NATURE’S ELEMENTS
Nina Nazarov Studio Tom DiSanto Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Architectural Thesis Fall 2009-Spring 2010
Experiments .................... 6 Research......................... 24 Thoughts........................ 40 Location.......................... 56 Design........................... 78
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXPERIMENTS ABSTRACT RECLAIM TECTONIC STUDY LANDSCAPE INTERVENTION POEMS PASTEL ON CARDBOARD
By using tactics from nature’s elements, phenomenological experiences are evoked within a small complex of shelters to a domestic addition in the Yosemite foothills. The guiding elements of the design are gravity within vertical orientation, temporal versus permanent time, additivity of reused material through adaptive reuse and reverse engineering and holisticity through material and tectonic explorations on numerous scales.
The scope of the design will foremost have a sensitivity to the site, through a reaction to plug in suburban housing and creating openness to the land and sky, making the natural elements key features. Total design will be developed in several ways, by establishing a unified language among the variety of shelters, by reaching to the extents of the site to improve the quality of space and through design build.
ABSTRACT
RECLAIM
4’-5” Top of head
3’-2” Shoulder
2’-10” Height
2’-0” Hip and elbow 1’-5” Seat
0’-10” Curve difference
0’-0” Ground 3’-1” Stretched leg 1’-3” Edge of 0’-0” Back of seat seat
RECLAIM . DESIGN PROCESS
By balancing the average human dimensions with the natural curve of the barrel staves, a wine barrel was reclaimed into a chair for dining. The design further evolved with the design build process, where the nature of the material, available tools and structural integrity turned into design forces. The tall back of the chair, when used within a collection, creates a space within a space.
3/4” x 1” stave strips 5/32 piano wire Metal hoop connection
Metal hoop Stave strips 1/2” Wood screw
Bolt and nut Full width stave
Vertical stave Bolt and nut Horizontal stave Section
Elevation
Stave on side
The vellum chair is separated into 2 pieces, the seat and the base. The base is strengthened through a tectonics study.
Metal hoop Leg of base Stave on side Metal hoops
TECTONIC STUDY
Bolt and nut View from below
PRE-EXISTING DETAIL — Rod Connection — Unsuccessful with a failure of the stave strip of wood because it is too thin after the insertion of the piano wire. PRE-EXISTING DETAIL — Screwed Metal Hoops — Successful re-use of barrel material with the addition of wood screws. Allows for the creation of a surface. Strength is established from the surface and quantity of metal hoops. PRE-EXISTING DETAIL — Bolt and Nut — Established during the build portion, of the design-build approach to making the chair, as a means of strength and stability. NEW DETAIL — Bolt and Nut — Modeled after the previous detail as an effort to eliminate all rod connections. All the rod connections were connect a horizontal connection to a vertical member. Staves are much stronger through a bolt and nut connection. NEW DETAIL — Stave Support — A stave and a metal hoop have similar curves, although each one is slightly different. The bottom of the seat is connected with four strips of metal, with about an inch gap between where a stave can fit in to create support.
PRE-EXISTING DETAIL — Wood Pins — Pins have proven to be highly unsuccessful. It is difficult to create the tension joint. Metal pins would put metal in a touch zone. NEW DETAIL — Wood Buffer — A small stave buffer is used to be able to connect a vertical and horizontal surface without penetrating the top of the arm rest. NEW DETAIL — Cable — The cable is to counteract the movement of the arm stave from the leg stave. BASE — Form Analogue — • 7 Staves • 7 ft Cable • 2 Turnbuckles • 4 Eye hooks • 20 -2” Bolt and nuts • 2 -2” Screws
Arm rest stave Wood Pin Leg stave
Arm Stave 3” Bolt and nut 2” Screw Leg Stave
Arm staves bolted together Cable with turn buckles Leg stave
The intervention highlights the natural cycles occurring between the ocean and the rock. The rock displays a thin layers creating a texture a horizontal direction, which was both created and eroded by the ocean’s rhythmic waves. Sited on the edge of the rock formation at Spooners Cove in Montana de Oro, the intervention follows the form of the rock formation in plan and the horizon line of the ocean in elevation. The juxtaposition is revealed in various scale and perspective angles. From far away, the intervention completely blends into the original formation. Standing on the beach in front of the rock, the intervention appears as a flat wall. At this scale the texture of the horizontal layering of rock appears. Closer to the formation while climbing the rock itself, the dimensionality of the intervention reveals itself. The new formation follows the form of its host site.
LANDSCAPE INTERVENTION
Exhale
Recipe
Inhale, Take in the fresh, Exhale, Release the stale.
2 - 3/4 pound palette 1/2 cup stave 3/4 cup fresh nuts and bolts 1 tarp 3 tablespoon tire Clay and dirt to taste
Inhale, Feel the presence, Exhale, Let go, relax.
Deconstruct the palette Into salvageable pieces Cut into 1/4 inch strips Reuse.
Inhale The openness, Exhale The enclosed.
Sand the stave To be silky smooth Cut into 1/2 inch strips Reclaim.
Inhale, Stir the sky, Exhale With the breeze.
Preheat oven to 375째F Place 1 tablespoon tire In 3 mounds Evenly spaced apart.
Inhale The scent of the air, Exhale, Rooting into the ground.
Drill hole through The palette strips Connect with nuts and bolts Add stave strips. Combine the mound To the wood Top with tarp Season to taste.
Qualities of the setting
POEMS
Bake for 9 months Document before serving To friends and family Add recipe to book.
A terrestrial path Belonging to the animals Of the land of the wild Lays silent in disguise. The intuitive sense Stays dormant With the silence Of the land of the wild. In the darkness, Late one night, A hiss of a cry is introduced Through the land of the wild. Intuition is awakened. Danger is present. Through the land of the wild An intruder is present. The cry continues Or is it a growl, Perhaps a hiss, Of the land of the wild. The heart races But the body freezes While the mind jumps To the land of the built. A place of shelter, With full encloser, And filled with comforts Is the land of the built. The predator appears, Visible from the light Of the land of the built. Blocking the path. The attitude persists Claiming the territory Of the land of the wild. Intruders are not welcome.
Cardboard is a commonly used and discarded material. It is easy to come by and reclaim. The previous use gives the cardboard a history, seen with the additional cracks on the surface. The painting highlights the cracks, and therefore the history, of the material through a series of colors. The highlighted cracks gives the individual paintings another layer of unity between the series. The first layer of unity is the horizontally of the light and dark. The horizontality again reinforced the nature of the cardboard by following the language of the flutes. The serious of four paintings draw a connection to the multiplicity of the program, beginning the discussion between unity and separation of the structures.
Painting Charrette
PASTEL ON CARDBOARD
RESEARCH CASE STUDIES PRECEDENTS TREE HOUSE TYPOLOGY
The boom tent is a simple tent sited in a tree. All it needs is a sturdy branch for suspension and a tree trunk for stability. It has no impact on the environment it is located in. The elevation of the tent provides a new level of security which a traditional tent does not. Its flexible design allows for configurations ranging between open and closed, all along using a minimal amount of material. The size of the tent is molded around the human scale, being a comfortable length to lie in for one or two.
Alrik Koudenbury Netherlands, 2001
BOOM TENT
Reused materials define this outdoor bar. Stacked pallets function as seats and tables. Umbrellas are hung on a light wire grid, and connected to one another for an additional relation. Lanterns utilize the handle of the umbrella while creating an atmospheric glow at night.
Diretribe Melbourne, Australia 2006
SECTION 8 CONTAINER BAR
Fast growing willows bear the construction load in the Living Skywalk. The design contrasts living material and rigid geometry. The trees, and therefore the space changes with the seasons and with age. This type of design can be classified as a “co-design with nature” or a “co-production between man and tree.” Although, the trees were planted with the specific purpose of bearing this structure. There are limitations which is determined by the adaptation to the ecosystem. If the adapt, it is a way for a man imposed structure to do more good, not less bad.
Baubotanik Waid-Ruestetten, Germany 2003
LIVING SKYWALK
Crested Oropendola Lowland South America The Oropendola makes a spherical nest from palm fibres, hanging high in an isolated tree. Although, the birds tend to live in colonies, and the collection of nests reflect there living pattern. The nests are typically made in the breeding season, between November and April.
Hamerkop South Africa The Hamerkop make large nests out of sticks up to 5 ft wide. The nests are durable and can hold a mans weight. The nests are constructed through a process of making a platform, walls and a domed roof. The structures have an entrance up to a foot wide, and a long tunnel leading to the nesting chamber.
Bowerbirds New Guinea The Bowerbirds use their nests as a mating ritual, not as a shelter. The male creates a place for the female to sit, as defined by collected twigs, and admire collected blue items.
BIRD AS BUILDERS
Styx Forest is home to the tallest hardwood trees in the world, many are 80 m or 240 ft tall. They are about 400 years old. The forest is at victim for deforestation, and only 13% remained in 1996. In an attempt to halt the clearing of the forest, a group of activists formed a human barricade by residing in the trees on simple suspended platforms. The design focuses on the second generation of the station. It is a conceptual investigation that utilizes the same tactics yet provides more shelter from the winter, and attaches and protects three trees instead of one.
Andrew Maynard Architects Styx Forest, Tasmania, Australia
STYX FOREST PROTEST CENTER
The birds nest is made out of a steel frame enclosed with woven branches and padded seating. Its capacity is two adults and two small children. Its accessible by a rope ladder through the bottom opening. There is another opening for the view. It might have been safer and economical to combine the two openings, thus eliminating the whole through the bottom.
Animal Farm Cape Town, South Africa
BIRDS NEST
Feider uses Buck minster fullers geodesic dome structure to minimize the amount of material used for the structures. The materials used are hemp caves, recycled milk carton plastic and 60% post consumer waste eco-resin, pretty close to fully sustainable materials. The design is flexible enough to accommodate any tree. Furthermore, the tree is not harmed with the use of nuts and bolts. Instead a cable suspension system is used. Feider states, “This tree house allows one to experience nature as birds do, in an upper canopy tree haven.�
Dusint Feider 45 feet in the air
02 SUSTAINABILITY
The tree house was set up around four existing trees, with careful attention paid to minimizing the impact on the trees, the site, and nature itself. The language of the house is defined by the horizontal slats. There are three levels of transparency that allow light in as well as out. The result resembles a Japanese lantern. The design focusing on various ways to frame nature, from the inside, from the outside, looking up and looking down.
Lukasz Kos Lake Muskoka, Ontario
4TREEHOUSE
Erin Moore designed a small building off the grid and away from any paths as a place for her mother to write. The program also includes the amplification of the natural system of water. Watershed tests the principles of sustainability by looking at sustainability not as a work of permanence, but as integration within a larger cyclical systems. It function as a life cycle where the end is just as meaningful as the beginning, and where it creates relationships within its context. Four peirs where poured on site for the foundation. The single frame was built off site. The enclosure is detailed with reversability, so the pieces can be easily removed and replaced as needed. The columns
Erin Moore Float Architecture Wren, Oregon
WATERSHED
are bolted to the frame and the remainder connects through tongue and groove in both creating the wall panels and connecting the panels to the columns. The polycarbonate roof is also bolted to the steel frame. In response to the wet climate, it is left open for the water to move away instead of building up. The building is designed to heat through solar gain and cool through ventilation. The polycarbonate roof allows for amplification of rainfall. The pitch creates water drainage into a water pool, which is both audible and visible. The pool further connects the ecological cycles by drawing animals in for water. The openings are created to isolate a variety of views and draw attention to the details of nature, from the flower sprouting to the cloud covering of the day.
“Architecture is material giving form to space in light and it can be fully appreciated only by the engagement of the human body.� Or better yet, architecture is the human body giving meaning to the material defining the created space. Hence, architecture is not architecture without human scale and presence; it is only material defining an arbitrary space. The human scale and presence is the essence to actualizing the space. The Bridge-Box has a sit-walk program, placed over water for use in the spring. The truss of the box spans over a stream. The Drum-Barge is programmed for sitting and standing in water during the summer. The design and actualization links the purity of a centric building to water. The Ark-Tower is over ground to be climbed and sat in during the autumn. The structure creates a relationship between the sky and the imagination. The House-Tunnel is programmed to descend and lie in the ground during the winter.
Small Buildings
MIKE CADWELL
The building industries contribution to the almost half of all greenhouse emissions according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The renovation and demolition of buildings in the U.S. accounts for twenty percent or 80 million tons of debris of our total annual waste, according to the Worldwatch Institute. New construction also contributes to the waste stream of about 11 million tons of debris. The alternative to demolition is deconstruction which allows for diversion of materials from our landfills. The Scraphouse is a reaction the amount of materials being thrown away and an experiment in the reuse of materials from the junk yard. The Scraphouse was a temporary structure built in the Civic Center of San Francisco in May of 2005 in conjunction with World Environmental Day. The mission was to build a stylish and safe house out of completely reused material with the exception of screws and nails, turning “one man’s trash into another man’s house.”
Public Architecture Civic Center, San Francisco
SCRAPHOUSE
The design build team had a short six weeks to actualize the house. John Peterson of Public Architecture designed with great flexibility due to the nature of salvaged materials. Flash, the salvage master, collected material out of the dump before it moved on to the junk yard. Pat Buschovich, the structural engineer, made sure that the house followed the rules. John Pollard, the general contractor, organized the labor team. Traditional Structure wood two by fours metal C channels masonite sheets Waterproofing the Exterior road signs old sheet scraps old shower doors tempered glass New Textures phonebooks keyboards solid wood doors as the floor leaky firehoses salvaged tree moulding and trim
“In its final, constructed form, architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement... In the naturalism and graphic virtuosity of architectural portrayals are too great, if they lack “open patches” where our imagination and curiosity about the reality of the drawing can penetrate the image, the portrayal itself becomes the object of our desire and our longing for the reality wanes because there is little something in the representation which points to the intended reality beyond it. The portrayal no longer holds a promise. It refers only to itself.” _Peter Zumthor
THOUGHTS
The world as we now it today is a fairly new development within the context of the Earth’s existence. Only a few generations ago technology was not present. Even shelters have had a certain degree of progression, although the argument that they are in the archaic stages can be made in relation to the recent technological examples. Le Corbusier made the argument that for the year 2000 the house would be “a machine for living in” and the city would be “a human operation directed again nature.” He idealized that there would be “one single building for all nations and climates.” Although his claims are a vast generalization, there is a certain level of truth to the prediction. Urbanism is taking one step at a time away from nature. What if the opposite was possible? What if buildings took a step closer and paralleled the natural cycles of trees? In the article Buildings like Trees, Cities like Forests, William Mcdonough argues, What if our homes and workplaces were like trees, living organisms participating productively in their surroundings? Imagine a building, enmeshed in the landscape, that harvests the energy of the sun, sequesters carbon and makes oxygen. Imagine on-site wetlands and botanical gardens recovering nutrients from circulating water. Fresh air, flowering plants, and daylight everywhere. Beauty and comfort for every inhabitant. A roof covered in soil and sedum to absorb the falling rain. Birds nesting and feeding in the building’s verdant footprint. In short, a life-support system in harmony with energy flows, human souls, and other living things. Hardly a machine at all.
“Do more good, not less bad.”
CRADLE TO CRADLE
McDonough paints a picture of idealism, yet there is great value in the analogy presented. Architecture can utilize the same natural cycles as trees, whether they are passive or active systems. In short this relates to McDonough’s coined phrase of ‘cradle to cradle life cycles rather than cradle to grave ones.’ Everything is interconnected. Finding and using the patterns of natural relationships within architecture will create something that falls within the natural cycle. Hence, the structure will be able to take care of itself and its inhabitants, just as a tree does.
In the documentary Garbage Warrior, the architect Michael Reynolds discusses the history of his earthship biotecture as a self sufficient and off grid communities. Ten years into his first built community, families have evolved and grown. Reynolds discusses how “the house takes care of [the child]” and how the child doesn’t know any different having grown up in this community. As an adult, imagine no utility bills. As an ideal, imagine a house which will take care of you. One man’s waste is another man’s treasure, or another man’s home. Furthermore, through the natural cycle one organism’s waste is another one’s substance of survival. There is no need to end the life span of a product. There will always be something or someone that is in need of it. Applied to architecture the cradle to cradle food cycle can be a model for reusing and reclaiming material that eliminates the need for waste. Moreover passive systems can be utilized in place of generating energy. Buildings can use solar gain, through either lighting or heat, and wind as natural ventilation for cooling as a starting point. Other possibilities are only limited to the imagination. McDonough suggests to look to natural system to generate other possibilities. Design teams in many regions would begin with an assessment of the natural systems of a place-its landforms, hydrology, vegetation, and climate. They would tap into natural and cultural history; investigate local energy sources; explore the cycles of sunlight, shade and water; study the vernacular architecture of the region and the lives of local fauna, flowers and grasses.
Can architecture undo work? The term undo implies taking a step back or going backwards. It further implies that there are a secession of steps to be taken along the process. If the process is looked at as being cyclical, not linear, then yes, architecture can undo work. Looking at architecture as a cycle can be a sustainable approach. Undo is taking a step back, not taking a step forward. Taking a step back is further incorporating the complete cycle into the body of work. Taking a step back implies looking further into the natural aspects before going forward by incorporating the built. Taking a step back can most directly be applied to materiality. Reclaiming materials is a direct approach to taking a step back before stepping forward. This process implies taking two steps instead of one, yet the cyclical process is worth the extra effort. In a wider perspective, Tom suggested that de constructivism as process is another means to undo work. This process entails cutting, destroying, and recreating, also implying that architecture can be looked at as cyclical, not as linear. The parts are constantly in rotation. They are constantly reworked into other configurations. This process enables the opening of the mind in terms of the possibilities.
By Martin Hogue
EXCAVATIONS
I believe the de constructive mind set can further be applied to a kit of parts. The kit of parts creates a framework and parameters for the design. It establishes the rules, yet it also allows for interchangeability. With a kit of parts, there is no one solution. Perhaps with deep exploration of the parts and of the project needs, there will be one solution better than others. Yet, this one solution will be based on imposing value on certain parts of the project over others. With a shift in value, the kit of parts can likewise be manipulated to suit the chosen needs. The idea of a kit of parts further fits into the cyclical nature of sustainability. In
terms of materiality, if architectural elements were to follow the same principle of the design stage kit of parts, then adjustments can always be applied to the piece of work. More realistically, architecture does not need to be of complete permanence. Perhaps architecture needs to strive to enable the undoing of itself to give life to the next project through the limitless lifespan of the material. A small project in Wren, Oregon by Erin Moore takes the lifespan of the material as a major design tool. Moore used two major materials, a steel frame and wooden enclosure. The wood is joined together solely through tongue and groove joints. This joinery allows for quick and easy disassembly. In this project, water presence is a big issue, so the disassembly allows for the replacement of parts. The same mind set can enable the material to further live on. Work of Gordan Matta - Clark
They say architects need to know a little about everything. Even though the statement lends itself to be a cliche, it holds true for the profession. There are varying definitions for an architect, but it always includes a survey of knowledge. Furthermore, more often than not, the larger the survey is, the more successful the architect is. By having a survey of knowledge, the architect is often seen less as a designer and more as a coordinator. The architect must manage between, concepts, affects, contexts, materials, clients, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, and the list can go on and on. There is no limit to the scope of the work of an architect. Wigley sets two possibilities— implosive and explosive architecture— yet blurs the distinction between the two. Implosive architecture is where every single detail is designed to produce a “total work of art.” On the other hand, explosive architecture is embracing industrialization as a way of producing every kind of object, big and small. If the essence of implosive architecture is designing down to every single detail, and the essence of explosive architecture is reaching out to possibly beyond the limit, the combination of the two can be summed up to designing on varying scales— working with both the micro and the macro. This definition is limited to the scope of design. The same concepts of working with the micro and the macro scale can be applied to a larger scale than design. Fundamentally, the role of the architect is to execute a project. The responsibility begins with the initial design stages and lasts to the building process and even exists when the building is inhabited. This larger scope of responsibility is the non design oriented macro scale. The over arching macro scale takes responsibility of the building from pre design through its life time. This includes the architect taking the lead role as a coordinator of the project. Although initially varying scales and coordination have no relationship, in the context of architecture they are one and the same. Coordination is one of the scales of architecture.
Whatever Happened to Total Design?
SCALE + SCALE-LESSNESS
One of the implications of coordination is management. It is commonly looked as a step outside of design; a time where the architect is taken away from the drafting board and out to where the work is being done. This step is also commonly left until the end, where no other option is available. An architect should not be isolated, just as no man is an island. There is a rightful time and place for being at the drafting table, but it needs to be stated that the drafting table lends itself to be an island. No architect is an island. The reality of the work is out in the field and the implications of built work is hinged on social interactions. Its only a start that architects know a little about everything. Steps of coordination need to be taken to retrieve the necessary information. In today’s day and era, information is flowing and readily available. Architects need to retrieve it, whether its doing more research or contacting the manufacturer for a consultation. The next scale of design is the retrieval of necessary information. This expanded view of the macro scale of an architect as a coordinator falls into the definition of design build. Involving experts from the beginning opens up and solidifies possibilities, creating a much more proficient project. So, whatever happened to total design? Total design has never found a definition with longevity. Perhaps the answer is better understanding and incorporation coordination as one the scales of architecture. While Wigley sets out two parameters to total design being implosion and explosion, I suggest that the third be design build.
What evokes the senses? How can a built and orchestrated space arouse feelings? There is no concrete formula to do so, but there are suggestions and perspectives which aid in the process in this fine art of architecture. Peter Zumthor discusses his perspective and approach to the art of architecture in A Way of Looking At Things. Senses evoked are tied closely to the materiality within its context. The specific context is not limited; it can be the interior, exterior, or even both. Zumthor explains, “Sense emerges when I succeed in bringing out the specific meanings of certain materials in my buildings, meanings which can only be perceived in just this way in this one building.” Although Zumthor seems to be discussing purely materials, he is indirectly referring to their meaning within a context. Since the perception applies only to the specific building, thus there are greater forces affecting the building and the evoked senses. Furthermore, all context is composed of materials. In essence, there is a very fine line between what is context and what can be perceived as material. Material is a form of matter, and all context is composed of matter as well. Moreover, architecture cannot be constructed monolithically. Spaces are made from the combination of materials. Zumthor states, “Construction is the art of making a meaningful whole out of many parts.” This applies to many scales of architecture. Starting with the macro scale, the parts are the context and the meaning can be imposed from the new work. On the micro scale, the detailing is the combination of parts and sense is created from the whole.
A Way of Looking at Things
CONTEXT
Context is a very powerful aspect of architecture which can commonly be overlooked, or even abused in certain cases. Zumthor explains the best case scenario, “When we look at objects or buildings which seem to be at peace within themselves, our perception becomes calm and dulled... It is as if we could see something on which we cannot focus our consciousness.” Within each context, an atmosphere is created. I agree with Zumthor that the ideal atmospheres are “at peace within themselves.” I feel that these atmospheres would be passed onto the human inhabitants or passersby-ers.
The “Bilboa Effect” is the counterpart to peaceful atmospheres, it is architecture which seeks attention. Its main purpose is to draw people to the location through the spectacle it creates. The effect is commonly a one liner which does not go far beyond the spectacle, and likewise does not take the surrounding neighbors into consideration. The Disney Concert Hall, a similar piece of work to Bilboa, when first built the reflection from the polished stainless steel rose the internal room temperature of the surrounding buildings by five degrees. Not only is this un-contextual approach disrespectful formally, it is also creating externalities which affect the surrounding living conditions in a negative way. The team had to go back and put a matte finish on the stainless steel to subdue the reflection There are two polar options to architecture fitting within its context. One is for comfort, while the other is for entertainment. The comfort of everyday use can be equated to a favorite pair of jeans, while entertainment is similar to a killer pair of high heels. One is soothing in the fact that it is barely noticeable, while the other makes itself and the pain inflicted known with every step. Comfort is appreciated through contrast with the discomfort. Comfort falls in the background and is not noticeable when its done well. Discomfort is always apparent. While there is a time and a place for everything, including those options not discussed, I lean towards the comfortable pair of jeans. They give me the ability to go about the day as I need to without feeling the pain in every step.
“When we look at objects or buildings which seem to be at peace within themselves, our perception becomes calm and dulled... It is as if we could see something on which we cannot focus our consciousness.” _Peter Zumthor
Lets talk simplified classification of architecture. An approach which allows for narrow definition, one which has a hard time adjusting to the changes of time, and in the end creates more of a blur rather than a distinction. Robert Venturi presents two classification options— a duck or a decorated shed. Peter Eisenman comments that in the present day the distinction is hard to make, and that a blur needs to be acknowledged. Venturi defines a duck as a building which expresses its function; one which possesses volumetric qualities. The most pure example of such a case is a hot dog stand which looks like a hot dog. Venturi explains decorated sheds as buildings with a focus on the facade system. A shuddering example is the Portland Building by Michael Graves, where a block volume with terribly out of size and proportion columns don’t even pretend to hold anything up. It is clear that both a duck and a decorated shed focus on the exterior aesthetic qualities of a building. A level of honesty plays a role in differentiating between the two. The visual attributes provide a limited definition for classification of architecture. Especially with the present day blur between the two, one type is no better than the other. Looking further into what Portland has to offer — as a counterbalance for having the Portland Building — The Pearl District stands out as something unique. The Pearl District is an urban redevelopment of a transformed warehouse district into a residential community. It got its name when author Thomas Augustine wrote, “the buildings in the warehouse district were like crusty oysters, and that the galleries and artists’ lofts within where like Pearls.”
Duck Soup
If the parameters of this discussion is classification, then the spectrum needs to be broadened. More than the exterior qualities of a building need to be considered. The quality of the building as a whole and the quality of the interior space need to be considered as well. The classification of the spectrum is no
OR PERHAPS A PEARL
longer limited to an iconic building, but allows space and acknowledgement for a good building as well. Here the iconic building is one which is a duck or a decorated shed, and a quality building is one which holds a pearl inside. In this case, there can still exist a blur of an overlap between the two classifications. The Pearl district in Portland has an iconic quality to it. It is considered to be one of the hottest districts in the area, and commonly compared to Greenwich and Soho in New York. The pearl of the space has become an icon. There are many parallels between the creation of a pearl and the creation of a quality architectural space. Both start with a grain, whether it is a piece of sand or an carnal of an idea. Time and pressure allow for the refinement, for the layers and for the smoothness of the final. Each pass is like another scale of the architecture. Each pass is another peace of the puzzle. Each pass is another little bit refined. All the passes combine to be the everything. A pearl is like a little bit of everything in architecture.
The Schindler Studio and Residence is a re conceptualization of a typical dwelling into a live and work space for two families. The space aims to open to the light and outside yet still establishing a sense of privacy. This dwelling is the first to develop modern California living by incorporating outdoor living spaces. The dwelling is divided into two units with one main kitchen in the center tying the two together. Interior studios and exterior multiuse areas surround the kitchen, with sleeping baskets on the roofs (Schindler House). Architecturally, Schidler’s House claims many novel notions in terms of use of space and reaction to the context. The approach of the design is completely and idealistically of the inside space. The architecture is manifested as a void to be filled with residents. At this point, it almost sounds like the language of the architecture wants to prioritize the occupants before the architecture itself. The history of the dwelling does not back up the concept behind it.
Schindler’s House
FLEXIBILITY
Novel typology of architecture cannot be stretched out to rigid social arrangements. In this day and age, roughly half of marriages last, while the other half dissolve. If two people have a hard time sharing a space, doubling the circumstances will not improve the situation. While the Schindler’s continued to reside in their home, the Chase family resided for only two years between 1922 and 1924, and the Neutra family resided for five years between 1925 and 1930. One more factor needs to be placed into this equation. Pauline Schindler gave birth shortly after completion of construction in 1922 (Schindler House). Firstly, if Pauline gave birth after construction, the child was not one of the considerations of the design. Secondly, I have been referring the residence for two families, but I believe the more accurate term to use would be for two couples. In a live and work arrangement, there is no place for a child. A child fits into a live situation but not one of work. The Schindler concept set social restraints that were to rigid for the targeted occupants. Very few, if any, would be able to adjust to a double couple residence. The most important lesson here is that a couple residence needs to be able to expand to a family residence, otherwise it is no different than a bachelor pad. While the Schindler Studio and Residence has vast flexibility of space, it is inflexible in terms of accommodated
occupants. Thus, flexibility cannot be selected to work for only certain criteria. As discussed with the Schindler example, if one area is flexible and another is not, the overall success of the project is hindered. The lesson here is that flexibility of space needs to be in conjunction with flexibility of occupants. More than just architectural factors need to be considered, such as but not limited to social, longevity and adaptability to time. Such as many architectural project, the factors at play cannot be adequately listed without looking at the contextual forces. Ideally, flexibility needs to be universal. Furthermore, social arrangements should always be considered universally flexible in the realm of architecture. Architecture is a broad field — it has few limitations including the imagination and gravity — yet it is very specific with its actions. Even the concept of total design can be interpreted in many different ways. It can the invading designs, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s orchestrated museum like spaces. I believe a successful definition for total design is the broadening of the approach to scales to include design build. While with total design the scope needs to be broadened, horizontal and vertical boundaries need to be careful restricted. Vertical boundaries encompass the degree of touch to the ground, to the sky and the space created in between. Horizontal boundaries carefully examine the space created within but also the contextual relations along the grand journey. The contextual relations set up the atmosphere before the space and pay a certain tribute to the pre-existing neighbors. The space inside is the valuable pearl which has been constructed with time and many iterations. The interior pearl should create arouse the senses through the combination of materials carefully joined together. While the space should be specific with its intentions, it should also hold a certain amount of flexibility for the occupants. Not only do architects need to know a little bit about everything, they also need to think at least a little bit about a lot of concepts.
Town Hall, Alvar Aalto
There is a difference between architectural representation and architectural reality. For many reasons, the process of design is explored through representation. It is not unforeseeable that this representation take the foreground while the reality, of the possible future construction, is in the background. Awareness is the first step to prevention. Another step is looking to good examples. In the Eyes of the Skin, Pallasmaa discusses the qualities of Alvar Aalto’s work and representation of, Aalto’s architecture exhibits a muscular and haptic presence. It incorporates dislocations, skew configurations, irregularities and polyrhythms in order to arouse bodily, muscular and haptic experiences. His elaborate surface textures and details, crafted for the hand, invite the sense of touch and create an atmosphere of intimacy and warmth. Instead of the disembodied Cartesian idealism of the architecture of the eye, Aalto’s architecture is based on sensory realism. His buildings are not based on a single dominant concept of gestalt; rather they are sensory agglomerations. They sometimes even appear clumsy and unresolved as drawings, but they are conceived to be appreciated in their actual physical and spatial encounter, ‘in the flesh’ of the lived world, not as constructions of idealized vision. Pallasmaa’s description of Aalto’s work as pure representation of the built work. It uses drawings, not as a means to sell or express the nature of the project, but as a tool for exploring the options from almost a personal perspective. It sounds like the drawings were done for only himself, and not the rest of the world to admire.
The Eyes of the Skin
If architectural field is seen as purely a place of design, I can see it being very difficult to not polish the lines. For a place of design goes hand in hand with representation. Yet, while the architectural process is one of representation, the ultimate goal is the realized work. If the representation is a threat, then the architectural field needs to take a step back from the design focus, and a
DRAWINGS + REALITY
step towards the built product. Here is another place where design built can be used as a tool to enhance the architectural field. Peter Zumthor further supports Pallasmaa’s argument, in A Way of Looking at Things, In its final, constructed form, architecture has its place in the concrete world. This is where it exists. This is where it makes its statement... In the naturalism and graphic virtuosity of architectural portrayals are too great, if they lack “open patches” where are imagination and curiosity about the reality of the drawing can penetrate the image, the portrayal itself becomes the object of our desire and our longing for the reality wanes because there is little something in the representation which points to the intended reality beyond it. The portrayal no longer holds a promise. It refers only to itself. Design drawings which refer to a reality which still lies in the future are important in my work. I continue working on my drawings until they reach the delicate point of representation when the prevailing mood I seek emerges, and I stop before the inessentials start detracting form its impact. The drawing itself must take on the quality of the sought for object. In comparison to Aalto, Zumthor takes a closer stand to using drawings as a means of representation. Yet, Zumthor is in awareness of the trap within representation. With this awareness, he is able to explore the aura of the unbuilt work through drawings, a quality which differs between Aalto and Zumthor. While Aalto’s work is rich with flesh, it does not hold the same liveliness as Zumthor’s projects. I have felt no greater presence through inanimate work as in Therme Vals. There are many layers and refined details which could not have been achieved without the mastery of using representative drawings to one advantage. In my book, Aalto’s work comes in a very close second. He also has a rich variety of details and attention in his work. My point is, the way they used drawings had a direct affect on the built realization of the work. Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor
LOCATION CONTEXT SITE DIAGRAMS
Site Green zones / hiking trails Water access / beach Lake / streams
PINE MOUNTAIN LAKE COMMUNITY
PML streets Ferreti Rd Airport
Pine Mountain Lake is a new community adjacent to historical Groveland. The Groveland - Big Oak Flats area is a considerable stop between the Bay Area and Yosemite National Forest. It grew in the 1900s with the development of the Tuolumne River Hetch Hetchy water project. Hetch Hetchy was once Yosemite’s parallel — one which John Muir claimed was more beautiful. After the big 1906 earthquake which has burnt down the majority of San Francisco, it has been turned into a dam to supply the Bay Area with a reliable water supply. The area had another spurt of development in 1951 due to the gold rush phenomena. Big Oak Flat was founded by James D. Savage, a successful miner.
Temperature
Precipitation
100ºF
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100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
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Cloud Cover
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Daily High Average Daily Low US Average
CLIMATE DATA
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Average PML precipitation US average
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Clear sky Partially cloudy sky Cloudy sky Cloudy sky with precipitations
Snowfall
Humidity
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Wind Speed
100%
13
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80%
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40%
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Average Snowfall US Average
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Morning humidity Morning US average Afternoon humidity Afternoon US average
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Average wind speed US average
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Tuolemne county has several abundant minerals found within its soil. Marble is found, cut and shipped from the county to the rest of the country. Limestone is another local product. It is ground up and sold for building operations. Although not as prevalent today, gold has made the biggest impact on the area. The formation of gold in the area plays a crucial part in the mining efforts. When the sea floor was pushed underneath the North American Continent, it was heated up into molten magma, which turned into the Sierra Nevada Mountains as it made it to the surface. Water from rain and snow rose in temperature and dissolved otherwise stable materials such as gold. Cooling lead to precipitation of the mineral along the veiny streams. Hence, a lot of gold could be found in the streams. It was also evident that gold was within the soil. The news drew many gold hungry people to the land starting in 1849. The gold rush initiated the diverse and cosmopolitan nature of California’s population. It lead to the colonization of the land. Thus,
GOLD RUSH
the native cultures in the area were slowly eliminated and destroyed. Not only were many pushed out of there land, but many died due to starvation and disease. California’s beginning is one of greed and the hope to make it big. The rush was the first time period to impose negative environmental effect on the land. Dredging was a large scale mining techniques which used a land locked floating machines to scrape the bottom and side of the stream. The collected mud was then separated between heavy and light pieces. Wide expenses of land was destroyed by dredging. Another popular method was hydraulic mining, which used high pressure hoses to excavate areas. This method in conjunction to logging caused the destruction of extensive old growth forests. Hydraulic mining was also responsible for the destabilization of slops and hillsides. Furthermore, the miners general disrespect of the land lead to the contamination of soil, groundwater, rivers and lakes by arsenic, mercury, cyanide and acids. The gold rush made many individuals rich and it increased the national money supply. The economic effects are the few bright sides to the effects of the gold rush.
The site is located at the backyard of my parent’s property in the foothills of Yosemite. The front yard of the property is mostly used as a vehicular access point or a place of passing. The house holds itself as a place of shelter. The backyard is beginning to be and has greater potential to be a place to exist along side nature. When in tune with the forces, there is a distinction between the land of the built and the land of the wild. Pine Mountain Lake is a small community with very little civilization around. The properties are not fenced. The backyard is common passing ground for wild animals. There have been several incidents that reinforce the site as being the land of the wild. I have had an angry fox frighten me with its pissed off way of telling me I am encroaching on her territory. I see a distinction between the paved belonging to man and the wild belonging to the wild.
THE SITE
Planned dog run
Cr
ee
k
be
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Garden
Prefab house
20773 CRESCENT WAY — PML UNIT 4 LOT 19
N
Bush
’
25
’
20
15’
Pine Oak
Manzanita
Bush
Pine
N
Oak Oak
Oak
’
10
Oak Oak Oak Oak
5’
Oak
0
Land of the Built — structure and paved
Land of the Wild — trees and soil
Human Circulation
Wild Circulation
Native to Northern California, Miwok refers to one of the four linguistic groups of Native Americans. Miwok means people in their native tongue. Artifacts from a Miwok Tribe were found during the construction of the dam at Pine Mountain Lake. The Miwok’s lifestyle included basket making, dances, ceremonies, hunting with tools, gathering and a complex language. This lifestyle shows one of harmony with land and the cycles of the earth. They ate what was seasonal, typically fresh food which was hunted and gathered. They made simple structures out of natural unrefined material such as wood and bark which was found or harvested in the local area. They made shelters for the necessities of life, for themselves and for their food such as acorns.
MIWOK NATIVE AMERICANS
Pine Mountain Lake is a private community developed in the late 1960s. It is organized around a man made of 202 surface acres and 6 miles of shoreline and an averages depth of 18 feet. The lake is made possible through the dam which is earth filled with a chimney drain, down stream drainage and a clay core. The lake is accessible through 3 beaches and fisherman’s cove. Other facilities offered in the community include a full course golf course, tennis courts, heated swimming pool, horse stables, camp ground and Equestrian Center. There are also several hiking trials throughout the designated green zones. There are a few full time and part time residents but the community thrives from summer time vacation rentals. The area is mostly zoned for single and multi family residents, with a few commercial lots by the airport. There are close to 3,600 individual properties.
MAN MADE LAKE
Creek — typically dry
Prevailing Winds — N bound
Views — optimal and undesirable
December 21st @ 07:30
SOLAR
December 21st @ 12:00
December 21st @ 17:00
June 21st @ 5am
June 21st @ 12:00
June 21st @ 19:00
“The gradually growing hegemony of the eyes seems to be parallel with the development of the Western ego - consciousnessv and the gradually increasing separation of the self and the world; vision separates us from the world whereas the other senses unite us with it.� _Juhani Pallasmaa
Design
Tree house Outdoor dining Sauna Pool Yoga room Roof Garden Patio path Door Remodel
PROGRAM
Exploration is hindered on the journey taken, not on the results achieved. It is about the subtle elements discovered and highlighted along the way. The design process was explorative of the interrelated forces and elements present. The site presented a juxtaposition between the natural landscape and the awkward prefab house extruded upwards. The program, although connected on a deeper level, acts as a collection of solitary elements whose relationships needed to be reconciled. A path was introduced as a linking element. The initial experiments were constructed in a similar fashion of exploration, but with a focus on making intuitive moves. These intuitive moves, along with site factors, hold the questions and answers of the project. Exploration allowed for the discovery of the intuitive moves of the initial experiments. By taking an explorative approach, the nature of the design was cyclical. There are many parts the whole. Thus, the parts of the many were
APPROACH
revisited to gain unity for the whole. In terms of design, there are certain implications for being familiar with the site. Furthermore, being familiar with and being raised by the potential client created an initial roadblock. My parents have certain predetermined expectations for the program, which were past on to me. By letting go of these expectations, the exploration was reenergized. Another big turning point in the exploration was introduced through the concepts of temporary versus permanent. The program was evaluated by its use and its relationship to the ground. The sauna, and thus its supported places, needs to be firmly grounded, making it a place of permanence. On the contrary, the tree house floats lightly amid the trees, making it an ideal candidate for being a temporary space. The relationship between the land and the sky took a dominant role within the design. Eero Saarinen is known for saying, “architecture consists largely of placing something between the earth and the sky.� Most buildings are placed directly on the earth, but is this really necessary? I believe that architecture will be a lot
stronger by taking a more definitive stance on the location between the earth and sky. The programmatic elements are either buried into the ground while displacing the ground onto their roofs or suspended lightly from the trees barely touching the ground. Adaptive reuse- reverse engineering were explored to see to which level of design they can be implemented. Structure, with the idea of safety, does not easily lend to reverse engineering. Adaptive reuse can be implemented on a small, detail scale, while created issues on la larger scale.
N
1’ 1
5’
10’
20’
DN
DN
DN
Family room
N
Bath
Kitchen
Bedroom
Living Room
Dining Room
Bath
Bedroom
1’
5’
10’ 1
20’
Bedroom
Bedroom
DN
DN
N
Storage
Garage
1’
5’
10’
20’
B A
A
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1’ 1
Section AA
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B B
floor plan 2
A DN
A DN
DN
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Family room
N
Bath
Kitchen
Bedroom
Living Room
Dining Room
Bath
Bedroom
1’
5’
10’ 1
20’
Bedroom
Bedroom
B B
floor plan 1
A
Section BB
A DN
C
C
DN
N
Section CC
Storage
Garage
1’
floor plan 0
B
5’
10’
20’
Section BB
beam track wheel & pin metal strap bolt, washer & nut 2 x 4 wood beam
Sliding door detail
vegetation planter layer filter fabric drainage rigid insulation root barrier membrane water proofing membrane beam, joists & sheathing bolted steel bracket cmu retaining wall rebar
Green roof garden
re-used skateboard decks screws custom metal carraige framing bolted steel plate foundation eye hooks rope
Skate deck staircase
View from existing house onto the proposed collection featuring the auditory experiential corten drawbridge door.
Standing on the corten drawbridge viewing the patio and outdoor dining.
View of the outdoor dining featuring a re-purposed sail for shading and a full set of Reclaim dining chairs.
From the patio looking down onto the pool, getting a glimpse of the underground programmatic elements.
From outside the gate hearing the splashes of the pool.
Section
looking out
looking up
Elevation
“The very essence of the lived experience is moulded by hapticity and peripheral unfocused vision. Focused vision confronts us with the world whereas peripheral vision envelops us in the flesh of the world.... Peripheral vision integrates us with space, while focused vision pushes us out of the space, making us mere spectators.” —Juhani Pallasmaa
Touch [the precession marks the beginning of the phenomenological experience with the handshake of the rungs of the ladder] Plan
Smell [the rungs of the ladder are constructed of wine barrel staves which naturally have a scent]
Auditory [the fabric enclosing blocks vision while allowing sounds to pass]
Section
Ratchet Tie Down Carabineer Bow Knot Rope 3� D Steel Pipe Ratchet Tie Down Fabric
Structural Detail
3� D Steel Pipe Bow Knot Carabineer Rope Barrel Stave Cardboard Tube
Ladder Detail
Material cycle [adaptive re-use]
Steel plate detail sketch
Road Morro
directions_ _ 101 N _ exit CA-41 _ Morro Rd _ [first] left on El Camino _ [first] left on Morro Rd 3.3 miles road will become remote look for dinosaurs on left _ left on Old Morro Rd *Old Morro weaves in and out of Morro *it will not be the first **look for dinosaurs [on left] *left will appear to be slight left while Morro sharply turns right *watch for oncoming traffic _ [second tricky part] look for an unpaved, unmarked driveway past 2 houses I will mark it with balloons _ 12400 Old Morro Rd, Atascadero _ in case of emergency _ 650.888.8933
Old
Mo rro
Rd
1 10
EXPERIENCE nature’s elements __ among the trees __
picnic
and with a bring something to share i’ll bring fruit salad
Monday May 23, 2010 16:00 - 19:00
All images within the Design chapter, and diagrams within the Location chapter were produced by Nina Nazarov using: _Rhinoceros 4.0 _Adobe CS3 - Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign _AutoCad 2006