Catching Up: An Overview of Process

This blog Post will be a brief description of the process up to the final product. Over the last month the project that developed defined a method, and created a system of "softscape" interventions.

There was a definition of problems to be addressed, Problems include:

Over Paved Spaces
Lack of Shade Space
Overwhelming Scale of Buildings
Lack of Identity to the site
Lack of Connectivity to/ through site
Lack of functioning/ Useable Public Space

Once the Problems were identified a Series of different interventions were developed based on their ability to intervene and benefit the site.

Test Schemes Included:

Permeate:Break the site by creating many through roads an d address 6 problems

Focus: Divide buildings and create clustered groups

Sight: Rework all roads to create site lines that travel all the way through the site

After developing these ideas in plan, section and perspective, it became clear that they could all be combined to create one optimum master plan.

From there the master plan was developed and one idea that addressed all 6 problems, and the three test schemes.

The Next Step: Describing Intervention in Section

Site Sections: These early sections collage the ides that are to be addressed in the master plan 

These section are describe the methods of softscape intervention that begin to address the 6 problems identified. The were extremely useful in creating  both the materials and landscaping matrix, and the typology matrix.

Creating a Descriptive Master Plan:

First Pass Master Plan

This is the first pass at the master plan, it begins to describe the layout for the new buildings, softscape interventions and the different zones.

The Matrix:

This early Materials and Landscape Matrix Begins to show how the final Matrix will describe the site interventions, and explain the methodology.

Materials and Landcape Matrix: The describes the intervention, the zone and the reasoning behind each move

There will be a matrix for materials and landscaping, and materials and one for typologies. Both will be used to describe method of intervention, purpose of intervention, and zone location on site.

Master Plan

I'm now in the stage of developing a master plan, where everything so far will be consolidated into one design. So far I have spent the most time on on of the three "experience anchors" (the grocery store).

The design isn't perfect, but it embodies everything from the functional aspects addressed earlier to the recent experiential ones. The most important aspects are the direct and indirect routes. The direct routes are apparent from this view, and I've chosen not to alter the ground plane on them. Everything in between buildings, however, works like the previous models (not too visible in this image). Inside the big building is a grocery store, with spaces similar to the outside spaces linked together inside. This allows for an experience where the visitor sees other people doing different things, allowing for a greater sense of community, and less isolation (as opposed to the car > store > car mentality).

Transitions

The following images are of models I've created to demonstrate how a person can move from one branded space to another.

In this first model, I focused on places to sit, gradual slope changes, interventions, and making sure each building got an "area" that became a part of its brandscape.

The second model was a little more detailed, and demonstrates the interconnectivity between spaces, multiple paths, and a much more engaging path that pulls the visitor through a series of spaces.

Both of these models are actually physical models, based on the computer models you see above.

What's important in both of these models is that there is no branding. Some of the spaces engage the people in actions that have nothing to do with the brand at all. This was not the intent when I started these models, but proves how important architecture is to how the whole shopping experience works. Were these to to just be boxes on a flat plane with nothing connecting them, there would be no reason for visitors to travel through the space unless they were looking for something in particular. With the spaces in these models, it is apparent that the transitions between experiences work fine without being in the context of a brand, and that the spaces that the brands should be are merely nodes (or destinations) connecting different paths.

Experiences, Brandscapes

PERMEABLE BOUNDARIES

PLAN PARTI:

PERMEABLE BOUNDARIES:

Clear circulation with three programatic peaces that allow each to function separately or collectively

SECTION PARTI:

Allowing the void to permeate through the building providing visual connections 

PARTI MODEL:

Spatial Models

The following are spatial models constructed with the samples of plastic in the previous materials testing.

Materials Testing

This round of material testing focused on the application of heat to plastics. Samples of plastics ranging from one layer up to four were tested in order to achieve a variety of transparencies, colors, and textures. Depending on the thickness of each sample, the flame was applied for a longer span of time to achieve a specific degree of malleability.