ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSIONS: THE LANGUAGE OF PUBLIC SPACE
Taylor Proctor _Master of Architecture with Emphasis in Interior Architecture_Spring 2021
Architectural Expressions: The Language of Public Space A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago by Taylor Proctor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER of ARCHITECTURE w/Emphasis in Interior Architecture May 15, 2021 May 2021
THESIS ADVISORS
Linda Keane, Andres Hernandez, Andrew Schachman, Carl Ray Miller, Tristian Sterk, Charles Pipal
Table of C
6
Introduction
10
Reimagining Public Space Manifesto
12
Reimagining Public Space Scenarios
18
Meaning of Public Space
24
Meaning of Interior Public Space
34
Psychological Architecture
44
Sociological Architecture
54
Physiological Architecture
64
Deconstruct
84
Reimagine
88
Reconstruct
108
A New Typology
134
Bibliography
Contents
Architectural Expressions: The Language of Public Space Due to investment restructuring in many
The evolution of public space along
Architecture influences the culture of a
American cities over the last 50 years,
with the rapid development of cities
city by shaping and revealing its values
there has been a loss of truly public
has left a series of underused spaces
through tangible design. The individual
spaces and the cultural uses they provide.
that have the potential to restitch the
architectural elements, the forms, and
Open public spaces are transitioning
urban fabric and create spaces for
gestures of space provide psychological
into privately owned semi-public spaces
community engagement. This
and sociological cues that manifest
that are visibly public in capacity
transition of publicly owned public
the everyday culture of a society
but not in ownership or accessibility.
space to privately owned public space
The symbiotic relationship between
As municipalities sell and transition
often comes with the transition of
architecture and society informs spaces,
ownership to private companies, public
exterior public space to interior public
events, and interactions that are either
space becomes more of a business
space. Unfortunately, these interior
positive, negative, or indifferent to the
exhibiting the interest of the owner/
public spaces lack the necessary
growth of a city’s culture. For instance,
developer and their clientele and less of a
cultural and physical qualities to
the city of Chicago has an extensive
space that serves the community at large
produce thriving public spaces that
public landscape that comes to life in
where people are provided with places to
connect and create a sense of belonging
a variety of ways throughout the year
exercise their human rights. Oftentimes
amongst surrounding communities.
attracting people from all walks of
this leaves spaces that cater to the
Important to the livelihood and
life. However, the city is also referred
minority upper class and foster a sense
culture of a city, public space is
to as one of the most segregated
of exclusivity instead of inclusivity. This
meant to act as a cultural hub for
cities in America. Where does this
notion feeds into the realities of racism
community members, creating spaces
disconnect lie? Developments that
and discrimination that have plagued
for celebration, social and economic
intend to provide valuable or positive
American cities for years. Properly
exchange, meeting places, and space
spaces are in fact indifferent to the
designed public space can bring a city
for different cultures to come together.
actual growth of Chicago culture. The
together fostering a sense of belonging
Because of these qualities, public
research highlighted in Architectural
and creating moments for people to come
spaces are an essential part of a city’s
Expressions: The Language of Public
together aiding the need to desegregate
identity. It speaks to the values of the
Space analyzes the current public
American cities.
city and its people.
landscape and the human behavioral patterns resulting from that landscape.
How can we learn from
How does architecture relate to a
In an effort to aid designers, developers,
existing public spaces to activate
city’s identity?
architects, and municipalities to be
stronger interior public spaces that
more aware of their designs and teach
encourage social interaction and
them how to cultivate richer interior
fabricate a stronger relationship
public spaces this project looks to
between exterior and interior public
decrypt the language of the city.
spaces to create a more fluid and inclusive urban fabric?
ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSIO NS : THE LANGUAGE OF PUBLIC SPAC E
“The question of wha want cannot be divor what kind of social tie to nature, lifestyles, t aesthetic values we d - David Har
at kind of city we rced from that of es, relationship technologies and desire.” rvey “The Right to the City”
REIMAGINING
MANIFESTO This is a call to reimagine the public realm and to reestablish the meaning of public space.
What is the cu value, or lack t in public space what is the val reimagining w means to be a space? To hav multiple scale public life pro for the needs o many and not the entitled few Multiplicitous nondiscrimina is free, and it i provides both and social con It nurtures, it cultivates, it cr community. It stage where lif out and where of life is played
How does the quality of life improve with access to public space? If the Urban landscape is our classroom, what does it teach us? Through our experience we manifest and craft the ideas of what community is and what it means. It sustains us.
urrent thereof e and lue of what it public ve es of ovide of just w. s space is atory; it is fair. It physical nnections.
reates t is the fe is acted e the game d.
Public Space is our right It is not bias It is free It is flexible It provides opportunity. It is indifferent.
MORPH (FORM) There is freedom in flexible form. A freedom that fosters fellowship. A freedom that creates familiarity. A freedom void of social conformity. There is freedom in form. Form that is vivacious. Form that is fluid. Form that is extant. Form that is indiscriminate. Form that is universal. Form that is friendly. There is a form of freedom.
CHUTES AND LADDERS (ACCESS) I miss the buildings I’ve never been, the places I cannot reach, and the souls I do not meet. The experiences I cannot have, the views I cannot see, and the city ever so sweet seemingly created for the elite. Existing on the edge, pushed into the street. My isolated city a place full of many. You are obsolete.
NOLLI (TRANSPARENCY) Was this your vision? Is this your dream? A monotonous city in which we seem, to move through blind isolated from other being. I’m not surprised that you cannot imagine how life should be, because we cannot be what we cannot see. Shaped by forces that are external from me, ones that I cannot see. Searching for the soul of our city, longing for the playful fluttering of activity. Puppeteered is our identity. So, who are we?
“The city throughout mankind has been th people. Much of the c has happened in the p space is a very impor good and well functio
t the history of he meeting place for culture of mankind public space. Public rtant aspect of a oning city.” - Jan Gehl
“A public space refers to an area or place that is open and accessible to all peoples, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level.” -United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organizations
“Public space has histo “Public space has histori as "open space", meani “Public space has histori asand "open space", meanin recreation areas, “Public space has histop as "open space", meanin and areas, pla owned and managed o as recreation "open space", mean and recreation areas, pl owned managed out opposed to the private and and recreation areas owned and managed out opposed toowned the private do work.” publicly and ma opposed to the private do work.” -as Stéphane opposedTonnelat to the priva -work.” Stéphane Tonnelat and work.” - Stéphane Tonnelat - Stéphane Tonnelat
“A public place is generally an indoor or outdoor area, whether privately or publicly owned, to which the public have access by right or by invitation, expressed or implied, whether by payment of money or not, but not a place when used exclusively by one or more individuals for a private gathering or other personal purpose.” - US Legal
orically been described ically described ing thebeen streets, parks ically been described ng the streets, parks plazas and other publicly orically been described ng the streets, parks azas the and other publicly outdoor spaces, asparks ning streets, lazas and other tdoor spaces, aspublicly domain of housing and s, plazas and other tdoor spaces, asspaces, omain of housing and anaged outdoor omain of housing and ate domain of housing
It is where social interaction and perception, urban recreation, and the sensory experience of city life take place. Life between buildings looks at the entire spectrum of human activities in public space. - Jan Gehl, “Life Between Buildings”
“The definition of "public space", which has traditionally meant streets, squares, and parks in urban context, is a topic of lively debate. We use the term "public domain" and define it as all places that are perceived as public— streets, squares, parks, as well as privately managed collective spaces that still function as public space.” - Jie-Eun Hwang and Kimberle Koile
Public Space “We tend to think of public space as having certain essential and obvious characteristics. We believe it is publicly owned, the opposite of private space. We believe it is open and accessible to everyone, where no one can be turned away. We imagine it as the setting for important civic events, where large groups of people come to celebrate, protest, and mourn. We see it as somehow part of democratic life—a place for speaking out and being heard.”
PLAZA
- Kristine F. Miller
PARK
COURTYARD
Michigan Ave
Wabash Ave
BOULEVARD State St
State St
Wabash Ave
Michigan Ave Michigan Ave
Rush st
Wabash Ave
State St
LaSalle St
Michigan Ave
State St
LaSalle St
St
LaSalle St
State St
LaSalle St
State St
LaSalle St
PATIO
LaSalle St
Rush
Wacker Dr
SIDEWALKS
Wacker Dr
Wacker Dr
Interior Public Space Interior public spaces are places open and accessible by right to all people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level that provide space for social interaction and perception, urban recreation, and the sensory experience of city life. It is situated with in the core inner parts of the city, remote from the edges, and a more intimate representation of the local values and relations of a city.
BALCONY
LOBBY
INTERIOR GARDEN
FOOD HALL
INTERIOR PLAY SPACE
PEDWAY
Case Study: Interior Garden Green Heart Marina One Marina Bay, Singapore 2017 One of the first developments of its type integrating soft landscape into the fabric of the building, Marina One is a new high-rise mixed-use development comprise of two 34-story residential towers and two 30-story commercial towers in Singapore combining a lush public garden with waterfalls, reflecting pools, rooftop gardens, and a cloud garden designed by landscape architect firm Gustafson Porter. Marina One’s public vertical garden, called the Green Heart, is situated between the four towers. Rising from the Green Heart are the Strata Terraces, Cloud Garden, Green Screens, and Rooftop Gardens, which are meant to suggest the changing environments that a person would encounter when climbing a mountain. With the preconception that the climate in Singapore is often too hot and humid to make active use of outdoor space the architect looked to break down the barriers between air-conditioned interior space and exterior shaded space in order to create spaces to dwell that mimic the outdoor environment, softened by plants, with a light breeze and the sound of moving water.
Case Study: Balcony PARKROYAL on Pickering Singapore 2013
Case Study: Interior Playground Swarovski Kristallwelten, Crystal World Wattens, Austria, 2015
With the goal of the Swarovski Kristallwelten expansion being appealing to all visitors with a particular focus on children a new building typology has emerged in this project. Situated in the south end of the garden, the 20 meter tall play tower is open to the public and is comprised of four different vertically arranged levels fostering a wide range of playing experiences and creating an innovative experience of space. Here children can explore and play, and amongst other things, children can climb freely on a one-of-a-kind climbing net to the highest point at 45 feet. This area, for children of any age, is complimented by an innovative playground landscape under the open skies. A free-form topography of steel and wood offers children an infinite number of ways to play. Not only is it possible to enjoy well-known kinds of activities, but children additionally have the opportunity to discover new games and forms of movement.
The PARKROYAL on Pickering is a commercial development in Singapore designed by prominent Asian architecture firm WOHA. Proposing that commercial architecture must respond to the city as its civic duty… as public architecture the hotel (the buildings main program) performs unambiguously as a public building. Pickering is a very public and very Singaporean hotel. The scale of the architecture responds to the intricacies of the city: the height of the ubiquitous tree canopies, the size and orientation of the adjoining tower blocks, and the proportions of the historic streetscapes. Occupying a long and narrow site on the western edge of the central business district, between Hong Lim Park and the HDB apartment blocks of Chinatown overlooking the historic shop house district between the park and the Singapore River, The development serves as a link, and axis point between the two distinct districts responding to many separate and disparate environments and providing many public connections between zones. Because the building is extremely visible from and across the parkland to the north the architects had the opportunity to make a grand (and green) urban gesture. The massive curvaceous sky-gardens are draped with tropical plants and supporting swathes of frangipani. Palm trees, are cantilevered at every fourth level between the blocks of guest rooms and greenery flourishes throughout the entire complex with the trees and gardens of the hotel appearing to merge with those of the adjoining park as one continuous sweep of urban parkland.
Case Study: Lobby Monadnock Building Chicago, IL 1891
Designed by Burnham & Root and Holabird & Roche, at 16 stories high the Monadnock Building was the tallest commercial structure in the world in 1891. Known for representing a big moment in architecture and engineering the Monadnock Building shows the transition from bearing wall construction to steel frame construction. Beside the buildings structural significance the Monadnock represents the art deco architectural style and continues to preserve the style in its most authentic form. Because of this the Monadnock Building Lobby has become a frequented space in the community stretching the entire block. Providing a similar experience to city sidewalk the lobby is open to the public and contains a few retail shops, including an old-fashioned barber shop, restaurants, a bar and an Intelligentsia Cafe on the ground floor.
Case Study: Underground Walkway Toronto PATHS
Toronto, Canada 1900
Case Study: Food Hall Revival Food Hall Chicago, IL 2016 Located on the ground floor of the National Building, a restoration of the historic 20-story Daniel Burnham-designed Commercial National Bank Building, Revival Food Hall put a modern spin on the ubiquitous food court. The name “Revival” is a nod to Daniel Burnham’s preferred Classical-Revival architectural style and is seen throughout the interior of the food hall which is finished in a range of eclectic materials and layouts. The 24,000-square-foot marketplace gives stall space to restaurants from around Chicago’s neighborhoods bringing together 15 fastcasual local food stalls for downtown office workers spotlighting the best of Chicago’s acclaimed culinary scene under one roof.
When the first underground path in Toronto was created in 1900 to join the T Eaton Co. main store at 178 Yonge St. and its bargain annex by tunnels it sparked a movement of creating a underground city network in Toronto’s downtown area. By 1917 there were five tunnels in the downtown core. Taking on the name “PATH” real growth on this underground connection began in the 1970’s and spiraled into the walkway thousands of Toronto natives and tourist take today. The PATH is a mostly underground pedestrian walkway network in downtown Toronto spanning more than 30 kilometers of restaurants, shopping, services and entertainment. The walkway facilitates pedestrian linkages to public transit, accommodating more than 200,000 business-day commuters as well as tourists and residents. More than 75 buildings are connected to the PATH. Six subway stations, three major department stores, nine hotels, and Toronto’s busiest transit hub – Union Station – are accessible through the PATH. The PATH provides links to some of Toronto’s most popular tourist and entertainment attractions, as well as City Hall and Metro Hall. Each segment of the walkway system is owned and controlled by the owner of the property through which it runs. With about 35 corporations involved th PATH provides an important contribution to the economic viability of the city’s downtown core. With 3.7 million square feet of retail space, and 1,200 restaurants, shops and services generating roughly $1.7 billion in sales annually, an estimated 4,600 jobs, and approximately $271 million in federal, provincial, and municipal tax revenue annually.
Entertainment Ritual.
Quantity
Libraries.
Morphology.
Allies.
Placemaking.
Plazas.
Inspiration. Interior Urbanism
Inclusion. Paths.
Leisure.
Varity.
Sociology.
Inter
Public Activity
Interior Space.
Scale.
Self Expression. Safe Place
Court Yards.
Parks. Pedways.
Human ExperienceNature.
Accessability
Human Centered
Frequency.
Standard
Nolli Map.
Maintenance.
Public Space.
Future City
Ownership
Urban Fabric.
Networking.
Comfort.
Ampitheater
Malls.
Circulation.
Ergonomics.
Physology
City Life.
Intimacy.
Meaning of Public Space.
Support
Exterior Space
Sense of Belonging. Flexability.
Communication.
Conv
Play Spaces
Boulevards. Waterfront.
Community.
Lobbies. Morphology.
Quality.
r.
Sidewalks. Pedways.
d Design.
Exsposure.
Location.
Aesthetic.
Balconies.
Urban
Typology.
Porosity.
e.
Relationships.
Economics.
Neighborhoods.
Social Interaction.
rior Public Space.
Public.
Streets. Markets.
Open Space. Sustainability.
Retreat. Evolution. Safety.
Plastic Space.
Gardens.
Social Identity. Freedom.
Privately Owned Public Space. Fluidity Civil Rights.
Time.
Urban Connection.
Access to Transportation.
vience.
.
Ecology.
Cultural Expression.
Options.
Use.
Public Health.
Private.
Human Rights. Light
Community Assets. Public Interest.
Configuration.
Concept Diagram The triangulation of these three major aspects( Physical, Psychological, and Sociological) contribute to the success of interior public space. All three of these aspects are interdependent and feed in to the creation of desirable public spaces with in the city The synomorphy of the physical architecture of a space and the public perception of the space factor in to its overall success.
Sociological Frequency of Use Location and Availability Type of Activities Social Interaction People have a right to Public Spaces Space that Provides Opportunity (Choice)
Physical Typology Accesabilty The Morphological Organization. The Configuration of the Space. Physical Features Designed for Human Comfort Ownership and Maintenance Public Health and Ventilation. Plastic Space
Interior Public Space
Psychological Sense of Belonging Sense of Community Inclusive Space Sense of Freedom Comfort Saftey
Psycholo gic al logical cio So
Phy si
l ca
Physical ological ych Ps
Soc io
ical log
Sociolog ica l al ysic Ph
Psy ch
gical olo
Sociolog ica l ological ych Ps Phy si
l ca
The physical aspects of a space influence the psychological perception of that space defining the sociological success of the public space. Successful public space has a specific set of physical qualities that help foster positive psychological and sociological interactions.
Psycho
lo
o
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“I believe that public intentional: it should belong.”
c space should be d be obvious that you
- Janet Echelman
Human Behavior The environment has a great effect on human behavior and the human experience. It affects and changes people as they affect and change the environment. As stated in Demos Seen & Heard November 2007 edition,
85% of the people polled stated that the quality of public space has a direct impact upon their lives and how they feel. Adults spend approximately 80-90% of their time indoors and the space, form, lighting, colors, acoustics, and aesthetics play a big role on the psychology of each individual. The design of each space communicates a specific language that determines the mood and behavior of the users within the space. Understanding this relationship between architecture and psychology is important because overtime the environment that a person is in starts to shape the personality of the individual.
Through studying human behavior architects and designer can gain further insight into what people are attracted to in public space and what common elements are found in public spaces that are considered successful. Two psychological qualities attributed to the success of a space is comfort and familiarity. Creating spaces that are similar to any previous ambiance that we are well acquainted with enhances the feelings of comfort in space and plays an important role in the frequency of use and success of a space. But how do we create space that is familiar and comfortable to a wide variety of people?
Flexibility, in the implementation of psychological architecture it is important to meet and explore everyone’s psychological desires because whether we like a place or not depends on how we perceive its design elements.
When designing public space, it is important to study the user to create a space that aims to serve its community. Roger Barker’s creation of ecological psychology breaks from traditional psychological research and focuses on describing the patterns of behavior in relationship to their physical setting. This research is a crucial aspect in environmental and urban design and supports the theory that the physical architecture of a space directly effects the user’s sense of comfort and belonging which in term effects the frequency of use and overall success of a public space. Ecological psychology provides the concept of “behavior setting” which similar to “activity space” (discrete units of behaviorenvironment relationship for architectural design) is a stable combination of activity and place. The behavior setting consist of: • a recurrent activity- a standing pattern of behavior • a particular layout of the environment- the milieu • a congruent relationship between the two – a synomorphy •
a specific time period
Activity Space/ Behavioral Setting can be referred to in terms of activity systems that are composed behavior circuits. Behavior Circuits are a zone that have a specific purpose and are differentiated from each other by specific actions.
Behavior settings have internal organizations. That is often accompanied by the internal organization of the milieu. Milieu- the Physical setting in which a standing pattern of behavior occurs.
Behavior Setting Boundary is where the behavior stops. Often a wall, Boundary problems arise when there is to much separation or not enough separation between activities.
The area occupied by the controlling person is called the Performance Space. Different individuals or groups have separate roles that occupy different parts of the behavior setting.
Human Behavior In studying the public behavior of how people use public space we learn which variation of public configurations are more desirable and supportive of human social interactions. The study of human behavior also exposes the patterns of socialization and which spatial configurations create feelings of comfort. As an update on William H Whyte’s pioneering 1980’s work, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. SWA Group published The Field Guide to Urban Plazas studying the public behavior of human beings in New York City here are some of their findings.
Human Behavior “A building was once an opportunity to improve the human condition, now its conceived as and opportunity to express the human condition.” - Stan Allen Architecture has the capacity to transform reality. In Stan Allen’s, Points + Lines he talks about how current architecture has moved toward a representational quality an away from an instrumental quality giving up on its ability to imagine, propose, or construct alternate realities. Architecture that takes on meaning and image lacks the ability to influence or enhance reality, it merely displaces or mimics it. Allen introduces seven propositions for how architecture can be used as an infrastructural urbanism to create beyond stylistic and formal social issue.
3. Infrastructural work recognizes the collective nature of the city and allows for the participation of multiple authors. Infrastructures give direction to future work in the city not by the establishment of rules or codes (top-down), but by fixing points of service, access, and structure (bottom-up). Infrastructure creates a directed field where different architects and designers can contribute, but it sets technical and instrumental limits to their work. Infrastructure itself works strategically, but it encourages tactical improvisation. Infrastructural work moves away from self referentiality and individual expression toward collective enunciation.
4. Infrastructures accommodate local
1. Infrastructure works not so much to propose
contingency while maintaining overall continuity. In design of highways, bridges, canals, or aqueducts, for example, an extensive catalog of strategies exists to accommodate irregularities in the terrain (doglegs, viaducts, cloverleaves, switchbacks etc.), which are creatively employed to accommodate existing conditions while maintaining functional continuity. Nevertheless, infrastructure’s default condition is regularity- in the desert, the highway runs straight. Infrastructures are above all pragmatic. Because it operates instrumentally, infrastructural design is indifferent to formal debates. Invested neither in (ideal) regularity nor in (disjunctive) irregularity, the designer is free to employ whatever works given any particular condition.
2. Infrastructures are flexible and anticipatory. They work with time and are open to change. By specifying what must be fixed and what is subject to change, they can be precise and indeterminate at the same time. They work through management and cultivation, changing slowly to adjust to shifting conditions. They do not progress toward a predetermined state (as with master planning strategies) but are always evolving within a loose envelope of constraints.
5. Although static in and of themselves, infrastructures organize and manage complex systems of flow, movement, and exchange. Not only do they provide a network of pathways, they also work through systems of locks, gates, and valves- a series of checks that control and regulate flow. It is therefore a mistake to think that infrastructures can in a utopian way enable new freedoms, that there is a possibility of a net gain through new networks.
specific buildings on given sites, but to construct the site itself. Infrastructure prepares the ground for future building and creates the conditions for future events. Its primary modes of operation are the division, allocation, and construction of surfaces; the provision of services to support future programs: and the establishment of networks for movement, communication, and exchange. Infrastructure’s medium is geography.
What seems crucial is the degree of play designed into the system, slots left unoccupied, space left free for unanticipated development. This also opens the question of the formal description of infrastructural systems: infrastructures tend to be hierarchical and tree-like. However, there are effects of scale (a capillary effect when the elements get very numerous and very small) and effects of synergy (when systems overlap and interchange), both of which tend to produce field conditions that disrupt the overall tendency of infrastructural systems to organize themselves in linear fashion.
6. Infrastructural systems work like artificial ecologies. They manage the flows of energy and resources on a site, and they direct the density and distribution of a habitat. They create the conditions necessary to respond to incremental adjustments in resource availability, and modify the status of inhabitation in response to changing environmental conditions. 7. Infrastructures allow detailed design of typical elements or repetitive structures, facilitating an architectural approach to urbanism. Instead of moving always down in scale from the general to the specific, infrastructural design begins with precise delineation of specific architectural elements with specific limits. Unlike other models (planning codes or typological norms for example) that tend to schematize and regulate architectural form and work by prohibition, the limits to architectural design in infrastructural complexes are technical and instrumental. In infrastructural urbanism, form matters, but more for what it can do than for what it looks like.
How can the architecture of space open new possibilites for more desirble social interactions and experiences?
Bench with no back
Bench with back
Elements that optimize opportunity Environmental Possibilism
People choose among the environmental opportunities available to them.
Environmental Probabilism A given environmental setting where some choices are more likely than others.
Socio
lo
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It is difficult to desi will not attract peo remarkable is how accomplished. - W
ign a space that ople. What is often this has been
William H. Whyte
Placemaking
As according to Project for Public Space, placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. In an effort to strengthen the connection between people and the places they share, placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural and social identities that define a place and its on going evolution. Throughout the years PPS has formulated a set of guidelines and principles to aid in the creation of more successful community based public space. Through studying the shared physical qualities of successful public spaces PPS has determine that successful public spaces consider a range of qualities that fall under the categories of sociability, accessibility, comfortability and use and consider more specific aspects like, community stakeholders, light, flexibility, art, community driven ideas, public health, and seasonal activities.
Fg. 1 The Place Diagram is one of the tools Project for Public Spaces has developed to help communities evaluate places. The inner ring represents a place's key attributes, the middle ring its intangible qualities, and the outer ring its measurable data.
Triangulation
According to William Whyte, triangulation is the phenomena by an external catalyst provides a link between people and prompts strangers to talk to one another as if they knew each other. In public spaces, many things can serve as the external catalyst. A view of something outside the public space (eg. sunset or landscape), a water feature or a sculpture, other people or an event, or even a street performer or artist. Features in public spaces are more than just features, they serve as moments for socialization and interaction. This should influence designers to give more attention to the placement and configuration of features so that opportunities for socialization are maximized and the benefits of socialization are achieved in order to improve human experience and frequency in public spaces.
Through the layering of public space the instances of triangulation are multiplied creating a more complex and richer social interaction with in society.
Qualities of Successful Public Space
According to William H Whyte
Daylighting and Shading
Proximity to nature
Access to water that you can touch
Accessibility Proximity to Food
Flexible seating
Variety of Activities
Proximity and site line to the street.
Emotional Infrastructures According to Charles Montgomery and his Happy City Experiment, happiness in a city is directly connected to the amount of sociability in that city. The more socially connected a city is the healthier and more successful a city is. The social connection of a city impacts economic growth systems and forms/ influences how we feel/ interact with each other. Social Connections also impact large social issues like poverty, inequity, empathy and discrimination, and climate change.
Intimate Scale 1.5’ - 3’
How can we design an emotional infrastructure? Access and Scale give more opportunity for social interaction. They provide a more familiar space that allows for more intimate social interactions and opportunity for the community to connect and build trust and positive relationships with one another.
Public Scale 6’- 9’
Monumental Scale Large Distance, Bigger Space Capacity
Public Human Activiy The studies of Jan Gehl have influenced many and contributed immensely to how we design and understand urban public spaces. In Gehl’s Life between buildings he defines three types of outdoor activity. 1. Necessary activities include those that are more or less compulsory. Activities in which those involved are to a greater or lesser degreerequired to participate. 2. Optional activities – that is, those pursuits that are participated in if there is a wish to do so and if time and place make it possible. 3. Social activities are all activities that depend on the presence ofothers in public spaces. Social activities include children at play, greetings and conversations, communal activities of various kinds, and finally – as the most widespread social activity – passive contacts,that is, simply seeing and hearing other people. Through understanding the basic types of public human activity Gehl finds that the more people outside relate to more social interaction. This concept proves to be problematic to modern public spaces because of the increase in public spaces moving indoors effecting the amount of social interaction among the community which result in less trust and a lack of sense of community or belonging.
How do we create continuity between interior and exterior public spaces exposing the presence of activity?
Fg. 2. Graphic representation of the relationship between the quality of outdoor spaces and the rate of occurrence of outdoor activities. When the quality of outdoor areas is good, optional activities occur with increasing frequency.Furthermore, as levels of optional activity rise, the number of social activities usually increases substantially.
This is less desirable This is more desirable
People/Children play where there are other people and activity already happening. People are attracted to other people.
Physio
lo
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“Cities have the capa something for everyb and only when they a everybody.”
ability of providing body, only because, are created by
- Jane Jacobs
Research Methods Case Study PARC DE LA VILLETTE Paris, France 1982-1998 As part of an 1982-83 international competition to revitalize the abandoned and undeveloped land from the French national wholesale meat market and slaughterhouse in Paris, Parc de la Villette is a place of culture where the natural and artificial worlds are forced together into a state of constant reconfiguration and discovery. Not meant to be the picturesque park reminiscent of centuries past; Parc de la Villette is an open expanse meant to be explored and discovered by those that visit the site. Designed by Bernard Tschumi, he wanted the park to be a space for activity and interaction that would evoke a sense of freedom within a superimposed organization that would give the visitors points of reference. To induce exploration, movement, and interaction, Tschumi scattered 10 themed gardens throughout the site that people either literally or ambiguously stumble upon. Each themed garden gives the visitors a chance to relax, meditate, and play. Conceptualized as one large user defined space that is completely open for interpretation, each Unique deconstructivist style space is a center for informal program. Parc de la Villette is designed with three principles of organization which Tschumi classifies as points, lines, and surfaces. The 125-acre site is organized spatially through a grid of 35 points/follies. These follies are repetitive in nature and give dimension and organization to the park serving as points of reference for visitors and allowing for the visitors to retain a sense of place through the large park.
The methods of analysis and organization used in the design of Parc de la Villette will be used as a precedent for how I will research, analyze, and design for my thesis topic. Analyzing the behavior of people, their reactions to space, their comfort levels in various spatial configurations, and the physical qualities of the space that create these reactions will give insight to how to provide solutions and opportunities for more thoughtful, inclusive, and human centered interior public space throughout future urban landscape. This type of analysis will result in the manifestation of a taxonomy of architectural elements and typologies that can be used in the design process to optimize the chance for a more successful and inclusive interior public space.
Architectural Elements In Rem Koolhaas’s Book Elements of Architecture he depicts his work and research in conjunction with Harvard Graduate School of Architecture and Planning on the building elements architecture. By deconstructing architecture down to its basic drawing/ design elements you can analyze the tools used to build our cities understanding the architectural language of our built environment and the basis of the human habitat. In this work Koolhaas states, “The fact that elements change independently of each other, according to different cycles and economies and for different reasons, turns each building to a complex collage of the archaic and the current the unique and the standard, of mechanical smoothness and bricolage. Only by looking at the elements of architecture under a microscope can we recognize the cultural preferences, forgotten symbolism, technical advances mutations, triggered by intensifying global exchange, climate adaptations, political calculations, regulatory requirements, new digital regimes and somewhere in the mix, the ideas of the architect that constitute the practice of architecture today.”
Through this he finds, “Elements evolved across different cultures, where and when they collied with modernity and how they are starting to mutate in the digital age, delivering drastically improved levels of control to feed an obsessive need for security and comfort.” This point is important because it is why current urban architecture and space lack a sense of community, ownership, and inclusivity. “Architecture is an agglomeration of elements both old and new.” -Rem Koolhaas
“By looking at the history (Past, Present, Future) and evolution of element in order to create diverse experiences and environments we can decipher the language of architecture and design.” -Rem Koolhaas
Moving forward this thesis seeks to understand the architectural language in public spaces by deconstructing, reimagining, and reconstructing space in order to decipher why public spaces, more specifically interior public spaces, are failing and to understand how to create more inclusive public space.
WALL WINDOW DOOR ROOF FLOOR STAIR RAMP ELEVATOR CORRIDOR
Architectural Language Architecture defines space and invites occupation and interaction. The physical elements of architecture suggest how a space is intended to be used and who is supposed to use it. Each specific element conveys a message about the space it forms: Where to sit, where to stand, where to enter, who should enter, where to exit, and what activity to perform where. In an era where racism and discrimination charge American Cities to democratize access and opportunity, what kind of spaces encourage diverse community gatherings? Rethinking existing interiors can reveal the relationship between design and behavior and open new opportunities for the architecture of human experience. Architectural Expressions: The Language of Public Space is a visual dictionary defining a taxonomy of elements aimed at public interpretation, involvement, and interaction. Architectural Expressions: The Language of Public Space focuses on the impact and development of the public realm to create and activate public spaces that foster inclusivity and interactivity building a sense of belonging and community.
DEC
CONSTRUCT
WALL
WINDOW
DOOR
ROOF
FLOOR
STAIR
RAMP
ELEVATOR
CORRIDOR
REIMAGINE
E
E R
R T
S N
O C
C U
T C
WALL AS PUBLIC SPACE
WINDOW AS PUBLIC SPACE
DOOR AS PUBLIC SPACE
ROOF AS PUBLIC SPACE
FLOOR AS PUBLIC SPACE
STAIR AS PUBLIC SPACE
RAMP AS PUBLIC SPACE
ELEVATOR AS PUBLIC SPACE
CORRIDOR AS PUBLIC SPACE
There is a connected relationship between the types of public space, their function and their form.
PLAZA
PARK
BALCONY
FOOD HALL
SIDEWALK INTERIOR GARDEN PATIO
COURTYARD
PEDWAY LOBBY
BOULEVARD INDOOR PLAY SPACE
VIEWING ISLAND This spatial typology is about transparency. One of the main social behaviors of society is to observe or people watch. The configuration of these spaces provide new opportunity for observation as a human behavior pattern. This typology provides new visual connections and viewpoints throughout the city opening a variety of new possibilities for triangular interactions.
INTERSTITIAL OASIS This spatial typology provides a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The configuration and condition of this space communicates a language of relaxation, intimacy, and privacy. What can be seen as the unique in between, this typology breaks the monotonous language and design of the city. Deviating from the structure of a predictable grided city this subtractive design method encourages derive and excitement in the city. An air pocket in a dense form.
ASSEMBLY PLANES This spatial typology creates flat open planes that support a multiplicity of occupational opportunities. Through the creation and distribution of open space this typology encourages imagination and free thought. The flexibility of this space provokes creativity, agents of change, and creates a language of community ownership. This typology is about form. It is morphological space through the simplification and purity of element.
TRANSITORS This spatial typology is about access. It creates opportunity for movement. This typology provides varied, safer, and efficient pedestrian access and circulation throughout the city through the complex layering of pedestrian pathways. It is the form of transition.
SOCIAL CONNECTORS This spatial typology is about place. It creates multi-use spaces that combine the layers and activities of the city to produce a network of culture and society. This typology is more than street or mode of transportation, it is the major connections of the city that embody the community and culture.
PLAY STATIONS This spatial typology encourages exploration and interaction. Utilizing every surface this typology attracts social interactions and engages the community in free play. This typology is about form. Communicating a language of exchange, it uses the manipulation and undulation of element as a way of creating captivating space.
BIBLIOGRAPHY THESIS CURATING: • Friedman, Ken. “Creating Design Knowledge: From Research into Practice.” Research Gate, vol. 8, 2001, pp. 31–69. • Obrist, Hans Ulrich, and Razā Asad. Ways of Curating. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. • Rawsthorn, Alice. Design as an Attitude. Aspen Ideas Festival, The Aspen Institute, 26 June 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tlsi5BsaL0. • Wilkinson, Lawrence. “How To Build Scenarios.” Wired, Conde Nast, 15 Dec. 2017, www.wired.com/1995/11/ how-to-build-scenarios/. URBANISM: • Aboelmakarem Farag, Alshimaa. “Behavior Setting: The social dimension”. Slideshare, Slideshare, 02 March 2015, https://www.slideshare.net/alshimaak/behavior-setting • • Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language. Oxford. Univ. Pr, 1977. • Allen, Stan. Points and Lines: Diagrams and Projects for the City. Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. • Debord, Guy, Theory of the Derive, UbuWeb/ UbuWeb Papers, 1994 • de Klerk, Nicholas, “Understanding the “Public Interior,” From the Palace to the Garden”. Archdaily, 02 February 2017, https:// www.archdaily.com/804164/understanding-the-public-interior-from-the-palace-to-the-gardenmark-pimlott. • “Equity and Inclusion: Getting Down to the Heart of Placemaking”. Project for Public Spaces, 03 August 2016, https://www.pps.org/article/equity-and-inclusion-getting-down-to-the-heart-of-placemaking • “From lizarding to lingering: how we really behave in public spaces”. The Guardian, 01 August 2019. https:// www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2019/aug/01/lizarding-and-flex-allure-how-do-you-use-your-city-plaza-inpictures-field-guide • Gehl, Jan. Life between Buildings: Using Public Space. Island Press, 2011. • Harvey, David. “The Right to the City.” New Left Review, vol. 53, 2008, pp. 23–40. • Hwang, Jie-Eun, and Kimberle Koile. “HEURISTIC NOLLI MAP: A PRELIMINARY STUDY IN REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN URBAN SPACE.” Harvard University, Michigan Institute of Technology, MIT CSAIL, 2005, pp. 1–17. • Kangjae, “Jerry” Lee, PH.D., “Public Space, Park Space, and Racialized Space”. Project for Public Spaces, 27 January 2020, https://www.pps.org/article/public-space-park-space-and-racialized-space • Koolhaas, Rem. Content. Taschen. 2004. • Koolhaas, Rem. Elements of Architecture. Taschen, 2018. • Martin, Claire. “Wrong Division: The Rise of Privately-Owned Public Space.” Foreground, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, 25 Nov. 2019, www.foreground.com.au/planning-policy/wrong-division-the-rise-ofprivately-owned-public-space/. • Miller, Kristine. Designs on the Public: The Private Lives of New York’s Public Spaces. University of Minnesota Press, 2007. • Montgomery, Charles, Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013.
• Perec, Georges, Species of Spaces and Other Pieces, Penguin, 1974¬¬¬ • Pratt, Andy. “The Rise of the Quasi-Public Space and Its Consequences for Cities and Culture.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 28 Nov. 2017, www.nature.com/articles/s41599-017-0048-6. • Poot, Tine, Van Acker, Maarten, and De Vos, Els. “The Public Interior: The meeting place for the urban and the interior”. ResearchGate, IDEA, January 2016, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308903038_The_ Public_Interior_The_meeting_place_for_the_urban_and_the_interior • Stephan Schmidt & Jeremy Németh (2010) Space, Place and the City: Emerging Research on Public Space Design and Planning, Journal of Urban Design, 15:4, 453-457, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ abs/10.1080/13574809.2010.502331?src=recsys&journalCode=cjud20 • Tschumi, Bernard, The Manhattan Transcripts, Academy Editions, 1994 • Vats, Shivangi. “Impact or Architecture on Human Psychology”. Medium, 12 September 2017, https:// medium.com/@srkshivangi.01/impact-of-architecture-on-human-psychology-f0b637714603#:~:text=An%20 architect%20can%20control%20human,is%20natural%20or%20man%2Dmade. • “What Is Placemaking?” Project for Public Spaces, 2007, https://www.pps.org/article/what-is-placemaking
“The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
Taylor Proctor_ School of the Art Institute of Chicago_A(IA)DO Thesis Portfolio_ Spring 2021