Water-Works: Reclaiming a Plumbing Infrastructure by Sheridan Staats

WATER-WORKS

RECLAIMING A PLUMBING INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSTON, TEXAS

WATER-WORKS

RECLAIMING A PLUMBING INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSTON, TEXAS

By Sheridan Adriana Staats

A Senior Honors Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Bachelor of Architecture Submitted by Sheridan Adrianna Staats in May 2015 Guided by First Reader: William Truitt, Associate Professor, UofH Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture Second Reader: Shelby Doyle, Visiting Assistant Professor, LSU College of Art and Design Honors Reader: Helen Valier, Director of Medicine and Society Program, UH Honors Program in Health Professions Dean: Patricia Oliver, FAIA, Dean, UofH Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture

ABSTRACT

The development of plumbing infrastructure along the bayous is unique to the City of Houston. As the city grew, it moved away from its natural waterways; the original infrastructure elements were left abandoned, but tell a story of how the city developed and supported its citizens. An abandoned cistern, the size of a city block, was recently rediscovered underground adjacent to Buffalo Bayou. The site was one of the original pump stations and storage tanks for the city, drawing water from the bayou and supplying to residents. Designed and built on the outskirts of the original city blocks, the cistern is in middle of the urban center today. The revival of this site is important because of the story it tells of the origins, its relevance to the urban context today, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the few post-industrial artifacts left in a city that typically tears down old and builds new. This thesis proposes to re-imagine this element of cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original water infrastructure as a modern public bath, reconnecting its initial utilitarian beginnings to the multi-cultural urban communities today.

Interior photo of the Water-Works Cistern, Photo Courtesy of Smart Geometrics and SWA Group.

CONTENTS

1 | CONTEXT................................................................11 UNUSED INFRASTRUCTURES WATER-WORKS CISTERN CASE STUDIES ADALAJ STEPWELL BASILICA CISTERN BATH HOUSE FOR HOUSTON 2| TENDENCY..............................................................23 HISTORICAL VALUE PAST: SETTLEMENT PRESENT: OUTGROWTH FUTURE: REVITALIZATION URBAN DEMANDS FLOWS DIVIDES ECONOMIC VALUES NEIGHBORHOODS USERS ECOLOGICAL VALUES UNDER THE CITY 3 | OPPORTUNITY.......................................................49 BATH HOUSES HISTORY CULTURAL BATHS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT BUILDING PROGRAM SPACIAL RELATIONS 4 | CONDITIONS..........................................................63 EXTERIOR CONTEXT PLAN + VIEWS SITE PLAN + BUILDING DIAGRAM COMMUNITY ACCESS FLOOR PLAN AT GRADE ISOLATED BATH FLOOR PLAN BELOW GRADE IMPLEMENTATION CONTAINER CONCEPT + SECTIONS SCENES: WALK-THROUGH 5 | PRECEDENTS.........................................................95 ROMAN BATH IN POMPEII VALS THERMAL BATH BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................101 REFERENCES...............................................................103

1| CONTEXT PROSPECTUS

UNUSED URBAN INFRASTRUCTURES

“In general these places, deprived of human activity, do not as such provoke many questions or special interests. It seems that they become inspiring when we consider them as part of history, platforms for temporary use or, as a potential for future activity.” –Merten Nefs

INDUSTRIALIZATION

Rapid Production, Improved Technologies, Increase in Demand

RAPID URBANIZATION Increased Land Value, Population Influx, Migration

STRAINED RESOURCES Overconsumption, Subsidence, Abandoned Sites

Houston’s rapid population growth and society demands, along with a major suburban sprawl beginning in the 1950’s led to obsolete infrastructure in the city’s center. In a city where it is typical to tear down and build, there are few artifacts left of the original structure. The future of these post-industrial artifacts should be given delicate consideration. Merten Nefs discusses the future of vacant terrains and abandoned buildings based on their historical values, often related to the origins of their vacancy or abandonment, confronted with economic (real estate) values, ecological values, current urban demands, and the values of the user. He continues with the debate on the reuse of abandoned urban structures based on two opposing ideas: compactness versus sprawl. Compactness refers to the idea of redeveloping abandoned terrains within the city for future activity. During the past few centuries, European cities have adopted “compact city” strategies for their urban development. Swedish urban planner Nyström insists that “The only effective urban development policy in years to come is renewal within the existing urban fabric, and possibly also contraction. Such policies entail raised densities, more intensive land use, including redevelopment of brown-land and other kinds of underused land.” (Nyström) They argue for the redevelopment of these abandoned spaces within urban centers as prime real estate to strengthen a sense of community. Other planners and architects have emphasized the importance of porosity of the urban fabric as opposed to “compactness”. They argue these terrains remain open as a platform for temporary programs. Consider urban brownland that provide space for different uses and activities on various scales. Open spaces within the city center leave the possibility for anything in the future; thus they become “seed-beds of urbanity” as Christiaanse states in his writing on abandoned industrial and railway sites. (Christiaanse) The flexibility of the program does not congest the city nor impose itself into a particular area. For either temporary use or a future program, these unused terrains and infrastructures are necessary for urban renovation. In these empty lots the city reinvents itself - they are cultural breeding grounds. These sites offer unique conditions of accessibility being located in central areas, but without the restrictions of the over regulated center itself. This thesis will discuss the future of an abandoned plumbing infrastructure located in downtown Houston based on its historic values, economic values, ecological values, and current urban demands. The project will take advantage of its underground condition to combine both ideas discussed above, designing a space for temporary use as well as a future program.

Photos Courtesy of Top: Houston Public Library Middle: Texas Freeways Historic Photo Library Bottom: Buffalo Bayou Partnership (left), Houston WaterWorks Museum + Education Center. (right)

UNUSED URBAN INFRASTRUCTURES

WATER-WORKS CISTERN

The water-works cistern is an 100,000 square foot space, left abandoned underground in Houston, Texas. The interior photos to the right begin to describe the quality of this space. Below is an interview from an architect from SWA group about his experience actually visiting the space: CONCRETE AESTHETIC is beautiful. Cast in 1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s left form-board finish on concrete. Layer of WATER at the bottom doubles the height of the space. TEMPERATURE is unbearably hot, 100% humidity. Could change with an irrigated lawn above. AIR QUALITY is suffocating. Air Circulation and ventilation to surface is necessary. Quality of LIGHT has infinite possibilities. Completely dark, its a blank slate for light devices. SOUND quality and acoustics are amazing. To determine the possibilities of a use for this space, there are two case studies that stood out: the Guadalajara Step-well in India and the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

Pictures Courtesy of Smart Geometrics and SWA Group.

CASE STUDY

ADALAJ STEPWELL

Step wells were built between the 5th and 19th centuries throughout the West of India. There have been over 120 found in the arid region of Gujarat. These ancient infrastructures were built to mitigate weather extremes and sustain their communities. They would collect water in the monsoon season that would last citizens through droughts. Because of their effectiveness, people began to think of the step-wells as religious temples to water. Slowly these spaces evolved from religious ceremonies to a popular public spaces for gathering, bathing, and conversing (as they are about 6 degrees cooler than the surface). The evolution of these structures from their utilitarian construction to the community space they provide today is an interesting Case Study for the re-use of the Water Works Cistern in Houston.

FUNC

WATED WASH

monsoon

drought

FUNCTIONAL

WATED NEEDS: DRINKING, WASHING, BATHING, FARMING

RELIGIOUS

SACRED RITUALS

SOCIAL

SOICAL NEEDS: FESTIVALS, STOPS FOR TRAVELERS

Photos + Data Courtesy of Steps to water: The ancient stepwells of India, by Morna Livingston.

CASE STUDY

BASILICA CISTERN

Basilica Cistern was built in the 6th century. The largest of 100+ cisterns below Istanbul, it was initially designed as a public space for commercial, legal, and an artistic center for citizens below the central plaza. The spaces are cool, dark, tranquil, and mysterious. They acted a space for users to escape the heat and chaos of the city. As the city population grew, the basilica was turned into a cistern, as water storage within the city limit was in large demand. When the population and societal demands surpassed the cistern capacity, the space was returned to its public venue. Today it is used for temporary uses.

SOC

COM + AR

SOCIAL

COMMECIAL, LEGAL, + ARTISTIC CETNER

FUNCTIONAL

WATED STORAGE + FILTRATION

SOCIAL

ARTISTIC CENTER

WATER-WORKS CISTERN

A BATH HOUSE FOR HOUSTON

WATER-WORKS

RECLAIMING A PLUMBING INFRASTRUCTURE _ HOUSTON, TEXAS The development of a plumbing infrastructure along the bayous is unique to the City of Houston. However, at the rate the city grew in population and area, it quickly moved away from its natural waterways. The original infrastructure elements were left abandoned, but tell a story of how the city developed and supported its citizens. An abandoned cistern, the size of a city block, was recently rediscovered underground oﬀ Buﬀalo Bayou. The site was one of the original pump stations and storage tanks for the city, drawing water from the bayou and supplying to residents. Designed and built on the outskirts of the original city blocks, the cistern is in middle of the urban center today. The revival of this site is important because it is one of the few industrial artifacts left in a city that typically tears down and builds new. The nature of this site will draw together various communities and provide an immediate escape from the busy city center. This thesis proposes to re-imagine one of the city’s original water infrastructure elements as a modern public bath house, reconnecting its initial utilitarian beginnings to the multi-cultural urban communities today.

2 | TENDENCY ANALYSIS

HISTORICAL VALUE

PULATION GROWTH NEXATION GROWTH TER INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH PAST _ SETTLEMENT OF HOUSTON

An accurate description of unused urban spaces would include not only their spatial aspects, but also that of time, by considering their origins and possible transformations. The history of a terrain reveals the causes of its vacancy or abandonment and explains the absence of activity and production. From the Gulf of Mexico to Downtown, Buffalo Bayou was the initial impetus for the plan of Houston. In 1836, the city defined and sustained itself with the bayou at its center. A regular street grid from the water’s edge quickly formed downtown, gently skipping over the waterways in the landscape. The bayou created natural boundaries for the city’s residential neighborhoods (originally wards), as well as supported these neighborhoods with the city’s manufacturing enterprises. Through history, we are able to trace the economic growth and infrastructure of Houston along its unique bayou system. The bayou served as the original water supply for drinking, plumbing, and manufacturing. As the city rapidly developed in the nineteenth century, a multitude of water collection and storage were adopted, but still placed in proximity to the bayou. However, as the city continued to grow and the lack of formal planning led to a series of plumbing infrastructural elements which moved away from its natural waterway, scattered around the city, and left the original unused. (Smyer)

BAYOU GRID LAYOUT WARDS BEGINNING INFRASTRUCTURE

beauchamp springs

allens landing

MAIN Street - 1890

Left: City of Houston boundary, 1890 Right: Plan of Houston in 1890, From Houston Public Library highlighting the footprints of infrastructure development along Buffalo Bayou.

HISTORICAL VALUE

PRESENT _ DEVELOPMENT OF PLUMBING INFRASTRUCTURE

“Houston History 1856-1899: Augustus and John Allen, brothers from New York, were lured to Texas in the 1830’s by the plentiful cheap land. They selected land at the junction of two bayous – where they could turn a boat around – as the site for their speculative real estate venture. During the town’s formative years, the greatest emphasis was placed on improving transportation facilities. By the beginning of the Civil War, 350 miles of railroad ran through Houston and the Buffalo Bayou was dredged to a depth of 9 feet allowing trade between Houston and Galveston. The demand on wartime goods stimulated factory production and by the end of the war the city’s industrial base had greatly expanded. By mid-1870’s, Houston was a wellestablished commercial center with a network of railroads and navigable waterway. By the end of the century, Houston was positioned to become a major force along the Gulf Coast.” –Betty Chapman

1836-1904 1904-1920 1920-1940 1940-1954 1954-1970 1970-2010

gallons of water pumped per day city population 26

1836 - Allen brothers boasted water readily abundant along Buﬀalo Bayou. 1850

1850’s - Town expands, water delivered by wagon from Beauchamp Springs.

1879 - Water Works Facility is built to pump water from Buﬀalo Bayou to inhabitants.

1880

1887 - a source of pure water 180 ft. underneath Houston was discovered. The Water Works Company drilled 14 more wells. 1890’s - Water Works was hard pressed to meet the water demands of population. 1900

1906 - The City acquired the Water Works plant, 55 wells and 65 miles of mains. The newly organized Water Department rapidly drilled 66 new artesian wells. 1913 - Sphepherd Damn used for recreation

1920

1920’s - Three new pumping plants were constructed and the original plant on Buﬀalo Bayou was enlarged. 1930’s - central water plant

1940’s - water well 1950

1950’s - In need of additional water resources, the City obtained rights to nearby surface water sources. 1969 - Construction of Lake Livingston. 1970

1970’s - Houston’s ﬁrst water puriﬁcation plant processes water from Lake Houston. 1973 - Construction of Lake Conroe.

1990’s - the Southeast and Northeast Water Puriﬁcation Plant opened. 2010 - 146 billion gallons of water pumpedeach year 2500000

2000000

1500000

1000000

500000

2010

ANNEXATION GROWTH WATER INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH

HISTORICAL VALUE

PRESENT _ OUTGROWN

The City of Houston historically built in a utilitarian fashion, ignoring the natural landscape of the bayous and neglecting the future uses of infrastructures. Stan Allen’s “From Object to Field” articulates that the building of American cities across the Midwest and West employed the order of the Jefferson grid across their landscape for mathematically planned real-estate against their own natural environment. “In American cities, pragmatics unpack the ideality of the grid, just as the unthinkable extent of the grid itself nullifies its status as an ideal object”. (Allen) The pragmatics of organizing and distributing land based on a grid are ideal on a uniform plane. However, when introduced in the complexity of a natural landscape and an urban city, those pragmatics need to adapt to the context by embracing the connection of the imposed grid and natural forms. The sudden sprawl of Houston initiated hundreds of scattered ground water pump stations and storage tanks, forgetting the existing bayous that already connected the city. Houston exists today as a result of the establishment of its infrastructure along Buffalo Bayou. The waterways stretch more than 70 miles, connecting contemporary Houston regionally, nationally, and globally. Yet these natural waterways along with their built infrastructure are not attached to our city’s local environments as they once were. This thesis takes advantage of the unique opportunity to reuse one of the few remaining original elements of the city’s plumbing infrastructure, the Water Works cistern.

1836-1904 1904-1920 1920-1940 1940-1954 1954-1970 1970-2010

gallons of water pumped per day city population 28

Left: Evolving City of Houston boundaries from 1836 2010 and the corresponding establishment of ground water pump stations and water storage tanks. Right: Aerial Photos of the Water-Works Cistern courtesy of Smart Geometrics.

HISTORICAL VALUE

FUTURE _ REVITALIZATION OF HOUSTON’S PLUMBING INFRASTRUCTURE

In ‘Our Need for Water’, Bernard Frank studies the relationship of people and water throughout history: “Man’s endeavors to achieve a more desirable relationship with the waters of the earth have helped mold his character and his outlook toward the world around him.” Frank analyzes people’s attempt to solve their issues with water rather than leave their places of habitat and industry. The development of civic infrastructures (aqueducts, wells, dams) amend these issues, but are typically separated from the human architecture of a city. When these structures are combined with human activity they have the potential to change the population’s relationship with the surrounding world. Consider the 120+ step-wells in northwest region of India from the 5th-19th centuries. These early infrastructures were designed to mitigate extreme weather conditions, by collecting water during monsoon season and supplying it during droughts. Because these wells were able to sustain their communities, they became religious temples to water. From religious ceremonies, these underground spaces slowly became public spaces for general gathering, bathing, and conversing. (Livingston) Elements of Houston’s plumbing infrastructure, that has also historically battled these external contingencies of flooding and drought as well as collection and sanitation, are left abandoned today. By revitalizing the structure to respond to its historic values with the urban demands of the city, the space could bring back the importance of its original intention to the community.

Buffalo Bayou Photos Courtesy of Top Right: Texas Freeways Historic Photo Library Others: Buffalo Bayou Partnership

URBAN DEMANDS FLOWS + DIVIDES

FLOWS The value of land does not depend on the production of the lot itself, but on the development of the city as a whole and the geographical position of the lot within the city. Alvarez explains that “a terrain or lot can only be explained and justified by its circumstances, in this case the development of its surroundings”. (Alvarez) The location of the Water Works cistern in Houston was built on the outskirts of the original town, but today is located between the central business district and historic residential neighborhoods (wards). The site’s proximity to the center of the city gives the impression it would be a high-trafficked area. However, the development of parkways through this area moves people directly into downtown, swiftly passing the site without noticing. The flow of automobile traffic dominate accessibility in Houston, actually isolating this site. With the location being rather hidden and difficult to access via car and public transit, the primary users of this site will most likely be pedestrians from surrounding neighborhoods and downtown. This condition, rare in Houston, provides an interesting opportunity for the program to support and connect with its communities. Reyner Banham discusses the car-oriented city of Los Angeles, “So come the day when the smog doom descends, when the traffic grinds to a halt, and the private car is banned from the streets, quite a lot of craftily placed citizens will be able to switch over to being pedestrians and feel no pain.” In his 1972 documentary “Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles”, the architecture historian tours what he describes as the “four ecologies” of the City of Los Angeles: Surfurbia, Foothills, The Plains of Id, and Autopia (beach, basin, foothills, and freeways). A very similar analysis could be done in Houston to conceptualize the ecologies: bayous, marsh, prairies, and freeways. Although their landscapes vary, the ecology of the freeways is the prominent system in both urban cites. Banham idealizes these roadways as providing users with a different perspective of the city; however, in this quote he articulates a situation where users act as pedestrians in their immediate environments. Due to the flows of movement and urban development surrounding the Water Works cistern, this site (and its program) embraces the pedestrian.

DIVIDES The location of the cistern on the crossover of these three neighborhoods has consequently left the site an ignored void space in the middle. The economic values illustrate that the space is prime real estate and the proper program implemented into this space should factor the pedestrian users, the three neighborhoods, and connect to the current environmental development in the area. Hannah Arendt’s writing “On Violence” distinguishes the term ‘power’ as “corresponding to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert”. This idea discusses the strength in groups of people and their impact when they work together. This is also true in the organization of cities and communal spaces. The urban fabric of cities has a major effect on the power of the populations and their success. In Houston, where an unbounding urban sprawl separates a majority of the population, an unoccupied boundary redeveloped into a recreational space could bring various communities together in an urban city center. Alex Wall affirms “The grafting of new instruments and equipment onto strategically staged surfaces allows for a transformation of the ground plane into a living, connective tissue between increasingly disparate fragments and unforeseen programs”. The web-sprawl of urban cities leaves ambiguous areas caught in between. These middle landscapes neither the city nor the suburb, now represent the prevailing environment in which people actually live. An example of this would be the area northwest of downtown Houston, outside the business district and between residential neighborhoods. A communitybased program could occupy this space and serve as connective tissue for the city. The flows around the site and its location on the border of communities naturally give the program of this site an isolated experience to the city. Users will be pedestrians from the surrounding community- coming together to experience the space. It is not one neighborhood dominated.

Page 34-35: Map of Houston depicting the restriction of access created by development of Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway. Page 36-37: Map of Houston depicting change in boundaries due to natural waterways and development of freeways.

URBAN DEMANDS FLOWS

HEIGHTS

MONTROSE

MEDICAL CENTER

SECOND WARD

URBAN DEMANDS

DIVIDES

ECONOMIC VALUE

NEIGHBORHOODS + USERS

NEIGHBORHOODS In Houston the rapid expansion of the city left many unused spaces in its center. While the historical center was being abandoned by the elite during the 1950’s sprawl, vast border areas were being urbanized. Consequences of this resulted in high costs of new infrastructure and mass transportation issues. Today there is a refocus on the historic center, with new housing and pedestrian spaces in high demand surrounding the central business district. Merten Nefs points out that “looking at the real estate pressures and social claims upon abandoned terrains and surrounding downtown, we realize that unused space is the arena of urban discussion and spatial conflict between users, housing movements, and environmentalist organizations”. An analysis of the surrounding context of the Water Works cistern displays the site’s situation on the boundary of three different communities in Houston: The historic Victorian singlefamily homes of Sixth Ward, the public housing apartment complex and new town-homes of Fourth Ward, and business tower of First Ward. The site users are pedestrians coming from work, living, and exercising from these three communities to use the space together. With proper pedestrian access and connection to other surrounding recreational programs, this site has great potential to enhance other developments and connect the communities. Housing movements are pushing and pulling over these boundaries, fighting over the valuable land surrounding downtown. Still, the site of the historic cistern remains unused. At the city’s beginning, the wards were divided by geographical boundaries which continue to separate these neighborhoods today. Although there is better access, neighborhoods rarely flow over the bayou in an elegant way; the waterways were not used beyond their initial infrastructure developments. However, environmental organizations and city planners are now utilizing these veins throughout Houston to develop the largest linear park in the United States. The Water Works cistern is located in the middle of this recreational development. (Buffalo Bayou Partnership)

Page 40-41: Map of Houston comparing the neighborhoods of Houston across the boundaries of the freeway and bayou. The figure field displays the variance in building size, and thus inhabitants adjacent to the site. The orange points highlight the currently preserved historic sites in the city.

FIRST WARD The First Ward of Houston was originally the center of the business district for the city and was strategically located at the intersection of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou. Based around Allen’s Landing, it was one of the original four wards in Houston when it was created in 1840, defined as north of Congress Street and west of Main Street. By 1866, White Oak Bayou split off the neighborhoods to create part of the Fifth Ward. By 1990, First Ward was mostly covered by downtown office buildings. The remaining 19th and 20th century bungalows and cottages were named the High First Ward Historic District in 2014, and have seen construction of numerous lofts and town-homes in the 21st century.

FOURTH WARD The Fourth Ward, established west of Downtown Houston, was the site of Freedmen’s Town composed of recently freed slaves post-U.S. Civil War. The neighborhood became the center of Houston’s African-American community in the late 19th century and early 20th century. By 1940, the Fourth Ward lost prominence from the opening of Interstate 45 and the construction of Allen Parkway Village public housing complex. The urban renewal programs implemented lead to loss of portions of the community, while the opening of the Interstate separated the ward into two. Many of the original Fourth Ward residents moved to other communities, as crime and the prevalence of drugs became issues affecting the community. Starting in the 1970’s, the demolition of Allen Parkway Village was the center of debate among residents, city officials, and developers through the turn of the century. Since 2000, the area has been undergoing gentrification, with many new mid-rise apartment complexes and upscale town-homes being built. The shotgun shacks were torn down and many longtime residents, have moved out, unable to afford the rising property values. Federal funding preserved a remaining 500 units of the public housing, one-third of which are for low-income elderly. By 2004, apartments, restaurants, and townhouses replaced many of the former Fourth Ward historical landmarks, called Midtown.

SIXTH WARD The Sixth Ward was created out of the northern part of the Fourth Ward in 1876, and is the only ward that does not extend into downtown Houston’s historical center. Bound by Memorial Drive to the south, Glenwood Cemetery to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, and Houston Avenue to the east, The Sixth Ward is home the oldest intact neighborhoods in Houston, known as the “Old Sixth War.” As of 2007, 300 houses that had been built between 1854 and 1935 remained, due to strong efforts by the The Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association. The area is an exception to the general trend of city officials and city residents allowing the destruction of historic structures in Houston. 39

ECONOMIC VALUE

NEIGHBORHOODS

ECONOMIC VALUE

USERS

BUSINESS DISTRICT IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON

SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES IN HISTORIC 6TH WARD

TOWNHOUSES + PUBLIC HOUSING IN 4TH WARD

PEDESTRIAN TRAILS TO SITE

ECOLOGICAL VALUE

UNDER THE CITY

In determining its reuse, it is also important to look at the natural value of the site and Water Works cistern. This is a unique site in that it is one of the few underground spaces in Houston. Its adjacency to Buffalo Bayou and location in the center of recent redevelopment to create the largest extended public park in the United States exemplifies the mesmerizing natural features of the site. The experience of the site can be described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;under the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, with freeways and the fast pace of the city moving above you, time and sound is calmed as you move through this site. The mechanics are replaced with ecosystems and the experience is that you are hidden from the public moving around you. Other examples of infrastructure elements in similar environments are the 100+ basilicas built below Istanbul in the 3rd- 6th centuries. These large public spaces were initially designed for commercial, legal, and artistic centers below plazas at the street level. The temperature of the spaces were as much as six degrees cooler than the streets, facilitating users escape from the busy city and its heat. As the cities grew, these basilicas were transformed into cisterns for the storage and filtration of water, as the aqueducts could not supply enough for the population. Today these cisterns are once again used for community gathering and interactions. The plumbing infrastructure of Houston is historically relevant, as it served as a collection and sanitation system for its population year ago. By reusing the structure to encourage community gathering, the space can acknowledge its past while addressing the current urban demands of the city.

Page 46-47: Map of Houston depicting the restriction of access created by development of Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway.

ECOLOGICAL VALUE

UNDER THE CITY

40’-0”

0’

48’-6” 40’-0” 20’-6” 0’

40’-0”

0’

3 | OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMMING

BATH HOUSES

HISTORICALLY UTILITY + COMMUNITY SPACES

The qualities revealed surrounding the original Water Works cistern encourage individual, isolated space, while initiating a common ground for existing communities to come together. Based on these qualities, this thesis will investigate the development of a public bath house for Houston as the redevelopment of this site. Bath houses originated from a communal need for cleanliness based on: personal hygiene, recreational use, religious ritual, or therapeutic purposes. Its utilitarian beginning for communal plumbing and sanitation was replaced in societies as private bathing facilities became more commonly available. Their program slowly evolved into the social system as meeting places to socialize based on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. These facilities were common across many cultures from Roman and Turkish baths, to Finnish and Russian saunas, to Japanese relaxation therapies. Each has its own unique and important process of moving from hot to cold temperatures, based on their intended purpose. However, despite the interpretations of the public baths around the world, there was a common identity that began with a utilitarian purpose and developed into a community space. Public bath houses were initially proposed for a utilitarian purpose in various cultures. The infrastructures of cities function the same way: designed with a utilitarian function in mind. As bath houses or plumbing infrastructures developed elsewhere, they became a communal space for gathering and celebrating in addition to their functional purpose. I am proposing that the original water storage tank for Houston can act the same way. By inserting the utilitarian and communal functions of a public bath house, the space reuses its utilitarian nature, draws people from its three surrounding communities, and highlights its uniqueness of being one of the few post-industrial artifacts left in the city.

BATH HOUSES

ACROSS CULTURES

BATHING: TRADITIONAL + MODERN DAY -Established for the utility of washing, Roman baths became about community gathering. One of the first Roman bathing complexes (and one of the first in the world) began construction in 60 AD and developed throughout the following 300 years. Pictured is the Roman Baths in Bath, England. (Image: Woodytyke) -The mining and smelting of iron brought plumbing, thus bathing, into our households. The process of bathing ahas evolved incredibly since this invention. This occurred early in the establishment and growth of the America, thus the establishment of bath houses in the states varies drastically from older countries. The bath house still plays a role in these societies, but what role can it play in modern day America - a melting pot of other ethnicities? Pictured is a modern bathroom. (Image: Houzz)

SAUNAS: DRY + WET -The Finnish Sauna: the bath is a wood room in which steam is generated by pouring water over hot stones. The temperature of the air is above the dew point even as the water is vaporized. Thus, the air in the sauna remains very dry, hot, and hard to breathe. Pictured is the sauna of a private household, typical throughout Scandinavia. (Image: Wikipedia) -The Turkish Hammam: the bath in a tiled or stone room in which steam is produced from a large tub of water inside the wall. Steam baths, where the humidity approaches 100% humidity, will be set to a temperature almost half of the “dry heat” bath. Pictured is the Cemberlitas Hammam in Istanbul. (Image: Tyra Deckard)

BATH HOUSES: NATURAL + MECHANICAL -Pammukule, meaning “cotton castle”, is a mountaintop terraced with natural pools in southwestern Turkey. Minerals in warm spring water, in reaction with the air, are transformed into a soft calcium carbonate gel that forms tentative pools. Over time the gel hardens into a permanent textured travertine in which people have bathed in for thousands of years. (Image: Wikipedia) -Sentōis a mechanical Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bath houses have been quite utilitarian, with a minimum of lined up faucets dripping tap water and a single large bath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others. Bathers have used these simple tiled rooms for hundreds of years. (Image: Julia Baier)

BATH HOUSES

ACROSS CULTURES

HEAT AND HEALING: SAND + WATER -As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places, located outdoors for use naturally hot water from geothermal heated springs. The legal definition of an onsen includes that its water must contain at least one of 19 designated chemical elements and be 25 Â°C or warmer before being reheated. (Roten-buro outdoor onsen at Nakanoshima in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Image: Wikipedia) -A Sand Onsen on Iwate: After undressing, visitors are directed to a long hall where they lie down in one (of thirty) sand pit with a towel-covered stone for a pillow. An attendant shovels hot sand until they are completely covered from the neck down. The sand is from the surrounding mountains, carried by the attendants to the onsen. Bathers are buried for a maximum of 15 minutes, after that they shower and dip into two onsen pools as long as desired. Following the onsen, customers rest or nap in a huge tatami room with a stall selling drinks. (Image + Experience: Wang Hui Ling) LIGHTING: THE HAMMAM + BATH -A typical hammam roof composed of numerous domes embedded with small glass skylights. The size, shape, and placement of these light portals cause the interior illumination to undergo continuously and surprising changed throughout the day. The quality of light in a hammam is discreet and muted, best illuminated at night by either candle or oil lamp. (Historic Site of Syria, Image: sherlex.com) -Historically, Roman baths typically had very large pools open to the sky as part of the bathing process. Contrasting the Turkish hammam very controlled interior lighting, natural lighting and over brightness, afforded by large expansive openings, was valued in many of the ancient Roman baths. This is seen in the ruins of the Great bath and the baths of Caracalla - pictured here. (Image: Carole Raddato) CIRCULATION: SWEAT LODGE TENT + HAMMAM COMPLEX -The frame for a Native American Sweat Lodge is fashioned out of saplings and branches. When in use itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with animal skins, blankets, canvas, or moss and seaweed to create a dark, heat-retaining chamber. The heat source is rocks, brought to a high temperature in a wood fire, sometimes with herbs, causing crack, sizzle, and hissing sounds, pungent aromas, and intense waves of moist heat. Sweat lodges are single chambers constructed in various sizes, some temporary, some permanent. (Image: Minnesota Historical Society) -The circular form of this hammam largest bathing chamber allows heat to disperse evenly around the room. Narrow arching passageways lead to other public, semi-public, and private spaces. Included in the hammam complex are individual rooms and public areas for resting, dressing/undressing, drinking tea or coffee, and smoking. (Cagaloglu Bath, Drawing: Byzantiumistanbul.com)

BATH HOUSES

PROGRAM AND PROCESS ACROSS CULTURAL

The specific program and process of bathing across cultures varies, but each are very specific in their intentions. In order to understand the bathing process historically and how that might fit into the modern world, it is important to look at the development of bath houses in different countries and their processes. The diagram below discusses the various programmatic elements of bath houses as they were established. The diagrams to the right describe the specific process and order in those bath houses, from hot to cold, and bath to refresh.

atrium changing baths sauna leasire pools gym (weights) outdoor gym game room buy + eat food library reading rooms lecture halls theater night venue gardens drinks dining massages relaxation health therapy

E RO P RU

N ER OD M

IEV AL

ER ER SO AM M

JA PA N

PIR AN OT TO M

EM AN RO M

PIR

EC E RE TG EN CI AN

personal hygenie recreational religious ritual theraputic

PURPOSE

religious ritual

native american temazcal

religious ritual

turkish hammam

RO P

PROCESS

personal hygenie

recreational

greek balneum

roman thermae + balne

personal hygenie

theraputic

japanese misogi, sento, onsen

ďŹ nnish sauna

hot room hot bath cold bath washing massage refreshments

theraputic

russian banya

HOT POOL

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT MEDITATION GARDEN

BUILDING PROGRAM

WARM POOL

MEDITATION GARDEN PRIVATE POOLS RUSSIAN SAUNA

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

arrival

hot

cold

gardens

FINNISH SAUNA

TURKISH SAUNA

LIGHT 1. Forest 2. Green 3. Sand

2400

800 800 800

POOL 4. Hot Pools, 800ea 5. Cool pools, 600ea 6. Swimming Pool

4800 2400 1200 1200

SAUNA 7. Steam Room 8. Wood Sauna 9. Rock Sauna

800 400 400

VOLUME 10. Cafe 11. Lobby + Check-In 12. Changing + Lockers

6000 3600 1200 1200

SUPPORT 13. Mechanical Rooms (35%) 14. Circulation (15%)

7400 5200 2200

1600

cafe

mechanical

circulation

TOTAL

22200

COLD 4

COOL

ENTRY

COOL

SWIM

STORAGE CHECK-IN

SERVICE RR

CHANGING

DINING KITCHEN

HOT POOL

MEDITATION GARDEN

WARM POOL MEDITATION GARDEN PRIVATE POOLS RUSSIAN SAUNA

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

arrival

Left: Proposed building program for this design project. Right: Spatial relationship diagram of program. hot

cold

FINNISH SAUNA

TURKISH SAUNA

LIGHT 1. Forest 2. Green 3. Sand

2400

800 800 800

POOL 4. Hot Pools, 800ea 5. Cool pools, 600ea 6. Swimming Pool

4800 2400 1200 59 1200

SAUNA 7. Steam Room

800

1600

PROGRAM

SPACIAL RELATIONS

STEAM REFRESH STEAM DRY

COLD

STEAM

SAUNA

REFRESH

POOL DECK

SAUNA

POOL DECK

SAUNA

direct wander

HOT

SAUNA

REFRESH

COLD

gardens

8. Wood Sauna 9. Rock Sauna

400 400

VOLUME 10. Cafe 11. Lobby + Check-In 12. Changing + Lockers

6000 3600 1200 1200

SUPPORT 13. Mechanical Rooms (35%) 14. Circulation (15%)

7400 5200 2200

cafe

mechanical

circulation

TOTAL

COLD

_ ENTRY

HOT

_ CHANGING

22200

HOT HOT

3 7

_ TO BATHS

SWIM

_ COLD POOLS

_ HOT POOLS

REFRESH

CHANGE

_ REFRESH

_ TO SWIM

_ SWIM POOL

_ CAFE

Left: Scale of saunas in space. Right: Plan diagram of program relationships.

4 | CONDITIONS DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

CONTEXT

SITE LOCATION

6th 2nd

4th

CONTEXT

SITE VIEWS

VIEWS FROM TOP OF CISTERN

ENTRY OF SABINE STREET

FROM BIKE TRAILS , LOOKING TOWARDS CISTERN

FROM BIKE TRAILS, LOOKING AWAY FROM CISTERN

SITE

SITE PLAN + BUILDING DIAGRAM

GREEN

TREES SAND VERTICAL GARDENS PROVIDE CONTROLLED LIGHT UNDERGROUND

ENTRY

CHANGE

COM M

UNIT

REFRESH

TIO OLA

SWIM BATHS

SAUNAS

INTERIOR ORDER FLOW BETWEEN EXISTING GRID STRUCTURE

COMMUNITY

ACCESS

THE COMMUNITY PORTION OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDES: BRIDGE A tunnel through the cistern that connects to surrounding bike trails. This allows for any user to experience the space. CAFE A cafe with exterior dining provides views of downtown. This spot could be for an visitors or bathers to refresh after using the space. SWIMMING A more public swimming pool provides space for any user, any age to enjoy swimming in the cistern without the super private, bath experience.

INTERIOR ORDER

linear

serpentine

radial

SITE ORIENTATION

direct through

corner

central

u-shaped

dispersed

HIERARCHY

public

enter

TERRACED WATER LANDSCAPE

pools bath

semi-private private

above

ground below

communal individual

wet dry

open enclosed

direct wander

private entrance from road public entrance and terrace to park

pass through changing then bath then recreational moves from individual to communal

move down to bottom level upon entrance circulation primarily on bottom level

mass sf breakes apart in space forms pools creates winding circualtion lobbies lead through changing a _ no direct path enter on second ﬂoor ﬁrst level for all interior circulation, expcept access to pools maze like between mass walls second level is clear visibilty through space

mass sf breakes apart in space forms pools creates winding circualtion lobbies lead through changing b _ direct path enter through changing on ﬁrst level move up and through series of baths tavel down and relax exit through changing

nodes: lobby, pool, garden

Left: Community program and plan diagram. Right: Site access and circulation studies.

COMMUNITY

FLOOR PLAN AT GRADE + SCENES

TOP OF CISTERN, CAFE DINING BELOW.

BRIDGE THROUGH CISTERN.

ISOLATION

BATH

THE MORE ISOLATED PORTION OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDES: POOLS Three hot “baths” of different temperatures provide an invigorating experience. Three cold pools placed between the saunas and hot baths for refreshing from the heat. SAUNAS Three saunas are provided for different heat experiences: wood, stone, and tile. GARDENS Three light boxes contain different exterior garden experiences: woods, grass, and sand. These spaces are a place to mediate, relax, experience the exterior, and bring light into space.

BATHING is about feeling better after you bathe then you did before. is about the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sensual, subjective, non-utilitarian. alone and individual. is about the subtle needs of the individual. the architecture is discrete and unobtrusive to the atmosphere. acheived through:

CIRCULATION DIAGRAM

INTERIOR ORDER

linear

serpentine

radial

SITE ORIENTATION

direct through

corner

central

u-shaped

dispersed

HIERARCHY

public

enter

pools bath

semi-private private

above

ground below

communal individual

wet dry

open enclosed

direct wander

TERRACED WATER LANDSCAPE

Left: Isolated program and plan diagram of light boxes. Right: Hot to cold relationship studies and plan diagram.

ISOLATION

FLOOR PLAN BELOW GRADE +SCENE

FROM CISTERN, BATHS.

ter

public

above

IMPLEMENTATION

CONTAINER CONCEPT

pools bath

semi-private private

ground below

communal individual

wet dry

open enclosed

LIGHT

open to sky captures light ends circulation access above + below

1. forest

2. green

3. sand

4. hot

5. cold

6. swim

7. steam

8. wood

9. rock

POOL

opens up contains pools access above

SAUNA

opens down traps heat access below

direc wand

ct der

10. cafe

CONTAINER

PLANK

VOLUME

11. entry

12. changing

Diagram of container types throughout space.

IMPLEMENTATION

CONTAINER CONCEPT _ BUILDING SECTIONS

ﬂoodline

0’

48’-6”

40’-0”

20’ - 6”

0’

LIGHT FROM EXTERIOR _ CAFE

LIGHT BOX _ PUBLIC SWIMMING

CISTERN SCALE _ PRIVATE BATH

DARKNESS + FOG _ HOT POOLS

HOT AND COLD _ CIRCULATION BETWEEN SAUNAS

TERRACED POOLS _ HOT BATHS

5 | PRECEDENTS

PRECEDENT

ROMAN BATH

hot room hot bath cold bath washing massage refreshments

MEN

Floor Plan Bathing Level (a) Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance (b) Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance (c) Furnance (x) Latrina, Water closet (g) Covered Portico (h) Stone seating (A) (K) Atrium (B) (H) Apodyterium, dressing room (C) (J) Frigidarium, Cold plunge-bath (D) (G) Tepidarium, Warm Air (E) (F) Caldarium, Hot Air

WOMEN

WHAT Thermae, Roman Bath WHEN 6th Century WHERE Pompeii In taking a Roman bath, the bather induced sweating by gradual exposure to increasing temperatures. For this ritual, all Roman bathhouses contained a series of rooms which got progressively hotter. The bather progressed into the frigidarium (cold room) with its tank of cold water, the tepidarium (warm room), and finally the caldarium (hot room). The caldarium, heated by a brazier underneath the hollow floor, contained cold-water basins which the bather could use for cooling. After taking this series of sweat and/or immersion baths, the bather returned to the cooler tepidarium for a massage with oils. Some baths also contained a laconium (a dry, resting room) where the bather completed the process by resting and sweating. The Romans elevated bathing to a fine art and the architecture of their bathhouses reflected that. The Roman bath, included a far more complex ritual than a simple immersion or massage, it required separated rooms which the Romans built to accommodate those functions. The segregation of the sexes and the additions of diversions not directly related to bathing also had direct impacts on the shape and form of bathhouses.

PRECEDENT

VALS THERMAL BATHS

12.

12. 7.

9. 13.

3. hot room hot bath cold bath washing massage refreshments

11. 10.

Floor Plan Bathing Level (1) Spring Water Drinking Fountains (2) Cold Showers (3) Changing Rooms (4) Gallery Level (5) Processional Stair (6) Indoor Bath 32o C (7) Outdoor Bath 36o C (8) Sound Bath35o C (9) Fire Bath 42o C (10) Cold Bath 14o C (11) Shower Stone (12) Sweat Stone (13) Drinking Stone (14) Flower Bath 33o C

11. 4. 8.

14. 3. 5.

WHO Peter Zumthor WHAT Vals Thermal Baths WHEN 1993 - 1996 WHERE Graubunden, Switzerland The Structure of the baths is half embedded in the hillside topped with a green roof. Constructed of 15 concrete units of various sizes, strategically placed 8 cm apart. These gaps allow strips of natural light to wash down into and around the space. At night it creates the opposite effect and light shines through the water. Only one facade is visible, covered in stone of local quarry with holes punched out. The idea of the is carried inside, creating small intimate spaces in series throughout, allowing individuals to create their own itinerary in the program. The main entrance is though hotel in long corridor underground. The program is built around 2 large pools, one inside and one open to sky. The smaller spaces grouped around the public pools give the baths itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool, dark, tranquil, and mysterious experience. Peter Zumthor design intention was to create a holistic experience inside the space, acknowledging all senses: smell, feel, touch, memory. Time is meant to be suspended while in the baths, to strip and come into world of stone, light, water, and skin.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Stan. “Field Conditions.” Bond, Michael. BBC Article: “How Extreme Isolation Warps the Mind.” De Bonneville, Francoise. The Book of the Bath. Evans, Harry B. Water Distribution in Ancient Rome. Gerhard, Paul. Modern Baths and Bath Houses. Koren, Leonard. Undesigning the Bath. Livingston, Morna. Steps to Water: the ancient stepwells of India. Tanizaki, Junʼichirō. In praise of shadows. Yegul, Fikret. Bathing in the Roman World.

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REFERENCES

Allen, Stan. “Object to Field Revised.” Alvarez, Ricardo. “Urban Voids and the Production Process of the City.” Ardent, Hannah. “On Violence.” Banham, Reyner. Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. Chapman, Betty. Houston History 1856-1899. Cristiaanse, Kees. “The City as a Loft.” Frank, Bernard. “Our Need for Water.” Nefs, Merten. “Unused Urban Space: Conservation or Transformation?” Nystrom, Louise. “Urban Culture and Environmental Sustainability: Improving the urban fabric.” Smyer, Susan. “History of the City of Houston’s Drinking Water Operations.” Wall, Alex. “Programming Urban Surface.”

Other Sources Buffalo Bayou Partnership: www.buffalobayou.org City of Houston: http://www.houstontx.gov/ Houston GIMS: http://www.gims.houstontx.gov/PortalWS/MainPortal.aspx Houston Past: https://houstorian.wordpress.com/ Smart Geometrics: http://portal.smartgeometrics.com/cistern/ Texas Freeways: http://www.texasfreeway.com/houston/historic/photos/houston_historic_photos.shtml

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