Salvaging the Sound | Undergraduate Architectural Thesis

SALVAGING the

SOUND

Re-Discovering Value in the Valueless through Music, Craft, and Architecture

By Adam Naar

Advisor: Jon Coddington Drexel Architecture Thesis // 2016-2017

Thesis Statement This thesis is an exploration of re-discovering value in the valueless using music, craft, and architecture to create a regenerative civic space. The focus is a means of expressing architecture and its intentions through juxtaposition, including the individual and the collective, decay and growth, and temporary, yet enduring spaces.

“An ear, as a cavity, might attune to its own empty space, and thereby grow more familiar with the resonances in other absences.�

-Rusty Morrison, Commonplace

At its core, architecture is able to deine the relationship between the material and the immaterial. Walls, loors, and ceilings act as material devices that are in the service of creating space; the immaterial. Spaces create relationships between humans to humans and humans to tangible items through various forms. These immaterial spaces capture the sounds of human life, from the closing of a door, to the opening words of a conversation, to a musical performance. The immaterial aspects of sound begin to shape a space, allowing a piece of architecture to act as an instrument in supporting human

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needs and aspirations. It is the juxtaposition between the material and immaterial that begins to dictate the fundamental function of architecture.

Salvaging the Sound emphasizes this juxtaposition through a regenerative and culturally sensitive civic space for the residents of Cateura, Paraguay, by reusing elements from the surrounding landill to form a new music education, performance, and material-crafting area for the community.

Narrative The Cateura Landill in Asunción, Paraguay, is not only South America’s largest refuse deposit, but also its most crucial and dire form of creativity and inspiration.

The residents of Cateura sift through the landill debris on a daily basis, selling certain items for a living while salvaging others that would later be used to craft instruments.

The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura embodies the epitome of reuse; re-discovering value in an object that was once considered trash. The narrative (part fact and iction) was conceived as a sensorial exploration through the eyes of a resident in

Cateura to investigate the sounds, smells, and tactility of the surrounding landscape. The narrative ultimately informed an architectural language based on those experiential pieces listed below; a composition of elements that are evocative of the existing conditions of Cateura and its possible transformation.

COMPOSING AN ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE Resolution

Transformation...

Valueless vs. Value

Raw

Harmony vs. Dissonance Temporary vs. Enduring Individual vs. Collective Additive vs. Subtractive

Organic Refuge

Rhythm Arbitrary

Refined

Repurpose Reorientation

Prospect Repetition

Reuse

Memory Identity

Renovation Endlessness

ADAM NAAR

Focus How can architecture and its intentions affect the perception of discarded elements through site and building design, simultaneously having global implications on how we recycle, while creating local solutions that respond to people, place, craft, and culture?

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Site Research + Analysis Asunción

4.0 mi

River Source: Matto Grosso

Paraguay Río Paraguay 1,629 mi

Bolivia

2.0 mi

Rí

o

P

ag ar

ua

y

400 sq.mi

Brazil

Río Paraná 3,030 mi

Paraguay

Clorinda

157,048 sq.mi

Asunción Argentina

Argentina

Cateura

South America

6,000 mi

6,000 mi

0 mi

Paraguay 200 mi

Asunción

200 mi

15,850’

15,850’

0 mi

0’

The village of Cateura lies on the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay’s capital and most populated city. The Rio Paraguay and surrounding parts of Asunción create a boundary around Cateura. This edge condition occurs at both local and regional scales, separating Cateura from the city’s cultural district while simultaneously creating opportunities to develop a new cultural identity within Cateura’s extents. Research and explorations of vernacular architecture, landill construction, and environmental systems informed the site analysis and architectural vocabulary.

Rainwater Retention Basin

Landfill Process 1. Trucks dump waste onto compacted pile.

2. Waste decomposes over time, releasing methane.

3. Liquid flows into pipes under Landfill into the Leachate Collection.

4. Leachate is treated through nearby wastewater treatment plant; solids removed.

5. Landfill is capped with membrane to prevent stormwater runoff.

Landfill Gas Venting Capping System

Cateura Site Usage Residential - 42% Vegetation

Water/Flora - 33% Landfill - 25%

6” min.

Planting Soil

1,500 tons of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis

tion Barrier Protec

Material

aye r Drainage L

Gas Vent Laye

Soil Barrier Lay

2’ min.

4’ min.

Overflow Drainage

6” min.

r

er

1’ min.

Solid Waste

Impermeable Plastic Liner

Leachate Collection System

Leachate Collection

Rainwater Retention Basin

Municipal Waste from City

Capping System

Leachate Collection

Multiple layers of soil/impermeable materials placed over solid waste to prevent byproducts from migrating from the site.

Leachate consists of percolated water from the solid waste, which is collected in an on-site Leachate Treatment Plant. The plant produces clean water and sludge, which is transported to another landfill.

Freshkills Park - Barrier Protection over Drainage Layer

Vacuum Gas Well

Passive Vent Pipe

Solid Waste

From Refuse Below

Leachate Collection System Primary Membrane Leak Detection System Secondary Membrane Impermeable Liner

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To On-Site Purification Plant

Landfill Gas: 50% Methane / 50% CO2

Landfill Gas Venting

Compacted Clay Soil [2’ min.]

Existing Ground Fill

Impermeable Cutoff Wall

Landfill gas is created from decomposing material. Gas is pumped to an on-site flare station to be burned off. In the future, small amounts of gas will be released passively through vent pipes.

Freshkills Park - Vacuum Gas Well

Population (2016)

Cateura 1) Residential 2) Landfill Cateura

Site Areas Total Site - 100%

Paraguay - 6,783,272

Landfill - 25%

Asunción - 2,198,662 Cateura - 10,000

523 acres (0.82 sq. mi)

Scale Comparisons

Area (Square Miles) Paraguay - 157,048

Central Park, NY - 843 acres (6.5 Cateura Landfills)

Asunción - 400

4.0 mi

Cateura - 0.0075

130 acres (0.20 sq. mi)

1

2.0 mi Cateura Landfill - 130 acres

2

Rittenhouse Square - 7 acres (18 Rittenhouse’s / 1 Landfill)

1

Rí o

1) Town of Cateura

1,000’

Site Statistics 1,000’

0’

Pa ra gu

ay Average Monthly Humidity 100

8,000’

Cateura 8,000’

Humidity (%)

80 60 40 20 0

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Summer

0’

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Winter

9am

Nov

Dec

Summer

3pm

Climate Region: Humid Subtropical -Hot, humid summers -Mild winters

2) Landfill Cateura

Legend Cateura - Housing

Site Analysis Deductions

Landfill - Capped Landfill - Active Vegetation - Dense Vegetation - Sparse Water - Landfill Site Composition Residential Coverage - 42% Landfill Coverage - 25% Vegetation Coverage - 21% Water Coverage - 12% 1,000’

Site Ecology 1,000’

0’

Average Monthly Rainfall

Boundary / Edge 300

Rainfall (mm)

REF UGE URB AN

250 200 100 50 0

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Summer

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Winter

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Summer

Area Unaffected by 2014 Flood

RIO

PRO SP NATU ECT RAL

Landfill Boundary

R PA AG Y UA

Flooding Coverage Flood Zone - 72% Area Unaffected - 28%

Linkages

Orientation / Re-Orientation

Prospect / Refuge

1,000’

Rainwater Runoff 1,000’

0’

5

Flooding + Water Sanitation

ple

Clorinda

Asunción

Clorinda

Asunción

in

Paraguay

all

Argentina

Argentina

Due to Asunción’s close proximity to sea level and wetland conditions adjacent to the Rio Paraguay, extensive looding is an issue for residents living next to the river’s edge. The town of Cateura and the landill have been looded numerous times, most recently in January 2016. Flood waters breached the landill, pulling trash into the river, scattering it throughout Cateura, while carrying the rest down the Rio Paraguay and into the Atlantic Ocean. Constant looding not only forces residents to live in temporary shelters throughout the city, but also creates a myriad of health threats from trash and mosquitoes.

Despite the high volume of water from loods, water sanitation efforts in Asunción are minimal. Communities on the outskirts of the city, such as Cateura, are desperately under served. The combination of poor stormwater and lood management, rapid population growth, and an increase impervious surfaces has led to recurrent looding over the past 3 decades.

January 24, 2014

January 12, 2016 Flooding Extents

12,000’ 12,000’

Asunción 12,000’

0’

These issues of looding, water sanitation, and a poorly managed landill were drivers that began to inform the design, phasing, and creation of a masterplan for Cateura.

Cateura Landill Evolution

October 13, 2003 6

May 9, 2005

July 1, 2009

Water Supply Deficiency in Asunción

Metropolitan Asunción Urban Footprint Growth

Water Supply Coverage [portion of population with access to clean water] Asunción City Center - 96% Asunción Outskirts - 64% 1840

1920

1940

-Deficient water supply and sanitation grew from population growth and expansion in Asunción.

-Informal occupation of public spaces on the outskirts of the city with poor waste collection and disposal negatively impacted the environment and stormwater management.

1970

63% of Asunción’s population is covered by solid waste collection

-Absent stormwater management -Increased impervious areas -Rapid population growth

1990

2005

Source: Bernardo Bozzano, Third Paraguayan Population Congress, 2007

The remainder is burned or deposited in public spaces and creeks

Recurrent Flooding

Aguateros - Water Distributors of Asunción Small-scale water suppliers using well and pump houses in the outskirts of Asunción using abundant underground sources.

Pump House + Well

Neighborhood

October 17, 2013 Cateura

January 12, 2016 [Flooding Peak-25 ft.]

March 3, 2016 7

Site + Building Program Quantitative Program Site Area: 5,600,000 SF [130 acres] Performance 25,800 SF Administration

Outdoor Theater

Kitchen Rehearsal Space Lounge Area

Service Restrooms Maintenance Mech/Elec Rooms Waste Disposal Circulation

Education

1,250 SF 600 SF 200 SF

1,200 SF 200 SF 600 SF 400 SF

10,000 SF 1,200 SF 5,000 SF

Residential

400 SF 200 SF 150 SF 50 SF 800 SF

600,000 SF

Trigeneration Plant

16,000 SF

Water Treatment

11,000 SF

Greenhouses/ Agricultural

7,000 SF

COMPOSING AN ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE

2,200 SF 600 SF 300 SF 200 SF 100 SF 1,000 SF

Resolution

Transformation...

Valueless vs. Value

Raw

Harmony vs. Dissonance

*Program based on Cateura Population of 10,000 residents.

OUTDOOR SPACE

16,200 SF

Plaza Lounge Seating Covered Markets

1,600 SF

Temporary vs. Enduring

Agriculture Growing/Harvesting

Individual vs. Collective

Organic Refuge

Rhythm Arbitrary

Refined

Repurpose Reorientation

Prospect Repetition

Reuse

Memory Identity

Renovation Endlessness

Additive vs. Subtractive

Growing Areas

Trigeneration Plant

Asunciรณn Connections

Agricultural Elements

Water Treatment Plant

CIVIC PROMENADE

CIVIC CENTER PERFORMANCE/MARKET

Crafting Space Ensemble Rooms

Flood Canal Composting Space

Material Processing Material Export to Site

Public Park

Bioremediation Wetlands/Flood Barrier

200,000 SF 490,700 SF 950,300 SF

Civic Space

3,500 SF 700 SF 2,000 SF 1,200 SF 800 SF

Restrooms Maintenance Mech/Elec Rooms Waste Disposal Circulation

1,600,000 SF

Pedestrian Paths Bio-remediation Basins Capped Landfill

8,200 SF

Service

2,300,200 SF

Public Park

700 SF 100 SF 150 SF

Music Studios (5) Recording Studios (1) Lounge Space Practice Rooms (5) Instrument Storage

2,050 SF

Outdoor Space

950 SF

Lobby Reception (2) Administration Offices

6,000 SF 8,000 SF 4,000 SF

Multipurpose Theater

Communal

1,600 SF 100 SF 150 SF 500 SF

18,000 SF

Stage Assembly Seats Auditorium

10,750 SF

Administration

2,350 SF

Lobby Reception Administration Offices (2) Conference/Meeting

Stage Assembly Seats Auditorium

Education

Admin./Storage

Rio Paraguay Connections

Music Elements

Rehearsal Rooms Recording Studio

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Precedent Analysis Location: Blaibach, Germany Architect: Peter Haimerl Year: 2014

Music Performance

PERFORMANCE VENUE PRECEDENT Concert Hall Blaibach // Peter Haimerl.Architektur Overview: The Concert Hall Blaibach represents the immaterial (music) bonding with the material (land) through its tilted form and materiality. The building is submersed within the ground, bringing users from the public realm into the private realm. The inclination of the concert hall is based on the increase of the slope for the stadium seating within, while creating a forced perspective pushing all visual accuity towards the stage.

The concrete formwork in the concert hall not only absorbs mid-range and bass tones, but also acts as a chamber, further implying the belief that the space was carved right out of the bedrock. The angular formwork adds to this feeling by creating faceted edges for light slits and the bass absorbers behind. Light wood ceilings in the circulation spaces contrast with the heavy structure of the concert hall.

Area: 6,028 SF Diagrams:

edges for light slits and the bass absorbers behind. Light wood ceilings in

Circulation

Carved vs. Additive

PARAGUAYAN VERNACULAR Boceto // Estudio Elgue + Asociados Location: Asunción, Paraguay Architect: Estudio Elgue + Asociados Year:

Paraguay Vernacular

Volume + Form

Overview: The Boceto is a hybrid office/home that reused materials from the demolition of an existing building on site to reassign new purpose to each component. Some exterior brick walls were kept in tact, while others were demolished. Existing partitions have no new finishes; bricks were reused to add porosity into the existing and new partitions for natural air circulation and ventilation facing prevailing winds. The projections occur on vertical and horizontal surfaces, projecting light into the interior of the house.

-Reflecting panels further project light into the space. Low and high clerestory windows allow for passive ventilation to flow through each space.

-Reclaimed wood from pallets are used in doorways; light fixtures from the demolished building were reused.

-Tempered glass stayed in the same shape that it was found in, embedded in floors and walls.

2013 bricks were reused to add porosity into the existing and new new finishes; Area: d ventilation facing prevailing winds. The projections occur on vertical and 1,500 SF Drawings:

Drawings:

LANDFILL PRECEDENT Vall d’en Joan Landfill Restoration // Battle i Roig Arquitectes

Architect: Battle Roig

Overview: The Vall d’en Joan Landfill was restored after opening in 1974. The existing steep site governed the design decisions, such as drainage, access, and internal fluids. The access to the site molds seamlessly with the stormwater management system. Passive rainwater collection allows for natural drainage throughout.

Circulation was accommodated by a series of ramps leading up to the active landfill, which will eventually be phased out.

Year: 2010 Area: 70 ha Diagrams:

Drawings:

Diagrams: Walking

Landill Reuse

Location: Garraf, Spain

Drainage

Drainage Circulation Section

Retention

Sectional Study

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Cateura Masterplan + Material Creation Bioremediation Wetlands

Flood Barrier and Promenade

Public Park

Landfill Retention Basin

Stormwater Runoff Collection System

Water Treatment + Gas Flare Station

Civic/Market Space + Flood Canal

Performance/Education Center

Trigeneration Plant

New Residential

Farming + Greenhouses

Cateura From Asunción

Rio Paraguay

Cateura

400’

Cateura Masterplan 400’

0’

20’ Flood Extents

nci Asu

Cateura Extent

ón

Connect

Grow

Connect

Reuse

Harvest Compost

Annual Flooding

10

Flood Barrier from Refuse

New Civic Promenade

Existing Grid Connectivity

Capped Portion Evolves

Power

Rammed Earth

Biogas from Landfill Other Sources: -Municipal Waste -Natural Gas -Biomass

1,500 tons

Unprocessed Waste / Scraps

Material Production [Brick Kiln]

Heating

Trigeneration Plant

-Wood -Metal -Glass -Gravel -Plastic

Cooling

Clay + Sediment from Río Paraguay

Kiln-Fired Brick

of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis

Waste Contribution

Adobe Bricks

-Residential -Institutional -Commercial -Industrial

Future Waste [Post-Capping]

Cateura

Greenhouses

Community Center Building Construction Materials

Cateura Landfill C.I.P. Concrete with Glass Aggregate Excess Biosolids from Water Treatment

Retention [Returned to water cycle]

[Used for compressive strength in materials]

Consumption

Public Park

Irrigation

Agriculture

Wood Screens and Diffusers

Leachate from Landfill Use

Water Treatment Plant Biosolids [By-product of treatment]

Several issues including looding, water sanitation, and the relationship to Asunción informed the masterplan design to renovate the standard post-landill typology. The idea of re-routing trash routes to go outside of the landill’s boundaries to form a lood barrier and promenade around Cateura take cues from the Recycled Orchestra’s idea of how we perceive trash; as an opportunity, rather than a lost element. An extensive analysis of landill deposit materials and site systems, such as Trigeneration and Water Sanitation, informed the material creation and composition of the Cateura Civic Center.

Leachate Plant Process 1. Leachate is piped from the landfill to the on-site treatment plant.

2. Preliminary treatment includes a series of physical, chemical, and biological processes to breakdown the liquid.

3. Primary and Secondary treatment separates solids from the purified clean liquid, which goes through an aeration process and futher sedimentation.

4. The sludge created from the sedimentation is used for agricultural use as biosolids or composting methods.

5. The treated water is returned to the water cycle or used for industrial, irrigation, or consumption needs.

Trigeneration Process [CCHP] Combined Cooling Heating and Power 1. Biogas is piped to plant from landfill gas vents.

2. Gas goes through a series of turbines/generators, creating waste heat.

3. Waste heat is recovered in the form of hot water for heating, while a portion is sent to an absorption chiller for cooling.

4. Electricity from the generator is either sent to the building and/or surround grid.

Cogeneration: simultaneous production of electricity and heat.

Trigeneration: simultaneous production of electricity, heating, and cooling.

Odor Control Electricity Cogeneration Leachate from Landfill

Biogas from Landfill

Leachate Pit

Screening Systems

Grit Tanks

Primary Sedimentation

Aeration Tanks

Secondary Sedimentation

Water Recycling

Other Sources -Municipal Waste -Natural Gas -Biomass

Trigeneration Steam/Hot Water to be Cooled

Waste Heat Engine/Turbine

Generator

Heat Recovery Unit

Absorption Chiller

Chilled Water Hot Water for A/C Unit Sludge Treatment Preliminary Treatment

Water Recycling

Primary Treatment

Building

Secondary Treatment

Irrigation

Biosolids

Water Recycled for Use

Industry

Consumption

Returned to Water Cycle

Retention [Oceans/Rivers/Ponds]

City Grid

Electricity

Trigeneration

Heating

Building + Cateura Houses

Cooling

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Cateura Civic Center The new Cateura Civic Center is centrally located within the town and new masterplan, similar to how the existing landill was centrally located within Cateura. The center’s form is a complimentary contrast to the typical landill. Rather than layering elements that are eventually capped and not visible, the Cateura Civic Center carves into the land, exposing the elements within and highlighting the immaterial space.

UP

2

3 4

10

5

The center embodies three programmatic elements: Music, Agriculture, and Material Crafting, arranged around a central outdoor performance and market area. The raised, more reined Music portion includes practice rooms, ensemble spaces, and a recording studio that create a much-needed space for the Recycled Orchestra to use. The lack of fresh produce outside of Asunción is accommodated by outdoor growing areas on top of and around a lower, earthen Agricultural promenade that serve the residents of Cateura.

1

6

11

10 7 8 8 8 UP

A central, carved out portion serves as the material exchange between the Agricultural and Music components. Refuse that can be reclaimed as either building elements for housing or pieces for instruments is sorted and crafted in the raw space at ground level. From there, reined pieces are used to create instruments for musicians while building elements are exported to the rest of the site for residential use.

8

9

16’

Ground Floor 16’

0’

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Performance/Market Agriculture Ramp Concert Storage Material Processing/Sorting Raw Material Crafting Ensemble Space Raw Instrument Crafting Rehearsal Rooms Ticket Booth Restrooms Mechanical/Service

Masterplan Systems Asunción

RA TEU

ra

Asu

n nció

Capped Landfill

Public Park

RIO

RA TEU

Leachate Basin

PA RA G

UA Y

Parti+Context

12

PR O NA SPEC TUR T AL

SI TE

CA

Active Landfill

teu Ca

RE FU G UR BA E N

Civic Space CA

New Residential

Cerro Lambaré

Circulation Asunción

ra teu Ca

Primary Site Access Civic Promenade to connect North/South Cateura Flood Barrier/Waterfront Promenade

Civic Space

Geometry/Orientation

n

1

1 UP DN

2

2 UP

3 UP

3 4

UP U

UP

3

4

5 6

7

3

8 5 DN

9

5 6 16’

Second Floor 16’ 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

16’

Roof Plan 16’

0’

0’

Agriculture Ramp Produce Growing Space Material Storage/Export Refined Material Crafting Refined Instrument Crafting Recording Studio Administrative Offices Ensemble Practice Room Instrument Storage

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Bio-Remediation Swale Produce Growing Space Lightwells East Entrance Viewpoint Wind Tower

Gravity-Fed Water Tower ón nci

Asu

Power/Water for Cateura

6 5

35’

4

40’

2 70’

1

30’

3 0’

20’ RIO

Vegetation/Topography

nci

PA RA

GU AY UA Y

Hydrology Hydrology

Hardscape / Road Sparse Vegetation Public Park Flood Barrier and Bioremediation Wetlands Greenhouses

20’ Flood Line Rainwater Runoff Flood Canal Water Treatment Plant

Active

ón

Asu

Infrastructure Infrastructure

Power/Water for Cateura for Cateura

Trigeneration Plant Electricity/Running Water for Residents Water Treatment Plant New/Improved Aguateros(Pump Houses)

Phasing Phasing 1. Cap summit and remediate Leachate Basin.

2. Excavate center of site for Flood Canal.

3. Use flood canal/landfill refuse for Flood Barrier.

4. Build Cateura Community Center/begin capping landfill.

5. Use new construction materials for residential housing.

6. Cap remaining landfill. Create Farming/Greenhouse space.

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The building form responds to its gently sloping site by carving away from the land; revealing the immaterial spaces within. Materials such as rammed earth with refuse aggregate depict the layering of site and building elements. The vaulted catenary arch above the market and performance area is not only evocative of weaving the Agriculture and Music elements together, but also symbolizes the volume of solid waste contributed to the landill on a daily basis.

Form + Adaptability

RE UR FUG BA E N

O PR

N ME

E AD CIV

IC

O PR

N ME

E AD

U RE

IC

U LT

CIV

RIC AG

T AF MUSIC CR CO M M

UN

ITY

PR NA OSP TU EC RA T L

Existing Site + Context

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Contextual Response

Open / Weave with Context

Connect / Orient

1,500 to

Resolution

Transformation...

Valueless vs. Value

Raw

Harmony vs. Dissonance Temporary vs. Enduring Individual vs. Collective

Organic Refuge

Rhythm

Repurpose Reorientation

Prospect Repetition

Arbitrary

Refined

Reuse

Memory

Renovation

Identity

Additive vs. Subtractive

Carving

Layering

Weaving

Re-purposing existing conditions to uncover what is not normally visible.

Re-organizing forms and information to discover a new process.

Renovating existing ideas to create new methods of design and craft.

Carnival Festival

Holy Week/Easter

Paraguay’s annual festivals for music, art, and dance.

Religious week leading up to Easter Celebrations.

Impromptu Soccer

Weddings

Niches as goalposts, chalk on concrete, ample seating for fans.

Communal celebrations; a stage to watch and be watched.

1,500 tons

Memory / Community

1,500 tons

1,500 tonsMemory / Community

[of solid waste contributed to Cateura Landfill on a daily basis]

Memory / Community

Day Use: Market Night Use:residents Performances During the day, can sort through refuse to either During Paraguay’s mild evenings, sell, use as building material communal concerts can be held under for residential housing, or to make new instruements for the orchestra.

Night Use: Performances During Paraguay’s mild evenings, communal concerts can be held under the stars.

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Material Composition The material palette developed during the masterplan phase sources local elements and new construction methods. Rammed earth piers, ly ash bricks, and adobe brick create the stereotomic elements from the earth. Concrete slabs with glass aggregate and wooden partitions and diffusers create the tectonic elements added to the center, as extensions of the land and new, high-end materials, respectively. As a form of redundancy, all materials on ground level are water resistant should another 20’ lood breach the lood barrier and reach the civic center.

Bio-Swales and Rain Gardens (Phytoremediation)

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Tempered Concrete Slab (Hydronic Piping in slab)

Rammed Earth Catenary Pier

Rammed Earth

Adobe and Fly Ash Brick

Rammed Earth is a natural layering process using the recycled elements from the landfill as compacted material for the Catenary Arch piers due to its compressive strength. The material is evocative of what once was in the land; carving away to highlight the intagible space.

The density of the Fly Ash Brick further supports the compressive force of the Catenary Arch. Adobe Brick is used for its thermal mass and acoustical absorptive properites, both separating the exterior market/performance space from the interior rehearsal areas, and also regulating heat transfer from the cooler, carved out portions of the building to the exterior humid climate.

Wood Diffuser

CMU Retaining Wall Market Niche

Rehearsal Rooms

Concrete Slabs with Glass Aggregate

Moveable Wood Partitions+Diffusers

Concrete Slabs are used as an aggregate and mediator between the Rammed Earth, Brick, and Wood partitions. The slabs are composed of traditional aggregate along with glass from the landfill to add compressive strength to the concrete slab. The portions of slab that are indoor are tempered with hydronic piping to cool the interior spaces throughout the day.

Reclaimed wood from the landfill along with imported higher end products for the Recording Studio help control the acoustics of each space.

Moveable wood partitions allow for ease of access between spaces, while the diffusers provide acoustical separation and support.

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Approach from Promenade

Acoustic Relationships While the outdoor market and performance space is ideal for concerts with the entire orchestra, smaller, more intimate ensemble spaces increase in acoustical hierarchy as one moves deeper into the land. A lexible ensemble space located in the crafting area caters to quartets and smaller groups, while the rehearsal rooms in the music wing are for single user students to practice on their own. Acoustical separation relies on a combination of adobe brick’s absorptive qualities, along with wall mounted wooden relectors, speciically between the market area and the rehearsal rooms. Reclaimed wooden ceiling bafles from the landill inside each space help diffuse the sound evenly throughout the rooms.

In addition to creating inely tuned interior spaces, the music portion of the building’s form uses external forces to create sound. The wind tower/solar chimney releases air through a stack effect, which drifts up and around wind chimes located within the tower, creating a subtle harmony for the melody within the market space. The chimes can be tied down when not in use, and untied to signal important community events, concerts, and other activities.

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Ensemble Space

Recording Studio

Ensemble Space

Rehearsal Rooms

Acoustical Ceiling Baffle

Recording Studio

Acoustical Wall Diffuser

Acoustical Wall Reflector

Rehearsal Rooms Exterior Market + Performance

Wind Chimes within the Wind Tower provide a natural acoustic backdrop to the open market while also acting as a signal to gather for concerts and important community events, among other activities.

Adobe Wall (Absorptive Qualities) Exterior Market

Acoustic Spaces

Ensemble Space

Acoustical Separation

Interior Rehearsal Room

Wind Tower as Signal

Acoustical Hierarchy

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Market / Performance Space

Structure + Detailing Bricks have been a staple of construction in Paraguay since the early 19th century, when ships unloaded their ballast from Europe in Asunciรณn. The imported bricks had a high compressive strength, allowing them to be used for intricate space-framing structures that double as sun-shading devices throughout the country. The catenary arch over the performance and market space not only acts as a sun-shading device, but is evocative of how an age-old building material can be used in a new and unique way; a new perception of traditional craft.

The catenary arch rests within a steel channel base, which is then set on top of the rammed earth piers, evoking how the new ly ash brick is unearthed, yet still connected to its site. Each brick in the arch is frogged, which allows for acoustical relection and absorption (due to the porosity of the ly ash brick) within the performance and market space. The frogging not only makes the brick lighter for the catenary arch, but also possesses a part-to-whole relationship in terms of the frogged portion to the building footprint. It is the realization of building block to building that creates this unique type of craft.

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Material Crafting/Lobby

Brick Reuse + Experimentation in Paraguay

Catenary Arches

Catenary Pier Detail

Paraguay’s abundance of recycled bricks from demolished buildings that were once used as ballast on ships from England have a high compressive strength. Recently, these bricks have been used to form space framing structures that double as sun-shading devices in the hot summers and places to gather and socialize.

Catenary Arch Detail

Fly Ash Double Brick Arch

Steel Arch Support Channel Rammed Earth Pier

Quincho Tía Coral/Gabinete de Arquitectura

Hanging Arch in Pure Tension

Standing Arch in Pure Compression

These forms have taken the shape of Catenary arches, the inverse of a hanging chain. While the inverted chain is in pure tension, the Catenary arch is in pure compression, allowing for ease of construction due to the even distribution of weight throughout the arch.

Steel Channel Base Tube Steel Connection (carrying conduit for Catenary Lighting)

Fly Ash Double Brick Arch

Frogged Bricks Rammed Earth Outer Layer

The frogged bricks not only allow for a lighter catenary structure, but also act as sound diffusers for the market space. As sound travels outward, the angle of the frogged portion can reflect and absorb soundwaves, since Fly Ash Brick is somewhat porous, capturing Frogged Portion soundwaves within the openings.

Part-to-Whole (Building Form)

“Catenarius Vault”/Ramiro Meyer

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Passive Building + Site Systems Actual Roof Collection: 198,336 gallons/year Wind Tower/Solar Chimney

Water Supply Demand: 6,610,150 gallons/year

Percentage of Demand Met:

0.030%

Bio-Swales+Rain Gardens (Phytoremediation)

Avg. 11mph Winds from NE

As the Wind Tower is heated during the day, hot

20’ Flood Line

pressure. This in turn pulls air through a mechanical

Low Pressure Air Exhaust Hot

Operable Vent Black Metal (Heat Absorber)

transmission, which helps trap hot air towards the Fan to Increase Air Movement When Necessary

The Wind Tower passively cools the building by pulling air up and out of the tower through a wind-assisted temperature gradient.

Exhaust Purge

Operable Vents to Mechanical Chase Along Retaining Wall

Cool air is pulled through the building using a stack effect in the wind tower, exhausting hot air in the process.

As the Wind Tower is heated during the day, hot air rises up and out of the tower due to its lower pressure. This in turn pulls air through a mechanical chase next to the retaining walls on both floors, exhausting air from each room in the process.

The adobe brick has a high resistance to heat transmission, which helps trap hot air towards the top of the tower while cooler air stays below.

Constant 52°F 22

Upper Level Entrance

Rooftop Promenade

Passive building systems were implemented to maintain the relationship to site and context. A majority of the buildings within Asunción do not possess mechanical systems; rather, they rely solely on orientation and wind. In order to passively cool the space, a wind tower/solar chimney in the music wing is used to pull air up and out of the tower through a wind-assisted temperature gradient. Air is heated during the day, which rises up and out of the tower due to low pressure, which in turn exhausts air from each room through a mechanical chase adjacent to the retaining walls. The combination of a constant ground temperature of 52°F in the carved out spaces and the adobe brick envelope for the wind tower create a conditioned interior space.

Due to the civic center’s large roof area, stormwater collection is feasible for greywater usage. Water calculations based on building occupancy proved that the demand for potable water could not be met. Therefore, any roof runoff would be used as greywater throughout the building in addition to hydronic piping in the concrete slabs to further cool the interior spaces. Site water runoff is contained and iltered towards the agricultural wing, where bio-swales and rain gardens help cleanse and ilter water into the soil below. The Cateura Civic Center is an instrument itself, tuning the land around it and creating a space that deies existing perceptions of value emerging from the valueless.

Thesis Relection This thesis not only strengthened my skills as an architect, but also allowed me to explore a narrative that includes both of my passions: music and architecture. As a musician and cello teacher, I believe that music is a universal language that not only transcends cultures, but also time. The importance of preserving musical education is vital, especially for communities in dire situations such as Cateura.

It is the intangible feeling of playing and listening to music that can change a community.

Just as music can evoke certain emotions, I believe architecture can and should create visceral experiences for everyone to enjoy. The way in which we perceive spaces, cultures, and solutions to problems not only was the driving force in my thesis, but also had a profound impact on my perception of architecture. Looking back, I realize that my perception of my surroundings and the built environment is heightened now more than ever before. My newfound attention to craft has made me appreciate the time and effort put into buildings not just by architects, but by all trades in the design and construction process.

I also believe that this thesis touches on several important environmental issues facing our society today, including how we deal with waste and looding on global and local scales. I know this thesis does not end here; rather, it has created questions that I intend to pursue for the rest of my architectural career.

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Process Design iterations were documented through a series of mediums, including analog and digital practices, as well as physical concept models. Hand sketches proved to be most effective for quick iterations and generating the base for several of the sequential diagrams ultimately produced digitally.

The inal model at 1/16”=1’-0” helped depict the Cateura Civic Center’s material dialogue. White museum board symbolized the stereotomic elements generated from the land; rammed earth piers, ly ash bricks, and adobe bricks. Basswood, on the other hand, created the tectonic elements, such as concrete slabs, wooden partitions, and diffusers.

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Cateura Civic Center Final Model 25

Cateura Civic Center Section Model Laser Cut White Museum Board/Basswood 3D-Printed Catenary Arch 1/16”=1’-0”

“People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words. These, too, seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to genuine music, which fills the soul with a thousand things better than words.”

-Felix Mendelssohn “A professor once told me that if people don’t either love or hate your work, you haven’t done anything. Just being daring and provocative even though a lot of people are gonna hate it — it might just change architecture or design.”

-Tinker Hatfield “Who knows, maybe the solution to the world’s waste crisis is sitting in the trash.”

-Adam Naar