Mid-Review

Defining a Problem: Review Two and Process

Leading up to this review there was a culmination of information that began to inform the project. Site diagrams of different scales began to show specific areas of interest within the site itself. Diagrams were at a large scale at first to make site decisions, areas of demographics, site services, layout and connections were explored. Then, it became apparent that there was one area of the site that was more disruptive to the community as a whole. This became the location of future interventions. A series of diagrams addressing this area was created. User interaction diagrams then showed the specific interaction problems within the site. This all led up to the series of diagrams below, the plan diagram indicates the problem area, and an intervention, and the perspective shows how the problems affects users.

Problem: no connectivity from transportation to center of site through use. The area needs mixed use or commercial influences within the site to break up its visual and presumed "wall" that keeps people out.

Problem: lack of green space between buildings. The area needs less paved space and more passive shade space to invite the user to interact at the street level and "own" the space.

Problem: Division of buildings by parking and excessive paved space. The buildings need some kind of connection to create interactions within the user groups and the buildings to create a neighborhood atmosphere. a raised connective green space or roof could provide this kind of connection.

Problem: Dead ended interior streets create a feeling of isolation or being trapped within the site. This makes outside users not want to enter the site for fear of being stuck or lost within the vast site itself. Creating through streets to the main exterior streets could help to demolish the idea of a dense impenetrable space.

Problem: Areas that are designated as public park or green space are over paved and lack green spaces and plants. Addition of landscaping elements new paths and textures can create a welcoming space to serve as a gateway to the site.

Problem: areas of housing on main street are overbearing and overshadow the neighborhood, while crowding the side walk, making them appear even more out of scale. By selectively demolishing the ends of the building the area will become less crowded and give space to invite people in.

This complex site topography allows us to see how the roads and surrounding context works in relation to the site.

 This review was helpful in getting the idea that there are two paths that can be taken from here, the idea of a soft or hard approach to intervention. Passive site design methods can prove the thesis, or more involved building selection and reworking and help create the ideal intervention to make the community more integrated.  

Steve Lemanski - Mid Crit

For this review I wanted to focus on the visual effect that could

be created with the spacing and limiting of views. Bellow are the image

collages that I came up with to represent this selective viewing and limiting

view. This effect was first created with a 3D representation

of space with an image from the site.

Upon completing these images I notice some things I like and some I dislike.

I like the effect of the site that is created with the breaking of the images.

The black space suggests the image continues beyond ones normal point of

view and allows motion to be revealed and hidden over time.

The one thing I do not like about these images are the fake spaces that were

created to house these images (or views). The only image that I

think has the greatest amount of space is the third.

The Following images are the result of the previous phase. I removed the attempt

at space making with rooms I didn't like and spaces I really didn't want to be in.

I took the same image from the site and broke it up in different ways to try

and capture different effects. I feel these images have much more motion

and potential for motion than the previous. Some focus on directing views

others focus on hiding views.

I then moved on to a form which could create images (views) like the ones above.

Instead of going back to the 3D rendered collages I started to work in section to create

spaces that interacted with each other. I think these sections are even a bit stronger, when it comes to showing space, than the very first 3D collages were.

The Final images are of my site with the existing warehouse which

will be removed and replaced by the South Boston Skate Complex. (not official name)

The next step in this process will be looking at visual relationships between

the people participating (doing) and the people watching.

What do they see? How do they see it? Who is watching who?

Mid Crit Material

Site: Roxbury, MA

Addressing the lack of interconnectedness in dense urban environments by providing

an interactive space that allows for community engagement

Diagrams showing how site will interact through collaboration

Understanding the Surrounding Complexities of the Site

Possible Negotiation

Dynamic Interplay: What is an interactive space?

Representations of different interactive programmatic arrangements and relationships.

Top Six

Beginning Sketches

Mid Crit Material

Site

Crit: 2/23/2012

The site is located in context with three major green parks in the area of Jamaica Plane: The Arnold Arboretum, The Forest Hills Cemetery, and Franklin Park. The small neighborhood is located in the center of all these parks on the edge of a small middle class area. This site is in a good proximity to these places to promote and experiment with this idea of the organic apparatus.

The design is not a site based set of perameter. The intervention of this co-housing complex incorporates the surrounding buildings and integrates the surrounding systems in motion. The problem with conventional design is that it is not always about the context. However, this project directly reflects the context and is a total design of place and systems.

The organization of the site will be to best promote the surrounding community to enter the space and share a sense of community and knowledge. The organic apparatus does not just provoke a sense of sustainability towards the residents but promotes to everyone that could possibly enter the general area of this building. (The red building indicates the office of the Cooperative Artists Institute. The relevance of this is very important in the design of the complex as they are directly affecting how the spaces on the site will be used and promoted.)

The schematic design of how a single module may be laid out to satisfy the living conditions of one family. The form of the arch is a metaphorical idea of the completeness of the concept: seeing the bigger picture. The human experience of this form satisfies the conceptual experience.

This map indicates some very important systems in motion that must be incorporated and involved with this complex. The systems in motion need to be completely integrated with the context of the place.

These schemes are investigating the means of laying out the site based off of the module of the single family. They are responsive to the context in how people may approach and use the buildings of this organic apparatus.

Alex Corbett | Mid Review

Visual Abstract - Layering of Infrastructure

Rendered Site Iteration - Micro Scale

Rendered Gloucester Street - Master Plan

Rendered Site Interventions - Macro Scale

Infrastructure as Form, Space, and Sculpture

Modularity / Layering of Infrastructure

Follies - Parc de la Villette - Paris, France

Ring Around a Tree - Tezuka Architects

Infrastructure as Space

Gloucester Street Disrupted

Infrastructural Layering

Revealing Infrastructure

Infrastructure as Form