For the Love of Concrete embracing the ugly duckling, not the decorated shed
Steven Carlson — 2017 Advisor Nicole McIntosh
For the Love of Concrete embracing the ugly duckling, not the decorated shed
Steven Carlson — 2017 Advisor Nicole McIntosh
In the face of increasing superficiality in architecture and the world at large, this thesis celebrates the authenticity and substantiality of concrete.
an architectural thesis by Steven Carlson advisor Nicole McIntosh committee Julie Larsen / Roger Hubeli & SinĂŠad Mac Namara model production assistance by Jamie Thorn & Patrick Smith Class of 2020 this thesis generously supported through the Crown Award of the Syracuse University RenĂŠe Crown University Honors Program presented on 4/26/2017 at 8:30 AM Room 325 Slocum Hall Syracuse New York
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Thesis Statement
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Brutalism: In Memoriam
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Field Research Photographs
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Thesis Prep Precedent Research
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The Inconsequential Facade
42 Sections 52 Plans 66 Views 78 Model 86
Final Presentation
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Shelf Life Exhibition
92 Conclusions 94
Figures + Works Cited
96 Acknowledgements 98 Dedication 100
For More Information
a more compelling section, in concrete 6 of 100
For the Love of Concrete is at its heart an homage to concrete, advocating its beauty, versatility and durability; celebrating concrete’s ability to create spatial experiences that are compelling, varied, acoustically attuned and thermally tempered. In the face of increasing superficiality in the world at large, this thesis above all celebrates the authenticity and substantiality of concrete.
buildings were built to be immortal! But ironically, Brutalist buildings are now being torn down in droves despite their demonstrated potential to be adapted. They are at worst being replaced by parking lots and at best being replaced by monotonous glass-skinned boxes that value the optimized, ethereal and temporary over the whimsical, substantial and eternal.
What prompted this research is debate around ‘Brutalism’, the oft-misjudged architectural style. Brutalist buildings are architectural ugly ducklings, beloved by many designers but loathed my most others. A cult following has grown up around Brutalism, valuing its honesty of material (predominantly concrete), nuanced surface treatments, bold structural moves, and its befuddling balance of historic and decidedly futuristic expressions. Still many noted Brutalist buildings have been prematurely demolished, unable to earn wide community support or be preserved through litigation. Brutalist architecture explicitly references ancient architecture in its massing and materiality; these
Some say that beauty is only skin deep. In kind, many architects have become solely obsessed with (and are often relegated to) the design of facades. This thesis advocates the design of good bones, not just beautiful skin. It therefore focuses on the design of said bones, encouraging a return to the solid, poché-driven structures of old. Therefore, For the Love of Concrete forages for inspiration in the history of concrete construction (from ancient Roman, through 20th century Brutalism, to the exquisitely executed Swiss concrete of today). Concrete: ubiquitous, anything but common; durable adaptable; robust yet beautiful.
thesis statement 7 of 100
yet yet
substance 8 of 100
over skin 9 of 100
brutalism 10 of 100
“ Jesus... that is a depressing building” “Eh... Could be worse. Nice parks in the middle!” “ I love Brutalism... but this example is hideous. It looks like it was designed by someone that holds utter contempt for humanity.”
reddit reactions — 2016 11 of 100
Robin Hood Gardens Alison & Peter Smithson 1972 — 2017?
Orange County Government Center Paul Rudolph 1971 — 2015
brutalism 12 of 100
Prentice Womens Hospital Bertrand Goldberg 1975 — 2014
Sirius Building Tao Goffers 1980 — 2017?
in memoriam 13 of 100
Robin Hood Gardens Carsten Czaja 2008
Orange County Government Center Clark Patterson Lee 2015
brutalism 14 of 100
Prentice Womens Hospital Jeanne Gang 2014
Sirius Building LAVA Architects 2015
demonstrated adaptability 15 of 100
Jessie Brennan — ‘A Fall of Ordinariness and Light’ 16 of 100
So it is worth asking about those Brutalist architects and the public servants who were their primary patrons: What did they know, and aspire to, that we don’t?
Thomas de monchaux — 2012 17 of 100
field research photography 18 of 100
cortland 19 of 100
field research photography 20 of 100
binghampton and new haven 21 of 100
field research photography 22 of 100
new haven 23 of 100
thesis prep research 24 of 100
poche catalogue 25 of 100
thesis prep catalogue booklet 26 of 100
ancient poche 27 of 100
thesis prep catalogue booklet 28 of 100
twentieth century poche 29 of 100
thesis prep catalogue booklet 30 of 100
twenty first century (swiss) poche 31 of 100
diagramming poche conditions 32 of 100
superpoche, walls and core, cores on cores, cores and columns 33 of 100
the inconsequential facade 34 of 100
momentarily considering concrete on the domestic scale 35 of 100
facades 36 of 100
should change 37 of 100
facade ‘skin’ burns away 38 of 100
concrete ‘bones’ remain 39 of 100
stripping away enclosure 40 of 100
to reveal compelling internal conditions 41 of 100
sections 42 of 100
sketches 43 of 100
sections 44 of 100
sketches 45 of 100
40M
60M
Schematic Section 1/32” = 1’
250’ schematic plan 1/32” = 1’
sections 46 of 100
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process 47 of 100
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section 48 of 100
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as collage of elements 49 of 100
section a-a 50 of 100
section b-b 51 of 100
plans 52 of 100
process 53 of 100
plans 54 of 100
diversity of spatial experience emphasized 55 of 100
1 — ground 56 of 100
2 — castle 57 of 100
3 — basilica 58 of 100
4 — vaults 59 of 100
5 — columns 60 of 100
6 — arches 61 of 100
7 — cavern 62 of 100
8 — bulwark 63 of 100
9 — shapes 64 of 100
10 — canopy 65 of 100
physical model 66 of 100
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*angela copes included for scale
photographed as base for collages 67 of 100
atri
view 68 of 100
ium
atrium 69 of 100
4 vau
view 4 70 of 100
4 ults
vaults 71 of 100
6 arch
view 6 72 of 100
6 hes
arches 73 of 100
7 cave
view 7 74 of 100
7 ern
cavern 75 of 100
9 shapes
view 9 76 of 100
shapes 77 of 100
physical model formwork 78 of 100
chipboard and nashua tape 79 of 100
physical model 80 of 100
casting 81 of 100
physical model 82 of 100
casting 83 of 100
completed physical model 84 of 100
weighing in at 100 lbs 85 of 100
final presentation 86 of 100
room 325 slocum hall 87 of 100
final model 88 of 100
east wall 89 of 100
A final re-presentation of this project was created for ‘Shelf Life’ an exhibition staged in Slocum Hall. The objects submitted for the exhibition are as follows: 1 — a swiss chocolate box filled with two dozen concrete hearts 2 — a gold locket, with pictures of Louis Kahn and Valerio Olgiati 3 — a framed photograph of Prentice Womens Hospital ca. 1975 4 — a diptych of Prentice proposed adaptation by Jeanne Gang post demolition snapchat art by Erik Carlson PhD 5 — a framed photograph of I.M. Pei at the Everson Museum 6 — a framed photograph of Jessica Hauffe atop a concrete parking garage in Syracuse ca. 2013 7 — Booklet of precedents 8 — Booklet of field research photographs
catalogue 90 of 100
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shelf life exhibition 91 of 100
concrete 92 of 100
Concrete ubiquitous, yet anything but common durable, yet adaptable robust, yet beautiful
conclusions 93 of 100
Brennan, Jessie. A Fall of Ordinariness and Light (The Enabling Power). 2014. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. https://www.iconeye.com/images/2015/11/Jessie- Brennan_A-Fall-of-Ordinariness-and-Light_The-Enabling-Power_2014_ Graphite-on-paper-framed-in-aluminium_57-5-x-71-5-cm_Commissioned- for-Progress-by-the-Foundling-Museum_2014.jpg. Carsten Czaja LIVFE Design Agency. Robin Hood Gardens Wrapped in Glass. 2008. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/ web/c/w/l/Czaja1.jpg. Chicago Architecture. Former Prentice Women’s Hospital Demolition. 2014. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/12/IMG_0194-768x1024.jpg. Clark Patterson Lee. South Elevation of New Building at Orange County Gov Center - Existing Courtyard. July 9, 2015. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. http:// clarkpattersonlee.com/uploads/images/_blogPostsMainImage/cpl_orange_ co_gov1.jpg. Gang, Jeanne, Michael Kimmelman, and Jay Hoffman. Jeanne Gang and Michael Kimmelman’s proposal to save Prentice Women’s Hospital. October 4, 2012. Photograph. Accessed May 2, 2017. http://www.archdaily. com/284783/jeanne-gang-and-michael-kimmelmans-proposal-to-save- prentice-womens-hospital/sga_prentice_pedestrian_final. Gofers, Tao. The Sirius Building during Its Initial Construction Phase. 1980. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7904642-3x2- 700x467.jpg. LAVA Architects. Sirus Redevelopment Plan: Rendering. Photograph. architectureanddesign. com.au. 2015. Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.architectureanddesign. com.au/getattachment/News/LAVA-architects-Sirius-about-saving-Sydney- s-bruta/chris.jpg.aspx. Lousada, Sandra, and The Smithson Family Collection. Kids Playing at Robin Hood Gardens. 1972. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. https:// municipaldreams.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/p14307-robin- hood-gardens-1972-300dpi.jpg?w=529&h=355. World Monuments Fund. The Stripped-Down Facade. 2016. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. https://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/styles/project_gallery_full_ size/public/projects/gallery/og2.jpg?itok=TpqVdLfd.
*All photos unless above-noted were taken by Steven Carlson
figures 94 of 100
Blaser, Werner. Der Fels Ist Mein Haus (The Rock Is My Home). N.p.:Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977. De Monchaux, Thomas. “The Other Modernism.” n+1, July 12, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2016. https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/ the-other-modernism/. Fuck Yeah Brutalism (blog). Accessed December 13, 2016. http://fuckyeahbrutalism. tumblr.com/. May, Kyle, Julia van den Hout, Jacob Reidel, Archie Lee Coates, IV, Jeffrey Franklin, and Michael Abrahamson, eds. CLOG: Brutalism. N.p.: Clog, 2013. Scalbert, Irénée, Tom Emerson, and Stephanie Macdonald. Never Modern. N.p.: Park Books, 2013. Smithson, Alison, and Peter Smithson. From the House of the Future to a House for Today. Edited by Max Risselada and Dirk Van Den Heuvel. N.p.: Uitgeverij, 2004.
works cited 95 of 100
final review 96 of 100
I would be remiss if I did not thank my advisor Assistant Professor Nicole McIntosh, who was a constant support. Her wealth of knowledge, experience and critical eye was an invaluable resource. Critical to this project, was the advice and support of my Thesis Committee: Professors Julie Larsen, Roger Hubeli and Sinéad Mac Namara. Their encouragement, wealth of structural and material knowledge, consistently tough and constructive criticism served as the foundation of this project. Additionally, the courses I’ve been able to take with each through the years have been invaluable in shaping both this project, and my specific interests within Architecture. I’d like to thank University Professor Carl Schramm, not only for being a great sounding board and critic, but also for his Fast Cities / Failed Cities course which I was lucky to take several years ago. He has engendered my peers and me with an invaluable skepticism that we will carry with us as we begin our careers. I would like to thank the supportive and generous faculty and staff of the Syracuse University honors program; especially Kate Hanson for her feedback and support over this past year. I would like to thank the generous benefactors of the Crown-Wise Awards provided through the University Honors Program, and the Crown-Wise selection committee. The funding provided me is greatly appreciated, and opened up many avenues of exploration that would have otherwise been shut. Thank you for reading! All good wishes.
acknowledgements 97 of 100
In Loving Memory of Jessica Lynn Hauffe 1994 — 2014 San Jose, California Syracuse Architecture Class of 2017
dedication 98 of 100
Jessica Lynn Hauffe 99 of 100
thesis prep poche research booklet https://issuu.com/scarlson94/docs/for_the_love_of_concrete_precedents
field research photography booklet https://issuu.com/scarlson94/docs/for_the_love_of_concrete_pilgrimage
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for more information 100 of 100