GSD_Cities New Ecologies

RHIZOMIC GRADIENT

Vera Shur//Spring 2009//Pla Catalá

SYSTEM ORGANIZATION Reiterative layers of logic create active feedback loops of information, ensuring that the resulting forms remain in constant equilibrium within a dynamic urban and architectural system.

The existing street configuration provides the initial catalyst for the system. Three types of strategies are applied interatively to determine the resulting condition: a branching script requiring numeric ratio input, an array script requiring a base volumetric volume and spacing input, and a scaling definition that interprets boths cripts into a n architectural scale.

rhizomic organization: see feedback loop 1

program program allocationallocation

rhizomic organization rhizomic organization

site organization site organization

rhizomic organization rhizomic organization

buildling buildling prototypes prototypes

hybridizedhybridized building types building types

rhizomic organization rhizomic organization

cellular array cellular array

cellular array cellular array

cellular array cellular array

scaling definition scaling definition

scaling definition scaling definition

scaling definition scaling definition

gradient gradient conditioncondition

ground ground

rhizomic organization rhizomic organization

cellular array cellular array

structuralstructural system system

scaling definition scaling definition

aperturesapertures

surface orientation surface orientation

vertical circulation vertical circulation input

input

operations operations

feedbackfeedback loop 1 loop 1

operations operations

feedbackfeedback loop 2 loop 2

operations operations

feedbackfeedback loop 3 loop 3

operations operations

results results

INPUT: URBAN CONTEXT The circulatory system of the city - as defined by its streets - creates an armature for urban growth and programmatic exchange. The system is largely non-heirarchical, though local heirarchies do exist. A rhizomic organization emerges that synthesizes varied scales and programs in unexpected aggregations.

A case study of several precedents analysizes the ratio of street widths to facade lengths to determine whether particular relationships emerge that govern program and scale.

ratios: see feedback loop 2

urban context

Below: Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn street width:: facade length

15’-25’

22’-28’

1.12-1.46

30’-32’

33’-35’

37’-42’

50’

60’-70’

85’-90’

1.28-2

26’-40’

41’-60’

.58-.8

61’-80’

81’-120’

121’-200’

Street Widths Street Widths

Street Widths

30’-32’

Street Widths

22-29’

30’-32’

Street Widths

22-29’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

22-29’

30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

Street Widths

22-29’

30’-32’

30’-32’

30’-32’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

51’-70’ 71’-90’

22-29’

22-29’

Street Widths 22-29’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

Street Widths Street Widths

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’ 51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

22-29’ 30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’ 51’-70’ 71’-90’

Street Widths voids 22-29’ facade rhythm 30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

201+

.45-.70

INPUT: URBAN CONTEXT The West Village was chosen as a precedent for its relative street diversity, being one of few places in Manhattan that diverges from the grid. Though it represents a greater amount of historical planning than the Brooklyn site, the street::facade ratios that emerge are still fairly random. Below: West Village, Manhattan

ratios: see feedback loop 2

The masterplan for the Paju Book City in South Korea demonstrates the controlled street::facade ratios that exist in a planned city and their consequent programmatic implications. The ratios, though deliberate, are not the same. Right: Paju Book City, South Korea

street width:: facade length

15’-25’

22’-28

30’-32

33’-35

37’-42

urban context

street width:: facade length

50’-70’

30’-35

43’-50

.8-1.1

21’-40’

.875-1.27

41’-60’

41’-60’

61’-80’

71’-90’

2.5-4.3

10’-20’

1.12-1.46

26’-40’

22’-28

.7-1.05

.58-.73

61’-80’

.35-.47 81’-120’ 81’-120’

Street Widths

.35-.41

121’-200’

22-29’ 30’-35’ 121’-200’

43’-50’ Street Widths Street Widths

201+ Street Widths Street Widths

Street Widths

22-29’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

Street Widths

22-29’Manattan West Village,

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

30’-32’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

51’-70’ 71’-90’

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

22-29’

Street Widths

Street Widths

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

Street Widths

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

22-29’

71’-90’

Paju Book City, South Korea

30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’ 51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

.355-.45

201+

INPUT: URBAN CONTEXT Beacon Hill exhibits a rhizomic street configuration, and corresponding building sizes. Moments of localized diversity emerge where scales converge unexpectedly and bring disparate programs together.

Below: Beacon Hill, Boston

Scale ratios often determine programmatic relationships. The width of the street dictates what programs flank it, and the rhythm at which they occur.

Right: Typical Programmatic Rhythms by Site

street width:: facade length

15’-25’

ratios: see feedback loop 2

brooklyn 22’-28’

30’-32

33’-35

37’-42

43’-50’

1.12-1.47

residential

26’-40’

41’-60’

commercial

high rises 61’-80’

.267-.3

81’-120’

manufacturing

.29-.41

201+

Street Widths Street Widths 30’-32’

Street Widths

22-29’

30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

30’-32’

30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

30’-32’

30’-32’

22-29’

30’-32’

30’-32’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

voids

22-29’

22-29’

22-29’

51’-70’ 71’-90’

Street Widths

22-29’

22-29’

51’-70’ 71’-90’

22-29’

Street Widths Street Widths

33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’

Street Widths

Street Widths Street Widths

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

.25-.36

.21-.31

121’-200’

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

22-29’ 30’-32’ 33’-35’ 36’-42’ 43’-50’ 51’-70’ 71’-90’ voids facade rhythm

cultural

program allocation

manhattan

paju

boston

urban context

ORGANZATION: RHIZOMIC ORGANIZATION: SCRIPT 1 This script uses the information gathered from the site analysis as input for a rhizomic branching structure. The resulting branches can be considered the proliferation of a circulatory system on the scale of the site or on the scale of a building.

The script is controlled by a series of variables all based on the width and length of the initial input. The variables are: the distance between the branches, initial branch width, location of offshoot branch along original branch, angle of connecting branch, initial road length and width, and number of offshoot branches.

context: see input rhizomic organization: see system organization

base

base

distance between roads

distance between roads

initial road width

initial road width

location of branch point

location of branch point

angle of connector

angle of connector

initial road length

initial road length

multiple branches

multiple branches

rhizomic organization

urban context

ORGANIZATION: RHIZOMIC ORGANIZATION The script functions level-by-level along the z-axis, which allows it to permeate the site vertically as well as horizontally.

Each level of the script is based on the one directly below it. Thus, the organization is governed by local relationships rather than an overarching structure. Multiple densities can be acheived changing particular input variables.

context: input rhizomic organization: system organization, feedback loop 1 site organization: see feedback loop 2

site organization

rhizomic organization

urban context

SCRIPT SCRIPT 1 SCRIPT 1 1

DensityDensity Variations Variations Density Variations

SCRIPT SCRIPT 1 SCRIPT 1 1 SCRIPT SCRIPT 1 SCRIPT 1Variations 1 Density Density Variations Variations Density

FEEDBACK LOOP 1: RHIZOMIC ORGANIZATION APPLIED TO SITE The script is winnowed down to a tri-level organizational structure, based on the surrounding streets, that governs zoning potential on the site.

Larger, taller buildings flank wider streets, and lower, more horizontal buildings surrounding small, pedestrian streets.

The bottom level of the script is based on the dimensions of the street that generates the rest of the rhizome. The sceond level (blue in elevation and plan) determines where circulation systems in separate buildings come together. The third level (green) determines the height of the building. The fourth level (pink) suggests limits to future growth.

context: see input rhizomic organization: see system organization, feedback loop 1

site organization

rhizomic organization

urban context

ORGANIZATION: CELLULAR INFILL The second script governs the growth of buildings in 3 axes. It bridges the gaps between the first script to create a continuum along the site that responds to predetermined variables.

X = - (1 + (i^2) /100 - (j*j)) Y = - (1 + (j * j) /3 - (i * i)) Z = (i -j)/.1

Three instances of the script describe three potential prototypical conditions: A low, horizontal arrangement with private outdoor spaces for each resident (left), a high-rise, dense arrangement that protects the interior of the block from the street (middle), and an insular aggregation that turns inward away from the surrounding city (right).

X = i * (1 -(i * i) / 100 + (j * j)) / 20 Y = -j * (1 - (j * j) / 3 + (i * i)) / 20 Z = (i -j)/.1

X = (i/12) * (1 - (i * i) / 3 + (j * j)) / 2 Y = (-j/12) * (1 - (j * j) / 3 + (i * i)) / 2 Z = (i+j) * 20

cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2, feedback loop 3

cellular array

FEEDBACK LOOP 2: BUILDING PROTOTYPE 1: LOW, PROTECTED This configuration does not face any streets with vehicular access, and thus has the luxury of lying low and open to the ground. The definitely horizontal gradient allows for ample balcony space on each ascending level. Interior circulation is defined by a system of stairs within large, common zones.

The script grows horizontally level by level. With each increasing level, the volumes become smaller, creating less overlap between spaces and thus more individualized, contained units.

Right: Ground Floor, Typical Upper Floor

cellular aggregation: feedback loop 2 site organization: see feedback loop 1

site organization

cellular array

buildling prototypes

FEEDBACK LOOP 2: BUILDING PROTOTYPE 2: HIGH, DENSE This configuration is best suited to face a vehicular street on one side and the interior of a block on another. This is due to its steep incline on one face and gradual slope on the other. Its density suggests apartment-style living configurations. It is the only configuration with a completely vertical core, which allows it to gain the greatest height.

The script grows vertically, but with a slope that increases with each ascending level. The diminishing size of the volumes at the sloped zone creates a porous structure that negotiates between figure and ground as it reaches toward the interior of the block.

Right: Ground Floor, Typical Upper Floor

cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2 site organization: see feedback loop 1

site organization

cellular array

buildling prototypes

FEEDBACK LOOP 2: BUILDING PROTOTYPE 3: INSULAR, IRREGULAR This configuration can be situated in between major vehicular roads, as its form towards inward toward itself. It also fits within triangular sites rather than within a more typical, grid-like city block.

The script follows a curve that loosens with every ascending level, thus opening the building up to the sky but keep it dense and enclosed at ground level.

cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2 site organization: see feedback loop 1

site organization

cellular array

buildling prototypes

FEEDBACK LOOP 3: HYBRIDIZATION The three prototypes can be combined to form new building types that respond to the site and the the street. The combination of building types ensure that FAR remains high on the site.

buildling prototypes: see feedback loop 2 cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2 urban context: see input

urban context

hybridized building types

type B-B

type A-A

cellular array

buildling prototypes

HYBRIDIZED BUILDINGS

type A-A1

type A-A2

type A-B1

type A-B2

type B-C1

type A-B3

type BA-AB

PROTOTYPICAL BUILDINGS

type 1

type 2

type 3

FEEDBACK LOOP 3: HYBRIDIZATION APPLIED TO SITE

buildling prototypes: see feedback loop 2 cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2 urban context: see input

The system demostrates its flexibility by creating multiple building configurations for similar site conditions, while still responding very specifically to the urban context.

A-B1 Street Condition: Car traffic, interior block

A-A2 Street Condition: pedestrian path on either side

B-A2 Street Condition: Car Traffic, pedestrian path

urban context

hybridized building types

A-A2 Street Condition: pedestrian path on either side

A-A1 Street Condition: Pedestrian path on either side

B Street Condition: Car traffic, pedestrian path

A-B3 Street Condition: Car traffic, interior block

A Street Condition: Car traffic, interior parkscape

B Street Condition: Car traffic, pedestrian path

cellular array

buildling prototypes

RESULT: GROUND Paths are created at the intersection of building gradients that negotiate between different scales and proportions.

buildling prototypes: see feedback loop 2 cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2 urban context: see input

urban context

hybridized building types

cellular array

buildling prototypes

RESULT: VERTICAL CIRCULATION Each building prototype is defined by a gradient, which in turn defines the type of vertical circulation (here shown in red) that can occur. The more gradual the gradient, the more instances of vertical circulation must occur to account for the circulation’s inability to vertically bridge multiple floors.

Building 1 (below, right) contains three stair/escalator cores that create instances of connection within the building. Building Type 2 (middle) contains 1 vertical core and 1 stair core as the building shifts from smaller apartment units to larger configurations. Building Type 3 (left) contains 1 or 2 elevator cores, depending on its height, that skip floors and are connected by landings.

cellular aggregation: see feedback loop 2, feedback loop 3 site organization: see input

site organization

cellular array

buildling prototypes

RHIZOMIC GRADIENT

Vera Shur//Spring 2009//Pla Catalá