TUCSON HYBRID PROJECT
RE–THINKING LOST-SPACE: ALTERNATIVE DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR A PRIVATE LAND NEAR DOWNTOWN TUCSON
XING LIU Graduate Thesis Report
Contents
7
Preface
63 Riparian Landscape
9
Introduction
69 Program Proposal
11 Hypothesis
70 Boundaries Re-definition
12 Case Study I
77 Transportation & Connection
17 Case Study II
83 Historical Pathways
23 Case Study III
89 Energy Saving Strategy
27 Summary & Design Strategy
91 Riparian Vegetation
29 Site Description
93 Structure System
31 Site Evolution & New Development
95 Conclusions
35 Boundaries & Connections
97 Reference
37 Transportation & Aligment
98 Appendix
39 Site Use Overtime
109 Acknowlegements
41 Flooding & Climate
110 Photo Credits
43 Historical Pathways 45 Site Analysis Synthesis 47 Multiple Strategies 49 Design Stage I: Prelimilary Design 53 Design Stage II: Schematic Design 61 Design Stage III: Design Development
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Tucson has mountains, sandy rivers, desert vegetations, and it is one of the few green deserts in this world.
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All rivers in Tucson are dry, they became sandy corridor after 1960s and only have water during flooding season.
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In Tucson, people need shade in most months
PREFACE
"They are the no-man’s-lands along the edges of freeways that nobody cares about maintaining, much less using……lost spaces are the undesirable urban areas that are in need of redesign - antispaces, making no positive contribution to the surroundings or users. They are ill-defined, without measurable boundaries, and fail to connect elements in a coherent way. On the other hand, they offer tremendous opportunities to the designer for urban redevelopment and creative infill and for rediscovering the many hidden resources in our cities." Roger Trancik, 1986
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In the 1940s, the federal government launched a massive road-building program featured as the nationwide Interstate Highway System motivated both by the needs of military defense and by the desire to foster economic progress (Trancik, p15). As a result, most American cities were undergoing freeway and railway system expansion with the aim of connecting downtown and suburban areas (Trancik, p19). By 1980s, a staggering percentage of urban land in major modern cities is devoted to the storage and movement of automobiles – in Los Angeles and Detroit as much as 75 to 80 percentage (Trancik, p35). It is true that the quality of living has been improved through this period and urban sprawl has also been stimulated, however, it also has brought a lot of problems to the development of the city after 1960s (Trancik, p35). According to Roger Trancik, there are five major factors that have contributed to lost space in American cities: one cause is the automobile and road-building systems. These lost spaces are the no-man’s-lands along the edge of freeways that nobody cares about maintaining, much less using, in need of redesign as antispaces. However, he also pointed out that these kind of lost spaces have tremendous opportunities for the urban designer providing multiple strategis to conduct creative infill projects. A portion between the Tucson’s cultural plaza and civic plaza near I-10 and Congress St. is such kind of "lost space".
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Syracuse, New York, lost space at the edge of the Freeway. 1983 The automobile has had a major impact on this city of the twentieth century. Along the edges of freeways acres of wasted spaces have been created and formed the “lost space� at the edge of the freeway.
INTRODUCTION
As the city is constantly in growth and transformation, some abandoned spaces in the city are in need of redevelopment. I am interested in exploring the possibility of proposing a new way of alternative solution to transfer the kind of lost space into hybrid place. This research will study an inbetween portion in the city of Tucson’s downtown and explore the problem and situation of the site between the Tucson’s cultural plaza and civic plaza near I-10 and Congress St. The chosen site is an in-between land between the I-10 highway and the Santa Cruz River with a latent potential for recovery. Thus, this project will investigate the possibility of formulating a diversity of infill design strategies for the site. The centeral goal of this research is to develop a new kind of complex, which not only gives prospective insights for the city, but also explores a new urban design prototype for the future development of Tucson.
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18.6 acre
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HYPOTHESIS
The question here is: How this abandoned site along the Freeway corridor and Santa Cruz River could be understood as a different design problem
According to Rosalind Krauss:" ... there is no reason not to imagine an opposite term-one that would be both landscape and architecturewhich within this schema is called the complex. But to think the complex is to admit into the realm of art two terms that had formerly been prohibited from it: landscape and architecture-terms. Because it was ideologically prohibited, the complex had remained excluded from what might be called the closure of post-Renaissance art. Labyrinths and mazes are both landscape and architecture; Japanese gardens are both landlandscape and architecture; the ritual playing fields and processionals of ancient civilizations were all in this sense the unquestioned occupants of the complex..." (Sculpture in the Expanded Field, Rosalind Krauss, pp. 30-44).
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* The dimensions of this structure may be analyzed as follows: 1) there are two relationships of pure contradiction which are termed axes (and further differentiated into the complex axis and the neuter axis) and are designated by the solid arrows; 2) there are two relationships of contradiction, expressed as involution, which are called schemas and are designated by the double arrows; 3) there are two relationships of implication which are called deixes and are designated by the broken arrows. Source: Sculpture in the Expanded Field, Rosalind Krauss.
CASE STUDY I
OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK, SEATTLE, USA Weiss/Manfredi Architects
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The Olympic Sculpture Park is a public park in Seattle that opened on January 2007. The park consists of a nine acre outdoor sculpture museum costing $85 million. It is situated at the northern end of the Seattle seawall and the southern end of Myrtle Edwards Park. The former industrial site was occupied by the oil and gas corporation Unocal until the 1970s (Seattle Park, 2006). Subsequently it became a contaminated brownfield before the Seattle Art Museum proposed to transform the area into one of the only green spaces in Downtown Seattle. The park is operated by the Seattle Art Museum. As a free-admission public outdoor sculpture park with both permanent and visiting installations, it is a unique institution in the United States. How does this project reconnect the site into the city? The design creates a continuous constructed landscape for art, forms an uninterrupted Z-shaped “green� platform, and descends 40 feet from the city to the water, capitalizing on views of the skyline and Elliot Bay and rising over the existing infrastructure to reconnect the urban core to the revitalized waterfront. The design transformed the previous industrial site into a free public park place. (Seattle Park, 2006) A three level underwater slope was built. The first level of the slope bridges Elliott Avenue; the second is a flat "bench" level to recreate an intertidal zone, covers a railroad; the lower level is covered with smaller rocks, providing a platform for site view.
railway
freeway
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2 Puget Sound
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site aerial photo
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How does this project respond to its enviroment? In response to visions, the project offeres divergent views including the views to the Olympic Mountains; to the city and port, and to the newly created beach. In response to history, it elevates the whole park upto 40 feet as full-cover to the site and sets up historical sculpures as memories. In response to ecology, this project creates the park involved a comprehensive restoration of the land with long-term goals in mind. It recreated the original topography to encourage native species to return, and a specially engineered layer of soil was laid to filter rainwater, reduce runoff and support the re-growth of carefully chosen native plants. Restoration of the shoreline provided a habitat that nurtures salmon while strengthening the seawall. It also continues to promote sustainability for Puget Sound in a variety of ways as to monitor the beach restoration. (Seattle Park, 2006)
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How to define this project in terms of design phylosophy? This project is perceived as a setting covering a freeway, a working railroad, functioning as a sculpture park as well as a green installation in the center city. It houses a cafe, bookshop, exhibition space, restrooms, parking garage, education rooms and high-tech security center, as a mutual place interplaying between nature and downtown Seattle. It could be possible to define this project as sort of new type of urban design project which features as a prototype integration between architecture, public arts and installation, landscape architecture, and urban infrastructure.
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CASE STUDY II
METROPOL PARASOL, SEVILLE, SPAIN Mayer H. Architects
This three acre project is located in southern Europe in a peripheral region of Spain. The Proposal is a covered market on the main square of an old town, a square currently squandered as a parking lot. The new roof acts as an umbrella shading the social activities below. The project responds to the emergence of large shopping centers at the periphery of the city by attempting to reinstitute the value of public space within the urban fabric. Additionally, the structure is conceived as a landmark and combines a series of functions: a metro station, an archaeological site, a parking garage, the market, and on the roof a belvedere for tourists visiting the town. This is a commendable effort by city officials to promote their city within a highly competitive market and to create identity through the power of architecture by means of programmed activities on the square both day and night.
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How does this project re-activate the site and city? The formation of Incarnation Square at the heart of the historic city is the result of various planning requirements, which go from the sixteenth century until almost the present day. The whole suqre sits on the heart of two ccrossing axises of the city. It was a market square since 1831 and abandoned as an emtpy space prior to an archaeological discovery in 1991. A metro influx and a main street cut throught the whole site. In 2004, the city of Seville invited an international competition to renovate the whole square into a new public space. The Metropol Parasol scheme with its large mushroom like structures offers an archeological site, a farmers market, an elevated plaza, multiple restaurants underneath and inside the parasol, as well as a panorama terrace on the very top of the parasol. Metropol Parasol explores the potential of the Plaza de la Encarnacion to become the new contemporary urban centre. Its role as a unique urban space within the dense fabric of the medieval inner city of Sevilla allows for a great variety of activities such as memory, leisure and commerce. It is a highly developed infrastructure helps to activate the square, making it an attractive destination for tourists and locals alike. (Metroparasol, 2006)
"the concept was to create shadow, the most important element in the project.Inspiration comes from the climate. I achieved it by constructing the big roofstructure that is used as a canopy of the square. Sevilla is very hot, too hot insummer to be outside during the day. So the shadows from the trees, spannedfabric in small alleys between houses and Metropol Parasol provide a place forrelaxation while being in a public space during the day."
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Mayer H. Architect
How does this project respond to its environment?
As Seville's climate is Mediterranean, it is dry and warmer in summer; mild and cold in winter (65째F/Av, Aug:96F). The most important factor is shading. The structure allows the filtration of light to the site and to allow that the ventilation of hot air. The microclimate of the site will effect through the wood structure. In addition, it will be improved by the passive refrigeration (free cooling) through planned sources, that will contribute to coolness and humidity, reducing heat sensation. I build a computer model to test its shading areas and I found it does provide mostly 80% shade during the whole day.
site area: 3 acre shadow area: 2.2 acre shadow %: 73% test height: 90 feet test hour: 10:00-12:30 test month: August test place: Seville,Spain
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How to define this project in terms of design philosophy?
Since this project is a higly mix-used character initiates a dynamic function as a public platform, market place, on-site museum, sky coffee shop and commerical, theatre, metro transit station, and a new symbol in the historical city, I would define this project as a new complex of infrastructure, architecture and installation. It is an infrastructure that will not only revitalize the square as a destination for locals and tourists alike, but also identify and articulate Seville's position as one of Spain's most intriguing cultural habitats.
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IMPLICATIONS
This project proves the validity that a contemporary complex could redefine the heart square in a historical city. This tree-shaped structure interplays a balance between the natural plant and the physical installation, proposing the site as a unique answer: its unique form refreshes the inner heart of the historical city, its parasol-like structure functions as an ecological shading canopy as well as an city installation, and its pogram successfully integrates each part together, working as a 24/7 urban place.
CASE STUDY III
MPARK GRIN GRIN, FUKUOKA, JAPAN Toyo Ito & Associate Architects
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This is a green island located in Hakata Bay, Fukuoka. The island spread it out of around 400 hectares in size surrounded by the abundant nature of the sea and there is a 15 hectare comprehensive park on it too. And Grin Grin park opened as an "environmentallyfriendly green parks," the main one being the island's central park in 2006.
How does this project reconnect the site into the city? The objective of this plan was to give a fluid and gentle change to the topography of the entire park, and to provide various activities to the visitors. Therefore, the park facility has not itself been made independent, but has been as one with the nature and landscape with the gentle topography, becoming "hill-like architecture" with a continuation between indoor and outdoor space. Ito's design is composed of three covered areas strung, like irregular pearls on a string, along the side of a pea-shaped lake. A complex series of walkways take people up, over, underneath, and into the three shells, if you will. Each shell is partially covered by glass roofs articulated in a scale-like manner; the rest is covered by vegetation. Portions of the domes cantilever to provide shade and shelter, while also signaling entries and making suitable seating areas.
The project reacts to its environment in a very tender way. It is designed as an entire green roof and continous complex. The roof is planted with several grasses and trees, and slope up and down like a natural green mountain. If seeing from the river side, we could see the whole architecture as an entire moving wave which weaved together. While the strict zoning of green space in the island's masterplan points to economy over environment, the park's integration of architecture and landscape is a commendable strategy for creating a recreational and education place for residents. (Janpanese Architecture, 2007)
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How does this project deal with its pedestrian accessiblity and moblility? The undulating forms provide access to the roof as well as the interior, allowing visitors to witness, for example, the ventilation of the spaces below. Additionally the botanical displays of the interior spaces educate visitors to the region's flora. It composed of several green islands and all of them are connected by the structure like bridges. Furthermore, there is a footpath around the roof with views over the entire green park. And all the views is like the ground and building rooftop are continuous parts of the topography. In addition, the insides ‘Grin Grin‘ were being filled with all kind of plants and trees, also has a large skylight opening in the roof surface. The walls along the side are windows too, because Grin Grin needs to allow plenty of sunshine through the plants for nurturing. The entire interior space acts as a dynamic and felxible room with a hybrid program, including public area, coffee shop, retails, planting labs, gardens, etc.
How to define this project in terms of design philosophy? Since this project is a higly mix-used facility which initiates a dynamic function as a public area, coffee shop, retails, planting labs, gardens, and melt its entire mass into the environment for viewning as a new complex of landscape infrastructure and architecture. It is an infrastructure that will not only define the waterfront park as a destination for locals and tourists alike, but also give a symbol to the entire site.
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IMPLICATIONS As a successfully new landscape infrastructure example, this project gives me many implications in terms of green roof, space experience and environmental design. The idea of combine the whole mass into the environment as green roof, garden and vergetale area is valuable to my further proposal. Since my thesis site is a natural park before. Also, the way to make a dynamic form wrapping with a hybrid interior spaces inspires me a lot on how to control the scale of design and make it into an environmentally friendly new complex.
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SUMMARY & DESIGN STRATEGY Based on the argument and case studies, we could say, this complex is a plausible solution to apply. Thus, the strategy here is to seek a new kind of design strategy, which is neither architecture nor landscape architecture, perhaps sculpture or installation, or all of them in part.
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SITE DESCRIPTION Currently, the studied site is shaped as a corridor along with the I-10 highway and Santa Cruz River, filled with cheap motels and ordinary modern buildings. However, new proposals on its both sides have been made by the city and it is going to be built on 2010. site photo source: google earth map
60m
300m
300m fast food restaurant
day-inn motel
400m
30 250m river park-Inn hotel health center
150m
80m Tucson electricity center's branch
river park-Inn motel
SITE EVOLUTION & NEW DEVELOPMENT The Rio Nuevo Project, approved by Tucson voters in 1999, is one of the significant turning points in Tucson's history and a defining milestone pointing toward its future. Construction of museums and commercial and residential facilities are the "heart" of the project (Rio Nuevo Project report 2002). Due to the private ownership of this land, the Rio Nuevo project does not include this site into the downtown redevelopment project, and according to Craig Shelko (the Director of Rio Nuevo Office), the city has no proposal for this site in the future. However, as the land locates in the heart of the Rio Nuevo Project as well as being adjacent to the Santa Cruz River and the I-10 Freeway, it provides potential opportunities for redeveloment and regeneration. Also since the site along a previous riparian corridor, it brings a great opportunity to be part of the entire design complex. As a result, the site should be considered as part of Rio Nuevo Project family due to its vitality and importance since the private land also contributes to the urban context and history. Thus, how to integrate this private land into city again would be highly important.
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site initiates as an agriculture area, (based on Fergusson Map)
site became a suburban area, (based on Roskruge Map)
site became part of urban area (based on City of Tucson Map Collection)
site became a metropolitan area (based on City of Tucson Map Collection)
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I-10 freeway is built and Santa Cruz River is dried (based on Roskruge Map)
site is fully infilled (based on Roskruge Map)
Parking Garage
Site of Presidio
Congress
River
Future Cultural Area
St
Arena TCC
Convento
Cru
Tucson Cultural Plaza
z
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I-10
Tucson Civic Plaza
San t
a
Mission Garden
Rio Nuevo Project Outline
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NEW DEVELOPMENT IN 2009 According to Creg Shelko, the director of Tucson's Rio Nuevo office,before 2010, several projects will be built near the site on its both sides, including a housing complex in the west-east wing, the Arizona history museum and University of Arizona's scientific center in the west-south wing, an arena, a 6-levels gagrage in the east wing, the Tucson cultural plaza and the Tucson’s civic plaza with surface parking on its both sides, a four lane bridge, an I-10 underpass, and the mission garden and Convento renovation projects.
Future Parking Garage I-10 freeway boundary
views
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proposed bridge views
proposed underpass
BOUNDARIES & CONNECTIONS The site has two major boundaries: the I-10 corridor as a hard edge and the Santa Cruz River as a soft edge along side. The I-10 corridor brings significant noise to the site surroundings, it also blocks communication between the site and downtown. As such, the Santa Cruz River separates the site from the future development area to the west with the proposed bridge as its only linkage. Since more physical connections are not planned in the future, an enhancement of potential visual connection turns out to be important through the re-design of the river edge. Currently, the connection between the site and the downtown is weak, only by an underpass (an extension of Clark Street) in its middle part. A new connection is possible by linking the site into the future parking structure. This new connection would not only contribute to the transportation efficiency but also convenient the tourists in the future cultural area.
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Santa Cruz River boundary
Planned Street Car Route
Proposed Street Car Route
Proposed Street Car Route
Parking Garage
Tucson Civic Plaza
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W Cushing St
Pedestrian district
CULTURAL AREA
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CAMPUS
Planned Street Car Route
DOWNTOWN
streetcar
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TRANSPORTATION & ALIGNMENT The proposed cultural area is composed of a large scale of housing complex community, Arizona History Museum, U of A Science Museum and Tucson Cultural Plaza. Thus, this would attract vast population influx during the festival or holidays (sometimes hundreds of people would come to visit museum in once) as well as causing traffic congestion since the proposed street car route is the only auto road in the site. For this reason, the street car and other automobiles should not enter the proposed cultural area. Since the six levels garage building and the Tucson Civic Plaza would accommodate large amount of cars, it would be possible to park in these two garages and visit the site by walking. This proposal would not only solve the traffic issue in the cultural area, but also fully utilize the capacity of these two parking places. In addition, walking into the site would also enhance the quality of the future pedestrian system.
Garden of Gethsemane
Linear River Park
Garden of Presidio
Garden of Convento
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A mountain
Mission Garden
Railway Park Garden of Mexico
SITE USE OVERTIME Comparing site's aerial photographs from 1958 to 1990s, the site's land use evolution can be seen from an orginal riparian corridor (when Santa Cruz River has water), to an area of buildings and depreciated open spaces. Since the original site is a vital riparian corridor, could this be a hint for the thesis to recover the whole ground level into a green-open space again. By this transformation, the site could not only give people a rich open space, but also provide an opportunity to the future program as a flexible, mix-used space.
1958
1977
1986
2000
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before 1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
2000s
FLOODING & CLIMATE The Santa Cruz River ran anually before the 1960s, which provided a rich riparian vegetation and vital habitation for wildlife. However, due to the yearly groundwater pumping, the Santa Cruz River has gradually dried and many river inhabitants have disappeared (Water Follies, Robert Jerome Glennon) Tucson is located in the Sonora Desert, an environment with a warm and dry climate in Arizona with the temperatures of up to 104째F and an averagely 99째F in the summer. Although Tucson generally has a dry climate, in May with 0.24 inches of precipitation, a monsoon season brings rain and often floods with up to 2.30 inches of percipition in August versus o.24 inches in May. (Tucson Climate Report, 2005)
Housing Complex
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08/12/2002
RECOMMENDATIONS Based on past flooding history, the following suggestions are made: 1) The design proposal should be elevated off the ground floor up to at least three feet to avoid flooding. 2) The design proposal should provide sufficient shade to the site due to the high temperatures during summer. 3) The design proposal should respond to the Sonora Desert bioclimate conditions.
Santa Cruz River Riparian vegetation in 1935
100 Year Flooding Level
Site
I-10 Freeway
Parking Garage
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section of site flooding season
Presidio
original passway
Presidio on-site recovery
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suggested passway
Convento
Tucson Mission San Agustin
HISTORICAL PATHWAYS
The old pedestrian route between the San Agustin Mission to the South and the Tucson's Presidio penetrated the site as part of the Tucson Origin Project (Tucson Origin report 2000). However, it is hard to recover this route as it goes along the Freeway and must cross the I-10 highway. Thus, it makes sense to slightly offset the route into the site and integrate historical signs into the site program such as a history gallery, interpretive signs, archaeological themes, etc. By this transformation, it would not only fulfill the corridor-recovery idea, but also open up new circulation opportunities for visitors.
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site analysis synthesis sketch
SITE ANALYSIS SYNTHESIS Based on the site analysis and literature review, the thesis should strive to reach the following aims: 1) introduce a dynamic program into the site including public areas, riparian park, gallery, theatre, exhibitions, children areas, mix-used zones, etc. 2) reconnect the site into the city with a new complex volume, wrapping it as a hybrid space. 3) re-define the exisiting boundaries and edges of the site, reconnecting the whole site into city. 4) improve the walkability or accessiblity of the site, and enhance its circulation system. 5) respond to the historical pathway. 6) respond to the Sonora Desert climate and be energy efficient. 7) recover the ground area as a riparian park.
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MULTIPLE STRATEGIES Working models are generated to initially explore multiple conceptual design applications on the site. Given this strategy, the site could be proposed as different filled-in options in terms of "structure", "density" or "layout". Potential models will be selected to develop into a conceptual idea, which then evolves from preliminary design into further design proposal.
LINEAR
PROPOSAL I
COURTYARD
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PROPOSAL II
ISLAND
DESERT PARK
LOOP
HIGH DENSE
HILL
DESIGN STAGE I
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to Presidio
riverside
downtown
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to Convento
PRELIMILARY DESIGN Preliminary design introduced a structural system inspired from the Tucson Mountains which could provide shade to the ground floor, where a group of zones is proposed. In addition, a physical linkage between the Mission Complex and the garage building is proposed and several west-to-east pedestrian channels are laid out on ground level.
to Phoenix
River
Future Garage Building
green slope
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Cru
z
I-10
San
ta
Convento
to Mexico
site analysis sketch
site program sketch
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soft edge sketch
DESIGN STAGE II
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Activity areas
hard edge
54 Riparian landscape
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
Schematic design proposal concretes the idea of regarding the entire structure as an ecological object providing full-shade. Section is studied to show how each level is organized. A ground park embodied with galleries is introduced and the two edges are redefined by different strategies: the soft edge melts into the riparian ground park and the hard edge is defined by a parking space with a vertical-green wall.
Future Garage Building
Arena
Tucson Civic Plaza
55 Tucson Cultural Plaza
exisited building
proposed building
historical pathway
moving density 3rd level mix-used rooms
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2nd level theatre retail
space layout
entrance area
shade area
structure system 1st level galleries ground park
parking area
bridge connect
plaza layout
pedestrian system
program diagram
roof water harvestation
planting roof with willow, mesquite, tomato cactus
perspective from
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mesh shading structure vine planted
solar panel translucency
vertical green wall / garden eco-structure
perspective from garde
west-east section
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north-south section
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soft edge perspective
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hard edge perspective
DESIGN STAGE III
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Final design proposal synthesize the ideas of previous discussions and evolved them into the final stage of the new complex. In the meanwhile, the final proposal responds to the problems found from site analysis in a comprehensive way. Thus, the design strategy can be fully applied to test the hypothesis.
Future Garage Building
Arena
Tucson Civic Plaza
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Tucson Cultural Plaza
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RIPARIAN LANDSCAPE The new complex responds to its environment with the recovery of a riparian landscape on its ground level. Desert plantings and vegetables like cactus, willow and mesquite would be planted. In addition, several mix used volumes provides spaces for visitors as galleries, museums or exhibition rooms.
Activity zone
open space
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Activity zone
ground park evolution diagram
parking area
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plaza
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Garage Parking
Downtown
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Riparian Landscape
"A" Mountain
Sierra Vista Mountain
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Riparian Landscape
PROGRAM PROPOSAL The new complex integrates a hybrid program into the site including: gallery, exhibition rooms, museum, theater, exhibition halls, desert park, restaurants, conference rooms, etc. All these functions work together and transformed the previous “lost space� into a hybrid space of public use.
Soft Edge
Hard Edge Views
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Views
I-10
BOUNDARIES RE-DEFINITION
RIVER SIDE
URBAN SIDE
The new complex re-defines both boundaries in each different way: the western soft edge is integrated into the ground riparian landscape as a fluid boundary and melts into the river park environment, while the eastern hard edge is formulated to be a relatively straight boundary of the site parking areas and aims to block out the I-10 highway noise level as a buffering boundary.
diagram of weaving
72 soft edge
hard edge
garage
I-10
west-east section
elevated park
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visual channel
open plaza
slope park
north-south section
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elevation along the Santa Cruz River
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panorama view along the Santa Cruz River
Parking Garage
77 Tucson's Civic Plaza
Downtown
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TRANSPORTATION & CONNECTION
The new complex improves the communication of this in-between space both in a physical and visual way. On one hand, the whole riparian landscape is open to the western side and physically connects the east-wing parking garage on second level. In addition, since the east wing of the site along I-10 is about half a mile, it would be more reasonable to give visitors a break as a visual channel to the A-mountain before they feel tired. On the other hand, the visual channel with two open plazas in the middle would work as a buffer area to the noise level of I-10 freeway influence. A mountain
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panorama view from Congress. St Bridge
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Garden of Presidio
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Garden of Convento
Mission Garden
HISTORICAL PATHWAYS
The new complex responds to the historical pathways by offsetting the routes into the site. Instead of setting up a still historical route, the site provides a flexible program through a setting of historical signs for the visitors to follow on both levels. As a result, multiple possible routes would be created by themselves.
route I route II route III historical sign
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panorama view of interior space
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historical pathway in riparian park
%
Wh/m2 2000+ 1810
104.0+ 99.0
1620
94.0
1430 1240
89.0 84.0
1050 860 670
79.0 74.0 69.0
480 290 100
64.0 59.0 54.0
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energy analysis of ground floor
solar power analysis of surface
daytime shade analysis
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energy test in ecotech
ENERGY SAVING STRATEGY
solar panels layout
The new complex provides the site as a full-shade territory, which would keep the temperature around 70-80 degree in the warmer season. Solar panels are equipped with the sky window system on the warmest area of the roof to collect maximum solar power.
solar panels
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vegetables
roof garden
mesquite tree
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RIPARIAN VEGETATION An entire riparian landscape on ground floor is covered by the huge structure, on which is surfaced with a green roof garden for people to amuse and walk. In addition, the sloping garden meets up with rich ground riparian vegetation and wild plantings, including willow tree, mesquite tree, tomato and cactus.
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structure section model
STRUCTURE SYSTEM
In stead of using the traditional column and beams structure system, the new complex would adopt the pre-stressing force honeycomb system. The seven core volumes would work as the main supporting system made by thick concrete wall and steel columns inside. In addition, the five slope plazas would contribute to the whole structural force as they convey the force to the ground as part of supporting structure.
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structure 3D model
structure elevation
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CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the thesis gives a positive answer to its hypothesis. 1) the new complex recovers the site as a ground desert park and melts into its surrounding garden family as a kind of landscape architecture. 2) the new complex introduces several mix-used volumes as a kind of architecture. 3) the new complex bridges the opposite parking garage across I-10 Freeway and provides several public plazas, as a sort of urban infrastructure. 4) the entire complex builds a mutually visual connection within its enviroment as a kind of city installation. In short, we could say, this entire complex is not pure landscape architecture or architecture, either urban infrastructure or city installation. In stead, it is a hybrid combination or integration of all of them. It eventually provides a plausible answer to the site.
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REFERENCE Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design, by Roger Trancik, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1986 Sculpture in the Expanded Field, The Anti-Aesthetic, by Rosalind Krauss, Bay Press, 1983 Tucson Origins, Draft Report, by Tucson Origins Consultant Team, Feb. 2000 Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters, by Robert Jerome Glennon, Island Press, 2004 Drosscape: Wasting Land in Urban America, by Alan Berger, Princeton Architectural Press, 2007 The sustainable Urban Development Reader, by Stephen M.Wheeler and Timothy Beatley, Routledge Publisher, 2004 Urban Design Reader, by Matthew Carmona & Steve Tiesdell, Architectural Press, 2007 97
The Mesh Book: Landscape Infrastructure, by Julian Raxworthy, RMIT Press, 2004 Sustainable development, energy and the city: : A Civilisation of Concepts, by Voula Mega, Spriner Publisher, 2005 Ecocities: Building Cities in Balance with Nature, by Richard Register, Berkeley Hills Books, 2002 Hybrid Space: New Forms in Digital Architecture, by Peter Zellner, Rizzoli International Publications, 1999 Olympic Sculpture Park for the Seattle Art Museum, by Joan Busquets, Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2008 Architecture in Spain (French and German Edition), by Philip Jodidio, Taschen Publisher, 2007 Hatch: The New Architectural Generation, by Kieran Long, Laurence King Publishers, 2008 Art of Japanese Landscape Architecture, by David Young & Michiko Young, Charles E Tuttle Co Publisher, 2007
APPENDIX
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C3
LAND ZONE CODE C-3 = GENERAL AND INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL – Retail commercial with wholesale; nightclubs, bars, amusement enterprises permitted. Full range of automotive activities; sales, repair, leasing, etc. Limited manufacturing permitted. Residential uses permitted. FAR = 1.5, Max Height = 50 Feet (according to city of tucson summary of zoning classifications and development designators. dec.1st 2005)
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Acknowlegements
This book accompanies the graduate thesis report in the University of Arizona, entitled "The Tucson Hybrid Project". Thanks to my parents and my friends for providing the courage, guidence, and support throughout my thesis research.
Special Thanks to:
Les Wallach (founder & principal architect in line and space, LLC) for his generosity, time, and valuable advices on this project. Henry Tom (principal architect in line and space, LLC) for his attending of final thesis presentation. Professor Ignaico San Martin for his supervise on the structure and theory of this thesis. 109
Professor Larry Medlin for his instruction on the desert ecology and energy saving of this thesis. Professor Christopher Domin for this advice on thesis presentation skills. Professor John Messina for his inspiring suggestion during the prelimilary design stage and attending of final thesis review. Dave Dobler (bridge architect) for his time for his interview and development proposal information sharing. Creg Shelko (director of Rio Nuevo Office) for his interview and the providing of downtown development project data Eddie hall (5th year undergraduate) for his tutorial on energy test with ecotech software. Brant Dove (graduate student in emergent material program) for his tutorial on Rhinor and plug-in software. Sin Hei Bart (5th year undergraduate) for his tutorial on the laser cut program. Muster Dooler (2nd year undergraduate) for his tutorial on the 3D-printer program. Carron Domin (graduate student in energy program) for her prelimilary review on this writing. Matthew Roslund (friend from New York) for his final review on this writing. Dan Wood and Mysti Wood for their kindly support on my thesis argument finding.
Photo Credits Xing Liu: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9-10, 27-28, 30, 36, 96, 107-108 Carol A.Brow: 8 Kobert Smithson: 11 Alice Aycock: 13, 15, 16 Chirstian Richers: 17, 18, 19 Thiks Wazona: 20, 21 Hans Simon: 23, 24, 25, 26 Christ Mack: 38 Craig Dyker: 40 Ignacio San Martin: 41 Keith Monica: 42 Nick Kane: 43 Ziva Wan: 109, 110
* All rights reserved. No part of this informal publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the owner. Printed and bound in China. 2009
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