UC Berkeley 100C Studio Rene Davids Section Class Portfolio

RenĂŠ C Davids ARCH 100C Fall 2016 CLASS PORTFOLIO at University of California, Berkeley

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Planetarium and Earth Observatory Professor René Davids Introduction

Planetarium and E

A quarry is an excavation where rocks, sand, or minerals are removed building materials. Quarries are industrial sites which alter their envir life, but the work which takes place in them often produces landscape representations of the continuum between earth and sky. Oakland’s lo and Pacific Plates has produced a variety of stones suitable for constru deposits or outcroppings, and local landscapes include the remains of the damages to their surroundings.

Introd

Site

A quarry is an excavation where rocks, sand, alter their environments by displacing huge

Beginning in 1870 until it closed in 1923, the Oakland Paving Compa applications are at theremoved Bilger Quarry near the intersection Broadwa oringminerals from the surfaceof of the What’s left of the quarry is now surrounded by the Rockridge Shoppin of the Arts, and the Claremont Country Club, which uses water from t quantities of soil, plants and wildlife, but the w golf course. The Arch 100C studio will explore alternatives to its pres into the urban fabric.

which create striking visual representations of the continuum between earth and sky. Oaklan Planetarium and Earth Observatory

produced a variety of stones suitable for construction applications which are readily obtainab

To reconnect the quarry with its immediate environs as well as the lar ing a planetarium and an earth observatory devoted to thefull studyreme and o disused quarries abandoned without Since light pollution in urban areas makes viewing the night sky in to perience simulations of unobstructed views of everything outside the hundreds of people to portable inflatable portable domes independent Earth Observatory should provide direct experience of the site for visi and its various layers - geologic, human and industrial – and exhibits

Student work from previous Davids ARCH 100 C courses:

Si

http://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/galleries/#/architecture-100c-fallhttp://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/galleries/#/fall-2016-arch-100c

http://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/galleries/#/hydro-landscapes-from Beginning in 1870 until it closed in 1923, the Oakland Paving Company mined a body of

http://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/galleries/#/the-episodic-museum intersection of Broadway and 51st Street, crushed it, and shipped it out via a rail spur. What’s

Cemetery, the California College of the Arts, and the Claremont Country Club, which uses w Arch 100C studio will explore alternatives to its present neglect which

Planetarium and E

To reconnect the quarry with its immediate environs as well as the larger landscape, the stud to the study and observation of the surrounding geology, landscapes and skies. Since light

planetariums allow visitors to experience simulations of unobstructed views of everything ou

to portable inflatable portable domes independent of permanent installations such as museu

visitors and the surrounding community by engaging the entire site and its various layers - ge

atmosp

ARCH 100C Fall 2016 Office hours by appointment: rdavids@berkeley.edu

Earth Observatory

d from the surface of the earth, essentially an open-pit mine for ronments by displacing huge quantities of soil, plants and wildes with compelling spatial qualities which create striking visual ocation near the dynamic interface between the North American uction applications which are readily obtainable from surface many disused quarries abandoned without full remediation of

ARCH 100C Fall 2016

Professor René Davids

uction

any mined a body of traprock useful for construction and buildayearth, and 51stessentially Street, crushed an it, and shipped it out via a for rail spur. open-pit mine building ng Center, St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, the California College the old pit filled by a branch of the Glen Echo Creek to irrigate its work which takes place in them often produces sent neglect which repurpose the old quarry site and incorporate it

materials. Quarries are industrial sites which landscapes with compelling spatial qualities

nd’s location near the dynamic interface between the North American and Pacific Plates has

ble from surface deposits or outcroppings, and local landscapes include the remains of many

rger landscape, the studio will design a building complex includobservation surrounding geology, landscapes and skies. ediation ofofthethe damages to their surroundings. otal darkness almost impossible, planetariums allow visitors to exearth’s atmosphere, ranging in size from large domes which seat of permanent installations such as museums and science centers. itors and the surrounding community by engaging the entire site including climatic and weather conditions in the atmosphere.

te

-2013

m-the-andes-to-the-pacific f traprock useful for

construction and building applications at the Bilger Quarry near the

m-bay-area-figurative-art-in-the-presidio-san-francisco s left of the quarry is now surrounded by

the Rockridge Shopping Center, St. Mary’s Catholic

ater from the old pit filled by a branch of the Glen Echo Creek to irrigate its golf course. The repurpose the old quarry site and incorporate it into the urban fabric.

Earth Observatory

dio will design a building complex including a planetarium and an earth observatory devoted pollution in urban areas makes viewing the night sky in total darkness almost impossible,

utside the earth’s atmosphere, ranging in size from large domes which seat hundreds of people

ums and science centers. Earth Observatory should provide direct experience of the site for

eologic, human and industrial – and exhibits including climatic and weather conditions in the

phere.

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STUDENTS in alphabet order

Diana Deliz Stephanie April Vincent Tsun Yi Irene Stefani Thelma Naranjo Andreas Philbert Zhifei Chengwei

Arnold Chu Datu Fulia Lam Liora Johan Ramirez Wangsanata Wiradjaja Xu Yin

DIANA ARNOLD The project is based on integrating an urban grid form and using a frame system that uses a grid which can be arranged and rearranged to create spaces that meet the needs of any program within the quarry and museum.

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Section Study

Conceptual Montage

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Site Analysis

Site Plan

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As one travels through the main circulation space program, the visitor will also encounter “special� spots that are created to displa singular pavilions that display stone installations in ways that one can view them as other than simple rocks and insteads converts

ay exceptional exhibitions. This can be thought of as a walk through the city and finding its hidden treasures. These then become them into a masterpiece.

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Grids The grid incorporates pathways that are meant to create connections between bigger to smaller program spaces as well as becoming the space for the exhibitions themselves. In some cases the exhibitions become light wells that penetrate through the floor and can be seen from above. One can then experience them from inside or outside as you can experience complete enclosure, semi enclosure and finally full exposure to the outside on the upper level as you move through the museum.

Modules Each frame consist of a 20’X20’ cube that is then combined and modified to create spaces that when stacked on top or next to one another are meant to put the visitor into perspective as to how minute one is in comparison to his or her surroundings.

This can be applied to nature, and how little we are in comparison to it. This can be experienced as you enter any of the double height modular space program and is surrounded by the heightened walls or massive geological installations.

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The material considered for this project is mostly frosted glass as well as white concrete for solid surfaces in addition to the structural members that form the modules. I want the building material to read as one, where the difference in texture and color is subtle to nose so it becomes secondary and the exhibitions and rocks become the primary attraction.

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STEPHAINE CHU The geological museum/planetarium is situated in the Bilger Quarry in Oakland adjacent to the (under-construction) Rockridge shopping center on the west, the Mountain View Cemetery on the east and the Claremont Country Club north of the museum site. I was interested in connecting the adjacent programs/neighborhood context with the geological museum by exploring how framing views of the quarry in relation to the surrounding environment creates a spatial perception of time.

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The formal qualities of the geological museum consists of three large axes linking multiple entrances to different views (cemetery connects with view to city, mall to views into the quarry, country club to ecological/primary succession*)

Site Model

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Explode axon of three major axis

pedogenesis or the formation of soil is the mo

ost momentous process 25

Simple laying of frames creates differe

ent kind of space for different activites

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The intersection of the smaller frames with the axis produces an unobstructed view of the surrounding environm element(factor?) defining the different spa

ent through the subtraction of the figure. At the same time, we begin to understand time and day as an external aces in the museum through transparency.

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APRIL DATU The goal of this project is to integrate the abandonment state of the quarry with an alternative approach in designing a complex building that would be devoted for geological study.

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Expansion and Compression

The initial concept of this project is expansion and compression of rocks. Compression comes from the stress experienced by a rock mass and Expansion is from the process of weathering.

Adaptation

By making study models, we explore different ways to abstract or simplify and mimic the movement of the rocks of our choosing. From this iteration, I choose to look closer on the expansion and compression of rocks. I experimented on different configurations and choose a form that would adapt to the quarry and that would also mirror the texture of the rocks.

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The final configuration form is by some means an abstraction of texture and movement of the rock and from that I created swells that would provide a space of programs for this planetarium and geology pavilion.

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The adjacent context of the quarry consists of a cemetery on the west, CCA(college) on the north, and the shopping center on the east and residential neighborhood all around.

This project also formed a bridge to connect the two different areas of this site; the cemetery and the shopping center. This project would set an exploration environment to help visitors transition to and act as a neutralizer between the peaceful environment of cemetery and the crowded place of the shopping center.

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VINCENT FULIA This project is about connecting the three main elements of the museum, which are the earth, the sky, and the w a t e r. T h e m u s e u m i s s h e a r e d a n d inhabits the angle that is significant from the site in order to break the normal 90-­d egree angle that reinforces gravity and to start loosing the sense of gravity, and so it started to create an ambiguity to the location of the sky, the earth, and the water, where these three elements started to synthesis and connect to one another.

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Site

Plan

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The museum is arranged as sets of pavilions that are divided into three categories, the sky (P pavilions are submerged underwater to get closer to the earth, and the water (Administration a

Planetarium), which are elevated above the ground, the earth (Geological exhibition) where the and CafĂŠ) where the pavilions are floating at the water level.

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As the sky, the earth, and the water pavilions are separated, they are connected by a strand o

of bridge that weaving through the quarry connecting these pavilions from corner to corner.

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TSUN YI LAM I would like to bring back the traditional hilly characteristic of the site by recreate an artificial landscape in the quarry as a reminiscent of the tradition of the site.

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At the beginning of the project, I was looking at the geographical information of the site many years ago before it had been modified by rapid human actions. I noticed that the location used to consist of many hills which formed a very interesting topography there. Furthermore, looking at the site in section, it creates a very dramatic landscapes.

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The form of the buildings as well as the plans and ponds, etc. are created based on the abstraction of the hills as well as the kinetic model that was formed based on looking at the texture of the quarry. The kinetic model is created based on the perpendicular intersection of the texture. It is a tensegrity structure in which the logic behind it is to form different triangles connecting the wood strips. The model starts from a relatively predictable and uniform structure and then transform to a more irregular structure and has a large flexibility to change itself by interlocking them using the knots on the wood strip. The pyramid-like structure of the buildings starts from a large, single plan and then some of them transform to have several distinct towers to catch daylight as well as to guide people’s vision towards the sky especially at night to look at the stars.

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The artificial landscape spans across the whole site and partially submerged underwater. The scenario of the building is constantly changing as you walk through the path. It is a ramp which allows people to walk up and down constantly.

Sometimes, people will be able to see all the buildings clearly while sometimes they are submerged underwater and can be able to view part of the building. It was designed not only to connect all the components together but also to mimic the condition as one walk on a hill which the topography varies up and down.

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IRENE LIORA

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STEFANI JOHAN

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Site Analysis

Site Plan

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Exterior Render

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THELMA NARANJO RAMIREZ

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ANDREAS WANGSANATA

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PHILBERT

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ZHIFEI XU

The site is located in an abandoned quarry in Rockridge, Oakland, and I intend to explore a poetic alternative to the current careless abandonment of quarries in Oakland.

The project incorporates a Planetarium and a Geological Exploratorium and captures Genius loci, celebrating the timeless quality of the stone, sky and water, while relinks surrounding urban fabric that are currently disconnected.

Basic Module

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Combination

Combination Different Configuration

STONESCAPE A model was created to reinterpret the stone. The project focuses on the splitting movement of stones and represents the driving force behind the movement. Since stones are individual objects but when grouping together they form different landscapes, my model was designed to share the same quality and a modular system was adopted. The basic module can split and retract. These small modules were put together to form a bigger model which can form different shape as stone did. The cubes were pushed up and down to form different configuration, just like how the crustal movement shape the landform we see today since a long time ago.

Stonescape Montage

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Solid Outside Solid / Void inside Void

Artificial Stone Cracking Stone Cracking, caused by the long term crustal movement underneath the earth surface.

With architecture, we can symbolize the force of nature “In an era where humans are described as Geological Agents, architecture is both a background and a measure against which the world might be read.”

Abstracted Nature Abstract, a way to simplify complex information existing among the nature.

The architecture here may become part of the landscape.

Diagrams The series diagrams shows the relationship between the project and the site, the way programs are organized, the conceptual thinking behind the project and how the exhibits are preceived by visitors.

Solid Outside Solid / Void inside Void

No matter mountains or quarries, they are all parts of the long nature process Considering the length of time, there’s not that big difference between nature and artifical So maybe we can celebrate this and try to be part of the process? by digging void inside the void and adding solid outside the solid?

In Between

Plaza

From Public to Private / From Noisy to Quiet From Light to Dark / From Urban to Nature

The fisrt layer of the museum complex form a plaza with the existing fabrics

Floating

A Square Earth and Spherical Heavens

What’s the attitude toward nature? What’s the attitude towards material?

Floating in the air, the stones diffuses the borders between nature and artificial. The ambiguity between the massiveness and the weightlessness of the stones is reinforced by the openness of the space.

Sky, Water and Stone

Cycle

The three layers of the project resemble and celebrate the timeless quality of sky, water and stone.

The walking corridor of the musuem is designed in the cycle of geological period

Two Kinds of Zoo

Considering different kind of visiting experience and exhibition method, there are two different kind of way Just like wildlife zoo and domestic zoo, when there’s a lot of nature, people enjoy it in a glass box. If there’’s few nature, people put it in a glass box.

In a similar way, we should display stones from elsewhere in glass boxes, while let ourself going into the stone inside the quarry.

There was a theory about universe in the old time: the earth is a square and the heaven is a sphere. The theory is very interesting.

Does the heaven have to be in the sky?

So I place a spherical heaven underneath a square earth.

Bridges

Orbiting

How to connect isolated space around the site with a single structure?

Bridge, symbol of connection.

How can one possibly respond to both the celestial and surroundings on the ground?

Maybe a pathway like a star orbiting around the site, going down and up, in and out.

Conceptual Montage

House of Stone A diagram shows how the house of stones works.

The stones are hosts and people are guests.

Waving Waving landscape created by tubes in different length resembles Oakland Topography

Offline Exhibiton in an Online World

Stepping Landscape

People see, touch, smell and feel the stone when they pass through the walkway.

A stepping landscape invites people from mall to pond.

It blurs the boundary between nature and artificial.

With the existing photographs of the Bilger quarry and the artificial stone exercise. These Montages provided a quick version and a conceptual foundation for the project to be further developed.

Conceptual Site Model

Attitude

Site Model

This project is not trying to flaunt its form, propagandize its content or nest over the site. It accepts the constructed nature , tr an sf or m t h e f or c e of n atu r e into architecture language, and it humbly submerges its monumentality underneath the w a t e r, o n l y g i v i n g a f e w h i n t s by the popping out skylights.

It quietly waits underneath the surface like a silent stone, for the visitors to come through the cycle and explore the deep sensation in the heart intrigued by the light and space and the timelessness of the content.ÂŹ

Process Model

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Site Analysis The series of 4 maps of the assigned site in relation to larger Oakland study conditions including existing connections (bridges and tunnels),crustal movement, regional hydrology and star orbiting. These studies transform directly or indirectly into the museum project: The outside walkway connects surrounding city fabrics as a bridge, featured in Bay area; The skylights shoot through the roof into the light and become a waving landscape coming in and out of the water, resembling Oakland’s topographical condition; People can experience the water from different layers, from top looking down, from the gallery on the same level, inside lagoon and touch the water and underneath the water in the stone musem; The project’s three layers of rings in plan resembles the orbiting of the planets, echoing the theme of timelessness.

Site Plan The project site is at the intersection between the Oakland hills and the flats, College and Piedmont shopping areas, and below the Oakland and Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, the Country club and CCA but there is a little if any connection between these areas. The walkway outside the museum establishes a connection between these isolated fabrics, forms a plaza with the existing shopping center while also acts as a buffer zone, offering a smooth transition between the hustle-bustle of Safeway and the Earth Observatory and Planetarium, between the artificial and nature. The circular shape of the inside circular gallery helps directing attention to the lagoon.

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Plan 2F Connection

Plan 1F Orbit

The project’s primary geometry in plan resembles the orbiting of the planets and the order of the universe, echoing the theme of timelessness. In section, the geometry is deconstructed in order to fit the local geological condition and celebrate the fact of transient of the building itself.

Plan 1/2F Sea-Level Rise

Plan B1F Space for Stones

Longtitude Section

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Modern / Classic Referencing the famous precedents in architecture history, the project took and manipulate the classical and typology space. By constructing and deconstructing the basic geometry in plan and section, the design demonstrates the elemental language and the typological variations.

Section Model

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Illuminated, or illumates. Walking through the different layers of the museum, people can visit the Stone Exploratorium while enjoying the rich scenic environment the lagoon provides, sense the change of both space and time.

One is brought to awareness regarding the reality of water - it is an active part of the architecture. Rising and Falling between seasons, showing or hiding the museum, the water intrigue poeple's sense of time.

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Timeless The array of light tubes and stones create a homogeneous and monumental space, which celebrates the timelessness quality of the stones. There are 4 large planetariums and 4 small planetariums clearances in the stone forest where the planetariums are located. Each of them points towards a specific planet in the solar system. By being oriented towards the current position of the stars, the planetariums freeze a moment of time in history and preserve as its own memory. People gathering around the planetariums and look at the stars, as they did thousands year ago in the open space in the woods. In the center of the room, light shines through the oculus. There, the Earth, Sky and Water meet with each other. The nature is delicately presented in an artificial building.

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Explode Axon

Unroll Narrative Diagram

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CHENGWEI YIN

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