spencer lindstrom
970 420 1614 spencer.p.lindstrom@rice.edu [selected works 2009-2011]
contents 2012 spring [in progress]
fall
summer
discrete collectivities [1-8]
wings [9-10]
2011 spring
fall
projective charged division [17-20] redefinitions centric [11-16] intersections [21-22]
2010 spring
fall
2009 spring
grounded. [23-26]
reflections [27-28]
fall
2008 spring
Discrete Collectivities Lockwood Dr. and Lyons Ave., Houston, Texas Multi-linqual Public Library: 25 000 sq. ft. Located in Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood, the island site is essentially a median, separating the directions of traffic on Lockwood drive. Surrounded by busy streets on all four sides, the external character of the site is caustic and uncomfortable. Immediately beyond this set of intersections, however, begin residential neighborhoods in the typical Houston low-density, single-family-home model. The project seeks both to bridge this divide, welcoming the neighborhood in, and to offer shelter from its surroundings. This is achieved through a hard, monolithic exterior, juxtaposed against a highly articulated and open courtyard. A peculiarity of the site is its marker of the division between predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. The median in which the site sits fades away as the two sides of the street re-unite on either side of the highway, situating the site as a thickening of this dividing line: a central no-man’s-land that demands equal openness to both sides, and the opportunity to pass completely across it. The project attempts to situate itself as a social condenser, blurring and distorting the dividing line within its boundary, which in turn allows it to act as a kind of threshold or bridge, encouraging connectivity between the neighborhoods. The public library gains its character from the need to house a variety of disparate programs and characteristics: English and Spanish, open and closed, individual and collective, quiet and loud, quick and slow, new and old. Its ability to span these dualities is impressive, but delicate; it must both allow these individual components their autonomy, and unify them into a cohesive whole. The project explores this relationship between part and whole formally, organizationally, and experientially. The introduction of stacked, shaped voids into a monolithic block simultaneously separate it into a series of pavilions, and unify the disparate program elements, allowing it to oscillate between readings. These programs, then, are organized into “loud” and “quiet” groups, connected through a spiraling interior path and a more exposed exterior path. This allows users the autonomy to define their experience with great specificity, while also, through the juxtaposition of adjacent programs, mixing different user groups together. Experientially, the project attempts to achieve a sense of prospect and refuge through the visual effects and organization of the books. Their warmth and weight offer protection from the outside, and help to define, through the variable height of the stacks, the collectivity or individuality of each pavilion. With English books around the exterior wall, and Spanish books along the interior wall, each pavilion contains books of a single subject in both languages, further binding the residents of the two neighborhoods.
Fall 2011
discrete collectivities
centripetal centripetal
1
centrifugal centrifugal
above: the monolith: top: exterior rendering indicating caustic conditons of site. left: site plan showing views of downtown and connection to transportation systems. local permeability
downtown
regional connections
opposite: the concept: top: books as container, rather than contained. bottom: elevational effects and centripetal (collective) vs. centrifugal (individual) voids. 2
individual collective individual collective
english spanish
above: organization: left: introduction of voids to solid and separation of languages on interior/exterior. middle: loud (dark grey) and quiet (light grey) program spaces and circulation paths. right: exploded axonometric showing interior spatial organization. left: axonometric of shear wall (exterior) and vierendeel truss (interior) structural systems, indicating stacked truss condition and web distribution. opposite: conceptual and architectural models: conceptural [top]: 1/16” = 1’-0” conceptual model demonstrating organization of media (orange plexiglass), furniture deployement (yellow), and structure (basswood). architectural [bottom]: 1/16” = 1’-0” model showing stone fin cladding and envelope system; basswood, museum board, and acrylic. 4
UP
DN
UP
DN
UP
cafe
reference
DN
staff
UP
fiction
DN
DN
DN
mediatheque study room two
classroom
DN
UP
UP
DN
5
above: elevation: top: east elevation, demonstrating flash of transparency from either highway. middle: longitudinal section from east, indicating interlinking of pavilions and circulation spiral through “quiet” programs and sectional relationship to surrounding context. above: the individual: top: interior rendering of non-fiction area - “quiet” and centrifugal - on second floor. middle: third (centrifugal) and fourth (centripetal) floor plans, respectively. 6
above: the collective: interior rendering of building courtyard and “loud� program path. below: plan sketches investigating the collective or individuating character of different organizations opposite: inside and out: section perspective from south, tracing various pavilion envelope conditions.
8
wings
summer 2011 freelance
Concept for Learning Center The Wings program is a small non-profit in Loveland, Colorado, that provides daily care, life-skills education, and a social outlet to individuals with developmental and other disabilities. At the behest of the client, the project focuses on the development of a safe community atmosphere, employing a central collective space of informal and flexible programs, bordered by more discrete program blocks housing a public art gallery, kitchen, greenhouse, workshop, picnic area, and administrative and service areas. A centrally-focused scheme attempts to mediate between inclusivity and exclusivity, to encourage positive interaction between clients and the general public, demonstrating the extraordinary talents and skills of the clients, but maintaining a focus on their needs and privacy. The project also seeks to enhance the program’s current habit of engaging in “field trips,� incorporating outdoor space as both more controlled, on-site areas for focused learning, and a close relationship with the surrounding environment, allowing for more extended trips off-site. 9
10
Projective Redefinitions Rodaille, Haiti Demonstration Farm Prototype for ASCA Haiti Ideas Challenge 2011 With: Erin Hubl, Allison Sawyer In order to address the severe and long-term ecological (pollution of watersheds, deforestation, erosion, etc.) and social (housing and food shortages, poverty, etc.) issues presently facing the nation of Haiti, we propose a hillside cultivation and demonstrative housing prototype to encourage sustainable development. Much of the Haitian landscape consists of steep, volatile slopes, aggravated by deforestation, heavy rainfall and seismic activity. At present, many such slopes are under-utilized, providing neither shelter nor natural resources, but with careful intervention, they can begin to satisfy Haiti’s need for space for housing and agriculture. At the core of the proposal is the desire to allow for the redefinition of the Haitian relationship with nature. At present, the relationship is a largely unsustainable, parasitic and exploitative one. Although this condition exists out of necessity (wood is needed for fuel, etc.), the future of Haiti depends on a reversal of these destructive trends. Nor, however, does present circumstance allow for the veneration and complete preservation of the native wilderness; instead, the hope is that this relationship might settle somewhere between, allowing for a peaceful coexistence whereby each party benefits from the other. Trees can be cultivated for their marketable products and, grown sustainably, can begin to reforest Haiti. Haitians can help Haiti, and vice versa. In order to achieve this redefinition, the proposal exists at the intersection of man and nature. This manifests itself in the proposal in two ways: the tangible and the intangible. Tangibly, the proposal is demonstrative in all aspects of the design, emphasizing climatic passivity through thinness, solar shading, and ventilation. Each module incorporates a rainwater catch and solar panels, and is open on two sides to catch the breezes moving up and down the slope. In a literal way, the shelter of each module is formed by an intersection of a band of corrugated galvanized steel roofing (man-made) with one of wooden slats (nature), supported by a concrete foundation (earth). By leading by example, the proposal shows how sustainable practices can be powerful and comfortable. In “intangible� terms, the proposal connects the user with nature through openness, with a garden and aesthetic and fragrant shade tree in what amounts to the living room. A central axis is established by the circulation between modules, allowing room to look, breathe, and think; a clear view up and down slope, unbroken by trees. Beyond the literal benefits of a peaceful co-habitation with nature, the proposal attempts to establish room for the intangible benefits, the satisfaction of biophilia through the return of local plants and, in turn, animals; the colors, sounds, smells and textures of Haiti that cannot be allowed to disappear.
projective redefinitions
spring 2011
11
t
section c. 1cm = 1m.
steel storm shutters.
operable doors provide severe weather protection.
above: haitian landscape: top: digitally edited model photograph; basswood, ecoMDF, and chipboard, indicaing potential for view as a vehicle for reflection. left: intersecting bands of man and nature. opposite: view up slope from below civic center, through central social space.
open.
12
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site and floor plan. 6 cm = 10 m.
hillside cultivation prototype. 13 ...promoting sustainable cultivation of slopes...reexamining the haitian relationship with the landscape...by intersecting man and nature.
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bands of man meet bands of nature.
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zing the paw-paw tree.
pull. pull. performative design.
rainwater catch, pull. photovoltaic system, solar shading, passive ventilation.
materiality.
intersection of man made and natural materials addressing the haitian vernacular and local availability.
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bands of man meet bands of nature.
wooden wooden slats. slats.
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ntain.pineapple.banjemann.
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intersection of man made and natural materials addressing the haitian vernacular and local availability.
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wooden slats.
above: construction logic:
operable panels provide severe weather protection. woodenwith slats. left: detail section of structural and envelope systems. replaceable wood growntop on-site. operable panels provide severe weather protection. right: solar shading, active solar, passive cooling, and rain replaceable with wood growntop on-site. left: conversion from open to closed for additional shelter. open. open. open.
catch systems.
right: material concept; corrugated steel, concrete, and hardwood slats. left: section through classroom.
opposite: top: west elevation. pull. middle: combined site/floor plan. left: project siting in relation to the town of rodaille and project logo. pull.section a. 1cm = 1m.
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programatic and organizational concepts:
above: top: west project section through garden-classroom and apartments. performative design. integration. ‘one tree’ latrine system. bottom: program and planting diagram indicating private/public photovoltaic utilizing the paw-paw tree.right: perspectiverainwater of typicalcatch, apartment, lookingsystem, into courtyard. solar shading, passive ventilation. opposite: hillside life: model view across slope from east, along path.
15
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section a.
1cm = 1m.
‘one tr utilizing
studio 4
16
Charged Division: 16th and Market, Denver, Colorado Multiuse Bus Terminal: 15 000 sq. ft. The project began with a thorough team investigation of the existing Market Street Station site and surrounding blocks, including the 16th street pedestrian mall and LoDo, mapping the site and defining the program elements. Design was then undertaken through program manipulation. A series of study models investigated the multitude of ways in which the programmatic elements could be divided and arranged in response to the site and the needs of the users. The final strategy divided the users and programs into two groups: the regional commuters (including the RTD employees, such as bus drivers) and the public/local commuters (including bike-commuters and users of the 16th street MallRide). Because these two groups sometimes overlap, but require radically different programs, it was decided that the blocks should be pulled apart, separated by a thin void. Manipulation of this void allows it to become a light well, housing the vertical circulation elements, and separating inside from out. The surface of this void was conceived of as a screen, which would express and visually charge the gap between the two groups, yet also double-up or thicken to “swallow” service elements or provide a seating platform. As a final design step, a series of investigations were made into the screening pattern to explore permeability at the human scale, function as a seating surface, the control of light, and visual interest. With the understanding that it also functions as a mullioning system for transparent, translucent, or opaque elements, this screen also defines enclosure. A bar-code-like pattern was chosen for its suitability regarding the above concerns and for the cinematic sense of movement it provided.
charged division fall 2010
public/local commuters: mallride users bike commuters park users regional commuters: rtd riders rtd employees
public/ local commuters vs. regional commuters 17
separate to prevent separation results in groups threshold between two groups conflict while maintaining adjacency
void is articulated to control enclosure edges of voidallow extend circulation site andinto housesite service elements articulate voidlight, to circulation, control and light, void to into extend
circulation, and enclosure
and “swallow” service elements
broadway court pl.
california st.
curtis st.
larimer st. market st.
weekday lu
wazee st.
weekday n
weekend lunch
weekday night
weekday lunch
16th st.
weekend lu
N
site-research diagrams (with team member erin hubl) and initial sketches: top left: pedestrian counts and location varied by time. top right: pedestrian and traffic counts and location, weekday lunch hour. bottom left: morphological tests of surface thickening operations and program manipulations. bottom right: population density and local transportation networks linked to the site. left: existing infrastructure on site. opposite: axonometric morphology diagram sequence. top center: interior perspective of cafe. 18
screen function diagram
section b 1” = 4’-0”
19
above: working model, 1/16”=1’0”; chipboard, foamcore, and drywall screen: top: view from roof of adjacent building to south-east. left: aerial view including surrounding individual site model. opposite: digital renderings: top: ground floor plan. middle: south section through void. bottom: screen investigations of permeability at human scale, potential for seating. 20
fall 2010
centric intersections top: a “layered” project exploring additive use of wood and the principle of the cantilever. middle: a “joined” project utilizing subtractive wood joinery to further the expression of structure. above: detail models: top: pine, plywood, 1/2” steel bolts and washers. 6” = 1’-0” middle: douglas fir, pine, birch dowels. 8” = 1’-0” opposite: ink on strathmore hand drawings: left: pavilion plan and section. middle: joint detail isonometric. right: exploded joint detail.
21
opposite, below: pavilion models of overall structure. basswood and cardboard. 1/4” = 1’-0”
22
Grounded: Broadway and Arapahoe, Boulder, Colorado Urban Demonstration Farm and accompanying Learning Center: 3000 sq. ft. Because of the delicate balance required of a farm raising crops and rotating stock throughout the Colorado growing season, in-depth site research was conducted, documenting wind and solar forces, as well as connections to pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular paths. Adjacent properties and uses, including the Boulder public library immediately to the West, were also investigated. This information was synthesized into a site plan for the farm element. In order to connect users across the site and allow users exposure to the farm, existing paths across Boulder Creek were connected to the sidewalks on Arapahoe and Broadway with new paths of varying widths. Crops were selected to provide complimentary soil nutrients and growth year-round, with winter cover-crops being used for feed and bedding for stock. The site was then organized according to prevailing wind direction and crop height, allowing taller crops to shelter others from wind, yet allow each crop its preferred level of sun. The on-site learning center was to include an auditorium, office spaces, and a small research library. In order to immerse the user fully in the experience of the farm, each of these blocks was paired with an isolated experience of the site: the ground, the sky, and the connection between the two. The office spaces and entry were sunken into the ground, placing the user at eye level with the earth. Users were directed to the ground-level ribbon windows by a heavy plane above, pushing them outwards, and translucent panels on the perimeter, pulling them outwards. The library was lifted to the sky, with clerestory windows and a translucent ceiling both providing ideal reading light and drawing the user’s attention upwards. In the auditorium, north-facing translucent panes provide gentle light and connect the user to the time of day while still allowing for slide-shows and the like; by isolating the users from both experiences, it was hoped to provide them with a space to connect to them intellectually. The learning experience is then completed outside, in the farm itself, where several columns placed at soap-box height allow a presenter to engage an audience outdoors. In order to achieve the sectional changes, both structurally and visually, the volumes were punctured by a grid of columns, which had “grown” to varying heights, embedding in the project an expression of the power of natural forces. This field of columns was then “faded” into the site, providing cues as to the start and end of established paths, but also drawing users into the fields and anchoring the project firmly within the site plan.
fall 2009
N
grounded.
sky
connection
23
ground
site plan: ink on mylar hand drawing with topography drawn in non-photo-blue pencil. opposite, middle: roof plan: ink and marker on mylar. below: organizational diagrams: left: experiential concept. middle: three-year crop rotation. right: response to sun and prevailing winds. 24
ink on mylar hand drawings, top to bottom: plan, longitudinal section from east, longitudinal section from west. transverse section through lobby and library. opposite: final model, 1/8”=1’-0”; basswood, vellum, and spray-paint. top: aerial view from south-west. below: aerial view from north-west [left] and elevational view from west [right]. 26
reflections
spring 2009
frank lloyd wright’s fallingwater: rendered elevation (left) and section (right); graphite on strathmore.
27