043: Paris (part II)

Continuing to...historical buildings, social housing types

Opera de Paris, Charles Garnier, architect
Recent mural by Marc Chagall on canvas.


Louvre.


Versailles, Hall of Mirrors
And all the rococo one can handle at one time.









Next: Pompidou + more

042: Paris, France (snapshot)/ Semester project (progress)

Paris: dense & historical

Part I

Notre Dame:


Saint Chapelle:


Chartres:

(That heart was already there.)



More later.

The Parking Structure extends toward the station!

Because, that's what it is. The parking (on the left) extends (yet doesn't continue) to the station, lending its structure and ramping systems to create a sort of landscape-- for recreation/retail on top, and transit program/circulation underneath.

It continues, as always, to develop.

038: Oh, hiatus, but "work" remains constant during the semester...

Oh, Wheeler Station. The image of a grand transfer station on this piece of land!

The Assignment

Assignment 4. Building Design Program (2.5 weeks)

DUE: Wednesday, February 27

Wheeler Station Building Design Program

In Problem 2 (Design and Program Analysis) you established the parameters on which the program requirements for the final design stage of the project are based. The following list of requirements is based on your analysis. In addition we have added several small program elements not addressed in the analysis.

A. Metro Program Elements
1. Elevated University Line Station (alignment, size, and height as described in analysis)
2. Local Bus Stops (10 total, this includes 6 existing plus 4 new)
3. Information and Security office: 2000 SF (Information and Reception Desk, Security office,
Employee Rest Room, First Aid Room, Administrative Office)
4. Bicycle Storage Facility: 2000 SF (Bicycle Storage Area, Individual Restrooms with showers (4)
5. Public Restrooms: Women’s and Men’s (Total of 6 fixtures per sex, single or multiple sites)

B. Intercity Bus Program: Provide six spaces to be leased to intercity bus companies as
described in the analysis problem. No indoor waiting required; tickets provided by vending machines.

C. Commercial Program: 25,000 SF Gross as per analysis. Please note that 50 parking spaces should
be allocated to serve commercial (no permanent parking in these spaces)

D. Parking Program: 500- 550 Spaces (Includes 50 spaces dedicated to commercial)

F. Storm Water Detention: Provide .5 Acre Feet of Storm Water detention on Site as indicated in the
analysis

G. Urban Event Space: In keeping with Metro’s plan to develop functional urban landscape elements
wherever possible, develop a major public exterior space capable of supporting a weekend produce
market, public meeting, or performance.

H. Miscellaneous Requirements: Provide a protected or pull off waiting space for
6 vehicles (Taxicabs and auto drop off)

Adjacency requirements:

-Direct, accessible pedestrian movement must be accommodated between major metro movement systems (Metro Lines, Local Bus Lines). This would include ramps, stairs, or escalators and elevator(s). All stairs and ramps should be sized for a population of 150 persons (44” + 2 x 22”=88”).
- Information office should be centrally located for ease of use and efficient surveillance.

Additional Requirements:

-All bus and train stops should be provided with overhead covering so that it is possible to move between all modes of transportation (and major program elements) without getting wet.
-Retail space should be located to take advantage of movement between major program elements.

Schedule:

Documentation for this exercise will be due Wednesday, February 27 at 1 PM.
-Site Model: 1”=100’ (Concept Type Model similar to Assignment No. 3)
-Site/ Floor Plan(s): TBD
-Site Sections: TBD
-Digital Model: Ground level views, Major Interior/ Exterior Space

Topographic Interpretation:

Before this assignment, however, we were to vaguely assemble the program under one unifying topic: I picked Topography. Although my project was very literal, I feel that there is logic behind a literal topography, in which that slopes can equate themselves to ramps, making a more fluid traffic flow.

Thinking, thinking....

...and my thoughts ended up looking like a magnetic field: all pedestrians orbiting around the intersection of both lines. Of course, this isn't at all realistic (pedestrians will be thinking about their destinations.) Really, the 'magnetism' is behind the circulatory connection between three different zones: parking (cars), light rail (waiting, retail) and buses (inter/intracity) with transfers in between.

Thinking along the lines of form: I'm more of a functionalist, or, circulatorist (let's make up terms shall we?) but I have been thinking of form.

1. Topography + lamination + carve (light)= what my concept model looks at the moment.


2. Interpreting velocity with form, like the speed of cars, of pedestrians, of waiting pedestrians, of Greyhound buses, of METRO buses, of the light rail. Vehicles of different types, functions, and allowed speed.


3. Interpreting 'magnetic lines' with form: follow the line.

The Architecture of Parking by Simon Henley

There are the lines! Lines!



And this....

The above picture is not just for "inspiration," but I found it appealing (not only because it's a Japanese architect) because my professor previously mentioned that parking could indeed be seen as a form of topography. This takes that literally, of course, and I couldn't help but like the idea.

So far, what my project is looking like is like a repeating curve, a curve that was stolen from the flow of parking garages.

Houston is indeed a car city. Commuter haven. (or Hell.)

Wheeler Station does not call for a gargantuan structure. Drive by the site and you hear it call for what it already looks like. A megastructure would just be like a distraction from the city's core.

---

036: Green beams

Not related to my research at all, but I just love the idea of non-structural vegetation beams. As you can read in the short article (it was the issue of AR of "Emergent Architecture"), the architect meant it not to be practical, nor just aesthetic, but unnaturally filling up the void of urban space.

Fake nature. In this world, what do we appreciate more? The man-made landscape, or, the wilderness as terrific (_{old sense of the word}) and vast as it is...?

---

028: Oh, late nght, some progress.

---

I need to write some sentences to ease my mind.

Ground floor:Administration/break room next to stimulant Cafe/ possibly gameroom? Lobby (first floor): Those going up one escalator must easily locate ticket stand, then concession, not necessarly next to each other? This portion will always be busy, whereas ground floor administration will not-- thus, place gameroom next to cafe, along with main bathrooms, but here, run into spacing problems. Gameroom may be pushed upstairs.

Orthogonal-- I feel boring.

The desk, presented to you:

On my desk:


Above my desk:


Underneath my desk:


Next to my desk:


And, my company:


Yes, graveyard shift-- deadtime hours. No one here. I should start to go...