CHICAGO STUDIO AARON WILLIAMS | SPRING 2014
CONTENTS DESIGN STUDIO
7
PRO PRACTICE
114
URBAN MAPPING
133
RADICAL CONJECTURES
9
LECTURES
115
9 PRINCIPLES
134
APPLICATION
152
SITE ANALYSIS
25
INTERVIEWS
123
MOTOR ROW
61
ETHICS
130
PROCESS
91
ART INSTITUTE
101
DELFT WORKSHOP
107
DESIGN STUDIO
7
8
RADICAL CONJECTURE 1 Chinatown Island: Chicago’s Chinatown currently exists within a rigid set of infrastructural conditions, and is bounded on every side by the Chicago River, the CTA red line, and the Stephenson Expressway. The local culture has been able to thrive internally as a result of this confinement, but struggles to grow and maintain strong connections with the rest of the city. This study imagines Chinatown as an island in Lake Michigan, as a means to free the community from its current restrictions, and to generate new ideas about how it can develop. My explorations were focused on the implementation of a highly ordered infrastructural scaffold into which various programs uses can “plugged-in.” By providing a theoretically endless framework for growth, the culture could create optimal adjacencies and could expand and contract organically. Also of interest is how the industrial and service elements could be optimally stationed in order to best serve a thriving community that is poised for development.
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RADICAL CONJECTURE 2 MegaBLOCK: In this exploration, the entire Cermak Corridor from McCormick Place to Pilsen was reconfigured within the geometric proportion of a cube. This reorganization of elements effectively shortcurcuits the hard divisions that exist in reality between the communities of Cermak, and the extreme density forces uncomfortable relationships and adjacencies. As a means to better understand the scale of the urban condition, I compressed the entirety of the corridor into a 660’ flat slab cube - equal to one entire city block at total saturation. After seeing how the peices came together at this incredibly high density, i began to speculate on how settlment patterns would begin to occur based on the cultural conditions of the area. I oberved that despite our best intentions towards creating cultural diversity, these communities are so strong and vibrant for the very reason that they are inwardly focused and somewhat isolated. We must accept the realities of cultural difference while providing avenues for interaction and cultural cross-pollination to occur.
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RED LINE
RED LINE `
CHICAGO RIVER
CHICAGO RIVER
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RADICAL CONJECTURE 3 A Workshop for a Cartographer With One Sense: We began this exercise by mapping the entire length of Cermak using only one sense: hearing. After walking the entire site and making an audio recording of the experience, we began to analyze the audio to understand how changes in the urban streetwall condition changed our auditory experience. With this understanding of the relationship between spatial experience and auditory experience, we set out to create a workshop in which a cartographer with only this sense would create maps of their own similar experiences. We chose an abandonded warehouse in Cermak’s industrial zone as the site for this workshop, for the vast array of spatial conditions that could be created within its structural framework. We imagined the workshop as a series of spatial resonating chambers in which the cartographer would recreate auditory phenoma using the building as their instrument. The instrument itself would be created by the cartographer primarily through the means of destruction and subtraction from the existing structure. The paths of circulation are skewed to address the grid of the city and create a connection to the outside world, while the underlying order of the building itself is skewed off axis, and is an auditory world unto itself.
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SITE ANALYSIS We employed multiple means of analysis to develop a deeper understanding of the site and context. We began in a “typical” fashion by researching and documenting the news and issues currently affecting the communities of Cermak. We then set out to document the Motor Row District in an “atypical” fashion; by analyzing all the various forms of signage and graphic communication in the area. With a focus on sidestreets and back-of-house areas, we photographed these signs in a effort to uncover the true grit, texture, and culture inherent in the site. We responded to these images in the form of a no-holds-barred group session of verbal free association, as a means to uncover our own unadulterated perceptions of the place.
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MAY
APRIL
MARCH
FEBRUARY
JANUARY
ATTENDANCE
OCTOBER
McCORMICK PLACE
NOVEMBER
McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America and a major contributor to Chicago’s economy. The wide range of events hosted at McCormick result in extremely large swings in population from week to week.
DECEMBER
SEPTEMBER
AUGUST
JULY
JUNE
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
110,000
120,000
130,000
BLOCK PARTY
The Prairie District became an extremely popular neighborhood for Chicago’s wealthy individuals after the Great Chicago Fire. It still maintains many historically VLJQL¿FDQW KRPHV PDQ\ RI ZKLFK KDYH EHHQ RSHQHG WR the public as museums or through tours.
HALLOWEEN
TOAST TO S.L.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
EASTER
PRAIRIE DISTRICT
CHRISTMAS
BREWERY
500 RMS
MOTOR ROW LOFTS SINCE 2010
DePAUL BASKETBALL
ARENA
RESIDENTIAL
1500 RMS
HOTEL MARRIOTT
CHEAP TRICK BROAD SHOULDERS FOOD/JAZZ/MUSEUM COMING SPRING 2014 FAILED Plans to bring additional activity to the Motor Row/Prairie District Area anchored by the development of several hotels and a basketball arena for DePaul University is FXUUHQWO\ LQ ÀX[ GXH WR OLWLJDWLRQ VWHPPLQJ IURP ODQG acquisition.
CONCERT VENUE
GREEN LINE HIST. STUDIO COMING LATE 2014
CTA STOP CHESS REC.
DEVELOPMENT
McCORMICK/MOTOR ROW
DATA CENTER
This proposal would provide another destination for the McCormick area as well as additional accommodations for convention-goers. The arena would host DePaul basketball as well as medium sized events too small for McCormick Place.
McCORMICK
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
1,500 RMS, 10,000 SEATS
MARRIOTT/ARENA
These are two of the more successful proposals to provide Motor Row with more density. Cheap Trick was interested in opening a restaurant/jazz bar/concert venue on the 2200 block of Michigan for years until the developer’s funds failed to materialize.
2010
MOTOR ROW LOFTS
BROAD SHOULDERS
RECENT ADDITIONS
MOTOR ROW
MICROBREWERY, SPRING 2014
These are two of the more successful proposals to provide Motor Row with more density. Cheap Trick was interested in opening a restaurant/jazz bar/concert venue on the 2200 block of Michigan for years until the developer’s funds failed to materialize.
2010
MOTOR ROW LOFTS
BROAD SHOULDERS
RECENT ADDITIONS
MOTOR ROW
MICROBREWERY, SPRING 2014
The new Green Line station will make the eastern end of the Cermak corridor more accessible to Chicagoans living in other parts of the city. With a completion date VHW IRU ODWH WKH VWDWLRQ ZLOO VRRQ EHQHÂżW 0F&RUPLFN 3ODFH 0RWRU 5RZ DQG DQ\ SURMHFWV EHLQJ FRQVLGHUHG IRU implementation in the future.
CERMAK & 23RD
NEW CTA STOP
PLANNED FOR LATE 2014
GREEN LINE STATION
There are many different community groups in Chinatown that deal with everything from sports to education. These four groups offer different support services to the community as well as promoting and maintaining the culture of the area.
2216 S. WENTWORTH AVE
CHINATOWN
PUI TAK CENTER
2216 S. WENTWORTH AVE
COMMUNITY GROUPS
CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE
2169 S. CHINA PL SUITE B
CHINESE CONSOLIDATED BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION 250 W. 22ND PL CHINATOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
65-79
80+
MEDIAN AGE
AGE BREAKDOWN
CHINATOWN
33
50-64
CHICAGO
35-49
42
20-34
CHINATOWN
UNDER 19
7KLV LV WKH ¿UVW RI IRXU QHZ ERDW KRXVHV LQ SDUNV DORQJ the river promised by Mayor Emanuel. It was designed by Johnson & Lee Architects and opened in June 2013. The ERDW KRXVH RIIHUV VWRUDJH IRU ND\DNV DQG FDQRHV DV ZHOO as direct access to the river.
BOAT HOUSE
PING TOM PARK
RECENT ADDITIONS
CHINATOWN
The new Chinatown Branch Library will be a replacement IRU WKH ROG UHQWDO SURSHUW\ WKDW VHUYHG SHRSOH each month. When the usual “prototypeâ€? design wouldn’t ÂżW RQ WKH VLWH GXH WR LWV QRQ RUWKRJRQDO VKDSH 3XEOLF %XLOGLQJ &RPLVVLRQHU %ULDQ %DQQRQ RSHQHG WKH GHVLJQ IRU FRPSHWLWLRQ 7KH EXLOGLQJ GHVLJQHG E\ 6NLGPRUH 2ZLQJV DQG 0HUULOO LV VFKHGXOHG WR RSHQ LQ
CHINATOWN BRANCH
PUBLIC LIBRARY
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
CHINATOWN
7KH &HUPDN &UHDWLYH ,QGXVWULHV ,QLWLDWLYH OHG E\ WKH &KLFDJR 'HSDUWPHQW RI &XOWXUDO $IIDLUV LV DWWHPSWLQJ to realize the redevelopment of four historic industrial VWUXFWXUHV LQWR DUWLVWLF KLJK WHFK DQG DUWLVDQDO manufacturing facilities.
BARREL MANUFACTURERS
WENDNAGLE CO
SPICES, TEA, COFFEE
CERMAK INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
THOMPSON SPICE CO
WM HOYT & CO
GROCERS
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES INITIATIVE
WESTERN SHADE CLOTH CO
TEXTILES
7KURXJK &HUPDN¶V LQGXVWULDO FRUULGRU DUWLVWV KDYH informally moved into abandoned buildings and utilized them as workspace since the mid 1990’s. This has spurred many conversations about the future of WKH DUHD VXFK DV WKH &UHDWLYH ,QGXVWULHV ,QLWLDWLYH
WM HOYT & CO BUILDING
ARTISTIC INHABITATION
CERMAK INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
Parcels Wards CERMAK INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
Chicago Landmarks
CHICAGO LANDMARKS
Historic Preservation
Planned Manufacturing
Red
Chicago Historic Resources Survey - Buildings subject to Demolition-Delay Ordinance
Landmark Districts
Metra Line
CTA Station
CTA Line
EFFECTS OF REZONING Planned Development
Residential
Manufacturing
Commercial
Business
Zoning
Created on: 2/19/20
https://gisapps.cityofchicago.org/se
CURRENT ZONING
Industrial Zoning Map
THOMPSON SPICE
WENDNAGLE
Negotiations led by the Department of Cultural Affairs have focused on the rezoning of Cermak’s four historical industrial properties to allow for redevelopment into DQ DUWV HQWHUWDLQPHQW DQG EXVLQHVV GLVWULFW 7KLV KDV EHHQ PHW ZLWK UHVLVWDQFH IURP WKH ]RQLQJ ERDUG DV LW is one of the last true industrial zones left in the city.
WESTERN SHADE CLOTH
Map Output
This project seeks to improve the streetscape of Cermak with an eye towards stormwater retention. 3RURXV SDYLQJ ELRVZDOHV DQG YHJHWDWLRQ UHGXFH ZDWHU UXQRII ZKLOH VPRJ HDWLQJ FRQFUHWH OLJKW FRORUV and solar-powered LED streetlights help mitigate RWKHU HQYLURQPHQWDO SUREOHPV DQG LQHI¿FLHQFLHV
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS
CERMAK/BLUE ISLAND PROJECT
CERMAK INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
ADDITIONS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL
BENITO JUAREZ
CLOTHING COMPANY
NO MANCHES THEATRE AND RESTAURANT
THALIA HALL
PILSEN
LEAD CONTAMINATED SOIL
EPA CLEANUP
BUILDING DEVELOPMENT
NEWLY DECOMMISSIONED COAL PLANT
FISK STATION
STUDENT HOUSING
LA CASA
No Manches reopened in 2012 with a new vision for engaging Latino youth and giving back to the community. They work closely with La Casa student housing to donate supplies and encourage education.
PILSEN
ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
CLOTHING COMPANY
NO MANCHES
7KH 5HVXUUHFWLRQ 3URMHFW D FRPPXQLW\ GHYHORSPHQW RUJDQL]DWLRQ ZDV UHVSRQVLEOH IRU WKH FRPSOHWLRQ RI La Casa. The building and resource center offers a location for college students from different universities to study because many of them do not have the space in their family homes.
PILSEN
BUILDING DEVELOPMENT
STUDENT HOUSING
LA CASA
The school was expanded in 2010 with the addition of DQ DXGLWRULXP VRFFHU ¿HOG XSGDWHV WR WKH WHFKQRORJ\ DQG D ODUJHU FDPSXV ,Q -XDUH] ZDV RII SUREDWLRQ IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH LQ WHQ \HDUV ZLWK EHWWHU VWXGHQW attendance and improved teacher performance.
PILSEN
BUILDING DEVELOPMENT
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL
BENITO JUAREZ ACADEMY
%XLOW LQ E\ WKH &]HFK -RKQ 'XVHN 7KDOLD +DOO IHOO LQWR GLVUHSDLU LQ WKH ¶V EXW LV FXUUHQWO\ LQ the process of restoration. A recently opened beer KDOO DQG SXQFK KRXVH QRZ RFFXS\ WKH ¿UVW ÀRRU DQG EDVHPHQW RI WKH WKHDWUH ZLWK WKH UHRSHQLQJ RI WKH main hall anticipated for 2014.
MUSIC, THEATRE, FOOD, DRINKS
THALIA HALL
BUILDING DEVELOPMENT
PILSEN
Before the EPA cleanup of the lead contaminated soil DW WKH IRUPHU VLWH RI WKH /RHZHQWKDO 0HWDOV 6PHOWHU Pilsen residents made makeshift signs warning the community of the dangerous area. The Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization is working with the EPA on the current cleanup process.
FORMER SITE OF THE LOEWENTHAL METALS SMELTER
COMMUNITY GARDEN
ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
PILSEN
After years of effort from Pilsen residents and DFWLYLVWV WKH )LVN SODQW ZDV ¿QDOO\ GHFRPPLVVLRQHG LQ 2012. Currently the city and Pilsen are looking at the UHGHYHORSPHQW RI WKH VLWH DQG KRZ EHVW WR XWLOL]H WKH area to serve the neighborhood and Chicago.
COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC GENERATING STATION
FISK STATION
ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
PILSEN
The Chicago Marathon is one of the six World Marathon 0DMRUV /LPLWHG WR UXQQHUV DQQXDOO\ WKH UDFH EULQJV LQFUHDVHG WRXULVP WR WKH WXQH RI PLOOLRQ WR WKH FLW\ LQFOXGLQJ PLOOLRQ WR FKDULWLHV 7KH URXWH RI WKH UDFH WUDYHOV WKURXJK 3LOVHQ &KLQDWRZQ DQG ¿QDOO\ XS 0LFKLJDQ WRZDUG WKH ¿QLVK
MAIN EVENTS
CHICAGO MARATHON
(YHU\ \HDU &KLQDWRZQ KDV D FHOHEUDWLRQ RI WKH &KLQHVH 1HZ <HDU ZKLFK FRQVLVWV RI ÂżUHZRUNV IROORZHG by a parade up Wentworth Ave and down Cermak Road. The parade has become a cultural tradition with PDUFKLQJ EDQGV GDQFHUV Ă&#x20AC;RDWV SHUIRUPHUV DQG D ninety foot long â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mystical Dragon.â&#x20AC;?
MAIN EVENTS
CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR
7KH DQQXDO 6XPPHU )DLU ZDV GHVLJQHG WR SURPRWH Chinatown and allows the different community groups to work together towards a common goal. The fair has IRRG IURP ORFDO UHVWXDUDQWV FXOWXUDO HQWHUWDLQPHQW VKRSSLQJ &KLQHVH DUWV DQG FUDIWV DV ZHOO DV D OLRQ dance procession.
MAIN EVENTS
CHINATOWN SUMMER FAIR
The Chinatown Dragon Boat Race for Literacy is held every year on the Chicago River in Ping Tom Park with thousands watching and participating. The proceeds DUH XVHG WR VXSSRUW DQG SURPRWH ORFDO OLWHUDF\ FXOWXUDO DQG GLYHUVLW\ SURJUDPV
MAIN EVENTS
DRAGON BOAT RACE
(YHU\ \HDU RQ *RRG )ULGD\ 0H[LFDQ &DWKROLF SDULVKLRQHUV UHHQDFW WKH :D\ RI WKH &URVV ZLWK ORFDOV playing the various roles involved in Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s procession DQG FUXFL¿[LRQ 7KH HYHQW GUDZV WKRXVDQGV IURP DFURVV WKH 0LGZHVW DQG LV DOVR XVHG DV D YHKLFOH IRU voicing injustice and reacting to local issues.
MAIN EVENTS
VIA CRUCIS
)RU IRXU GD\V HYHU\ VXPPHU 3LOVHQ KROGV WKH ODUJHVW Latino festival in the Midwest. Over one million people DWWHQG WKH EORFN SDUW\ ZKLFK LV RUJDQL]HG E\ WKH 3LOVHQ 1HLJKERUV &RPPXQLW\ &RXQFLO ZKR VWULYH WR EULQJ about social transformation with the opportunities the festival provides.
MAIN EVENTS
FIESTA DEL SOL
CERMAK CORRIDOR
REPORTED CRIMES, DECEMBER 2013
DRUGS
VANDALISM
THEFT
VIOLENCE
ALDERMAN JAMES BALCER
WARD 11
7KH ZDUG GLVWULEXWLRQ ZLOO FXW &HUPDN 5RDG LQWR four sectors and place new parts of Chinatown under a different alderman.
2015
2014
ALDERMAN DANIEL SOLIS
WARD 25
WARD 2 ALDERMAN ROBERT FIORETTI
OLD VERSUS NEW
ALDERMAN WILLIAM BURNS
WARD 4
WARD REDISTRIBUTION
ALDERMAN PAT DOWELL
WARD 3
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Free Association American-dream freedom juxtaposition contradiction duality twoness tuna drove out the poor people cars alleyways dirty sterile whitebread bleached seasoned patina character bolts historic rust trash polished brick texture refined steel cold elegant sumptuousness prestige ownership freedom escape oil limits boundaries bleeding hemmed-in elevated broken empty busted insulated under deadwood remodeled failed bustiling whitecastle monster imposing drained sucking desolate alien cpr revive deny anomaly smother smut jacked-up up-on-blocks slither soggy thriving leaky drip stain peeling run failure crack meth drugs smoke alcohol hazy jazz blues skidmark skidrow skidmark clinched cleanse gentrification smartass redeveloped stormwater flip chevy desperate wheels classic repetition gritty grimy grits gross grainy handpainted sprayed stumble stagger clank crutch exhaust support destroy dissolve evolve plastic rubber leather cycle reuse weather adapt excite lose ignite spark fire flame thrust hiphopopotomus power empower possess deploy dispose filter repair repurpose sweaty salty bloody grimace bandaged mineral-spirits turpentine malt sadness reposition grasp release fuckup shithole pissed-away optimist let-go sustain municipal enterprise utility entrepreneur profitability vision government fascism socialist capitalist consumerism desire sweaty-dough cigarette tobacco smoke habit addicted addiction addict alone failure nova rebirth slink springs leafs paint spit color fall coating brandish swords arm desperate drive-by driveway drive-in drive-through begin stoplight end lift-kit locksmith brakes tires fluid squeal squelch squawk scream yell threaten beckon beg barter steal stolen give get need want dying money investment perpetual longing loan memories romance barf laughter interest credit hand-to-mouth debt buried melancholy tarnished chipped fractured hairline receding removed pride bald-eagle skinned toasted skeleton humanity chemical donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t-give-a-shit rented traded bluebook expose bare hack hatchet maul chip axe rivet ball-peen welded bolted screwed nailed wrench expire dark nighttime mischief black misdemeanor felony felon violence drugs guns germs rats steel weapons zeitgeist conspiracy theory horses mules rape pillage greased export import plunder follow asunder cliff thunder lightning crack Detroit assembly-line pack leave waste blank addition subtraction division recuperate equip bedtime power flower clean detergent divergent spill splat rush-hour revisit regain prime time heyday.
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MOTOR ROW Our final project is focused on envisioning a sustainable future the for historic Motor Row District of Chicago. The area was first developed shortly after 1900 as a center for automobile manufacturing and sales, and thrived in this configuration until the end of WWII. After a period of decline, it picked up again in the 1950’s as a hub of black culture packed with blues clubs and recording studios. With desegregation came a mass migration out of Chicago’s black belt, and the area has struggled ever since to achieved a strong identity or lasting commercial success. Despite these hardships, Motor Row possesses countless assets that could be harnessed to achieve a lasting cultural and financial sustainability. We came to the conclusion after analyzing the area that taking a broad, overarching masterplan approach would in fact be detrimental to success of the area. Motor Row’s greatest assets are its textures, layers, and the grittiness that only time can bring to a place. This cultural patina along with the scale of the building stock is perfectly suited as a live/work/commercial neighborhood; a midwestern “downtown” focused around Michigan Avenue. In a effort to amplify this character we abandoned the masterplan and rehabilitation approaches, and instead chose to focus on very specific conditions within Motor Row. Each team member chose a site of only two to three parcels, and strove to respond in an sensitive and specific way to the inherent character of the site. Our design intent was to deepen the experience of the historic facades and material textures through the selective layering of thresholds in the East to West direction. Using this approach we were able to meet the needs of new programs while creating a richness of procession and experience that was previously lacking in the generic spaces behind the rich facades.
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100’
opposite: site plan
site divisons 65
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concept diagram - layering of thresholds 68
concept diagram - served and service space 69
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programmatic diagram 70
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daylighting - selective subtraction of mass 71
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second floor plan
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25’
third floor plan
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fourth floor plan
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25’
fifth floor plan
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N-S section 0’
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PROCESS
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ART INSTITUTE EXERCISE Led by Don Copper, each person in our GREC student team completed this excercise aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of our perceptions of graphic images. We were given a set path to follow through the museum, and upon entering each gallery were challenged to immediately pick the first image that drew our attention. This complete de-intellectualization of perception in art was an opportunity to better understand what draws us in visually and what most directly affects our subconcious.
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DELFT WORKSHOP This weekend workshop with students from TU Delft was focused on finding ways to raise community awareness about maintaining a healthy neighborhood. Using Pilsen as a starting point, we wanted to find ways to make trash disposal and recycling a fun, visual, and socially transparent acivity, thus increasing pride and accountability among the citizens of a community.
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COMMUNITY SPACE
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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
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LECTURES Don Copper Principal G|R|E|C Architects ACE Hotel, LA. An out of town, adaptive reuse project of a historic landmark building in old, downtown LA. The site is adjacent to the Staples Center, in an area that is slowly beginning to gentrify. ACE Hotels out of Portland has begun to embrace these types of sites to create hotels that fit into their grunge, tactile, and collaged aesthetic. The original building was built and funded by United Artists – a group of actors, directors, and writers rebelling against the studio system and breaking into distribution of their own product. The attached to 13 story office building was gutted and renovated for the hotel with restaurant space at the ground floor, and the theater was restored. The rooms are meant to be small, efficient, and satisfying. An additional concrete structural grid system had to be added to the building to account for seismic loads. Exposed concrete structure becomes the formal driver and contributes to the rough aesthetic. All terra cotta, sheet metal, storefront, and signage had to be completely restored. Interior design was done by a separate group – Commune. The project involved an extremely cumbersome amount of building code from the city, county, and state level. Many municipalities have the own unique codes and have not adopted the IBC. With reuse projects, you are constantly uncovering unknowns during the construction process. “Architects are not really experts in anything. Everyone already knows about buildings, and has spent the same amount of time in them as we have – we are just more conscious.” Schedules are written for the purpose of costing a building. “As much as possible, we make quantities the responsibility of the contractor. Every mistake costs somebody something.” CDs are a powerful contract, full of information, and carry profound responsibility. Architects play a very important role in the business of developing real estate. All consultants are typically under the direction of the architect. Architects typically don’t add up the cost – that is a conversation between the client and the contractor. Market forces affect building costs greatly, as building materials are commodities. Most of the negotiable cost comes in finishes and fixtures. Before and during construction, communication with the contractor takes place via shop drawings. If something is not right the architect can issue and non-compliance, in which case the contractor must propose a way to remedy the situation. Architects monitor work for compliance with the documents. “I steer clear of means and methods. I don’t want to tell the steel contractor how the building should be erected.” As soon as the architect realizes he has made a mistake he should let the client know immediately. Most projects have 5% contingency built into the budget. Contractors have a great deal of money on the line and are driven by profit, but they are responsible for countless subcontractors, companies, unions, and agencies. The schedule is the most valuable part of any project – time is money. It is ideal to have projects going in the design phase and the construction phase at the same time, so that one can pay for the other. Try to be real friends with clients, and build lasting relationships for the sake of the work. Means and Methods: It is difficult to accept the comment that was made that architects should completely steer clear of means and methods. While the legal argument is clear for why we should avoid the liability involved with making decisions about how a project is realized, it in these decisions that the true power of the architect could lie. For a profession that is constantly complaining about being beholden to outside forces, particularly contractors, it is quite odd that we would completely sidestep the final act in which architecture is actually made. We must accept the burdens of construction and realization, as this is where we could have the power to directly affect real change, instead of sitting and the passenger’s seat while purely profit-driven contractors alter our drawings and ignore our expertise. An architect should be the one person in the development process that has the best interests in mind, is willing to take risks, push the envelope, make decisions, be effectively creative, and ultimately accept liability for these decisions. In the current paradigm, construction documents are simply beautiful drawings of dollhouses that can then be altered by the contractor into shop drawings of how the real building will be built, and we have no legal, financial, or contractual leverage to counter the outside forces that control us. An architect must know what makes a great environment. An architect must know how to build buildings. And as such, an architect must be willing to put his expertise to good use for the client and for the community. It would be as if a conductor spent months developing a piece with the symphony, and on the night of the first performance sat in the audience as the band performs alone. Perhaps we need a paradigm shift back to the tradition of the master builder. No matter how complex the issues become, this is what we signed up for. How steel is erected, how bricks are laid, and how walls are framed; these are not minutia. We must accept the responsibility – and liability – that inevitably accompanies affecting real change on the world around us, and live up to our real ability and potential for creation. 115
Peter Ellis Principal City Design Group CannonDesign The city design group is focused on restructuring American cities, most of which were built in the 19th century. The group is particularly interested in the moving parts of cities. After building on blank greenfield sites in India and China, the lessons learned can be applied to benefit American cities, where we are not dealing with a blank slate. Jaypee Sports City: the entire city is built around a long park that collects monsoon rains and drives them down to the aquifers – the “Urban Sponge.” Open space takes on the role of an infrastructural, organization spine that structures the entire city. The 21st century meets 2000 BC, very abruptly in India. The city is shaped by the sun and winds in such an extreme climate. Very little piping below grade increases real estate value. It is better to have many small, two-lane, one-way streets than a few huge roads. It is better to have decentralized utilities closer to the neighborhoods that they serve, because resources will be cheaper and easier to distribute. Confine pumping to neighborhoods – keep it local. Wages in India: $1.50 a day for unskilled labor, $5 for a trade, $2 a day is considered survival wages, and there is a great hunger for progress. We must transform restructure our infrastructure over time. Our cities have been designed as machines for the distribution of goods, and the problems of goods distribution was solved by a vast system of tunnels below grade. We must instead start to capture storm water at grade. Clean the air with the right plants. Bioswales – they just make logical sense, and can be very beautiful to boot. We can return abandoned infrastructure to nature, an example being the highline threading through NYC. Nature grabs back abandoned infrastructure with a powerful and startling vengeance, and we can harness that power. We MUST make an urban sponge. Philadelphia, a fairly poor city, has become the the model for green infrastructure ordinance, and is the best urban sponge in the US. Nature is the new city infrastructure. The future is not science fiction, it is the urban sponge. Capture all storm water and treat only what is needed, and save 50% of the water in the city. Harvest methane gas from human and organic waste and burn it for electricity, resulting in a 20% savings in energy costs. It is all connected, and is all one life system. Design, smaller, self-sufficient utility districts – decentralize. By placing big wind and big solar close to cities, the city can become regenerative. There is demand for flexible, responsive transit platforms. 30% of land in cities is currently dedicated to parking. A decentralized, nodal pattern of development balance resources to the demand, creating a system of exchange between neighborhoods. Cities don’t have clients, and the political process in US Cities makes implementation of these concepts very difficult. Overcoming the public fear of change will require salesmanship. On the role of the architect at the urban scale – “our architectural aspirations are misguided.” Example of Rome: besides the monuments, Rome is nothing but 5-6 story plaster buildings with windows and shutters – it is dead simple. Our obsession in the west with the incredibly complex object is not productive to making great urban places – “Those do not nice cities make.” “We should spend less time making highly complex objects and more time weaving communities.” Example of Lassalle St. in Chicago: all the buildings follow the same, dead simple rules, and it is the best street in the city. “Don’t distort everything all to hell just because we have to capability of doing so.” As architects we must develop a vocabulary rich enough to make a great urban fabric – economy of means. “The vocabulary of modernism makes great haikus, but it cannot write War and Peace. A city is War and Peace.” Creating a Vocabulary and Embracing Complexity: We live in a strange time, caught somewhere between tradition and the foolish illusion that we have broken all ties with the past in one grand attempt at becoming truly modern. But modernism came and (supposedly) went, only to be followed by the historical perversion of post-modernism, and now we stand in a world of post-post-modernism struggling to determine who we are now that we’ve convinced ourselves that we are nothing. In our overly-intellectualized architectural discourse, we have completely overlooked the fact that the great places and built work of any time were borne of the same timeless human conditions that we are faced with today. In our supreme insecurity we have convinced ourselves that we must exert our great intelligence on the world at every possible opportunity, aided by ever more complex and powerful tools and systems. But for all efforts, we still fail to live in harmony with the natural world and with each other. We create complexity for complexity’s sake and we are left with countless monuments and very few wonderful urban places. Buildings are not objects. Buildings often need not be complex. The world cannot be summed up in a single diagram. Our cities should grow organically over time, through thoughtful and creative responses to place and culture. The world is not a circuit board for us to plug our buildings and objects into, though it may very well seem that way. Our world is still incredibly complex and contradictory – it is a tapestry into which we weave our own world.
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Iker Gil Director MAS Studio Iker was born and raised in Bilbao, a steel city full of heavy industry and eventually destroyed by flooding. He is fascinated with finding the hidden assets in cities. He is inspired by the grand public spaces of Barcelona, particularly the pedestrian bridges and corridors. There is value not only in creating but also in sharing and channeling the work of others. Our work is not linear, but it can follow common themes. By being open and courageous you can attract very open, intelligent clients. Do things because they interest you – the passion will drive success. When you don’t know everything, provide a framework for approaching the problem. Small public projects can completely change the perception of residents in place, and ideas can gather momentum in a community. A project does not have to be comprehensive and long. Use your expertise to add to the city. A great presentation strategy can express the strength of the building without having to talk about it in any architectural terms – the benefits should be so clear. MasContext – includes photographic documentation, and collaboration with graphic designers. Marina City is successful because it is cheap. Infographics are super subjective, even when the information is objective. The Power of the Infographic: History has proven the power of the graphic. Seemingly simple images have completely changed our world for better and for worse countless times. And in a profession that relies so heavily on the visual image for communication, it can be a difficult and daunting task to create images that carry such weight. After all, seeing is believing, and as a culture we tend to perceive the images we see as absolute truth. As creators of imagery however, we know this is not the case. While information may be completely objective, a graphic never is and has to power to alter a culture’s perception of even mundane information for the benefit of one cause over another. How do we accept this graphic power as architects in the creation of our images? In a world where photorealistic rendering is commonplace, how do we bridge the gap between real and imaginary, or objective and subjective? What is the difference between drawing and rendering? How do we communicate with our own minds in the creative process? How do we effectively communicate our ideas to others? Even the images we produce in the course of our own creative process have the profound ability to alter the trajectory of our thoughts. Every image has power. Nothing is arbitrary, and when we take our own images for granted there is a very real danger of losing control of our process. Communication is key, and is very difficult in a realm that deals in the subjective, while having to constantly prove our work against objective criteria. There is power in the infographic, and with that power comes the responsibility to use the graphic honestly, clearly, and in the best interest of the world.
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Natasha Krol Engagement Manager McKinsey & Company Walk the block – What do you choose to engage? What do you assume? Our experience of everything – architecture, life, work – is a result of how we arrive to it. McKinsey operates as a doctor for companies and organizations, and tries to facilitate people to fix their own problems. Design thinking is a way of engaging the world. How do you communicate with your audience? Facilitate collaborative thinking to solve problems. Learn, question, listen, synthesize perspectives, think, recognize patterns, define problems, design solutions, communicate, build, and scale impact. Think about how you think. Social network analysis within an organization is a means of finding the nodes of interaction. Those who are angry are often angry because they are very passionate. Walk through the world with your eyes wide open. Get uncomfortable and make room for the uncertain. Draw your own box before stepping out of it. Question everything, recognize patterns, and then ask, “what if?” How do I think about myself in the world? Visionary? Good at making connections? Curious? Great at collaborating? What energizes me? What is my philosophy? What am I all about? What are the themes of your life? Impatient Optimism. On Designing a Life: It is a common mindset in our culture that the ultimate goal you can reach in life is security. We strive our whole lives to meet certain standards and live up to certain expectations so that we can attain financial, romantic, creative, and medical security. But security is a powerful illusion. It does not exist, and the irony is that as soon as we attain this perceived security we become bored and unfulfilled. Is it possible to design a life? Is it desirable? Life is inherently unpredictable, but it is this unpredictability that makes life rich, exciting and fulfilling. Perhaps we can design the framework for our lives. We hold strong to our values, and we determine the common themes and threads that we follow. We recognize our interests, improve our skills, and craft a philosophy. But there is nothing interesting about planning the entire trajectory of a life. The entire industrialized world is based on making each worker a productive, secure, profitable investment. “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” That’s a ridiculous question. No one could ever know the answer to that. Life is too complex. Security is death to creativity and to richness. Hold strong to your values. Walk through the world with your eyes wide open. Be receptive to the new opportunities that the world presents every day. Design the way you engage with the world, but don’t design your life.
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Brian Lee Design Partner SOM Brian has been at SOM for 35 years. “A high-performance design dashboard.” SOM has a unique focus on research and development into new realms, such as façade performance and timber tower building techniques. It strives to be a group practice of like-driven, but not necessarily like-minded people. We must always be searching for a higher order, and go beyond the “buzz.” Strive for common themes over consistency. Maintain a humanistic focus on scale, natural light, tactile materials, and connection to landscape. Small projects can have a big social impact on a community. Don’t lose track of the basic human elements of architecture. Do more than what you’re asked to do. Find the distinguishing nuance within a project. Buildings must relate to site and context, environment, climate – consider the space between buildings. Technology should always be in service of an idea, not the idea in and of itself. Integrate engineering and architecture in an enriching and productive way. Recast typical architectural elements in new ways. Present ideas in a way that normal people and clients can appreciate. Use new technologies to push ideas and discover new ones. Buildings don’t have to be gymnastic. Brian’s advice: look for ways to use the skills of an architect in non-traditional, non-typical ways. Design skills are in demand in many markets. Critical thinking, creativity, form-making, graphic design – these skills are valuable in nearly every field. The Importance of Humility: Where there are creative forces at work, there are inevitably strong-willed people with strong egos. It seems incredibly rare to find truly honest people who are secure enough in who they are and what they do to put ego and judgment aside for the sake of making great architecture. It is refreshing and encouraging to meet someone like Brian, who after such incredible accomplishments is still able to be truly humble and generous with his knowledge and time. These are the people that make it all truly gratifying. So how does a person stay humble in the face of such incredible levels of stress and competition? We must accept ourselves not only for our abilities, but also be honest about where we struggle and be courageous enough to recognize that. Competition has a way of making us bitter towards those who outperform us in whatever way, but we must fight the instinctual urge to let this feed our insecurities. Creativity is not healthy or honest if it is driven by fear, and though fear of failure or loss can be a powerful motivator in the short-term, it is not a sustainable way to live. Take ownership of every strength and weakness as a positive part of being a creative human, and use that as an opportunity to collaborate with others in a complementary way. We must all be driven, but we should not be like-minded. Embrace the contentions in life. It is healthy in every group to argue, disagree, and compete, but it should only be for the love of the work – never for fear of failure. Humility and honesty are rare but beautiful traits, and the people who can truly own them hold great creative power.
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Geoff Walters Principal Director of Quality CannonDesign Director of Quality/Technical Director – responsible for over 100 people. 18 Technical Directors report to him. Architects have a technical architectural responsibility. The three legged stool of architecture: design, technical, business – they must be in equilibrium. Design encompasses technical aspects and detailing of buildings. Design process is very different in business than in school. It is important to have a deep early engagement with client to uncover all their needs. A client’s understanding of building can vary greatly. Early conversations must be driven by the architect and documented clearly. Needs should be worked out and documented before design begins. Early process with the client should be deep and meaningful. Working as a team is essential – no single person can deal with all the issues. Involve clients and engineers in the design process early on. Systems, code, engineering, and all technical concerns should be integrated with the process. What has driven our current focus on building performance? Before the oil embargo, buildings were very leaky, making detailing relatively simple. The 2030 challenge – Ed Mazria – is completely changing architecture. AIA has adopted the 2030 challenge – a path to net zero – Measured against CBECS. By 2015, the goal is to be using 70% less energy than the CBECS standard. Drive energy usage down as much as possible, and supplement with onsite energy production. Most firms have signed to the 2030 commitment. It is attainable, but will be a very steep trajectory. Massing, form making, orientation – everything must be baked into the process. Energy modeling as part of the design process is a huge opportunity in the industry. “The profession is about complex problem solving.” Consider the prescriptive path vs. the energy modeling path for predicting performance. NASA Report – Income inequality, resource devastation are bringing on eminent civilization collapse. Psych out and understand clients emotionally. Ultra low energy buildings can be delivered at no premium. It is not an overlaid cost – it is built into the design process. Energy disclosure laws – energy use will become public knowledge and will become part of corporate identity, increasing accountability. Know what you don’t know, and commit to learning it. Understand building physics. Get to building sites at every opportunity. Revit is extremely complicated and is a huge paradigm shift – and it is taking over. We are working in 3D, but sending 2D Sheets to builders – how long will this last? Geometrically complex buildings require clearer documentation in order to reduce RFI’s. How accurate does the model need to be? What is only documented in 2d? In 1977, most projects were design-bid-build, but time-is-money urgency has forced us to find new ways to deliver projects. Insane numbers of bid packages must be made. Seek mentors ask questions, find dependable resources. Always know what and why you are drawing/modeling. In small offices, you must wear many more hats. Clients usually are shown 3 conceptual strategies. Embedded Energy and Durability of materials – PHAROS. Mass timber building systems are coming down the pike. Renovation, reuse, and energy retrofits: adaptive reuse is often the most sustainable way to build. Typologies and construction techniques are changing rapidly. On Revit: Revit is an incredible new tool for design and documentation that we have only recently begun to deploy and understand. The underlying concepts that drive Revit are a complete paradigm shift from any means for design communication that has come before, which has always been based on the line as the basic building block for communicating architecture. With Revit, the entire building is built in a virtual 3D world using actual building components as the basic unit. With all of the capabilities of the software come numerous questions and challenges to face as a profession. How detailed does a model need to be? Is there such a thing as too much information? What do we selectively withhold? Currently we work on a 3D model but still send 2D sheets as the primary tool for communication to builders. In this case, what information is built into the model and what information is only documented on flat sheets? It seems inevitable that 2D drawing sets will become obsolete and the model itself will become the primary means of communication to builders, in which case decisions about what information to include in the model will become ever more critical. Where can Revit really stand as a design tool compared to a documentation tool? It is nearly impossible that any software will ever be able to supersede hand sketching. Currently tools like Rhino and SketchUp are much more intuitive and free for early stages of design, but software is constantly developing. What is the place for purely 2D drawing? While the merits of a tool like Revit for early schematic design are arguable, it is impossible to ignore precision it affords when designing the actual aggregation of building components and the potential for streamlining the entire process of project delivery. Opportunities to integrate with energy modeling software such as Vasari can also play an enormous role as tools for creating more intelligent buildings from an energy and sustainability perspective. Of course it is all constantly changing. Questions abound.
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Adam Whipple Project Manager Newcastle Limited A discussion of project management and the broadened field of architecture. The skills of an architect are invaluable in nearly every field. The ability to creatively and quickly solve problems and organize the components of a project make architects invaluable. Every project happens once, and it is unique. Project management in architecture – you are responsible for the team, budget, client communication, delivering the project, and countless other responsibilities. Management at small vs. large firms: in a larger firm, people are more specialized, such as technical coordinators, while in a smaller firm people often take on broader responsibilities. Large firms are often much more segmented. Adam’s current endeavors involve large projects in which he is responsible for many aspects. Design and construction management often merge, and much design is done on the fly. Adam has been in charge of hiring, scheduling, design, purchasing, leases, accounting, and marketing for single projects. Cortlandia renovation – 2 months design, 2 months build. Built with minimal permits- fast, down and dirty. The broadened field of architecture. What roles are available compared to the traditional architecture approach? There are job opportunities in construction, real estate, government, and the list goes on. New Architects Atlas. The Design of Business. Many fields are stealing the concept of design thinking from the architecture curriculum. If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation. Everyone needs the skills that architects already have. The architecture field is in reality all-encompassing, just have no fear of the unknown! Project management applies to all fields. Architecture is not just design studio – don’t blow off everything else. Architecture curriculum must evolve to include more management and business-related education. The people who know what makes the built environment better should be the ones making decisions. Business is just math and relationships. Engage the concept of the architect as developer. Architects are agile thinkers and can learn new things very quickly, by breaking complex problems down into simple concepts. We must market the skills of what an architect can do – we can run circles around many people from other backgrounds. Make the profession wider, and be creative in finding new applications for architectural skills. The Architect as Developer: There is potential for great power and even greater good in the idea of architects beginning to risk their own capital and take on the roles currently played by development companies. Development companies are purely profit driven, which is all well and good, but the allure of quick turnarounds and fast returns on investments can be antithetical to creating long-term benefit and sustainable profits. After all, architects should be the most qualified profession to make decisions about how the environment is developed and we should be able to profit from this expertise. If ideas are good, they will be profitable, and good design should add tangible value to real estate in the long term. Architects would no longer be beholden to corporate interest, but could actually find, create, and seize opportunities based on their own judgment. This of course means taking on real financial risk, but where there is risk there is power and opportunity for genuine progress. For an architect to take on this role successfully our skills must become more broadened to include real estate law, business, project management, construction expertise, marketing, and politics in addition to design, but these are skills that great architects should already have to some degree. Why not wrap it all up in a very competitive developer package? Currently we slave over design work, assume massive liability, and get a one-time fee. We should be proactive in inflicting real positive change on the world, and we should reap the financial reward that it brings. Let the market be the true test of good design.
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John Syvertson Senior Principal Leader of Environmental Sustainability CannonDesign Maintaining continuity in the course of a life. Let passions that get subsumed by practice and other outside forces reemerge later on. Have the ability to say no early in your career – you do not have to take every opportunity that comes down the pike if it is not right for your goals. Joined OWP/P and became president of the firm in six years. After the merge with CannonDesign John became a “guy in the firm” once again, and is glad to have ownership of projects. A focus on environmental and social sustainability is crucial to a sustainable practice. Public interest design can connect many people to new opportunities and have profound social impact. You must get out of the office and the studio and really learn about the people you are designing for. Make true connections to people and culture. Increase the size of the conversation surrounding the built environment – sustainability efforts should be seen as more than just the “department of good,” and should be integral to the design process. Begin relationships from a point of view of pure generosity. The people of a community are often where daunting challenge meets incredible optimism. Expect the unexpected from people you build relationships with – be open. Carry values and experiences that you build into new chapters of your life’s work. Weave what you truly believe in into a project, and it will become the culture of the place. Craft the business case for sustainability – “corporate shared value” – there is real business value in building a strong community. Align the business case with the personal case. You must take risks, and if it is not risky it probably does not have real value. “Always meet” – never let a lack of preparedness keep you from meeting people, as you can never foresee the results of meeting with others to share and build ideas. JB Jackson: How the invention of barbed wire deeply affected the American landscape. Seemingly small, mundane interventions can have a profound effect on our environment in the long term. Learn to experience a place – beauty is essence, not aspect. It takes time and continuity to put down roots in a place. Look at an architect’s influences to understand their roots. Louis Kahn’s ideal shop is all about human interaction. Write every day, and keep a journal. No matter how brief your writing is, you will have something to reflect on your progress and growth as a person. “Where do you see yourself giving this lecture at the twilight of your career?” There is no way I could say exactly where I see myself at the end of my life while still at the beginning, and I don’t want to know right now how it ends. I simply hope I can say that I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished. I hope that I’ll have lived up to everything that has conspired to make me and to create the potential that exists in me. I hope that I was honest and humble in all my relationships. I hope I left behind buildings that are honest, timeless, and natural. I hope I touched the lives of my loved ones outside of building. I hope that I made some people really angry with my ideas. I hope that I led others with dignity. I hope that I created an environment that was inspiring to work in. I hope that I genuinely improved the lives of at least a few people. I hope that my hands are calloused. I hope my voice is strong. I hope I built one structure that can never be torn down. I hope I’ve written a novel. I hope I’ve made more than my share of good music. I hope any young interested kid would feel comfortable approaching me and that I could teach them something. I hope I’ve contributed to the world living in better harmony with nature. I hope I could look back on myself now and know how much more learning is left in store for me. I hope I earned what I’m worth, and I hope I know what that is. I hope there’s nothing that I would be afraid to share. I hope our political system has failed and been built back stronger. I hope I didn’t dwell on things that don’t matter. I hope I kept my eyes and mind open every single day. I really don’t know where exactly I want to be at the end of my life. I just have faith that if my motives are honest and positive, my drive is strong, and my mind is open that I can find ways to make my way and improve the world. I hope I take a path that no one has ever taken before. I hope everything is different then.
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PRACTITIONER INTERVIEWS Dominick Gallegos Architect III CannonDesign Dominick did middle and high school drafting and was intrigued by architecture. He began study at Ball State in 2002, and was excited by how rich the environment was. First year was all about environmental design and there were no buildings, it was simply responding to conditions. They used no technology in the first year, as technology can stifle you if you let it, and you must deeply understand and find creative uses for technology. He has worked at Cannon Design for 6 months, after HOK and RTKL, all in Chicago. Tools are about representation and communication, not just photo-realistic rendering – it is a path that the architecture community struggles with. “Don’t lose design thinking in the professional world” – he laments the use of “precedents” which are simply copied or assimilated, not analyzed for core principles and then thrown away. This approach results in a style, or glorified plagiarism. “A style is not a style until people begin to replicate it.” Be sensitive to context, and the differences between improving and making context. His current project – a box of a shopping mall in a parking lot – is built in a complete lack of context. Roles and responsibilities mostly involve Revit drawings and document creation, as well as some early stage design projects including schematic plans and models. Right out of school, everything is interesting, even the mundane things – find ways to maintain that level of interest and excitement. Don’t get caught doing the same thing over and over. Be positive and receptive but also very proactive. In practice there are tons of smaller, less inventive projects – “moneymakers.” Be aware of the difference between “bread and butter” work and truly thoughtful design – pitfalls abound. Incremental advancement of the profession is often the most successful, with an example being Shop Architects taking on developer roles in some projects. Good design should equal more value – learn how to make the business case for it. Companies tend to hire rainmakers, not great visionaries. The profession doesn’t know what it is anymore, and there is a lack of defined, clearly divided roles that can actually be helpful, as in the medical profession. What is the value of good design? Like most creative professions, the real producers tend to become devalued as others begin to believe they could do the job just as well for less money. Leaders at firms are often focused on planning what to do, not actually doing. Consider the business approach of “just make shit” vs. creating a highly refined business model. We are often bad at taking positions on things – we must be productively creative and effective. Architecture is a very slow moving profession and we are dangerously becoming creatures of habit. The academy and the profession should not necessarily try to align with each other, but instead can be seen as complimentary opposites – research and synthesis working together. Take the time outside of work while life has more freedom to delve in and explore what inspires you – life has a way of locking people in as we get older. He has never worked more than 60-70 hour work weeks, and it is crucial to creativity to maintain a healthy balance. Learn the business better, including contracts and fees, construction administration, and AIA documents. Make friends - it’s easy to move around within the profession when you know people. Don’t settle for where you are if you are not satisfied, but find ways to make it inspiring. Communication is crucial. Take the push of a given project, but you must always find a way to make it your own.
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Geoff Walters Principal Director of Quality CannonDesign As a kid Geoff built constantly, and was always the foreman among his friends. There was always an interest in building, drawing, and exploring. As a kid he witnessed his parent’s interactions with a residential architect, and was fascinated. He stayed in his hometown for a year after high school (for a girl), and studied art at the community college before coming to Virginia Tech. He laments the complete lack of technical training and foundation for students coming out of school, resulting in really clueless young architects entering the profession. As a result of this design quality suffers, and business efficiency suffers. He laments the change in the age profile of firms – there are no longer older guys “in the trenches” to act as mentors for younger professionals. Architecture has become hugely litigious and more complex than in the 70’s when he started. He misses the feeling of ownership and emotional attachment to projects – it now feels like he is herding cats and putting out fires much of the time. Make learning opportunities for yourself. Realize what you don’t know and commit to finding out more about it. Greenbuilt. Whole Building Design Guide. There are huge pushes towards net zero energy buildings brought on by the 2030 challenge. Much more variety and possibility are coming through prefab. Complex 3D forms made possible by today’s software can adversely affect fees as we typically underestimate the time it will take to detail them. The material collaging common today creates endless numbers of different details. There are major advantages to building simply and elegantly. Design has elements that can be analyzed very objectively, and elements that cannot. Don’t create complexity for complexity’s sake – use the many forces at play to inform a building’s design. You cannot overlay rationality on an aesthetically conceived design – these elements must be integrally “baked in” to a project. The design process can be much more optimized with better integration of principles. “Architecture is a kit of parts, and everything is NOT, in fact, possible. Design is the artful and creative assembly of a series of meaningful parts.” Understand deeply the site, climate, topography, and orientation of a project. Architects currently work incredibly inefficiently due to a lack of understanding. Leverage technical opportunities for their inherent design opportunities. Energy modeling such as Vasari is becoming an integral part of the design process, and is a huge opportunity for new hires. Every office has a unique culture, and it must align with who you are – a bad fit will slowly and surely make you miserable, and you may not even realize why.
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Ray Dwyer Junior Architect G|R|E|C Architects Ray got into architecture because he was interested in map making for video games. He was good at math and drawing, and showed a balance between the artistic and technical. He second-guesses not doing architectural engineering. He did his thesis with Studio 804 design/build in Kansas City. He stayed on late into his last summer to finish the project, and came late to the job hunt. He spammed out resumes to hundreds of places, with a preference for smaller firms, and took an offer to start at GREC within a week. Roles and responsibilities vary from project to project. Because it is such a small firm, responsibilities are shared by everyone and people typically stick with a project from beginning stages to completion. He is currently working on construction administration for the Hilton Garden Inn project downtown and visits the site weekly. He likes the casual, not corporate, but hardworking culture of the office. Everyone knows each other and their skills, and everyone takes responsibility for managing their time and responsibilities. More staff would be helpful, as managing the huge workload and schedule on your own is daunting. At the office it is possible to seek out and work with people you like and are compatible with. He has a fascination with technologies particularly CNC, and sees recent progress in the field as encouraging. “Try new technologies out whether it is wrong or right, and don’t over analyze before you try it.” The transition to Revit is inevitable. LEED certification may not be totally worth it, as it is time consuming, expensive, and quickly going out of fashion to be replaced by better standards. The Studio 804 project placed Passivhaus and LEED up against the realities of building. It was built by students, and thus had to be simplistic and overdesigned. The professor had final control of the design concepts. Ray took on MEP for the project. Deficiencies in Architectural training lie in building codes. School does not teach the realities of dealing with code or business management. Code is designed by public institutions for the common good, and we must face the challenge, as it is important to make safe buildings. Detailing is not as much up to the architect as we like to think, and connections are often designed more by engineers. Pedagogy should be one of the two extremes – technical or completely artistically free. “The real role of the architect is to make sure everyone involved in the project abides by code and all applicable standards.” “Everything is an art, and the code is part of the palette. It is a restriction just like the size of a painter’s canvas.” Advice: keep your options as open as possible – be open to many different firms and living in many different places. Many things are out of your control, but you can control a few basic criteria. Let the opportunities shape your life, and don’t consider it a loss if things turn out differently than you expected.
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Tom Reagan Accountant G|R|E|C Architects Tom is responsible for everything non-architectural in the office, including personnel, payroll, office management, finances, and accounting. The firm requires a vast amount of accounting, as well as proposals and correspondence, marketing efforts, websites, advertising, and the list goes on. He does basically the same job at two other architectural firms. He has been at GREC for 5 years, and sees work really picking up since the downsizing in 2008. Before working for architecture firms, he worked in the fortune 500 realm at Chiquita Banana as the company’s assistant treasurer, and was under extreme amounts of stress. The job included huge amounts of travel, and he was basically on call 24/7. Divorce. He works for the developer that oversees ACE hotels, so was working for both the developer and the architect on the ACE in LA. There are very different driving forces from the developer’s side, and conflicts of interest do arise. You must try to be fair, honor confidentiality agreements, and hope that everyone involved respects the situation. He uses QuickBooks software for all accounting – the small business standard. Tom was born in Detroit, and has lived/ worked/studied in Cleveland, Minneapolis, Des Moines, St. Louis, and has spent most of life in Chicago. On improving architectural practice: technical vs. design oriented mindsets vary among partners, and some are prone to lose track of the business side of things. Since the passing of Alfonse, there has been a big shift from public work to private work, and the firm had to lay off half of its staff in the downturn of 2009. Recently the firm has been picking up a lot of new work, looking to hire more staff, and build upon Greg Randall’s experience in high-rise residential. Technology has made business far more efficient, with the shift to an entirely electronic workflow with AutoCAD and PDF’s. Working locally is far more efficient – so much time and energy is lost during travel. GREC uses mostly standard AIA contracts, but the specifics of the contracts are typically discussed and settled on by the partners. Don’t lose your personal life and family to your work, as it’s not worth it. If you ever have aspirations of starting your own firm, you must understand the legal, financial, and business tasks involved and the massive amounts of time that takes. The architectural industry is way underpaid. Architects carry liability for a project 10 years after construction is complete. Being paid hourly is always better than being paid a flat salary. Take advantage of opportunities in big cities and the ability to build a network of contacts.
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Emily Reusswig Associate Development Director Redmoon Theater Emily works primarily in the fundraising realm. She seeks investments from corporate partners, with a Robin Hood philosophy; rob from the rich to give to the poor. For Redmoon, architecture has the potential to bring clarity to their mission, and can add fun to a space. Redmoon makes use of recycled and found objects with a goal of turning the mundane into something spectacular. Examples of this reuse of objects and machines include the sonic boom â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a golf cart with 16 speakers welded to it; and the grill machine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 Weber grills with bikes attached. Projects like the grill machine are meant to be fun as well as educational, in this case bringing awareness about healthy eating to a community. They are currently working on a front of house build-out in their current building, but still have an ideal desire for an even larger clearspan warehouse closer to the river, with more space for gathering and congregating. Their urban interventions are growing ever larger in scale, and with the coming Chicago Fire Festival they are partnering more than ever with scenic designers and architects to deal with both the technical requirements and the artistic challenge that happens in the tension between fixed and changeable creations.
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Jeff Goldberg Architectural Photographer ESTO Jeff is an architectural photographer at ESTO, a company founded by Ezra Stoller. He grew up fascinated with photography and drawing, and originally wanted to be a photojournalist. He found that his calm, understated personality was not suited to photojournalism, where a vicious attitude is often required to get the shot. He worked in large format analog photography, before joining ESTO in New York and found that architectural photography suited him very well. An utter fascination with light makes architectural photography very compelling, and he finds kindred spirits in architects who take a very thoughtful approach to light. He struggles with architecture that is objectified and not environmental, as it is not rich to photograph and ends up looking very flat and lifeless. Architectural photography should be simple and direct. Windows are about transparency. Walls are about solidity and texture. Floors catch shadows. The photographic technology of today is so advanced that it makes his job so much easier than it used to, and Photoshop makes so much more possible than ever before. It is up to the photographer and designer not to abuse the technology however, as a photograph must be as natural and organic as possible. It is absolutely necessary to get the entire dynamic range into an image to capture environmental quality; so much of today’s photography is “squished” in terms of dynamic range. It should be simple, clear, direct, and environmentally rich. Don’t overthink or distort it. With digital work much more time is spent in editing and post processing, as shooting becomes freer. Jeff travels a great deal to photograph all over the world, but the trips can be grueling because he must come back with pictures and is completely beholden to the sun and weather. Clients usually give free reign over what to shoot, but it is desirable to meet with them about their intentions and design ideas, and it is even better to walk the site, though that is rarely possible anymore. It is also ideal to be able to scout the site for a day or so to understanding lighting a sun angles. There is a deep relationship between the photographer and the sun.
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RESPONSE It has been fascinating and enlightening to have the opportunity to talk to so many different professionals that surround the practice of architecture today. From architects to photographers to planners to accountants and beyond, everyone has a unique perspective on the current state of our world and the way that we leverage our skills in the marketplace. It was surprising to find that there were some very strong common themes that circulated through every conversation that was had. The ancient struggle between the aesthetic and the technical – venustas and firmitas – still weighs heavy on the minds of nearly every part of the profession. It seems that many architects working today see themselves as the keepers and defenders of beauty against developer and contractor forces, but by attempting to sidestep the technical requirements of building have lost a great deal of the power required to do so. This mindset has also deeply affected how practices are structured, resulting in the management of countless consultants and a pay structure based on a one-time fee as opposed to a structure more directly based on the success of a built concept. Technology is still advancing at a rapid pace and is challenging everything about how we have practiced in the past, from form making to detailing to how projects are delivered to the client. Technology is not only changing how we document our buildings, as advancements in construction methods and techniques have the ability make buildings more sustainable, beautiful, and affordable. It has been very encouraging to see and hear how the subject of sustainability is on the mind of the profession as a whole, and is making inherent changes to the way we think. It seems that we really are beginning to move past the “green-washing” phase and are defining for ourselves what genuine environmental, social, and financial sustainability is. It is also encouraging to see ways that the public’s perceptions of true sustainability have developed in recent years, and that there is faith that strong, sustainable design can benefit our world and be highly competitive in the marketplace. Perhaps the most fascinating conversations have centered on what it really means to be an architect in our post-postmodern world, and where our energy, skills, and aspirations can be put to their best use. The criticisms of a great deal of contemporary architecture are difficult to escape or argue: in an insecure time we have become obsessed with the highly complex and stylized object as a building, and have lost the ability to effectively weave communities. We often expect too much from architecture, and instead of weaving our constructions into their context we attempt to “save” a place from despair with one monumental building. It is exciting to see the idea making a strong reemergence that truly great architecture has nothing to do with style or “-isms.” Sustainability ultimately means timelessness, and the real future of architecture lies not in science fiction fantasies but in finding ways to weave our societies as an integral part of the natural world. Real change is in the air and on the minds of our profession, and it couldn’t be more exciting to be a part of this total restructuring of our world. The stakes are high, but our aims are true, and time will show how we harness the abilities of our profession to make the world a better place.
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CODES OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS Tim Swanson Urban Strategist CannonDesign AIA Canon of Ethics E.S. 1.3: Natural and Cultural Heritage: Members should respect and help conserve their natural and cultural heritage while striving to improve the environment and the quality of life within it. E.S. 1.4: Human Rights: Members should uphold human rights in all their professional endeavors. Tim has been working with UN Habitat in Medellin, Columbia, dealing with the urban issues of the city and the challenges of mass urban migration. He feels his stance diverges from Peter’s: “we cannot simply design shiny cities for wealthy people – the urban condition includes rough populations that deserve the same level of thought.” Two decades ago in Medellin under Pablo Escobar there were 25,000 (2% of the population) murders in a year. Near miss experiences with violence can have very negative effect on a society and actually build the momentum and appetite for violence. Finding ways to get kids to stay in school is a huge challenge but is absolutely necessary. Public projects like the Biblioteca Espana are socially invaluable, and can provide a community center, daycare, and job training, creating ways to break the cycle of no opportunities within a family. We have to understand that people are coming from farms to the cities, and are bringing those sensibilities with them. Deeding land to people settled in favelas costs nothing and can instantly bring a sense of pride and ownership in a place that they have already created. Give people the houses they already own, and give them paint to make it personal and vibrant – the effects of pride and ownership build over time and can bring huge change. South Texas section 8 housing – tenants got a say in the design process, which improves the sense of ownership exponentially. Jaypee is by contrast a city designed to attract the middle class out of Delhi. Mixed income and education levels are absolutely necessary in a city. A perfect world is a rich and complete spectrum of experience. We must reinvest in the idea of the skilled trade. Public-Private partnerships can make real financial sense and create benefit for everyone involved. Our job is to stitch together places, cultures, and textures – we are not formalists. Zaha – “it is not my responsibility if people die building my building” – the power lies in means and methods. When you give up means and methods altogether, you are just drawing pretty dollhouses. Tim’s thesis was prefab housing in Chicago, and while prefab allows more precise control over the process, all work must be done by union labor. Union bosses squashed the project once they realized that the entire system was so efficient that tradesmen were only needed for 3 days on the project. At SOM, Tim faced ethical issues resulting from the colonistic attitude in India and China. Using early Jaypee renderings as example, mashrabaya screens were applied like wallpaper to every building, with no true understanding of the cultural relevance. In the construction of the Rolex tower the architect and developer convinced the city to move the train tracks in the city simply to make the façade look good – it was creating sculpture while turning a blind eye to the detriment of human experience caused by an infrastructural change. Ethical responsibility is often a complex struggle of the common good versus the individual, and every situation is different. We must understand the true background of people, and get clients to understand the importance of valuing the user. Accept delayed gratification and risk, as in the example of a Chicago developer giving away street frontage to worthy businesses in order to build community in the area. In the example of Michael Graves line for Target: by spending 101% of the amount of time it took to make a crap product, we could give it a little thought and make a pleasing, valuable product. We must find ways to make the business case for design, and it is undoubtedly there. Be smart and courageous – we must be willing to make committed decisions early in the design process. Small ideas can have a big impact, for example a Brownsville, Texas parking orchard with permeable concrete – by introducing permeable concrete into the project, the public works department gained a new skill, at no extra cost, that they will deploy in the future for the benefit of the community. Never take simple solutions for granted. The cheapest building is not the most viable or sustainable building. True sustainability is not about cost, it is about cultural value.
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I chose to interview Tim Swanson because I am fascinated by his ability to approach incredibly large scale urban problems while maintaining an understanding and empathy for the life of the individual within a given cultural context. At the large urban scale there are countless violations of this ethical construct, and in developing markets it is often exacerbated by the fact that powerful western firms are designing massive developments with little more than a Wikipedia level understanding of the real culture of the people they are designing for. It is extremely difficult as westerner to design a city in India, and it should be; if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take the time and make the commitment to understand a place and the people we are building for, then we have violated our ethical responsibility by imposing our culture on another in a lasting and tangible way. It can be difficult to know where this line really is, as every project and situation is shaped by unique circumstances, and we have to constantly analyze our motives and question the decisions being made. Follow gut instincts, and if something feels wrong, find out why. Knowing how to respond to a violation of ethics can be treacherous territory, and there can be many negative outcomes to acting responsibly. Be honest with yourself and the organization, and if a project is ethically off-track, make it known and propose a way to change the course. If core values simply do not align, it may be necessary to leave one organization for another. Never allow a situation to arise in which you are beholden to unethical people, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a slave to job security. Know your core values and let them inform your conduct. Understand and respect the culture of the people you are designing for. Take the time to get outside yourself and experience a place, and let that deeply inform design. Construction is an industry that is often fueled by greed and fast profits, and ethical issues can be difficult to unravel. Be honest and courageous, and trust instincts in the face of confusion. We work to make money, but it has to be about more than that. Our profession exists to make a better environment for the people we design for, and we owe it to the users of every building to practice in an honest and ethical way.
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Principle #1: Sustainability Heather Rosen Maru Padilla
The first principle of the book City Building: Nine Planning Principles for the 21st Century is sustainability. It is chosen to head the list because it is an overarching principle which impacts all the others. It is crucial for urban planners to consider the sustainability of a project throughout the entire design process. The principle of sustainability does not only refer to environmental factors, but includes social and economic issues. Sustainability is a holistic design approach. Sustainable urban planning can be broken down into two main efforts: conservation of the natural environment and smart city building. The natural environment needs to be carefully considered whenever designing a city. It is important to calculate the environmental carrying capacity of the land, manage the land use in an area, maintain clean air and water, conserve open natural space, and use local resources. The built environment must also be constructed in a smart way. Strategic plans include using energy efficient systems, making dense developments, implementing efficient infrastructure, and utilizing local building materials. Designing and building dense cities is a critical step towards achieving sustainability. Dense developments allow for maximum conservation of natural landscape and results in more livable spaces. In order to realize this condition, there needs to be cooperation and collaboration between regional and local governments. These groups working together can implement zoning and land use policies, inter-city transit infrastructure, economic sufficiency plans, and building code standards. Combining these elements will result in the planning of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable cities.
BUILDING A CITY
Planned vs. Unplanned
Density vs. Sprawl
Guiding Populations
Intercity Transit
Urban Infill
Energy Efficient Materials
Principle #2: Accessibility Kelsey Dressing Andrew Economou
Accessibility is about facilitating ease of movement and maximizing circulation. In order to design a more accessible city, one of the most important aspects to consider is the concentration of density within an efficient transit network. Compact developments can aid in reducing travel time, discouraging automobile use and encouraging walkability. By connecting concentrated pedestrian-friendly destinations with mass transit systems, the use of cars is reduced. In order to better serve the pedestrian, breaking down large areas into small blocks and streets can provide safer and easier crossings, while also giving the road system redundancy. If a breakdown occurs, parallel routes can provide traffic alternatives. When designing transit systems, having the ability to handle multiple modes of transport is beneficial. Transportation, circulation and access corridors should be considered when designing a city. Setting aside areas as land reserves for future transportation use can prevent possible demolition of buildings. Transit corridors should be located at the boundaries of districts without blocking important views to create more walkable areas. By reducing the size and radius of turns, traffic is forced to slow down, which makes the area safer for pedestrians. Another way to increase pedestrian comfort is to consider the street types and design treatments. Wider sidewalks, designated mass transit, automobile, and bike lines, and landscape treatments can all work together to create a more pedestrian-friendly area. In conclusion, considering the needs of pedestrians and transit requirements in design can lead to a more accessible city.
Multiple Modes of Transportation
Small Blocks & Streets
SMALL BLOCKS AND STREETS
EASE OF MOVEMENT
Concentrated Destinations
CONCENTRATED DESTINATIONS
EASE OF MOVEMENT
Geometry & Scale
GEOMETRY & SCALE
Principle #3: Diversity Anna Knowles-Bagwell Aaron Williams
Diversification of a place occurs within two main categories; the built environment and the residents. The built environment can be varied through the conservation of natural landscapes or significant historic buildings, allowing for the character of a place to develop over time and authentically reflect its history. When developing new structures, design variation is important because it helps to increase visual variety. This can be accomplished by breaking larger parcels of land into smaller parcels and allowing different design approaches to take place. Design variation may be influenced by zoning laws, which over time vary building stock, or by simply allowing multiple design languages to be implemented. These strategies combine to create an urban landscape which is visually dynamic and representative of the people who inhabit it. However, simply creating an interesting and diverse building stock is not enough to keep people living and thriving in an area. Mixed use can be used as the umbrella strategy for diversifying the cultural elements which draw people to a place, allowing them to find their niche and stay there. In this case, mixed use means more than just variation in the amenities and program of a development. Instead, it incorporates a larger scale of thinking, including accessible transit and practical proximity between amenities. This concept of immediacy reduces the amount of sprawl, creating communities which are overall more viable for residents. It is also important to retain multiple levels of affordability within a mixed use development, thus maintaining economic diversity and combatting social stratification. When all of these elements are brought together, in combination with other proven urban strategies, the result is a place which is rich in character as well as visual and intellectual interest.
MIXED USE TO REDUCE URBAN SPRAWL
CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES
+
=
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CONSERVATION
MULTIPLE VOICES WITHIN A DEVELOPMENT
SMALL PAR
Principle #4: Open Space Bryce Beckwith Adrienne Milner
The presence of open space within an urban environment is imperative for reasons pertaining to human health, natural habitats, and the quality of living environment. Open space should take into account the preexisting habitat and natural systems. When designing large open spaces surrounding wildlife, migration corridors should be preserved. The ground plane needs to remain porous to accommodate watersheds that often exist surrounding flood plains, rivers, and drainage corridors. The isolation of park spaces should distance habitat from human contact, creating various spaces of sensitivity to natural habitats. Recreation and urban landscape is an important type of open space for the health and quality of life within dense living conditions. Open space intended for recreational use and human activities should be programmed accordingly. The urban landscape should contain green spaces for environmental purposes that improve the quality of life such as cooling air, filtering polluted runoff, and absorbing carbon dioxide. Various scales of open spaces should be distributed within an urban fabric in accordance to easy accessibility. Lastly, open space is a crucial element of any built environment for the visual and spatial relief that it offers. Conserving man-made and natural landscape such as hills, rivers, parks, and skylight strengthens contextual characteristics. Views should be preserved, providing visual relief from the built environment, and highlighting landscaped contextual characteristics. Physical connection to these preserved views are important as it creates a release from cities and prevents the applicability of the island effect on the built environment.
INDUSTRIAL
INFRASTRUCTURAL
INDUSTRIAL
Programmed open spaces for human activities versus open spaces that accomadate industrial and infrastructural needs.
QUNLI PARK, CHINA
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
TOP: Large open spaces for habitat and natrual systems such as water runoff and watersheds. MIDDLE: Different scales of open park spaces for recreation in proximity to living areas. BOTTOM: Dense living conditions surround open space creating islands that isolate wildlife.
Principle #5: Compatibility Isaac Currey Lindsey Currey
“In deciding whether buildings are to stand out or fit in, the principle [of compatibility] suggests that elements of similarity are just as important in establishing a recognizable, identifiable sense of place as elements of singularity.” Throughout the process of design, context should constantly influence a project. This means checking the proposal against current conditions, and looking at it as a part of the whole of the city. Designers should reference not only the surrounding urban landscape of today, but also the city’s historical context. In addition, designers should try to account for future conditions, even postulate as to what changes their project might spark in the urban fabric. At the resolution of individual buildings, scale is a major factor in establishing compatibility. Parcel size, as well as height and setbacks can be regulated to form an urban consensus. However, allowances should be made for some variation, interest and relief. If desired, a height difference of up to two times can create a landmark building, but anything much above that will seem out of place and “freakish.” Likewise, over large parcel sizes break the continuity of the city. “A building should be respectful of its surroundings and of its time.” Beyond scale, designers are confronted with the temporal matter of style. In many ways, the built environment is a visual timeline of history. Every architect or planner of a new project has to ask themselves how much they want to reference and reflect the context, “respect [the] surroundings,” and how much do they want to deviate, in order to be “of [the] time?” How should the character of the building sit in this timeline? These questions are answered primarily through decisions of material and detailing, color and historical preservation. Compatibility is about the broader sense of place; about both similarity and difference. Seeking to respect the existing character and qualities of a site, compatibility in design makes way for the values of today and the possibilities of the future.
Principle #6:Incentives Patrick McMinn John Sturniolo
Incentives for expanding or building a city generally focus on areas that have underused land, infrastructure or buildings, such as spaces that are in economic decline or brownfields. This development is commonly carried out by governmental or private organizations to facilitate further investment. The most common incentives are: tax reductions; subsidies for land costs; site assembly and preparation; new infrastructure for transportation and utilizes; health care, education, and public safety services; open space and landscape beautification; and additional density allowances. A growing, livable city is an attraction for talented individuals who in turn will accelerate the success and expansion of the city life and attractive spaces. This develop process is found, planned, and defined through master planning and infrastructure improvement. The master plan provides a strategic approach for attracting new investments, city growth and development, and a defined focus for the future of the city. The master plan is designed around development quality, beautification, and value enhancement. Development Quality focuses on circulation, open spaces, and phases of building construction as a framework for potential investors. Landscape Beautification of streets, parks, and waterfronts are one of the main methods of attracting investments to a particular area. Value Enhancement consolidates existing land parcels and adds additional density to the plot which in turn adds further value to the property. The second direction for city development is through infrastructure improvements, which are done through access improvements and the creation of public facilities. By improving the infrastructure of a space to facilitate the ease of access into those areas, transit oriented development follows these constructs; malls, restaurants, hotels, and other like facilities being commonly found near a major access point such as a subway station. This can be accomplished through transit and street redesign, new bicycle paths, pedestrian walkways, parking, and other access improvements. The creation of public facilities such as airports, convention center, ballparks, museums, performance halls, cultural and educational facilities all create new jobs and draw in visitors and economic revenue. These facilities can also add value and revenue to one another, such as a new convention center attracting new hotels which attracts new restaurants and entertainment venues. SOCIAL CENTER
MAIN TRANSIT AXIS
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Principle #7: Adaptability Rachel Montague Gregory Dalfonzo
Adaptability, as framed by Kriken, is focused on the goal of creating cities that are flexible over time. More flexibility enables designers to conserve resources and history as a city ages. Designers are expected to take into account the needs of a progressive urban landscape, while maintaining the vibrancy of the built environment. The main points of adaptability are centralized expansion, smaller modules, conservation of open space, and viability of communities. All of these topics overlap in their effects and intentions, developing a balance between adaptation and innovation. Centralized expansion supports an efficient and understandable cityscape. By maintaining focal zones of established areas, both the sense of incompleteness and debris from new construction are separated from daily life. The finished center serves as an orientation device for visitors. Planning with smaller parcels of land encourages the most efficient use of valuable space that centers on the pedestrian. Parcels can be combined to create distinct programmatic groupings that can later be reallocated as uses change. A high degree of walkability, supported by maintaining accessible walkways through larger buildings, connects these disparate elements of the city and supports collaboration. Open space is a precious commodity in the city. For urban dwellers to receive a share of wind, sun, view, and green spaces, cities must prioritize the maintenance and development of flexible open spaces. The economics of the city are such that the supporting elements of daily life must be integrated into every community. Shops, gyms, residences, and businesses can be developed in a mutually supportive way. The viability of communities also relies on simple spatial decisions. Engaging the street and pedestrians results in a more comprehensive use of buildings, which can support a change in program later in time. Most of the moves that support adaptability are common sense, but they are also often overlooked, as designers seek to develop their personal ideas. While the expression of concept is important in the success of a design, the awareness of and engagement with more general issues is just as crucial. Adaptability will make any design much more valuable, especially as cities become more crowded and adaptive reuse becomes mandatory.
DIRECTION OF EXPANSION
60’s
70’s
00’s
80’s
90’s
REUSE
RENOVATE ADD
DIRECTION OF EXPANSION
MIX
ADAPT
General Practice
Optimal Practice
PLANNED EXPANSION
VACANT LOTS
COMPLETE CORE
INCOMPLETE NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENTS DEVELOPMENTS
PERMANENT PERMANENT OPENOPEN SPACE SPACE
GENERAL PRACTICE GENERAL PRACTICE
OPTIMAL PRACTICE OPTIMAL PRACTICE
PARKPARK
SCALED CITY PLANNING SCALED CITY PLANNING
OPEN SPACE
Principle #8: DENSITY Ethan Bingeman Alec Yuzhbabenko
Density is defined by the number of people living or working on a given unit of land. It varies based on many factors, but culture is the most influential. Developing countries tend to have a density of about 100 square feet per family while more developed countries have about 1,000 square feet for every 2 people. Another determinant of density is the terrain in the location of a place. Mountains, rivers, oceans and other natural boundaries impose limits and dictate the urban fabric. When dealing with city design, there are three elements to consider in an effort to achieve a livable city: + Integrating transit with shopping, business, and entertainment with residential areas to support efficient transit and encourage walking. + A suggested density of 300 dwellings per acre to maximize views, sunlight, and adequate open space. + Establishing amenities (recreational, cultural, and supportive services) to activate the street at all times. Implementing these elements, higher density, mixed-use corridors connect areas by means of public transportation. Strengthening neighborhoods provide a base for the density to form. Protecting landmarks, parks, and industrial areas, which are essential to a city and neighborhood character, bring economic benefit for the density to thrive. Lastly, expanding open spaces begins to make the higher density more enjoyable for residents. Sprawling development destroys irreplaceable land, wastes energy and infrastructure, and causes millions of hours lost in commutes. Through transit oriented development, careful planning, and providing adequate amenities, these densities are sustainable, livable, and achievable.
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Establish Grid
Green Space
City Fabric
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Brownfield Sites
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Financial Districts
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Principle #9: Identity Erin Young Catherine Ives
Identity is creating and preserving a unique and memorable sense of place. The primary sources through which cities achieve identity are natural features, climate, culture, and design. Because each one of these elements can vary, it gives uniqueness to cities because of the infinite combinations. The greatest challenge for modern city builders is designing fast-growing, yet livable cities. Such fast development can hinder builders from recognizing and utilizing attributes of a specific city, causing these elements to not have time to develop into rich and deep ideas. On the other hand, generic components of a city can stitch together the urban fabric in an otherwise dense area with too many variables. The generic then becomes the background for specific landmarks and cultures to develop a sense of place. A good city must involve the public interest to protect and enhance the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniqueness over the private interest that threaten it. However, the development of identity can be inhibited by conflicting interests, such as too many monumental icons that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respect their existing context. Establishing identity within a city is difficult and can be faced with many challenges. Many of the issues are common among cities, such as environmental sameness, repetition of elements, places that are hard to comprehend, a sense of being lost, and a lack of natural features. By utilizing existing conditions and recognizing a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential, it is possible to create a sense of identity.
Balance between generic and unique
Issues: environmental sameness, repetition of elements, places that are hard to comprehend / sense of being lost, and lack of natural features
Krikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nine Principles - Motor Row
1 Sustainability As an overarching principle, sustainability encompasses all of the following guidelines and is the final measure by which we judge good design. Motor Row is an area that has thrived at various points throughout it 100 year history, and though it is currently in somewhat of a downturn, there is incredible potential inherent in the building stock and overall plan of the district. Through the application of Krikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principles, Motor Row could become a rich and thriving urban zone capable of being sustained for many lifetimes. 2 Accessibility The current block sizes and street grids are an ideal scale to make the area accessible at the scale of a downtown or urban neighborhood. However, the primary transportation routes, Cermak and Michigan, are overscaled both to the pedestrian and to the amount of car traffic that they carry. The roads could be narrowed and lanes could be removed, as well as a great deal of parallel parking. The much wider pedestrian walks that would result would change the perception of the entire area and allow the street to become an accessible place of gathering. 3 Diversity Motor Row already benefits from being broken into very small parcels of land and having a rich and varied building stock. There are also many infill opportunities, and the area could only benefit from the addition of new buildings that respect the context and add new layers of variety. It is important to keep some residential costs in the area at a reasonable level, as financial pressures from McCormick Place and other developments could cause it to lose the cultural richness that is so unique about Motor Row. 4 Open Space While most of the vacant lots within and surrounding Motor Row are currently in a brownfield state, there is an opportunity to balance the benefits of infill versus landscape to create some lush parks in an otherwise impermeable area. Even a small urban oasis would make the area more inviting as a neighborhood. 5 Compatibility One of the biggest struggles currently is the compatibility between the behemoth McCormick Place and almost everything around it. The overwhelming scale of the convention center threatens the historic district both architecturally and financially. Some new mid-scale projects such as the DePaul arena and a new hotel could actually help bridge the gap in scale that currently plagues the area. 6 Incentives There are numerous vacant lots surrounding Motor Row, such as the former Ickes Homes site and the sites of multiple demolished buildings. As the district begins to develop and thrive again there will be huge financial incentive to continue development with both Motor Row and the convention center as a draw. 7 Adaptability The building stock is incredibly rich and is full of potential to be adapted into shops, restaurants, bars, venues, residential, and even workspace. Creating a focused main street along Michigan Avenue will create a locus from which future development and adaptation can grow organically. 8 Density The overall density of the area is pleasing, but as buildings have been abandoned or fallen into disrepair there have been gaping holes left in the urban fabric that should be seized as an opportunity. 9 Identity Motor Row has had multiple identities throughout its lifespan, from automobile sales to thriving music clubs. Today, it is again in a transitional period. The rich and varied facades of the existing building stock are the last true vestige of the past, and if they are honored and complemented with new buildings, Motor Row has an opportunity to gain a new sustainable richness and identity. 152
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