Final

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COMPACT HOUSING: Sustainable, Livable, Viable

For the final watercolor assignment I decided to render the landscape of my thesis project. The thesis itself is an exploration into compact housing for a sustainable environment in an urban context. It seeks to apply the philosophy of compact design into an urban situation, that of Seattle, WA, and propose a new version of the current solution to the housing issue. Integration between compact single-family houses as a typology are meshed with a multi-family complex and applied with sustainable practices. This amalgamation of ideas sets forth to create a sub-group typology for housing in Seattle and find a niche market that is currently underutilized. Issues of community, density, and sustainability are important factors of the design.

The landscape consists largely of a shared courtyard that acts as an alleyway between the residential units. Sheltered from the road, this shared, open-ended courtyard hosts a multitude of functions for the use and benefit of the residents. The main terminus focus will be a tree on a grassy mound shading a pond. The pond itself is part of the rainwater collection system implemented in the project. All rainwater from the site is collected then filtered in a series of ponds to be re-absorbed into the natural filtration process rather than just being released into the sewer system. The main pond in the courtyard will be part storage tank of this rainwater, part fish pond with koi inhabitants, and part watering source for the on-site vegetation. There are additional aspects of the landscape, including paths connection the courtyard to the public sidewalk, edible gardens for upkeep and use by the inhabitants, and a courtyard adjacent to the community building that can be used for special events.

Watercolor renderings depicted feature the site plan with landscape elements indicated by use of the watercolor media. The actual buildings are just traced on in pencil to indicate location and sizing. The interior were not rendered because the focal point of this project is the landscape, thus extraneous information, such as that of a floor plan, was excluded. Besides the site plan indicated the overall design of the landscape, there is also a perspective of the courtyard terminus and section through it. The perspective was included to create a sense of the character of the space. The section shows scale in relationship to the surrounding buildings. In each of these drawings only the aspects of the design of the landscape were considered in terms of rendering. Pencil outlines help the viewer understand the context of which the landscape is situated. The actual plants were rendered in such a way as to give an abstract representation of edible plants and are not intended to mimic actual plant species.

Overall the use of watercolor in these drawings acts as a medium that tells the story of the place. Unlike computer renders which can be read as finalized documents, the fluidity of the watercolor helps create a focus on effect and atmosphere rather than actual finished product. This use of watercolor is useful in determining the character of the space and play with materiality. It is a useful tool for designers to communicate design intent and perhaps the feel behind the project, rather than a digitalized realistic representation that may fail to represent the heart behind the concept.

Final: Art Architecture Landscape

The three pieces I decided to sketch are of my Community Arts and Wellness Center. I saw this as an opportunity to explore how space or building could be represented. Architecture can be art and art can be architecture, it just depends on the intent of the designer. I decided to do three perspectives: the gallery, the building perspective, and the restaurant.

The gallery is a space that does not need to have a separate space to view art. Art can be incorporated with the architecture or can be part of the experience. Art can be indoor or outdoor. In my opinion galleries are places people go as a destination, often times it is a place where groups of people go and discuss and view art. I felt that an entrance or lobby is a constantly moving and changing space; a lobby space is a temporary holding space. Lobby spaces have the opportunity to engage people to be part of the space. My design opens up the lobby space to become a place to socialize as well a place to display art. Hopefully the art is created from the community arts center, but the idea is that art is meant to be viewed and discussed and does not need a place such as a “gallery” to show the art. Art can have a stronger meaning or is of greater value if people are able to understand the designers intentions to their art, which is why I feel art, should be in social public space. The movable design allows the space to be open and invite the public to discuss art.

The second sketch is the building perspective, the idea that a building can be viewed as art. In the watercolor the building has no context; it simply is a building with a unique form sitting on grass. This building can be placed anywhere even though it was designed as a site specific design, but without its context it stands alone. In the process of sketching this building I felt that the context takes away its unique quality, but what I wanted to express the form. Although the form is not like blob architecture, it’s design is expressed easily as a watercolor to express materiality, glazing, and layers. The layers really make this building stand out. What is difficult in a static illustration for kinetic architecture it is difficult to express the artistic piece of the architecture, but even at a static position, the architecture is still expressive. The way I drew and watercolor the building is no different from a piece of architecture that can be designed for a specific location, but if removed from its context it becomes art that be placed anyone. I feel that context is important because it expresses the intent of the design in relation to its surroundings.

The last watercolor is of the restaurant space, which uses a lift to add another level for seating. What I tried to do with this watercolor that is different is rather than coloring the object, I water colored the white space to create the image. Art does not need to be an object; art can be an experience that is expressed. Here the main feature is the experience. While the space in the drawing isn’t very unique or expressive, what I wanted to show was the building components can create the space. This was my favorite, the water color is not used everywhere, on what is necessary to understand the space. Water color can be an effective too to do just that in architecture.

This class made me constantly think about what is art, architecture, landscape. Honestly it is difficult to determine. Like our field trip over the bridge near the Mexican border I felt that bridge itself is art, but it can be viewed as architecture as well. The bridge connected two sides and being static on the bridge isn’t an option, which makes this bridge unique from others. Also during this field trip creating a nice neighborhood forced people to care about their own property and others and from each individual creating their unique identity the neighborhood becomes something different from other places in the city and that itself is art. People come to see these types of spaces, very much like paintings and sculptures. Art is made for viewing and discussion, which is why I believe art, architecture, and landscape will always be integrated. I don’t think any of them can truly stand alone.

_Images were taken with phone..sorry I don't have a scanner near me.

The other day ..

Final Project - Nadia

As people that live in networks, our appearance as a culture is often dictated by our politics and popular media. However, these are methods which result in false perceptions. This is why the role of art on society is so valuable.

Art reflects the true identity of society. It is a means of expression that is not attached to outside influences. Additionally, it is a form of communication. It works as a creative outlet that allows for a social dialogue between people and cultures. Art allows us to understand one another and our cultures. It allows us to understand emotions that define our individual and group identity. Through art, every event and shared story can be shared and told in multiple forms.

Our literature, music, painting, performance, film, and sculpture reflect our cultural values. From our imagery to our words, the symbolism we choose to express our individual feelings and thoughts becomes the measure by which other societies interpret ours.

The spaces portrayed in the watercolor scenes, are part of a project that wants to redefine the relationship of the general public with the local art in the city of Tijuana. A city were the art scene of the city is in full swing thanks to the efforts of the inhabitants of the city.

The project consist on an art center located on the beach in Tijuana. This building has spaces to exhibit art and creates gathering and passive recreational spaces. The diversity of interior and exterior spaces, provides area to display traditional art and urban art.

The first image is an interior view of the main galley, where we can see the main gallery below with art pieces on the walls and on top of this space we can see the outside corridor, where there is a movie projection on the wall and people can gather to see it or just continue their circulation to the other spaces on the building. For this image layers of watercolor where applied to achieve the transparency of the glass and the art installation on the gallery.



The second scene is an outside perspective view, showing the formwork pattern in the concrete wall and the access doors, where art can be displayed. In the center of the space a simple cubes art installation that can be used to as seating space.




This image is an interior view of the main gallery. In this scene the direct connection to the exterior, the boardwalk and the sky creates an interesting mixture with the art on the main wall.





Personally, I believe the lightness of watercolor scenes, compared to computer aided renders, are more appropriated to express concepts and ideas on architectural scenes.

Final Project-Pedestrian Promenade

The Clairemont Mesa area of San Diego is known for its winding canyons and hilly landscapes. The importance of open space and the successful integration of soft, hard, built, and un-built landscapes will improve the overall system of a mixed community. The pedestrian promenade is the east west connection throughout the site to the canyons on either side. The promenade offers not only comfortable paths for strolling, but a running path and areas to lounge on the site. It creates an open circulation path that caters to pedestrians and encouraged pedestrian travel from surrounding neighborhoods and uses. The first step of the design process was to establish a site center. The center parking area of the current site will be transformed from an over-scaled and under-utilized area into a civic square defined by urban, mixed-use buildings. An element that is important in redevelopment and suburban infill is the creation of a walkable neighborhood. Walkable communities are desirable place to live, work, learn, worship and play. Their desirability comes from two factors. First, walkable communities located within an easy and safe walk to goods (such as housing, office and retail) and services (such as transportation, schools, libraries) that a community resident or employee needs on a regular basis. Secondly, walkable communities make pedestrian activity possible, which expands transportation options and creates a streetscape that better serves a range of users- pedestrians, bicyclists, transit rides, and automobiles. To foster walkability, communities must mix land uses and build compactly while also ensuring safe and inviting pedestrian corridors. One element of the pedestrian corridor is a fountain that lies just north of the center community green. This fountain would be a series of board-form concrete pillars and despite the long tradition of fountains designed only to be looked at, this fountain is meant to have an interaction between water and people. The ability to create an active site also allows for the community to foster a distinctive, active neighborhood with a strong sense of place. The design of this project should take cues from the surrounding context, integrating seamlessly into the fabric and convey an important sense of built permanence in the neighborhood. The project should reflect the values and cultures of the people that reside there and promote types of physical environments which support community connectivity. When a community feels they are part of a project, they take pride in the construction and preservation of the buildings, ensuring that the project is maintained for many years to come.

Pedestrian Promenade Site Plan


Fountain

Running Path Perspective

Digital Perspective

UCSD Field Trip

they did try them on ...

Intervention

While making this masterpiece a little girl decided she would start doing the hula hoop. I think my work inspired her. When I was trying to make this piece the guy who work there said " Oh I can put them away you don't have to worry about it" as if I was trying to clean up, but I told him that I was simply enjoying my time playing with toys and he said to me, " well enjoy then." It was an interesting intervention.

Big Box Intervention-The Collaborative Artists

For our big box intervention, Nadia and I (also known as the Collaborative Artists) decided to stage out intervention in unnamed downtown big box store. Store will remain unnamed for our safety against prosecution. Our first intervention is called red shoe walking...

We lined all the red shoes we could find in the middle of the isle.

Most people just shopped around them.

Some people even tried them on... (ok, that's Nadia, but people did grab some of the shoes we lined up on the floor to look at)

Our next intervention is called wicker tower, composed of multiple wicker laundry baskets to... you guessed it, form a tower.

Our design team in action, constructing the tower.

Completed tower with scale figure.

Unlike the red shoe intervention, which we put away, we left the tower standing and walked away... I know, true rebels.

Making Public Interventions in Today's Massive Cities

After reading Saskia Sassen's article, I began to think about examples of modest interventions in public spaces. I came across Tactical Urbanism, which states that they take short term actions that cause long term chance. Tactical is defined as retaining to small-scale actions serving larger purpose or adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose. Tactical Urbanism is an approach that features five characteristics; a deliberate, phased approach to instigating change, the offering of local solutions for local planning challenges, short-term commitment and realistic expectations, low-risks with a possibility of high reward and the development of social capital between citizens.

One of the group's interventions include Park(ing) Day, where people reclaim space devoted to automobiles and increase the vitality of street life. This event in now world wide and cities like Paris, Tehran, and Hangzhou, China have participated in this event.

Another intervention is called pavement to plazas. The purpose of this intervention is to reclaim underutilized and inefficiently used asphalt as public space without a large outlay of capital. One such example is the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza. Following the implementation of the new Times Square Pedestrian Plaza, injuries to motorists and their passengers declines by 63%. Similarly, pedestrian injuries decreased 35%, even while pedestrian traffic increased.

One last intervention is called Guerrilla Gardening, which was developed to increase more greenery and gardening into the urban environment and is now an international movement. Guerilla Gardening is the act of gardening on public or private land without permission. Typically the sites chosen are vacant or underutilized properties in urban areas. The movement first began in 1973 when New York City activists threw condoms with local seeds, water and fertilizer into vacant lots.

Making Public Interventions in Today's Massive Cities

Saskia Sassen

Sassen discusses how public space is created in the urban environment and how outside factors like politics can shape the meaning of the public space. One of the first things she talks states is how European cities still have very lively public space that are constantly used for a variety of purposes. Within the city are not only large public spaces, but also left over public spaces that shape the city. What Sassen does not discuss is how the culture is an important factor to the utilization of public space. In the American society where our culture is to work all day, we don’t spend much time outside. The other argument is we don’t go outside because there are no inviting public spaces.

Uninviting spaces could be due to our new way of making public space. Sassen states how many public spaces have become private. These private spaces typically come with restrictions, surveillance, and power over the space. The greatest impacts according to Sassen is the economic factor, high income areas versus low income areas leading to public spaces being very displaced making the spaces not very “public.” Could be reason why public spaces aren’t developed more.

Another factor that Sassen discusses is how politics have a large role in the shaping of public space. Public space is a place for non-formal political activities which engage the public and the media. Activities in public spaces can be linked to the internet and other global networks that spread the word. Without these public spaces, where would people go for public activism?

What is very different about Sassen’s article is that she links public space to digital media. All types of people can use public space in different ways and share it with the world. Space is being shared through a network versus physically experiencing the space.

Sassen engages the reader through the ability to link digital and political world with the public space, but it does not discusses physical elements that shape the urban public seating. This was less about the architecture of public space as it was the new meaning of public space.

Making Public Interventions...

Saskia Sassen discusses the condition of urban in her article “Making Public Interventions in Today’s Massive Cities.” What begins as an interesting questioning into displacement of people and utilization of under-used spaces, which she calls “terrains vagues,” develops into a rather theoretical discourse of several conditions existing in modern cities. All viable observations of modernist cities, the discussions of privatization, frontiers, locality, and digitization are a departure from her introducing paragraphs. These paragraphs, to me, create the framework for a more interesting discussion.

The New Urbanist movement, among others, has taken a look at the leftover, trash spaces of existing cities and has begun to development. Inter-city development of vacant lots, condemned buildings, contaminated land, and other such spaces has brought a new face to many local areas in San Diego, as well as to other cities. The development of these under-used spaces has spurred a return to urban conditions from the suburban fringe. In truth the inter-city developments seek to stop the sprawl that exists in all major cities, thus decreasing the periphery green zones, nature habitats, or farmland. But, Saskia suggests, what if these unused areas are important in terms of keeping a sense of openness? Should these leftover spaces be turned into public amenities with artists playing active roles to rejuvenate them? Some of this has already occurred (I’m thinking specifically of the Freemont Troll in Seattle under the Aurora Bridge). These kinds of artistic interventions have helped greatly increase the livelihood and quality of life in specific urban cores by using spaces under bridges, or in meridians, or in otherwise un-buildable areas.

I agree it is desirable to maintain some level of openness in cities, but on the other hand one of the draws to the city is its density, the sense that every piece of usable land is used to the greatest efficiency, none is leftover or wasted. The open spaces must be useful, purposeful, and enhance the overall city experience.

Freemont Troll (undergrad Arch class field trip):


and.......

Cheerios "Sculpture". I'm calling it: Did You Know There Were So Many Kinds of Cheerios??

Response to "Virtual Space"

Suzanne Langer in her article "Virtual Space" describes the different perceptions of space that we conceive when creating paintings, sculptures or architecture. While the two dimensions of a painting are trying to create a three dimensional scene, an object [ a sculpture] that its already three dimensional creates a sense of space. This is the "kinetic domain" in relation to the user, while buildings, as she describes, are the "ethnic domain." These create an illusion where the relation goes beyond just the visual connection between the user and the object, into a more tangible and sensible one.

In the reading Langer concludes that the relationship with sculpture and architecture is inevitable. She then states, "the two art forms [sculpture and architecture] are, in fact, each other complements: whichever we start with, the others is its background . . . "

I believe that architecture should follow this idea, where by creating a sculpture/building becomes an ethnic domain to the inhabitant and therefore produces a kinetic relationship to the external observer. Maybe this is the line where these two practices meet, and the function to inhabit the building is not enough to differentiate these. The most important characteristic of a building or a sculpture doesn't rely on if it blends or contrasts to the space that surrounds it; once it is erected it transforms the space creating a new way of perceiving the environments.

__ nadia nunez

Mi photo for next week

Visual Space

Virtual Space

This article touches on many topics, not just sculpture, but architecture, culture, and painting, but what I pulled out from this article was a greater understanding of sculpture. Sculpture embodies volume, place, kinetic volume, scene, and materiality. All those aspects connect us to the sculpture through touch and vision. One of things I have always been fascinated by is how a sculptor can create a sculpture that is very much alive, possible holding in their very last breath through a material such as stone, a very hard material. It is the sculptures that contain the kinetic volume and motion that people should want to touch. I would like to disagree with the author that sculpture does not make people want to “handle every figure.” Most sculptures give off the presence that it shouldn’t be touched. Sculpture figures depending on their placement is directly connected to people wanting to touch it. A sculpture in the middle of a grass lawn simply asks not to be touched. A sculpture on the street immediately invites the viewers to look and touch. If sculptures were made to touch, why can’t we ever touch sculptures in museums? I have always wondered that.

The other interesting part of this article is the concept of creating space in architecture. What designers create may not be what is experienced. The intentioned is missed because we see it for its purpose and therefore the architecture if design is purely art because it does not relate to function. Where as in the case of a monument it is thought of less as a shelter and can be seen for what it is and its meaning. This simply makes me think of my own design. Is the design simply four walls or am I really designing something more? Simply by believing the space is a great multi-purpose space does not mean it will be used like the intended design. My thesis is using movable architecture to allow for a building to be multi-functional. Even though my project is very much hypothetical, how do I make a space used specifically the way I want to? And the only answer I have come up with is that it will require understanding the users and how they adapt to those uses. Anything that is too difficult or if there is one option that is more liked then the design may not become multifunctional. As much as I would like to sculpt my project for people to see, if it were to be built the building may not be used desired. Like sculpture if we simply look at it and see it as a piece of stone that is in the shape of a figure the desired intention may not be seen. Both sculpture and architecture require the users to understand the meaning and purpose to truly appreciate their creation.

Response to Suzanne Langer "Virtual Space"

In this excerpt from Suzanne Langer, the author discusses the different virtual spaces that sculpture and architecture create. Architecture is so close to us; it is so much a part of our everyday life that we grow quite unconscious of it. We are conscious perhaps of an especially tall building, or of a particularly big building, but they move us in no special wonder- wonder, in the sense that we should like to know how they came to be there or that they are a product of the human imagination. But, despite the ignorance of the principles of architectural design or the processes of design, they are the same principles and processes in any other art. Architecture is very much a three-dimensional art. Mass and proportion, heights and widths, walls and openings, mouldings and ornament, are the simple elements of the language of architecture, capable of infinite modulation and variety.

In sculpture, you are also dealing with ponderable substances; with three dimensions; with mass; with the play of light and shade which modulates the forms and transitions from form to form; with an actual rather than an apparent balance, such as the way a statue stands well poised on its feet; with rhythm, harmony, beauty, and always a general design. In many of its qualities it is closely allied with architecture, and in some with painting. In good sculpture one in not conscious of arms and legs, because they are arranged in such a way that they contribute the unity of the piece.

While when have seen that in architecture and sculpture, even painting, the materials, means, and modes of expression appropriate to each vary widely, the same principles and qualities are common to all- design, proportion, balance or symmetry, rhythm, pattern, harmony, contrast, style. These link them in an essential unity.

-Jessica Potts

Response to "Virtual Space"

In Suzanne Langer’s article “Virtual Space,” she discusses sculpture as a three-dimensional art that focuses on the self. This is opposed to her description of Architecture, which focuses on the “ethnic domain,” which is the environment created by self. In this regard, Architecture and sculpture are the complete antithesis of one another. Let us explore these ideas further.

Sculpture is the frozen moment in time of a kinetic form. No longer moving, this perception of movement is part of our understanding of what sculpture is. Unlike painting or other flat art, where a sense of space is perceived to be in existence though is in essence only represented in a flat plane, sculpture in its 3-dimensionality has the ability to morph and change based upon our vantage point, the levels of light, time of day/year/atmospheric conditions, and many other factors. This ability to be viewed, visually, in many different ways, is part of the draw for the viewer. Another interesting aspect of sculpture is how the negative space in and around the sculpture become a part of the sculpture. In the author’s argument, these negative spaces are what help anchor sculpture into the realm of self awareness. We are concerned with sculpture on a personal basis, especially when it is anthropomorphic. The sensory aspects of movement, touch, sight, and even smell of a sculpture are experienced on a personal level, for the self, to be viewed and appreciated by oneself.

Unlike the “scene” of pictorial art, or the “kinetic volume,” Architecture is “an ethnic domain.” Although the author first discusses Architecture as being vernacular in the most basic form, an argument that she seems to forget in her further argument, the ethnic domain, or public environment of Architecture is its main definitive difference from sculpture. No debate here on form or function or built or occupy-able ability, Architecture is whittled down to the environment around us. It is, in essence, the symbol of humanity created by a culmination of culture, technology, and materials accessible. This is an interesting concept to me. Though I don’t necessarily believe in the duality of Architecture and sculpture feeding off each other as a personal vs. public phenomenon, as I consider Architecture to often be very personal in nature as well, I do appreciate the observation that while Sculpture focuses inward, occupying an Architectural work has the viewer focusing outward.

-Rachel Dentel

Does this photo work for tomorrow?

Mugshot for friday

This is similar to how you photo for this week should look, fyi.

Response toe "Sculpture in the Expanded Field"

Sculpture in the Expanded Field

Rosalind Krauss’s article really made me re-think how I perceive sculpture, landscape, and architecture. She first addresses that sculpture in the past was linked to a monument which connected it to the place and place. Sculpture had a purpose, a meaning, and was often vertical that was placed on a pedestal that connected it to its site. It is stated that over time this understand of sculpture changed, but in my mind figurative sculpture is simply one type of sculpture. Figurative sculpture may not be made as often as they use to be, but our understanding of that type of sculpture has not changed.

More modern sculpture is said to be separate from its site, no site, and may have no function. This is what we see more often today. It is with modern sculpture where the line between sculpture, landscape, and architecture becomes unclear. In other cultures landscape, sculpture, and architecture are intertwined, but in our culture it is harder to grasp the concept of the expanded field where one is not separate from one another. I believe our American culture has a hard time grasping this concept because we were taught to believe that there is only one. Students are in an architecture program, landscape program, or art program. Generally speaking most programs are separate from another. What isn’t talked about in this article is weather exploring or understanding the extended field actually helps create better designs. Is Richard Sierra’s work more outstanding because it does all three? I would also state that even if a design incorporates landscape, architecture, and sculpture, one is still more significant than other. Rosalind gives the example of the Japanese gardens; I would still argue that the main focus is the landscape. The architecture and the sculpture support and strengthen the landscape. Although there are many pieces that link landscape, architecture, and sculpture I would still argue depending on what its purpose is would force it to fit into one of those categories. I feel that for a designed piece to be all three would require a great understanding of each subject, which is difficult. Most designers are a master of one.

This reading really triggered my educational memories. I tried to think of the times where I was instructed to incorporate art and landscape into architecture. Landscape was always an afterthought. I just wonder if landscape and art were part of my education would I be a better architect in the future.

Daisy's Sites

This one isn't one of my sites, but two weeks ago when I was exploring California my boyfriend and I happen to run into one of Richard Serra's works. I immediately said "stop the car" and we went to explore this piece of "sculpture" or should I say "architecture." It is an amazing piece. You can occupy the sculpture and create noise or "music" in the structure. I just thought about if I had to design something and had to place it next to Richard Serra's work what would I come up with?

Site #1: Can't a bus stop be more interesting?

Site #2: Can this path have more?

Site #3: Those boxes looks like it's asking for some design

Site #4: What goes into a historic landmark area?