Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
this is it
Open Source: Infrastructural Transparency in Suburban Public Spaces of Semi-Arid Regions
Situated on the semi-arid plains of the Mojave Desert, Los Angeles yet boasts the greatest population of any county in California, as well as a reputation as the cultural and economic hub of the West Coast. The story behind this growth and prosperity is actually intertwined with the process of constructing an infrastructure that could physically transport the single most-important life-giving substance to the region: water.
Los Angeles is dotted with the ghosts and current manifestations of water-related infrastructure everywhere: the concrete channels of the LA River, chain-link fences that demarcate the boundaries of storm drains, the ever-present LA Aqueduct on the horizon of the San Gabriel Mountains and accompanying your drive on the 5 freeway. At a distance or from a car, these structures often simply recede into the gritty urban fabric of the city. The question is how do they function 40 miles outside the city center, in the context of a tree-lined suburban landscape?
Spanish-style missions and typical terra-cotta roofed construction were the historic architectural response to the semi-arid climate of the region. What are the descendants of this desert typology in Los Angeles today? Is there an architectural language that is appropriately informed by regional climate issues and honors local traditions that can replace the blank-slate approach towards planned communities today?
The notorious subtext of Los Angeles is that of its sprawling suburbs and the anonymous neighborhoods that compose them. In a popular culture of increasing individuality and alternative leisure experiences, what is the role of the traditional public common? Is there space for public space in Suburbia?
SITE
The site is sandwiched between Saugus High School and a Church of Latter-day Saints, running adjacent to a portion of the LA Aqueduct and storm drain system. It includes a footbridge spanning 200 feet, a field of about 900 square feet and about 20,000 square feet in and along the storm drain.
PROGRAM
A redesign of the site to interface with established institutions, surrounding residents as well as the city at large will be the purpose of this intervention. An emphasis will be placed on education and public awareness about water-related infrastructure, reflecting of semi-arid climate of region through architecture, and bringing people together in a suburban culture of privacy and distance. Potential elements include a playground, outdoor ampitheatre, water education museum, a skate park, a better interface for car parking and gardens with native flora.
TIMELINE
January - Site visit, continued research of precedents and history
February - Site analysis and preliminary designs; Pin-up #1, #2
March - Design development; Pin-up #3, #4
April - Continued design development and final production; Pin-up #5, #6
May - Final Review
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chinatown. Directed by Roman Polanski. DVD. Paramount, 1974.
Gumprecht, Blake. The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death and Possible Rebirth. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
Joy, Rick. Desert Works. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Krieg, John C. Desert Landscape Architecture. Boca Raton: CRC, 1998.
Macedo, Joseli. ”City Profile: Curitiba.” Cities. 21 (2004): 537-549.
Reed, Peter. Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
Shower. Directed by Zhang Yang. DVD. Sony Pictures, 1999.
Situated on the semi-arid plains of the Mojave Desert, Los Angeles yet boasts the greatest population of any county in California, as well as a reputation as the cultural and economic hub of the West Coast. The story behind this growth and prosperity is actually intertwined with the process of constructing an infrastructure that could physically transport the single most-important life-giving substance to the region: water.
Los Angeles is dotted with the ghosts and current manifestations of water-related infrastructure everywhere: the concrete channels of the LA River, chain-link fences that demarcate the boundaries of storm drains, the ever-present LA Aqueduct on the horizon of the San Gabriel Mountains and accompanying your drive on the 5 freeway. At a distance or from a car, these structures often simply recede into the gritty urban fabric of the city. The question is how do they function 40 miles outside the city center, in the context of a tree-lined suburban landscape?
Spanish-style missions and typical terra-cotta roofed construction were the historic architectural response to the semi-arid climate of the region. What are the descendants of this desert typology in Los Angeles today? Is there an architectural language that is appropriately informed by regional climate issues and honors local traditions that can replace the blank-slate approach towards planned communities today?
The notorious subtext of Los Angeles is that of its sprawling suburbs and the anonymous neighborhoods that compose them. In a popular culture of increasing individuality and alternative leisure experiences, what is the role of the traditional public common? Is there space for public space in Suburbia?
SITE
The site is sandwiched between Saugus High School and a Church of Latter-day Saints, running adjacent to a portion of the LA Aqueduct and storm drain system. It includes a footbridge spanning 200 feet, a field of about 900 square feet and about 20,000 square feet in and along the storm drain.
PROGRAM
A redesign of the site to interface with established institutions, surrounding residents as well as the city at large will be the purpose of this intervention. An emphasis will be placed on education and public awareness about water-related infrastructure, reflecting of semi-arid climate of region through architecture, and bringing people together in a suburban culture of privacy and distance. Potential elements include a playground, outdoor ampitheatre, water education museum, a skate park, a better interface for car parking and gardens with native flora.
TIMELINE
January - Site visit, continued research of precedents and history
February - Site analysis and preliminary designs; Pin-up #1, #2
March - Design development; Pin-up #3, #4
April - Continued design development and final production; Pin-up #5, #6
May - Final Review
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chinatown. Directed by Roman Polanski. DVD. Paramount, 1974.
Gumprecht, Blake. The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death and Possible Rebirth. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
Joy, Rick. Desert Works. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Krieg, John C. Desert Landscape Architecture. Boca Raton: CRC, 1998.
Macedo, Joseli. ”City Profile: Curitiba.” Cities. 21 (2004): 537-549.
Reed, Peter. Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
Shower. Directed by Zhang Yang. DVD. Sony Pictures, 1999.
Friday, November 14, 2008
finally.
Aqueducts and storm drains are a critical element of suburban infrastructure of southern California. Essentially, they bring in water when we need it and get rid of it when we don't.
However, there is definitely a stigma to their presence. They are engineered, not designed. Their linear nature has the power to divide neighborhoods and sterile public spaces.
hence...
Above, a portion of the LA Aqueduct next to Saugus High School (my alma mater) in Santa Clarita, CA. A church is situated on the other side of the aqueduct.
My plan. Design a community public space that serves students, the residents of Santa Clarita at large and remakes the image of the aqueduct in the city.
However, there is definitely a stigma to their presence. They are engineered, not designed. Their linear nature has the power to divide neighborhoods and sterile public spaces.
hence...
Above, a portion of the LA Aqueduct next to Saugus High School (my alma mater) in Santa Clarita, CA. A church is situated on the other side of the aqueduct.
My plan. Design a community public space that serves students, the residents of Santa Clarita at large and remakes the image of the aqueduct in the city.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
suspiciously empty...
Welcome to Six Flags Magic Mountain, Santa Clarita, CA.
12+ lane parking entrance and small-intestine-looking water slides pictured above. Looks like the satellite image was taken before the park opened or in the middle of a massive resurfacing of the parking lot, since there are zero cars (odd). Newhall Land and Farm (corporation that basically owns the city) is busy at work developing the lower left corner as well, I see.
I'm hugely intrigued by the sheer amount of infrastructure that is obviously required to pull something like this off. Is it even possible to retrofit another sort of function to a place like this? Is my exploration better off in an abstract semi-arid environment or within a site like this?
tangents, but also interesting
california water wars
sprinkler systems + a greener lawn than your neighbor's
semi-arid flora and fauna
desert architecture... where did it go.
as for the notion of climate sensitive constructs.... the preposterous-ness that zoos and aquariums exist at all. honestly.
sprinkler systems + a greener lawn than your neighbor's
semi-arid flora and fauna
desert architecture... where did it go.
as for the notion of climate sensitive constructs.... the preposterous-ness that zoos and aquariums exist at all. honestly.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
photo dump and a return to my roots, in hopes of clarity
Concerns raised by my recent trip to Rotch: 90% of books related to water-related architecture featured...beach houses, more or less. It's either that I'm just bad at choosing search terms, or there really isn't a good survey of water-related architecture out there...or at least at MIT.
I resorted to a Google search at a certain point and in the midst of sorting through too many hits, this one struck me hard.
Probably because I remember my 11th birthday party being held at a water park just like this one in sunny Socal. Fond memories, but I also had to recall the virtue of my 11th grade history teacher who refused to water his lawn because "you shouldn't have grass in the desert." It wasn't a long stretch to begin asking questions about the appropriateness of what I knew to be just one of many such water parks in the LA area, especially after more Google hits of pictures like this:
Bleached rocks at Lake Powell, where spring water levels are just two-thirds their normal level.
At a point in time when I felt that my interest in residential waterfront architecture was hitting a dead end, I'm finding that adding another constraint to the same scenario -- climate sensitivity -- is bringing a new level of meaning to me. How to live in symbiotically with water in a climate that will always be at odds with it? I am also finding that public/civic spaces are actually much more interesting to me than residential when it comes to exploring this idea, because of the opportunity to celebrate a commodity and a resource, not just systemize a method of its consumption.
So then, a quick outline of my latest ideas and some inspiring photos should do it. Comments welcome =)
===================================
what interests me and why
how a water park is not the water-infused equivalent of a regular park
is there a way to enjoy water in a climate-sensitive construct in an environment that is at odds with its existence?
what I plan to do
a new model for a the water park
not the wet version of an amusement park, but rather a new model for a recreational landscape offering amenities, comforts and gathering spaces that water, a foreign element in arid climates, can bring.
possible site: the Hurricane Harbor in my hometown, where I had my birthday 10 years ago. (irony!!)
how I will do it
redesign of the water park
exploration of the water play
an environment in which water is valued, enjoyed and refreshed
why it matters that I do what I plan to do
how water can be used, enjoyed and valued appropriately in desert climates
relevance to water shortage issue
importance of regional architecture -- addressing resource problem through architecture, as well as technology
questions about this plan, even as i plan it
yes, water is scarce in CA, but then again, cali has the most coastal real estate of a single state in the US. surfer culture, beach houses, boardwalks...it's all there. my argument that water needs to be explored and designed into the environment only holds for non-beach areas...does this make sense?
===================================
Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Marine Exploration complex at Governor's Island in NY
Hurricane Harbor, Santa Clarita; bad site plan detail
water play, not park.
I resorted to a Google search at a certain point and in the midst of sorting through too many hits, this one struck me hard.
Probably because I remember my 11th birthday party being held at a water park just like this one in sunny Socal. Fond memories, but I also had to recall the virtue of my 11th grade history teacher who refused to water his lawn because "you shouldn't have grass in the desert." It wasn't a long stretch to begin asking questions about the appropriateness of what I knew to be just one of many such water parks in the LA area, especially after more Google hits of pictures like this:
Bleached rocks at Lake Powell, where spring water levels are just two-thirds their normal level.
At a point in time when I felt that my interest in residential waterfront architecture was hitting a dead end, I'm finding that adding another constraint to the same scenario -- climate sensitivity -- is bringing a new level of meaning to me. How to live in symbiotically with water in a climate that will always be at odds with it? I am also finding that public/civic spaces are actually much more interesting to me than residential when it comes to exploring this idea, because of the opportunity to celebrate a commodity and a resource, not just systemize a method of its consumption.
So then, a quick outline of my latest ideas and some inspiring photos should do it. Comments welcome =)
===================================
what interests me and why
how a water park is not the water-infused equivalent of a regular park
is there a way to enjoy water in a climate-sensitive construct in an environment that is at odds with its existence?
what I plan to do
a new model for a the water park
not the wet version of an amusement park, but rather a new model for a recreational landscape offering amenities, comforts and gathering spaces that water, a foreign element in arid climates, can bring.
possible site: the Hurricane Harbor in my hometown, where I had my birthday 10 years ago. (irony!!)
how I will do it
redesign of the water park
exploration of the water play
an environment in which water is valued, enjoyed and refreshed
why it matters that I do what I plan to do
how water can be used, enjoyed and valued appropriately in desert climates
relevance to water shortage issue
importance of regional architecture -- addressing resource problem through architecture, as well as technology
questions about this plan, even as i plan it
yes, water is scarce in CA, but then again, cali has the most coastal real estate of a single state in the US. surfer culture, beach houses, boardwalks...it's all there. my argument that water needs to be explored and designed into the environment only holds for non-beach areas...does this make sense?
===================================
Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Marine Exploration complex at Governor's Island in NY
Hurricane Harbor, Santa Clarita; bad site plan detail
water play, not park.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
bullet points, before i forget
Rough intro + notes of new idea below. Proper English forthcoming.
===============================================================================
The space between land and water is architecture in the truest sense – a wholly man-made intervention that permits human experience in a delicate balance between two realms of nature. This edge as it exists along the periphery of every continent has been fortified, levied, reclaimed, dammed and drained in historic efforts to acclimatize it for suitable human occupation. The environmental, social and cultural implications that follow from uncontrolled or uncontrollable interactions with water, such as natural disaster, spread of disease, decaying industrial ports and sterile waterfront spaces, lead us to hope for a symbiotic relationship with water which not only serves human needs but also delights us with aesthetics, balance and functionality.
what interests me and why
the fantastically different yet completely appropriate ways people have mediated the space between land and sea throughout history
the role of water in civilization:
- water as economy (fishing, trading, tourism)
- water as amenity (luxury, sport)
- water as threat (tsunamis, flooding)
- water as resource (human health, irrigation, energy generation)
what I plan to do
systematic analysis of ways of occupying land/water
integrate richness of these separate types of occupation into a single site.
sausalito, CA
- vibrant houseboat community in need of an architectural connection to land
how I will do it
research current civilizations, cultural traditions, architectural styles, etc
IAP site visit to SF
why it matters that I do what I plan to do
waterfront redevelopment is rising trend for many cities, mostly motivated by economic revitalization of tourism economy
human scale/lifestyle/delight should be a factor
living on/by/near/around the water should be enjoyed to maximum
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
The space between land and water is architecture in the truest sense – a wholly man-made intervention that permits human experience in a delicate balance between two realms of nature. This edge as it exists along the periphery of every continent has been fortified, levied, reclaimed, dammed and drained in historic efforts to acclimatize it for suitable human occupation. The environmental, social and cultural implications that follow from uncontrolled or uncontrollable interactions with water, such as natural disaster, spread of disease, decaying industrial ports and sterile waterfront spaces, lead us to hope for a symbiotic relationship with water which not only serves human needs but also delights us with aesthetics, balance and functionality.
what interests me and why
the fantastically different yet completely appropriate ways people have mediated the space between land and sea throughout history
the role of water in civilization:
- water as economy (fishing, trading, tourism)
- water as amenity (luxury, sport)
- water as threat (tsunamis, flooding)
- water as resource (human health, irrigation, energy generation)
what I plan to do
systematic analysis of ways of occupying land/water
integrate richness of these separate types of occupation into a single site.
sausalito, CA
- vibrant houseboat community in need of an architectural connection to land
how I will do it
research current civilizations, cultural traditions, architectural styles, etc
IAP site visit to SF
why it matters that I do what I plan to do
waterfront redevelopment is rising trend for many cities, mostly motivated by economic revitalization of tourism economy
human scale/lifestyle/delight should be a factor
living on/by/near/around the water should be enjoyed to maximum
===============================================================================
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
alan says...
...make sure I know what scale of project I can realistically handle. Definitely a point that I need to be reminded of as I make draft out my thesis statement. For whatever reason, though, I am just very fascinated by the big picture dynamics of the zillions of factors that precede what we know to be "architecture."
Also to consider, another article (sort of old, 2001) that argues that urban waterfront redevelopment is becoming a national trend due to x reasons. My top guess (tourism/luxury economy) was mentioned in passing...
Maybe an approach is to critically analyze this apparent national trend, distill its major goals, program elements and strategies, and design a way to integrate low-cost residential within this context.
Actually that still sounds pretty urban plann y ...
How can I bring back my initial fascination with the richness, functionality and economy of Bangkok khlong stilt homes?
Also to consider, another article (sort of old, 2001) that argues that urban waterfront redevelopment is becoming a national trend due to x reasons. My top guess (tourism/luxury economy) was mentioned in passing...
Maybe an approach is to critically analyze this apparent national trend, distill its major goals, program elements and strategies, and design a way to integrate low-cost residential within this context.
Actually that still sounds pretty urban plann y ...
How can I bring back my initial fascination with the richness, functionality and economy of Bangkok khlong stilt homes?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
MCHG + ramble + draft
This post will be a backlog of previous thoughts that I should have dumped earlier. Ah well, prepare to scroll...
McGill's Minimum Cost Housing Group, has a GREAT website with easy navigation to a pretty good collection of past M.arch theses... all related to low (with the goal of minimum, I presume) cost housing. I was surprised to discover that a lot of them had to do with squatter settlements in SE Asia, not "affordable housing" in the Western sense.
I read Chapter 2 and skimmed a couple of other parts of Rachelle G. Navarro's thesis on improving sanitation in waterfront communities. There were definitely parts that coincided with my interests, particularly breaking down the reasons why squatters chose to squat on waterfronts. Navarro confirmed some of my initial intuitions -- most urban cities, many of them former colonies, were intentionally chosen and settled for their advantageous locations for trade and defense. She argued that while coastal lands were considered highly (economically) productive environments in rural areas (for fishing and trade I presume), the coast is seen as an “idle” region in urban areas (not sure if I agree/understand that…) I do see the point that water (be it rainfall, a river or lake, etc) seems to be a natural element in rural areas, while it is a foreign element in the urbanized environment (sewage, storm drains, etc are required to mitigate/interact with it)
She also listed a number of coastal cities with notable squatter settlements, which I've referenced here:
• Guayaquil (Ecuador)
• Recife (Brazil)
• Monrovia (Liberia)
• Lagos and Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
• Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
• Delhi (India)
• Bangkok (Thailand) – “khlongs”
• Jakarta (Indonesia) – “kampungs”
• Buenos Aires and Resistencia (Argentina)
• Accra (Ghana)
Other useful notes: most common concerns in waterfront settlements are clean water, sanitation (of human waste), clean/safe environment (free of insects, garbage, standing water). I quickly brainstormed possible solutions...rainwater catchment, composting toilets, incentives to recycle more comprehensively through policy (like Jaime Lerner's environmental policy to buy trash and collected recyclables from slum dwellers in Curitiba, Brazil which led to huge improvements in cleanliness of public areas).
Navarro also noted differences in disease levels during the rainy season. It seems to be that any design that involves the flood plain needs to critically consider annual flooding and change in the occupiable ground plane.
…which makes for an uncanny segue in my thoughts for my studio project at the moment. My key words: action, distribution and time; essentially, how actions and activities of people are located within a built environment and both analyzing and guiding these changing dynamics over time. For Mumbai, and other coastal cities with flooding problems, the ground plane is an active changing element in the landscape; Not a neutral plane to receive human actions, but one that immediately influences human action and distribution.
All of this is sort of melding into one big fat unrefined idea. I will attempt to dissect it, starting now.
.
.
.
*40 min later. It’s taking longer than I thought -_-;; will chew on this for awhile and post later tonight (I hope).
McGill's Minimum Cost Housing Group, has a GREAT website with easy navigation to a pretty good collection of past M.arch theses... all related to low (with the goal of minimum, I presume) cost housing. I was surprised to discover that a lot of them had to do with squatter settlements in SE Asia, not "affordable housing" in the Western sense.
I read Chapter 2 and skimmed a couple of other parts of Rachelle G. Navarro's thesis on improving sanitation in waterfront communities. There were definitely parts that coincided with my interests, particularly breaking down the reasons why squatters chose to squat on waterfronts. Navarro confirmed some of my initial intuitions -- most urban cities, many of them former colonies, were intentionally chosen and settled for their advantageous locations for trade and defense. She argued that while coastal lands were considered highly (economically) productive environments in rural areas (for fishing and trade I presume), the coast is seen as an “idle” region in urban areas (not sure if I agree/understand that…) I do see the point that water (be it rainfall, a river or lake, etc) seems to be a natural element in rural areas, while it is a foreign element in the urbanized environment (sewage, storm drains, etc are required to mitigate/interact with it)
She also listed a number of coastal cities with notable squatter settlements, which I've referenced here:
• Guayaquil (Ecuador)
• Recife (Brazil)
• Monrovia (Liberia)
• Lagos and Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
• Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
• Delhi (India)
• Bangkok (Thailand) – “khlongs”
• Jakarta (Indonesia) – “kampungs”
• Buenos Aires and Resistencia (Argentina)
• Accra (Ghana)
Other useful notes: most common concerns in waterfront settlements are clean water, sanitation (of human waste), clean/safe environment (free of insects, garbage, standing water). I quickly brainstormed possible solutions...rainwater catchment, composting toilets, incentives to recycle more comprehensively through policy (like Jaime Lerner's environmental policy to buy trash and collected recyclables from slum dwellers in Curitiba, Brazil which led to huge improvements in cleanliness of public areas).
Navarro also noted differences in disease levels during the rainy season. It seems to be that any design that involves the flood plain needs to critically consider annual flooding and change in the occupiable ground plane.
…which makes for an uncanny segue in my thoughts for my studio project at the moment. My key words: action, distribution and time; essentially, how actions and activities of people are located within a built environment and both analyzing and guiding these changing dynamics over time. For Mumbai, and other coastal cities with flooding problems, the ground plane is an active changing element in the landscape; Not a neutral plane to receive human actions, but one that immediately influences human action and distribution.
All of this is sort of melding into one big fat unrefined idea. I will attempt to dissect it, starting now.
.
.
.
*40 min later. It’s taking longer than I thought -_-;; will chew on this for awhile and post later tonight (I hope).
Monday, October 6, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
why
Why are there so many squatter settlements on waterfronts? Bangkok, Mumbai, Ampang, Malaysia, Vancouver even...
My guesses ...
- access to water...ie. means to fish? (which may be a sweeping generalization about squatters on waterfronts. i have no idea if all waterfront squatters are fishermen. an occupational survey in relation to location in city (ie. proximity to coast/CBD/industrial, etc) would be fascinating...) ocean waterfront settlements obviously can't use the water for drinking, but perhaps riverfront settlements do?
- land along waterfront is often public...and ambiguous "public space" is vulnerable to being claimed if it doesn't have good and/or defensive design.
- normally there aren't residences RIGHT along the water (ixnay on beachfront houses) so no one bothers them if they live there...?
I think I have to revise my question. The bigger picture is actually asking what leads squatters to squat where they squat, and a subset of those squatters choose to squat along waterfronts, because of either their priorities or circumstances.
There seems to be an obvious answer to that question though. Squatters squat where the land is ambiguously owned so they don't get kicked out on the first night. duh.
So then what does the proliferation of informal settlements on waterfronts mean? Granted, I might be preempting myself...I have yet to check out the numbers of waterfront v. land-locked settlements. But in any of these cases, the presence of squatters is a result of what...ambiguous design? unclear planning? bad governance? Probably all....
I'm not interested in designing a typology of waterfront that is squatter-proof. Past experiences with sheer amazement at human will to live and creativity to make it happen tells me it's not possible anyway.
I round off this pondering session with one last Google search, which yields me a treasure: McGill's Minimum Cost Housing Group. An entire chapter on "Reasons for settling on Coastal, Waterfront and Low-lying areas"... great! Will read and respond to this next time.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
if x is the amount of land on earth...
When I learned about Boston's comprehsive reclamation history in 11.001 my freshman year, I was SHOCKED. I honestly didn't know you could just "make land" like that. It must be possible though, since it seems like they did a good job of stitching together those 7 islands into the city of Mumbai too.
My initial interest with water architecture was definitely at a smaller scale, revolving around how a household adapts to and benefits from living in a water environment. I think now, probably due in part to our Mumbai site visit, I'm interested in getting a larger perspective.
Mumbai had a fascinating dynamic along its main waterfront, the Back Bay, which is completely artificially constructed a la the Back Bay Reclamation Plan, completed in 1970, though not without a tumultuous history. For a city that has dealt with overcrowing and some of the highest urban densities in the world, I'm curious how and why land reclamation became a technique (whether it was effective or not in Mumbai's case) for diffusing congestion, increasing public amenities and, basically, just having more space in a time when urban populations are relentlessly increasing.
Land reclamation changes the entire nature of a waterfront. It is a completely human construct. It pretends to recreate tidal forces and contential plate movement with a designed boundary from land to water.
The designer/planner for Boston's Faneuil Hall had the notion to leave a hint of its "natural" waterfront -- embedded in the concrete plaza are shells and traces of other ocean debris, a jagged line denotes the original former Boston Harbor.
My current thought is to investigate the conditions, motivations and results of land reclamation projects at various scales in major cities, including Boston, Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai...and definitely others as I find out more. It would be interesting to find out if and why motivations for land reclamation change throughout the development timeline of a city as well.
In some ways, the strategy behind land reclamation is essentially to inhabit water as though it were land. I also interested in exploring the concept of "floating cities" in a sense...a notion that many have attempted to tackle it seems (wired.com, BLDGBLOG). To me, seasteading, as they call it, raises even larger questions.....essentially dealing with redefining not just a boundary condition, but an entire earthscape.
I admit that I'm sort of a skeptic with this type of futuristic theoretical designing...but with the pressure of urban populations exploding in the next 30 years (unfpa.org), is inhabiting the water a feasible, or even desireable, way of living?
Friday, September 12, 2008
why i became fascinated by bangkok water communities...
Thanks to MIT, I spent the first 2 weeks of my summer traipsing around SE Asia, including a boat tour of informal settlements along the historic canals of Minburi, a suburb NE of Bangkok.
There were many many things that caused me moments of pure wonder, delight and amazement at the ingenuity, hardiness and dignity that these people claimed and displayed. Note jet ski parking at lower left.
That they are still standing is all I can say with regard to the structural integrity of these buildings, but certainly the occupants know how to accessorize for the home. Note the laundry line, a dishwashing area, ladders to the 2nd level and a Thai flag at the "front door".
raft (n) : a collection of logs or timber fastened together for conveyance by water, a flat structure for support or transportation on water (www.m-w.com);a front porch, a laundry room, a sundeck (myself)
water weeds =/= water garden?Attempt at capturing the essence of my fascination: When a system has failed to provide the physical elements needed for a modern lifestyle, people will find means to create those physical elements for themselves because the will to live and intuition to build can and will overcome those constraints.
Again, but shorter: All theory for design education aside, these people know a lot more building by hand, economy of materials and pure function than I do because they "learned' it in order to survive. Why am I even learning architecture? Am I learning?
Last time, less existential, more practical (=thesis-y?): How did these structures and lifestyles evolve? How has improved water transport technology affected the way the canal has served the community (use of rafts --> jetskis)? How long have informal settlements existed in this form? Are there elements of traditional Thai architecture present? What is traditional waterfront Thai architecture? With so many people living in these conditions, is it possible for the Thai vernacular architecture to absorb some of the qualities of these canal communities?
Again, but shorter: All theory for design education aside, these people know a lot more building by hand, economy of materials and pure function than I do because they "learned' it in order to survive. Why am I even learning architecture? Am I learning?
Last time, less existential, more practical (=thesis-y?): How did these structures and lifestyles evolve? How has improved water transport technology affected the way the canal has served the community (use of rafts --> jetskis)? How long have informal settlements existed in this form? Are there elements of traditional Thai architecture present? What is traditional waterfront Thai architecture? With so many people living in these conditions, is it possible for the Thai vernacular architecture to absorb some of the qualities of these canal communities?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
stab #1
At Alan's prompting, I took a stab at it. 3 of my initial ideas for thesis topic below:
2. sense of community in informal settlements; DIY construction methods, materials, structural integrity of homes in informal settlements; how much planning/how vibrant are they are communities? esp, compared to govt planned or private designed home. is community vibrancy designed or intuitive? can vibrancy be designed?
1. relationship of water to housing typology in waterfront informal settlements, particularly low income communities within urban context (ie. mumbai, thailand) espeically understanding how people form a lifestyle around the water, ie. how it presents hardships, enriches their lives, provides economic opportunities, etc. how infrastructure of canals, linear land strips are embedded in history of country (irrigation, cultural method of dividing land to sons in will). not sure exactly how to take a stance on this...
2. sense of community in informal settlements; DIY construction methods, materials, structural integrity of homes in informal settlements; how much planning/how vibrant are they are communities? esp, compared to govt planned or private designed home. is community vibrancy designed or intuitive? can vibrancy be designed?
3. legitimacy of christopher alexander's pattern language; are places experienced and understood through certain distinguishable elements?
At this point, I am most partial towards #1, mostly because I have the trip to Bangkok fresh in my memory and I still am thoroughly amazed at the way people live because they have to. Architecture aside, there is plenty that I am intrigued and humbled by.
Anyway, it was mostly agreed upon in class that a blog might be a convenient way for us to organize and archive our development process. So I'll be posting musing, links, images and hopefully some legitimate ideas here from now on. To start with, some of the more interesting questions from the 10 minute discussion in class today:
- What are the ways in which settlements encounter water? Also, does the type and/or size of body of water matter (ie. river, lake, ocean, etc)
- How does the relationship of the water to a community change as the community develops or matures? Is there a pattern that can be recognized?
- What sort of role does water play in a particular settlement or community (including economic, social, religious, cultural, etc)? Are there similarities or differences regionally?
Anyway, I hope to have some relevant answers to those questions for next time. Thanks for reading and remember, comments/criticisms/suggestions are always welcome =)
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