Iterations

Scheme 1

Scheme 2

Scheme 3

Scheme 4

Scheme 5

I am currently working on Scheme 5. My next endeavors include a large plan and section in 1/8 scale that shows both depth and detail. These next few weeks will be focused on being very specific in every movement and decisions and creating polished work for the final. 

Iterations

Iterations

These are some first iterations of testing different conditions on my site. This portions of the review was not so well received. On the next model I need to focus on more detail with my propositions from the proposed conditions phase.

Proposed Conditions

Proposed Conditions

This phase has a conversation with the existing conditions phase. This is where I envision different possible strategies for the site and the surrounding context. After the review this is the phase I am entering into. I am exploring what conditions would be successful if they were implemented on the site.

Proposed Spatial Conditions

Proposed Material Conditions

Proposed Social Conditions

Existing Conditions

Existing Spatial Conditions

This is the starting point of my thesis. This is the first phase of analysis of my site examining the spatial, material, and social conditions. This phase I explore the successes and failures of the site and the surrounding context. In this step I also identify which characteristics I think are most important to be considered in the design process.

Existing Material Conditions

Existing Social Conditions

Conditional Relationships

Material / Social Relationship. These are runners on the sidewalk which is next to the busy street. The street lamps are a similar scale to the people.

Material / Social Relationship. There is a cast-iron bridge that passes through the site which allows for foot and bike traffic.

In Boston it is illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk so this person is riding in the street. The cars most very quickly and many people have few concerns for the bikers. To accomodate this situation, bikers must also ride very quickly to keep pace with the vehicles.

Spatial / Social Relationship. Facing the site is a very tall apartment building. At the base of the apartment building the relationship between viewer and site is very different than the relationship that exists between viewer and site at the top of the apartment building.

Spatial / Social Relationship. The other building that faces the site is much shorter than the apartment building and only slightly taller than the Homeland security building. This creates a relatively linear relationship between the viewers of both buildings and the site.

My feedback for this week suggested looking at stronger strictly spatial relationship of the surrounding context. The latter Spatial / Social Relationship diagrams were the strongest of the presentation and one suggestion included focusing more on the depth of these diagrams.

My other course of action includes thinking more about the program. My program includes a public space, and light retail and dining function, and a bus stop for the silver line. One of my goals includes diving deeper into the relationship between these programmatic functions.

Group Form - The Thesis Continues.....

This is a quick sketch showing the immediate boundaries of the site and I have begun to identify the spatial conditions as well as the connections of the water, the bridges, and the Atlantic Ave greenway.

This diagram shows some of the buildings across the street from the site along Atlantic Avenue. These buildings would be able to see down into the site. Their scale is also very massive compared to the site.

This diagram shows the only building that actually touches the site. I have also identified that this side of the building is full of windows. These connections are to be considered in the design process.

This diagram shows the building that faces the bridges side of the site. This is a newer building and the large curtain wall pose an interesting spatial condition to be considered.

This diagram shows the building across the street of the site. This is the largest building on the site and possess the most dynamic spatial connection. 

This is sketch of the site as it currently exists. You can see many of the spatial conditions in the buildings that have been explained above. 

This is a sketch of how I am starting to think about the future possibilities for the site. The surrounding spatial conditions are already massive scale and the site is not as large so I am proposing a shorter solution. The building in the rear and the rest of the site will include the thesis of group form. The eventual result will yield a connection to spatial, material, and social conditions. But then you will notice there is something new, the design close to the water's edge that is the stacked cubes. This idea is an attempt to conceptualize with what the future may hold. If group form always responds to the surrounding context then the innovative spirit will die. The last piece of group form is an attempt to create something new so that new projects surrounding this built space will respond to these new ideas as well. 

Collective Form: A Design Process

This thesis investigates the conceptof group form. Group form can defined as an exploration of ideas and situationsthat; when combined, control an environment.  There are three major conditions thatdetermine the readability of a site: spatial elements, material elements, andsocial elements. Spatial conditions drive the scale of the space and controlthe inhabitant’s size and feeling in relationship to the context. The materialconditions define the colors and the physical qualities, this most commonlyassociated with the picture of the space. And finally, the social aspects ofthe space create the essence of the space. This condition is much moredifficult to capture and then the solution must have the ability to adapt andrespond to the changing ideals of the society.

This topic is relevant to current architecturaldiscourse because the rapid expansion of urban environments has created anindividual arbitrary building concept. This design method creates a series ofdisconnected spaces that smash into each other and dense cities have becomedifficult to redistribute more effectively. Instead, the focus should be moreon creating space that more productively takes advantage of the surroundingcontext in an attempt to bring the city together as a whole. Group form createsopportunities for empty spaces that may have been left behind by the arbitrarybuilding concept. The results can yield a remarkable new connection between theinhabitants and the architecture and transform the dark and dense city into adesirable and pleasurable environment for everyone.

This thesis idea in project formcreates a design process that involves analyzing and understanding the stages ofgroup form to reconnect a deteriorated site surrounded by a recently modifiedcontext. First, I plan to investigate the conditions of the context of the site.These results will yield a problem and begin to propose basic solutions.Secondly, I will use those results and begin to make connections between mysite and the context and test different scenarios. And finally, through trialand error of the tests, I will reach a number of conclusions, that whencombined, will deliver a result that responds and harnesses the spirit of theentire environment to create a whole picture.

Spatial conditions form the scale and massing of the environment. These qualities are represented through the differences of sizes in buildings as well as connections between different spaces. This perceptual quality can affect how the inhabitants feel about the space. Does the space feel open or closed? Does the viewer feel like they are seen in the space, or are they just a tiny object? 

Building material and color conditions create the picture of the space. These are the qualities people most often remember when they leave the space and tell others about their experience.

The social conditions are the toughest qualities to capture when designing using group form. The ideals of today will be very different from the ideals of tomorrow. To affectively utilize group form, the social conditions must have the ability to adapt and then continue to harness these ideals.