UCHRONIAN GARDENS at MISSION BAY: Intersections between Science + Design
Juan Nieto Arch 103 Spring 2013
After the trip to Mission Bay, and looking at the site, the first thing that I noticed was its size. It is almost seven times bigger than the site we had in Arch 102 (~40,000 sq. ft). 780 ft
268,625 sq. ft 307 ft 970 ft
The Site
The Program Exploratorium South Complex Main Gallery- 20,000 gsf Exhibit 1- 5,000 gsf (SF Bay Ecology and Natural History) Exhibit 2- 5,000 gsf (temporary exhibits on art, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture) Outdoor Gallery- 90,000 gsf (studies on forces shaping S.F, the Bay, and region, watch shifting tides and winds, reveal hidden life, and observe human behavior) Mechanical Spaces (HVAC)- 200 gsf each (there are four, each component serving approximately 10,000 gsf) Cafe and Shop- 10,000 gsf ( locally produced goods, open beyond museum hours, seven days a week) Outdoor Dining- 1,500 gsf (adjacent to Cafe and Shop) Restrooms- women's 1,000 gsf, men's 800 gsf Amphitheater1,500 seats with good visibility and hearing Lower seating closest to Stage at 12 degrees Upper seating at 24 degrees Five aisles: two down center, two down the outside, one cross aisle in break of two slopes Open Stage, 3 ft above base of lower seating, 70 ft wide x 40 ft deep Backstage- 1,000 gsf
Market Place of Earthly Delights Leasable spaces for shops and Stalls, 20 ft wide storefronts x 90 ft deep modules. There are 25 of these modules. (~45,000 gsf) Urban Organic Garden-only visually accessible to public Public Restrooms- Women's 1,000 gsf, Men's 800 gsf
Public Gardens Square footage to be decided
After seeing the handout for the Final project, and noticing that it was 6 pages long, and about two and a half were only the program, I was intimidated by it. I knew it was going to be a more complex one than 102, but I was shocked with the magnitude of this new project.
1st Matrix At the beginning of the project, I started with the matrix of adjacency. (Figuring out what parts of the program will be placed next to one another) I found this to be an interesting tool and very helpful, otherwise I would've just move programmatic areas around randomly with no purpose. This was helpful in organizing similar elements with one another. The first Matrix I created was just to give me an idea of how it worked, since it was the first that I've done. For the second, I refined the possibilities.
2nd Matrix
Dark- Direct connection
Circle- Not Desirable
MASSING STUDIES: Exploratorium
Top- Seeing how exhibits can be arranged if seen as a plan. Bottom-Elevations if there are two or more levels
From the previous image, I drew different possible plans for each elevation.
It was interesting to see how many plans I could come up with each elevation. That way I had different options of how to place each programmatic element and not be limited to only three.
First iteration of model made at 1/32=1' (due to transportation issues) Exploratorium is placed at North edge because it would be the primary attraction. It would be 2 stories high, where the roof of first floor would make up the outside gallery. Market is located along the South edge of site. This building is three stories high. At 3rd st it would be one floor and as it moves East it would increase by a floor in middle, and at end to the 3rd floor. Middle section on floor plan (grid like) is where the Organic Garden is. There are ramps that go up, but will be gated to not allow access to public.
For this model, I did not take into account any of the work that I did prior to this, that includes the Matrix of adjacencies and massing studies. Although I did not do that, I included all the square footage of both the Market and interior space of Exploratorium. The Outside Gallery was very difficult since it requires 90,000 gsf. I did not know how to incorporate into this early design. Conclusion For this first attempt, it was poorly designed, like I mentioned before, for not using the tools, and it's too early because I haven't done a lot of research on site, to develop the design.
FIRST MODEL
Some Major Circulation Paths
After the first model, I decided to start fresh, from the beginning. Analyzing circulation is crucial, that way I can determine where entrances might be located, where to place paths, and how to direct them.
More Deatailed Site Analysis + Massing
Site Notes