v a San Vitale.
IT Il sito si trova lungo il riva del lago di Riva San Vitale, Svizzera. Attualmente, contiene un parco e parco giochi per la comunità. Il progetto si compone d i d u e e d i f i c i , c o l l e g a t i d a u n p i a n o s o t t i l e . L’ e d i f i c i o o v e s t c o n t i e n e t r e s a l e p r o v e , d u e b a g n i , e u n a s c e n s o r e . L’ e d i f i c i o e s t c o n t i e n e u n a t e a t r o grande. Gli edifici misurano 7,63 metri di altezza e un piano sottile si trova 2,44 metri dal fondo. La facciata è composto di due strati di vetro canali. I l v e t r o è t ra s l u c i d o . Pe r m e t te a l l a l u c e d i e n t ra r e , m a l i m i t a l a v i s t a . N o r d ea ovest pareti del teatro aper to per consentire l’esibizione di estendere su piano. Il piano misura 0,46 metri di spessore. Un canale acciaio forma il perimetro e legno è in alto e in basso. Il legno si deterioreranno a diventare grigio, corrispondente al acciaio. Un piano é 0,30 metri sopra il terrano ad ovest e 1,22 metri ad est. Un sentiero conduce dal sud e piste per consentire l’accesso ai due edifici sotto il piano. Il percorso prosegue fino ad incontrare il lago. I risultati del progetto di studiare l’intersezione tra elementi. Questi elementi variano in scala dall’idea concettuale al dettaglio di un angolo. Una proroga, sia fisicamente manifesta o implicita, è creato da questo intersezione. Il risultato è un progetto che non è contenuta all’interno di un confine, ma si estende verso l’esterno al sito, il lago e la città di Riva San Vitale.
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Rehearsal Spaces Performance Space Outdoor Seating Boat Docks Playground Wa t e r A c c e s s
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O n e P l a n e , Tw o V o l u m e s The rehearsal spaces have different needs, both s p a t i a l l y a n d p r o g r a m m a t i c a l l y, t h a n t h e m a i n per formance space. Separating these spaces, along with the utilities, allowed the performance space to stand proud at the eastern por tion of the site. Connecting the two spaces is a thin plane, one that appears to project off into the lake.
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Rehearsal Spaces
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Pe r f o r m a c e S p a c e
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Sequence of Construction
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C o n n e c t i n g W i t h Wa t e r T h e q u a l i t i e s o f w a t e r, w h i l e n o t necessarily related to the performance itself, aid in establishing the atmosphere for both viewers and p e r f o r m e r s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, e s t a b l i s h i n g connections with water gives the architecture and surrounding spaces another life when not in use.
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Corner Detail
Entry Threshold
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Wall / Roof Intersection
Plane Threshold
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Handrail Diagram
Plane Details
What does it mean to per form?
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A S p a c e o f Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n Ta k i n g c u e s f r o m a b l a c k b o x t h e a t e r , t h e p e r f o r m a n c e s p a c e transforms to allow per formances to take place or to entice new types of shows. The stages are capable of moving ver tically to c r e a t e d i f f e r e n t a r r a n g e m e n t s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e w a l l s c a n o p e n to let the per formance extend out onto the plane.
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A S p a c e f o r Pe r f o r m a c e Steel grating is used for the stages to allow sounds to fill the entire volume. W ith the walls closed, an intimate setting is created, with per formers and viewers sharing the same space. When the space transforms, per formances fill not o n l y t h e t h e a t e r, b u t t h e s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a s a s w e l l .
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Process T h r o u g h o u t t h e s e m e s t e r, s t u d i e s w e r e u n d e r t a k e n through both drawing and modeling. The result is a project that not only studies an architectural idea, but also finds a way to take advantage of the location. This is achieved through finding ties to the community and their needs in a new space as well as utilizing the wonder ful climate of the area.
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Black Box Theater
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Te c t o n i c C o m p o s i t e Following initial sketches of ideas, a tectonic composite was c r e a t e d t o s t u d y t w o s y s t e m s c o m i n g t o g e t h e r. T h e i d e a w a s t o take scrap materials present in the studio and assemble them into a physical object. The resulting composite takes pieces of corrugated plastic and basswood. The corrugations provide the spacing and structure for the wood dowels. The gaps created allow two long pieces to project, being held only by friction.
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S p a t i a l M a n i f e s t a t i o n o f Te c t o n i c C o m p o s i t e
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F a c a d e S t u d y, C u s t o m G l a s s A s s e m b l y
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F a c a d e S t u d y, G l a s s C h a n n e l A s s e m b l y
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PROCESS OF THE DETAILS
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Study of Plane and Structure
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Study of Column and Interior Details
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PA R T I V
Exhibition
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Esposizione, Riva San Vitale The town was invited to our final exhibition, one that was a celebration of our work, from both studio and travels. The resulting showcase wound its way through the entire villa, showing not only the final products, but also how we lived and worked while abroad.
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Exhibition, Blacksburg Following another exhibition during the opening ceremonies of new addition to the Villa Mederni in June, the work traveled back to Blacksburg to b e s h o w n f o r o u r c o l l e a g u e s , f a c u l t y, a n d s t a f f .