The New Library by Peter Wong

THE NEW LIBRARY

Comprehensive Design Studio

Peter Wong

School of Architecture College of Arts + Architecture University of North Carolina Charlotte

2 ÂŠ 2011 Peter Wong. All rights reserved. Publisher â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Blurb. This book is printed with the font Arial Narrow and Arial Poster. The work in this publication is made possible with support from the School of Architecture, College of Arts + Architecture at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. http://coaa.uncc.edu/The-college Inquires about this publication may be made to Peter Wong, Associate Professor at plwong@uncc.edu.

Cover: Structural Scenarios (Thomas Barry). Rear Cover: Concept Model (Anastasia Kransnoslobodtseva). Previous Leaf: Envelope/Wall Section (Michael Bowen). Opposite Leaf: Performative Maquette (Anastasia Kransnoslobodtseva).

Peter Wong â&#x20AC;˘ UNC Charlotte â&#x20AC;˘ Fall 2010

Contents 4

Comprehensive Demands Peter Wong

Michael Bowen

Garrett Lapping

Will Allen

Thomas Barry

Julius Richardson

Anastasia Kransnoslobodtseva

Tailpiece

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.

Comprehensive Fragments

University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.

Since Alberti, the profession of architecture has been conceived of and structured as a set of disparate practices composed of various parts, skill sets, and contributing players. Of the many activities that an architect must be proficient, one could argue that an inclusive or comprehensive view of a project would serve well to account for the wide spectrum of specialties that the profession demands. Even the great Renaissance thinker himself understood that notable architecture was achievable only at the hands of experts (e.g., “master builders”) who possessed a visionary idea of a building which, in turn, led to negotiating various partnerships involved in construction. This tradition of practice, inherited by contemporary designers, recognizes the array of underlying research, policies, contracts, and legal parameters of an expanding profession that is forging professional accountability on all fronts. This revised definition of the architect (though more than 500 years old now) reinforces the notion that architects are to embody knowledge in diverse areas of concern which place them at the center of the work – a position that sorts through the complexities of building that 21st century architects have yet to reconcile. As the popular mantra for all “generalist” activities claims, the architect is a “Jack of all trades, and a master of none, though often times better than the master of one.” The National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) in its list of required educational proficiencies has mandated that “comprehensive design” be a significant portion of the overall skills required of architecture students reaching for professional competency. Many of the agents contained in this “performance criteria” is dependent on of other criteria that the NAAB deems important for students to master. Understood at face value, this may seem a duplicitous task, yet if one interprets the intentions of the Board’s requirements then we arrive at an understanding of a synthetic set of skills to be reckoned with, implying that comprehensiveness is “more than a sum of a building’s parts.” In other words, the degree to which the architect integrates fragments and elements of the larger project of architecture is at the conceptual center of comprehensiveness. Moreover, comprehensive design is, in large part, design itself, a modernist project to plan, reason, and bring to closure an expanding field of issues into a cohesive whole. Exercises in environmental, structural, material, and life safety systems are segments of knowledge that guide and form many architectural programs. Added to these, in the most recent 2009 NAAB regulations, are the constituent need to: bring together applicable policies that impact design, wrestle with interdisciplinary agents, and educate and advocate client motives and fiscal–related practices. These skills have been

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Comprehensive Demands Peter Wong, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina Charlotte

added to the more conventional aspects of design practice that typically involve: site planning, formal ordering systems, graphic communication, and the artistic principles of architecture as a creative endeavor. Given this far reaching scope of activities, it remains clear that the modern architect must take to heart a wide spectrum of expertise in the expanding world of professional accountability. The Project The aim of ARCH 7101 in the Graduate Program at UNCCharlotte is to introduce comprehensive thinking through what designers are best trained for, that is, project synthesis. Rather than delay these skills by relegating them to the end of the degree program, our aim is to introduce them as early as possible with the intention of encouraging multivalent problem solving, critical exploration, and the acceptance that buildings are inherently composed of a complex set of systemic requirements. At the same time our students are asked to engage comparable and parallel investigations that promotes debate and dialogue. The projects presented in this book represent a handful of solutions created by our graduate-level design students in the Fall of 2010. The building proposed was for a New Media and Library Center located in four different U.S. cities in four diverse climate regions. All sites were situated on major university campuses calling for an analysis of campus (or city-like) planning considerations. Of the four sites, three are presented in this publication (cold climate: University of Wisconsin in Madison; temperate: University of Washington in Seattle; and arid: University of New Mexico in Albuquerque). The students worked initially in groups to perform climate and site/campus analyses, then set out individually to make proposals for buildings. The program was offered as a general set of requirements (approximately 30,000 to 35,000 square feet). The use of the building was introduced as a dialectic between a traditional library of books and archival materials and the advancement of new media sources that currently question the typical library of the past. The students were asked to create a standard set of analytical diagrams and approaches to life safety, accessibility, structure, mechanical, and other technical demands of a complex building program. They were also asked to create (at midterm) a working “performative maquette” that simultaneously considered the conceptual nature of the building’s planning and character integrated with advanced technical solutions for a more sustainable approach to active and passive responses to light, climate, and site considerations. Marco Frascari, Non-trival Architect.

Parti sketches.

6 Towards a Critical Regionalism Regionalism has dominated architecture in almost all countries at some time during the past two centuries and a half. By way of general definition we can say that it upholds the individual and local architectonic features against more universal and abstract ones. In addition, however, regionalism bears the hallmark of ambiguity ... Despite limitations, critical regionalism is a bridge over which any humanistic architecture of the future must pass. [The Grid and the Pathway, 1981] The project is offered as a set of two design and program challenges: [a] The placement of the building on the site. Choosing the southeast corner as not only a bounding box placement representing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;terminationâ&#x20AC;? of the academic grain of the campus, but also because of the volatility of that place - the watershed and the 100-year floodplain. How does the project develop a dialogue between the problems with that portion of the site, an intervention and its form? [b] Form and materiality. The history of the university is that of an experimental farm, both agricultural and livestock. How does the project take form under the auspices of critical regionalism and present itself?

1/16” diagrammatic model of site.

Michael Bowen

Madison • Wisconsin

Lakeside Library 7

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Location Maps @ various scales.

Four Components [1] The Trailhead A primary trailhead for the Lakeshore Trail exists parallel to the main entrance and ‘front porch’ of the library. The dynamic of the trail is that of movement; people coming and going. In response, the programmatic elements that correspond or relate to that were moved out into that first piece - the classrooms and the lecture rooms. The porch offers itself as an intervention between the trail and the library - a public/social meeting and green space. It becomes a transition that allows one to move down either ‘path’ they choose.

Campus termination diagram.

[2] The Bridge The bridge is the element one moves through to enter the main programmatic ‘bar’ of the library. As with many foot bridges, there is a transition from one side to another - a daring and possibly delicate negotiation of the journey. The bridge not only moves a person across the beginning of the washed-out portion of the site, but continues to elevate them [literally] in height as they approach the end, the opposite shore, the library.

Path connections diagram.

100-Year Floodplain diagram.

Madison • Wisconsin

Site plan.

Michael Bowen

Campus Plan and Site.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Primary structure.

Secondary structure.

Floor slab system.

Tilt-Up walls.

[Four Components] [3] The Barn The artifact of the barn is the skin that houses the library program. Daylight is allowed in plenty, but is presented through several layers of screening, shading and protection - the south from sun and the north from wind. The barn is an area of refuge, security and the comfort of easy and familiar materials. It is a place to read and to study, a place to thoughtfully remove yourself. The expanse of the barn [its length] is mediated by the personal scale of the interior spaces. The barn is allowed to reach into the floodplain terminating at its final westward reach in a forty-five foot cantilever suspended twelve feet over the land. [4] The Marsh The marsh has proven to be the most difficult component, and yet it is the most natural. Although the dynamic of the floodplain has been tempered by the fact that Lake Mendota is now dam controlled, the history of the damage remains in the flooded topography. More questions remain at this point: does the land simply become an intended bioswale - intervening between the water and the building? How does the palimpsest of the floodplain control the dialogue between the building and the site? What components best improve and enhance [rehabilitate] the site? How can it be occupied and yet preserved?

North Elevation [top] and East Elevation [bottom].

Michael Bowen

Madison • Wisconsin

1/16 Model.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Building as Lantern [performative maquette].

Materiality The material choices for this project were always in the range of the reinterpretation of the traditional barn...wood, concrete, metal roofing and simple, ample windows. Materials that were honest, authentic, hard-working and durable. A palette of textures and materials that not only acknowledge the history and context of the site, but may be an attempt to offer up a sense of the banal - as a virtue - that the architecture looks like it has always been there [Frampton, paraphrased]. Materials that read the passing of time and the weathering of events. And yet it is modern.

You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see. [Ando]

3/8â&#x20AC;? Model Photo

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010 13

3/8” Section model.

Material taxonomy.

Michael Bowen

Madison • Wisconsin

3/8” Section model - Lantern Wall.

Parti diagram.

14 Introduction and Concept DESIGN GOAL: To use the architecture of the library to create a threshold between the urban area to the west of the site and the academic world that exists on campus to the east. The intent is to fully engage the heavy pedestrian traffic coming from both the southwest and the major pathway that cuts across the site to the north. The edge of the campus, the site of the new library, lacks any kind of monumental threshold and working closely with the slope of the hill. The design not only houses a new library, but also acts as a route to the academic world beyond. The translucent, amorphous south and west faรงades are intended to create a beacon, especially at night, when the building is lit from the inside.

Topographical interaction diagram.

1/16” Scale Model.

Garrett Lapping

Seattle • Washington

University Library Walk 15

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Urban edge condition.

Parrington Lawn.

City, Site, Environmental Strategies DESIGN GOAL: Utilize the advantages of Seattle’s temperate climate to enhance the functionality of the individual spaces that make up the new library. Heat retention diagram.

The overcast characteristic of Seattle’s climate offers the ability to broaden the use of fenestration. The southwest section of the building is lightly structured and translucent, flooding public spaces and administrative offices with natural light. Other spaces in the building have been placed according to programmatic needs, like the classrooms that receive indirect light from the north and the archive buried into the dark recess of the building. DESIGN GOAL: Integrate the new library into the site in such a way that the experience of the beloved Parrington lawn is enhanced, rather than overlooked. The southwest corner of the site is nearly inaccessible, but is surrounded by an awkward pedestrian circulation that links 41st St. and Memorial Way above. The library and the plaza that will improve this route and connect the important urban area below, Memorial Way to the east and Parrington Lawn to the north. The intent is to replace the unusable land on the southwest corner of the site with an exterior public space, a tradition in Seattle, that will compensate for the building footprint that has been removed from Parrington Lawn.

Daylight response.

PROGRAM BREAKDOWN Library Public Spaces & Services

Collection and Media Services

General Public Access

Administrative

Support

Technical

3750

7500

11250

15000

Program distribution.

The design has also been slipped into the hill subtlely to reduce the impact on the lawn and to maintain an unobstructed view of the Seattle skyline from the top of Parrington Lawn and the Gates Law Building. This stategy avoids the lose of indirect daylight to the library’s classroom spaces that line the north façade.

Spatial analysis.

Site reconfiguration.

Garrett Lapping

Seattle • Washington

Campus Plan.

Site Plan Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

HVAC Diagram - Level 1.

HVAC Diagram - Level 2.

Structural Diagram - Level 1.

Structural Diagram - Level 2.

Concept and Building Planning DESIGN GOAL: Redefine the traditional typological concept of a library to incorporate the new and innovative nature of digital media and notion of the library as a community space. The program has been reshuffled, placing more emphasis on the public spaces and the procession between them, from the plaza to the south, to the reading room, and to the cafĂŠ and auditoriums to the east. These major spaces have been placed on different levels that correspond to the natural slope of the hill, connected by sloping planes that incorporate digital and analog exhibit space.

East Elevation.

Section B.

Floor plans.

Garrett Lapping

Seattle • Washington

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

South Elevation.

Section A.

Performative maquette and the effects of reflected light.

Assemblies, Materials, and Performative PERFORMATIVE MAQUETTE: The intent of the performative maquette is to explore the reflective qualities of a variety of materials that could potentially bring light from the plaza into the building. By utilizing the light reflected into the building, the ground plane can be fashioned to illuminate areas with indirect light while preventing direct sunlight from entering the space. This can be especially advantageous in the exhibition space and digital gallery where direct sunlight can damage artifacts or create glare on digital displays. MATERIALS: There is an eclectic use of textures and materials throughout Seattle that has been reflected in the design. A careful selection of concrete, steel and glass act as a foundation for the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tectonic qualities, while natural materials like wood and native plants humanize the spaces. The reading rooms and bookstacks, surrounded by the ramping gallery space, are emphasized by a strong material palette, each complementing the others through a juxtaposition of warm and cold. The steel structure is expressed and repurposed timber humanizes the space, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to a rainy-afternoon read. The southern and northern plazas are the primary link between the building, the main lawn and the urban environment in which they sit. Concrete is integrated seamlessly with the warmth of regional wood and greenery.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010 Material palette.

Seattle • Washington

Southwest exterior perspective rendering.

Garrett Lapping

Southeast exterior perspective rendering.

22 Introduction and Concept Publications are evolving into a new age of existence. This reformation is happening quickly. The word “book” no longer implies the tangible object. It has transcended into the realm of digital media (e.g., Facebook, etc.). It has lost its qualitative characteristics of texture, weight and smell and has been resurrected as an indistinct digital file that can be stored on most any handheld device. This project is an attempt to convey this transition architecturally. Books will now coexist as the object and as digital media. The library will have to adhere to both methods of publication. The library I have designed calls attention to the book as artifact and as digital file. The rare book collection is buried beneath the earth and is connected to the digital media center by a circulation tower. The building’s entire program is beneath the earth, to some extent, dependant upon the book’s importance per the specific program of that space. The digital media center is the only space above ground because the book as an object is no longer relevant. Orientation of the project also alludes to which occupants may want to access which book typology. For instance, the rare book entry speaks to the city while the occupiable roof and digital media center is directed more towards the student population.

William Allen

Seattle • Washington

City + Campus / Books + Bits

Final site model.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Performative maquette.

City, Site, Environmental Concepts/Strategies There were many influential conditions on site that informed the design. The site was located on an existing green where students typically congregate. The site is on the edge of the campus boundary at the intersection of 42nd street and Memorial Way. There is a considerable amount of urban activity on 42nd street. The resulting architecture was an attempt to give back the land the project commandeered and to converse with the urban edge along the campus boundary. The site plan highlights in orange these factors as well as others. There is a preferable view to downtown Seattle and another visual connection to Mt. Rainier to the south. If this project was going to become an entrance point to campus, I wanted to investigate the existing secondary entrance to the south of our site addressed similar issues. Essentially, a major street intersects campus and creates a formal court that then creates the campus Mt. Rainier vista. I tried to learn from these existing conditions to inform the project. More specifically, how could the library convey a reciprocal dialog between city and campus? This attention to city and campus relationships helped design the long ramp and public plinth that anchors the architecture into the site. These exaggerated entrances allude to the knowledge the library contains and its availability to the public. The kink in the plan relates back to views of the city to encourage students to explore their surroundings. Theses were just a few factors of the design process.

Conceptual diagram for performative maquette.

William Allen

Seattle • Washington

Site diagrams.

Site plan.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

HVAC diagram.

Structural diagram.

Egress diagram.

Primary circulation diagram.

Concept and Building Planning The section of this building is the most effective at conveying the relationship between the digital and tangible book. There is a ceremonial procession between the rare collections and digital media. I imagine that either direction of procession would evoke an emotion of appreciation for books. Although both spaces proclaim their hierarchal order, they are intentionally equal in significance. The interpretation of high is based entirely on the book as object. The first floor is entirely underground and encompasses the rare book collections and archive. It also contains the galleries that access natural light through skylights. The city has direct access by means of a long ramp extending from 42nd street. The second floor consists of administrative and educational services. The third floor or ground floor shelters the general collections and other public program. It is two floors of book stacks that root the roof into the structure. This allows the 5th floor to be an occupiable roof allowing direct access to the digital media center.

William Allen

Seattle • Washington

Section and South Elevations.

Five Floor Plans

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Peter Zumthor. Bruder Klaus Field Chapel. Textured Concrete

28 Assemblies, Materials, and Performance The building is embedded into the existing slope of the site. The rare book collection and galleries are buried beneath the earth while the general collections and public program are located above. The structural and material palettes were influenced by the program each space contained. Rare books and gallery installations are read as artifacts within the architecture. Therefore, the built environment acts as a vessel to serve these objects. The general collections serve the community on a regular basis. Hence the bookcases are allowed to serve the architecture and are directly interpreted as structural elements supporting the occupiable roof. By interpreting the two programmatic types, the architecture will yield two different places above and below ground. In attempt to accentuate this difference, textured surfaces exist where human occupation intersect with programmatic activation. For example, the cellular structure of the rare book collections adheres to the artifacts it contains. Shelves are tailored to the spaces, therefore any leftover wall space is encountered by the occupant. Essentially, the textureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intent is to evoke emotion on a human level to reaffirm the importance of these spaces. My hope was to convey two separate structural methodologies: one stereotomic earthwork condition to serve the book and one tectonic framework condition erected by the book.

William Allen

Seattle • Washington

1/2” Crossection through Library Stacks, Entry and Archival Gallery.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Early massing model (left) and facade model (far right).

30 Introduction and Concept The design goals for the University of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Library project encompassed the entire Fall 2010 studio semester. The design process had to account for issues relating to the urban context, climate conditions, and programmatic functions. Although the building acts primarily as a university library, the building also accommodates spaces for academic use (classrooms, lecture spaces, offices) and public elements (galleries and cafe spaces). As a part of a State University System, various aspects of the campus amenities are available to the general public. In addition to reconciling the public and private aspects of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program, the design addresses the relationship of library amenities to both city and campus users. The design for the University of New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Library looks to resolve the needs of the campus for which it serves while engaging the urban context in which it resides.

Vignette within Library Collections.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010 31

Thomas Barry

Albuquerque • New Mexico

At the Edge of Campus and Community

Preliminary structural strategies showing the use of frame and planar supports.

JOHNSON FEILD

REDONDO DRIVE SOUTH

VASSAR DRIVE

PRINCETON AVENUE

STANFORD DRIVE

COLUMBIA DRIVE

EAST CENTRAL AVENUE

JOHNSON FEILD

REDONDO DRIVE SOUTH

VASSAR DRIVE

PRINCETON AVENUE

Using city grid to inform threshold moments.

Campus in relation to city.

City and Site Concepts/Strategies

REDONDO DRIVE SOUTH

VASSAR DRIVE

PRINCETON AVENUE

COLUMBIA DRIVE

EAST CENTRAL AVENUE

Academic functions anchor site to campus.

JOHNSON FEILD

REDONDO DRIVE SOUTH

VASSAR DRIVE

PRINCETON AVENUE

EAST CENTRAL AVENUE

COLUMBIA DRIVE

Since the site intrinsically has characteristics of a threshold condition, the creation of an appropriate response to this condition between the urban and campus environment became a primary factor in shaping the development of the design. The two site diagrams show the potential relationships between the parallel roads and the cross streets that terminate at the site. The parallel roads define the edges of the site, and the perpendicular cross streets begin to articulate the organization of programmatic elements within the site.

JOHNSON FEILD

STANFORD DRIVE

The campus of The University of New Mexico is located within the city fabric of Albuquerque, NM, with the immediate site location at the southern edge of the campus juxtaposed between Central Ave and Rodondo Drive. This juxtapositioning of the site between a campus roadway and public street creates a buffer zone or threshold space between the city and campus.

STANFORD DRIVE

COLUMBIA DRIVE

STANFORD DRIVE

EAST CENTRAL AVENUE

Environmental Concepts/Strategies Albuquerque, NM is a hot/dry climate that experience wide diurnal temperature swings. The temperature shifting between night and day allows for the implementation of high thermal mass in order to maintain consistent temperatures, alleviating much of the cooling and heating loads for the building.

Gallery / Cafe connection to urban setting.

In order to deal with the heat gain from sun, orientation and shading is considered in order to reduce solar heat gain through openings in the facade. Outdoor space and gallery for city/campus use.

Thomas Barry

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Site in relation to campus.

Site plan and site section.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Division of academic and library functions.

Extension of public space across the site.

Structural diagrams.

Concept and Building Planning Taking into account identifying â&#x20AC;&#x153;the site as thresholdâ&#x20AC;? from the site analysis, the organization of the building relative to its urbanism aims to create a place which anchors the edge of campus, while creating threshold moments that allow for interaction between the city and campus. The first perpendicular street condition impacts the library by dividing the building into two primary functional components; the library and the academic spaces. This division creates a large public interior space for both the users of the library and academic spaces. The second perpendicular street is addressed by the removed cafe/gallery space which allows the create of a public space between the primary building and the satellite piece. The primary structural rhythm of the buildings on the site are five lines which move parallel across the length of the site. These lines act to both define a spatial hierarchy within the building in respect to program and circulation, but also act to heighten the sense of threshold as one moves perpendicular across the structural rhythm. The academic portion of the building uses a parallel wall system as its structure system, arranging the program within these wall layers. The structural system shifts into a frame system on the library side of the building, allowing for more flexibility and openness to the floor plan. The pavilion which is extended into the landscape goes back to the parallel wall system. This allows for the rhythm of the structure to be clearly read within the parallel walls at both ends of the site.

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Building floor plans.

Thomas Barry

Building sections.

Building section / elevation.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

3/8â&#x20AC;? model showing ceiling system.

Interior / Facade Assemblies The frame and infill system to be implemented in the design was influenced by the British Arts Center by Louis Kahn, and the Carreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; De Arts museum by Norman Foster. The infill condition on the exterior are cast concrete in order both function as a thermal lag for the interior spaces, create an aesthetic connection to the parallel wall system. The interiors express the concrete walls/frame that make the primary structure and enclosure, using wood as the material to infill the expressed frame. The north facade will have the largest glazing conditions, maximizing the north light for daylighting conditions. The southern and eastern facade have glazing conditions that are either shaded by the cantilevered roof condition or treated by a fritted/louvered condition. On the western facade, a secondary skin of perforated metal will act to diffuse the western light and mitigate direct solar heat gain as the building heats up in the afternoon hours. Performative Maquette A study of air movement in relation to different spatial conditions was conducted in order to potentially incorporate passive cooling strategies within the building. Further site investigation revealed a lack of prevailing wind conditions within Albuquerque, minimizing the effectiveness of any such strategy. Although the study did not directly influence the performance of the building, the idea of controlling/modulating the flows of people remained influential.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Thomas Barry

Performative maquette setup for wind testing.

Albuquerque • New Mexico

3/8” partial model of stack area and reading room..

Material taxonomy.

38 Introduction and Concept The Campus Media and Library Center designed for the University of New Mexico is a project that aims to combine the media of a traditional library with the anticipated digital media of the library of the future. This programmatic goal is achieved while making the building sustainable using current and traditional environmental design strategies. The outcome of the design process demands a long linear building of one-story in height. The buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape is defined by as series of parallel walls constructed of rammed earth. These monolithic walls are covered with a roof structure that has the dual purpose of daylighting and harnessing the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy for power. The form of the roof appears like a beaded necklace, which is generated by a strategy to use light to highlight specific features of the plan and program. These features give the building a very horizontal manifestation with a solid base and a light crown.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Exterior rendering of building on site (left) and interior view of the Central Stack Area (right).

3/8” roof study model.

Julius Richardson

Albuquerque • New Mexico

A Roofscape for Light, Books, and People

Other Images?

Aerial view of Albuquerque, NM.

40 Site Investigation and Program Analysis

Privat Study Areas

Reserve Desk/Stacks

Catalog Serch Lobby/Foyer

The project began with an in depth study of the site and program. The site is very long and narrow site, approximately six times in length as it is wide - oriented with the university campus to the north and the general city to the south. It is located on the bottom edge of UNMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central campus bordered by historic Route 66 on its southern side.

Campus map with project site.

Public Reading Rooms

Book Stacks

Gallery

Restrooms

Lecture Halls

Archive Lab/ Media Services Lab Conserv

Meeting Rooms

Securtiy, etc.

Rare Books

Cafe

Lobby/Foyer

Private Areas Privat Study Areas

Public Reading Rooms

Cafe

Archive Lab/ Conserv Media Services Rare Lab Books

Catalog Serch

Reserve Desk/Stacks Gallery

Classrooms

Archive

Securtiy, etc. Archive Lab/ Conserv

Media Services Lab

Support Technical

Functional use analysis.

Natural Ventalation

Lobby/Foyer

Classrooms

Cafe

Natural Light

Public Reading Rooms Meeting Rooms

Catalog SerchArtificial Light Privat Study Areas

Admin Ofiices Book Stacks Reserve Desk/Stacks

Gallery

Mechanical Ventalation

work room/ translation Lecture Halls Securtiy, Archive Electronicetc. Gallery Media Services Lab Rare Restrooms Books Support Archive Lab/ Technical Conserv

Library functions analysis.

Julius Richardson

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Project site on UNM campus.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Elongated parti scheme and study model.

Elongated Scheme

Courtyard parti scheme and study model.

Courtyard Scheme

Concept and Building Planning The final plan and form of the building came from a combination of two early partis. The form of the building resulted from the elongated scheme while the room arrangement was generated from the courtyard spaces. This elongated layout developed from the notion of wanting to use the entire site. This scheme combines the desire to use rammed earth walls with the idea of sonically separating it from traffic from Route 66. This reinforced the parallel wall layout of the plan. Attempts were made to minimize doors and to compel the visitor to wander way through the grain of the building. A sense of hierarchy and separation of space was permitted by changing the ceiling height and thicknesses of the parallel walls. Light admitted from the roof surfaces was also intended to help guide the visitor from one location to the next. The roof structure also helps to create small spaces within the larger spaces. The folded roof pattern was developed from the performative maquette studied for the project. Originally the maquette was designed as a stack ventilation/wind catcher/photovoltaic cell apparatus. This was adapted to the building and transformed into a series of photovoltaic surfaces on the south side with light aperture on the north side. This developed through several stages to the final form with two basic repetitive forms. One form is typical for the sloping roof while the other is vshaped with clerestories on either side. The first creates darker spaces beneath and the second allows light to fill the spaces beneath. Both forms have photovoltaic cells on the south facing slopes. The two forms combine to give the roof a beaded necklace appearance.

Structure Study

Parallel Walls

Parallel Walls with Cross Members

Structure study.

Roof plan.

Crossection through roof structure.

Plan, section, and Route 66 elevation.

Julius Richardson

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Sketch model.

Assemblies, Materials, and Performative The two main materials chosen were rammed earth and douglas fir. These materials were both used in traditional construction methods of the area, are of similar color palate, and offer an interesting contrast to one another. Rammed earth was chosen because it was a time tested regional building method for dealing with the climate and for its aesthetic qualities. Building a rammed earth wall involves a process of compressing a damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay (sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an externally supported frame, creating a solid wall of earth. This creates a layered horizontal appearance, which is also desirable for this building type. All parallel walls are to be constructed of rammed earth. To contrast this heavy, monolithic material douglas fir is employed in the construction of the cross and connection walls. Douglas fir is a dimensionally stable material and universally recognized for its superior strength-to-weight ratio. Its high specific gravity provides excellent nail and plate-holding ability. The color and appearance is also lighter than the rammed earth parallel walls. The wood would be used in vertical strips on the cross walls to contrast the horizontal rammed earth.

Preformative Preformative Maquette Maquette Preformative Preformative Maquette Maquette

Stack Stack Ventilation Ventilation &&Wind &Wind Wind Catcher Catcher Stack Ventilation Catcher Stack Ventilation & Wind Catcher The last The test last attempted test attempted to apply to apply both methods both methods at the at same the time. time. The last The test last attempted test attempted to apply toboth apply methods both methods at the same at same the time. same time. Smoke Smoke was inserted was inserted into the into bottom the bottom and level into and one into side one of side of of Smoke Smoke was inserted was inserted into the into bottom thelevel bottom level and level into and one into side one ofside thethe wind the catching wind catching apparatus. apparatus. It seemed It seemed both that could both could work work at atwork at at wind thecatching wind catching apparatus. apparatus. It seemed Itthat seemed that both that could both work could thethe same the same time. time. The smoke The smoke drawn drawn updrawn byup theby stack the stack ventilation ventilation was waswas same the time. same The time. smoke The smoke drawn up by the up by stack the ventilation stack ventilation was drawn drawn into the into circulating the circulating smoke smoke brought brought in by in theby wind catchers. wind catchers. drawn drawn into the into circulating the circulating smoke smoke brought brought in by the inthe by wind thecatchers. wind catchers. This smoke This smoke was then was drawn then drawn outdrawn the out other the other side of side the of wind the wind catcher. This smoke This smoke was then was drawn then out the out other the side other ofside the wind of catcher. thecatcher. wind catcher. One problem One problem this might this might create create is acreate of a is lot wind of wind turbulence directly directly One problem One problem this might this create might islot aislot ofawind lotturbulence ofturbulence wind turbulence directly directly under under thethe tower. the tower. One solution One solution to this toproblem this problem may be may tomay be place to the the the under under tower. the tower. One solution One solution to this to problem this problem may be to place beplace tothe place wind catching wind catching entrance entrance and exit and on exit opposite on opposite ends ends of the of buildthe wind catching wind catching entrance entrance and exit and on exit opposite on opposite ends ofends the buildof buildthe building. This ing. would This would cause cause thethe cool the air cool caught air caught tocaught run tothe run the width of the of the ing. This ing. would This would cause cause cool the air cool caught air to run the towidth run width the of width the of the building building and mix and with mix and with draw and draw outout the out warm the warm airair brought air brought byup theby building building and mix and with mix and with draw and draw the out warm the warm brought airup brought up by the upthe by the stack stack ventilation. ventilation. stack ventilation. stack ventilation.

Wind Wind Catcher Catcher Wind Wind Catcher Catcher

Peter Wong â&#x20AC;˘ UNC Charlotte â&#x20AC;˘ Fall 2010

PASSIVE PASSIVE AGRESSIVE AGRESSIVE PASSIVE PASSIVE AGRESSIVE AGRESSIVE

The second The second test attempted test attempted to test toonly test the only wind the catching wind catching device. device. The second The second test attempted test attempted to test to only test the only wind thecatching wind catching device. device. Wind Wind catching catching devices devices are usually are usually and tall have and openings have openings onon allon Wind catching Wind catching devices devices are usually aretall usually tall and tall have and openings have openings all all on all sided. sided. When When then one then side one catches side catches wind it wind isitwind channeled is itchanneled down down sided. sided. When then When one then side one catches side catches wind isit channeled is channeled down down into the into building, the building, which which creates creates a creates positive a positive pressure. This creates This creates into the into building, the building, which creates which a positive apressure. positive pressure. pressure. This creates This creates a negative a negative pressure onon theon opposite the opposite side of side the of tower, the which which then thenthen a negative a pressure negative pressure pressure the on opposite the opposite side ofside the tower, of tower, the tower, which then which draws draws this air this out. air Again out. Again a smoldering a smoldering piece piece of paper of paper was used was used to toused to to draws draws this air this out. air Again out. aAgain smoldering a smoldering piece of piece paper of was paper used was produce produce smoke. smoke. This was This held was at held the at mouth the of mouth one ofside one of side the of apthe produce produce smoke. smoke. This was This held was atheld the mouth at mouth the of one of side one ofside the apof apthe apparatus. paratus. A fan A was fan was used then used to simulate to simulate wind. The device The device worked worked paratus. paratus. A fan was Athen fan then was used then toused simulate to wind. simulate wind. The wind. device The device worked worked just as just planed. as planed. smoke The smoke traveled traveled down down and circulated and circulated around around just as just planed. asThe planed. The smoke The smoke traveled traveled down and down circulated and circulated around around directly directly under under thethe tower the tower before before it was itdrawn was drawn updrawn and up out and the out other the other directly directly under under tower the before tower before it was drawn it was up and up out and the out other the other side. side.side. side.

Section model cut perpendicular through the parallel wall system.

Stack Stack Ventilation Ventilation Stack Stack Ventilation Ventilation The first The method first method tested tested was the was stack the stack ventilation ventilation effect effect of the of towthe The first The method first method tested tested was the was stack the ventilation stack ventilation effect of effect the towof towthe tower. er. Ater. first At first ice dry was ice place was place onon the on bottom the bottom in level an in attempt an At first er.dry At dry first ice dry was ice place was place the on bottom thelevel bottom level inlevel an attempt inattempt antoattempt to to to have the have vapor the vapor drawn drawn to drawn the to top the level. top level. However, However, thethe airthe was air just was just just have the have vapor the drawn vapor to the top to the level. top However, level. However, air the was air just was tootoo cold too to cold be to drawn be up,drawn even up, with even awith heat a lamp heat lamp placed placed next to next the to the cold too tocold be drawn todrawn be up, even up,with even a heat with a lamp heat placed lamp placed next tonext the to the tower. tower. Then Then smoke smoke from smoldering from smoldering paper paper was used. was used. This properThis propertower. tower. Then smoke Then smoke from smoldering from smoldering paper was paper used. was used. This properThis properly demonstrated ly demonstrated thethe effect the effect of stack of stack ventilation. ventilation. It was Itnoticed was noticed that thatthat ly demonstrated ly demonstrated effect the of effect stack ofventilation. stack ventilation. It was noticed It was noticed that since since there there was no was wind no added wind added theadded smoke the smoke rose out rose of out the of central the since there since was there no was wind noadded wind the smoke the smoke rose out rose of the out central of central the central stack stack and the and wind the catching wind catching stack. stack. stack and stack the and wind thecatching wind catching stack. stack.

Julius Julius Richardson Richardson Julius Julius Richardson Richardson

Prof. Prof. Peter Peter Wong Wong Studio Studio 7101 7101 Prof. Prof. Peter Peter Wong Wong Studio Studio 7101 7101

RAMMED EARTH

Building a rammed earth wall involves a process of compressing a damp mixture of earth that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel and clay (sometimes with an added stabilizer) into an externally supported frame, creating a solid wall of earth. A temporary frame (formwork) is first built, usually out of wood or plywood, to act as a mold for desired shape and dimensions of each wall section. The frames must be sturdy and well braced, and the two opposing wall faces clamped together, to prevent bulging or deformation from the high compression forces involved. Damp material is poured in to a depth of between 4 to 10 in, and compressed to around 50% of its original height. Once the wall is complete, it is strong enough that the frames can be immediately removed. Walls take some time to dry out completely, and may take up to two years to completely cure. Compression strength increases with increased curing time, and exposed walls should be sealed to prevent water damage.

DOUGLAS FIR

Diagrammatic model of the parallel wall system.

Material taxonomy.

Julius Richardson

Douglas Fir is dimensionally stable and universally recognized for its superior strength-to-weight ratio. Its high specific gravity provides excellent nail and plate-holding ability. The species also has superior performance against strong forces resulting from natural phenomena such as winds, storms and earthquakes. It is the ideal structural and general-purpose wood for framing lumber in residential, light commercial, multi story and industrial construction. This material would be used for the truss members in the ceiling and as vertical members in the walls. Vertical memebers will be spaced appart to contrast with the horizontal appearance of the rammed earth walls.

materials

taxonomy

materials

Study models of roof structure.

taxonomy

Performative maquette studies.

Albuquerque â&#x20AC;˘ New Mexico

The The purpose purpose of of this of preformative this preformative maquette maquette The purpose The purpose this ofpreformative this preformative maquette maquette was was to to explore to explore different different passive passive cooling cooling methmethwas was explore to explore different different passive passive cooling cooling methmethods specifically ods specifically forfor my for building my building and and location. location. AnAnAn An ods specifically ods specifically my for building my building and location. and location. attempt attempt was was made made tomade combine to combine several several methods methods attempt attempt was made was to combine to combine several several methods methods and and incorporate incorporate them them into one into one device. device. The The methmethand incorporate and incorporate them them into one into device. one device. The methThe methods were ods were specifically specifically chosen chosen forfor the for climate the climate of of Al-of ods were ods were specifically specifically chosen chosen the for climate the climate Al-Alof Albuquerque, buquerque, NM. NM. The The device device designed designed attempted attempted buquerque, buquerque, NM. NM. The device The device designed designed attempted attempted to to use to the use wind the wind in in conjunction in conjunction with with stack stack ventilaventilause tothe use wind the wind conjunction in conjunction with stack with stack ventilaventilation. tion. The The device device contained contained a central a central stack tostack allow to allow tion. The tion. device The device contained contained a central a stack central stack to allow to allow thethe hot the air hot to air escape. to escape. Wind Wind catching catching apparatuses apparatuses hot the air hot to air escape. to escape. Wind Wind catching catching apparatuses apparatuses surrounded surrounded this designed this designed to to catch to catch wind nono matter no matter surrounded surrounded this designed this designed catch towind catch wind wind matter no matter which which way way it came it came from. which which way itway came itfrom. came from. from. Tests Tests were were conducted conducted to to see to ifsee ifwind the wind catching catching Tests Tests were were conducted conducted see tothe ifsee the ifwind the catching wind catching would would work work in work conjunction in conjunction with with thethe stack the stack ventilaventilawould would work in conjunction in conjunction with with stack the stack ventilaventilation tower. tion tower. The The device device preformed preformed better better than than ex-exex-extion tower. tion tower. The device The device preformed preformed better better than than pected. pected. From From the test the conducted test conducted it seems it seems plausipected. pected. From From the test the conducted test conducted it seems it plausiseems plausiplausibleble that ble that wind wind catching catching and and stack stack ventilation ventilation could could that ble wind that catching wind catching and stack and stack ventilation ventilation could could work work simultaneously. simultaneously. This This could could prove prove beneficial beneficial work work simultaneously. simultaneously. This could This could proveprove beneficial beneficial because because thethe wind the wind caught caught could could help help to to cool to cool the thethe because because wind the caught wind caught could could help help cool tothe cool warm warm air on air the on top the floor top floor drawn drawn up by up the by stack the stack warm warm air on air the on top the floor top drawn floor drawn up by up the bystack the stack ventilation. ventilation. A water A water feature could could becould added be added on ventilation. ventilation. A water Afeature water feature feature could be added be added onon on thethe floor the floor below below the tower the tower totower help to help add add moisture moisture floor the below floor below the tower the to help to add help moisture add moisture and and cool cool thethe air. the Another air.Another Another improvement improvement forfor further for further and cool and cool air. the air. Another improvement improvement further for further investigation investigation would would be spreading be spreading outout the out wind the wind investigation investigation would would be spreading be spreading the out wind the wind catching catching devices devices onon opposite on opposite ends ends ofends the of buildthe buildcatching catching devices devices opposite on opposite ends of the ofbuildthe building. ing. This This would would draw draw the wind the wind through through outout the out thethe ing. This ing. would This would draw draw the wind the through wind through the out building building rather rather than than just under just under the tower. the tower. building building rather rather than just than under just under the tower. the tower.

46 Introduction and Concept The task was to design a library/ media center responsive to a particular climatic condition. The second part of the solution was to make it responsive not only to the site but also to the surrounding urban conditions. Lastly, the program was challenging because it was open to the interpretation of individual designer. What is the library today? How has its functions changed because of the development of internet and online book sources? Those were the questions designers had to answer to define the boundaries of their parti. The parti of this project are simple. Most of the functions are located on the main floor. There are administrative offices located next to the area for the main book collection. Another wing of the main floor is dedicated to the academic functions and consists of classrooms and two auditoriums. The rare book collection is in the basement due to minimal temperature swings below grade. The library today is one of the last public spaces in the urban environment, therefore the program and the site of this design attempts to make it as publicly accessible as possible. The site, a former parking lot, will be partially transformed into a park. The building stepped back from the street allowing the community to partake in the amenities of the park and outdoor theater adjacent to the services of the library. The climate of New Mexico is hot and arid with large diurnal swings. High temperature variation signaled the use of thermal mass. High thermal mass wall made of rammed earth in-fill therefore became a dominate feature of the project.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Early idea models.

Model showing relationship of the East-West wall and the Media Center.

Anastasia Krasnoslobodtseva

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Media Center as Archival Wall

Plan, section, facade and site plan representations.

Anastasia Krasnoslobodtseva

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Alternative structural model studies of the Media Center.

Anastasia Krasnoslobodtseva

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010

Maquette showing experiments with textual light and shadow effects.

The aftermath In 1923 Le Corbusier published a manifesto entitled Towards an Architecture where he promoted the promise of the machine aesthetic. His statement, “The house is a machine for living,” impacted how architects would think in the coming years. Eighty years later houses are not machines for living, but rather machines that house machines. The importance of the human element has been lost. The human dimension can return to architecture through the attention to the human senses. Of the five senses typically considered, only four can be applied to architecture. The senses of: scent, sight, touch, and hearing in most designs. Time is a dimension that is also not normally considered in architecture. Hence, this phenomenal factor can also play a significant role in design. The sense of time may be defined as one’s awareness of their position in space, in other words, time is about the notion of the present. The primary responsibility for architects is to create an environment responsive to the human senses and a sense of time. This type of environment is visually dependent on its surroundings and at the same time responds to the human condition largely shaped by touch and hearing. Lastly, the materiality of temporal architecture should be considered when creating environment responsiveness to a building’s inhabitants. The task of architecture is to create an environment that enhances such bodily experiences. Hence, space and its effects appeal to our human senses and temporal sense in order to become experientially significant.

Peter Wong • UNC Charlotte • Fall 2010 53

Parallel wall book archive vault.

Detail of the textual incision of the parallel walls.

Anastasia Krasnoslobodtseva

Albuquerque • New Mexico

Alternative maquette studies of light.

Tailpiece