Ingrained Architecture: A Regional Approach to Urban Housing

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ARCHITECTURE ] A Regional Approach to Urban Housing

[ Master of Architecture Thesis ] [ Brian Bishop ] [ Spring 2017 ]

Ingrained Architecture: A Regional Approach to Urban Housing A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Architecture Wentworth Institute of Technology by

Brian Bishop Bachelors of Science in Architecture Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2015 In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture April 2017

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Submitted by Brian Bishop Department of Architecture

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Certified by Anne-Catrin Schultz Primary Thesis Supervisor

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Accepted by Kelly Hutzell, AIA Director of Graduate Program Š 2017 Brian Bishop. All rights reserved.

The author hereby grants to Wentworth Institute of Technology permission to reproduce and to publicly distribute copies of this thesis document in whole or in part using paper, electronic, and any medium now known or hereafter created.

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Plagiarism Statement Plagiarism is the submission or inclusion of someone else’s words, drawings, ideas, or data (including that from a website) as one’s own work without giving credit to the source. When sources are used in a paper or drawing, acknowledgement of the original author or source must be made through appropriate references (footnotes, endnotes) or if directly quoted, quotation marks or indentations must be used. Even if another person’s idea, opinion, or theory is paraphrased into your own words, you can be accused of plagiarism. The same holds true for drawings. Only when information is common knowledge may a fact or statistic be used without giving credit (https://www.wit.edu/catalog/2016-2017/academic-honesty).

Plagiarism is a serious issue and it is important for all to be able to rely on the integrity of student work. The use of content prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of papers or other academic materials constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism does not only refer to written work but also to computer data, drawings, sketches, design concepts, code, musical scores and visual arts. Plagiarism can be inadvertent, so please become informed about the forms it can take. While we are all using precedents and study the built work to get educated and inspired, it is not acceptable to use entire concepts or appropriate drawings, sketches, 3D models or any other representation thereof and claim them as your own.

I, ........................Brian Bishop..........................., am aware of the serious nature of plagiarism and of the fact that it includes design concepts, images, drawings and other representations beyond the written word. I will not intentionally use someone else’s work without acknowledgement and will not represent someone else’s work as my own.

Signature.............................Brian Bishop........................ Date...........April 22, 2017..........

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ABSTRACT The identity of place within architecture has become a factor of secondary importance due to the impacts of globalization. Through the interpolation of regional data such as cultural values, materiality, and climate, this housing typology roots the architecture to its place. The application of regional data manifests within a residential development of housing units that live and breathe within the ecological parameters of the region. The spatial qualities of the development encourage community engagement while also retaining a level of privacy. It is of critical importance within contemporary architecture to respond to the changing climate and preserve the regional characteristics that have proven to be the most effective solutions to the problems of the site.

GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS Regionalism

A style of architectural design that identifies with the qualities

of the immediate geographical context and cultural significance

of the place.

Site Specific Architecture

An architectural work that is critically dependent on the physical

site upon which it is built. This particular work cannot

successfully exist in any other location.

Spatial Layering

A series of planes that exhibit three-dimensional connections

through their relationship to one another.

Globalization

The notion that technological advancements and availability of

information has created a monotonous distribution of identity

across the globe.

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CONTENT 10

Acknowledgements and Dedication

12 Introduction 16

Literature Review

30

Thesis Design as Research

46

Thesis Project

96

Conclusion / Projection

100 Bibliography

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the contributions of multiple people who supported and encouraged the development of this thesis. First, my thesis professor Penn Ruderman for many inspirational conversations in regards to the importance of place, architectural boundaries, and general encouragement during the first few months of my thesis study. Secondly, my thesis advisor Anne-Catrin Schultz for her influence in the programmatic and spatial development of the project. I would also like to acknowledge the help and consult of Wentworth faculty members Tom Lesko, JP Allen, Jer Jurma, Kelly Hutzell, and my undergraduate professors for their contribution toward preparing me for this graduate level of study. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my parents and family members for their continuous support of my architectural studies in this program, and in every other avenue of my career.

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DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my wife, Heather.

The completion of this thesis would not be possible without her constant support, patience, and encouragement.

Thank you for everything.

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[ Introduction ]

[ Thesis Statement ] [ Relevance ] [ Discursive Image ]

Introduction

THESIS STATEMENT An alternative housing strategy can preserve a local identity by applying regional data, in order to root the built form to the place in which it exists.

RELEVANCE

The forces behind globalization impact contemporary architecture.

With the development of technology and availability of resources, the cultural identity and regional importance of built forms are being challenged throughout a variety of scales. As opposed to proposing a method that is strictly a resistance, the interpolation of regional characteristics in order to establish an identity of place suggests an integration with the forces that have fueled globalization.

The experience within a housing development that reflects the site and context can be rooted to its place by embracing innovative methods of construction, locally sourced materials, and culture. While globalization has impacted architecture in many ways, some of the effects can be utilized in order to preserve a degree of relevance within architectural design.

The design of micro-units can be a culturally relevant method of critical regionalism, and should respond to the qualities of the region in order to be site specific. However, instead of incorporating regional qualities solely for the sake of preservation or mimicry, these references must embrace modern technology and construction methods. The motive behind this thesis should be understood as a divergence, as opposed to a resistance.

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Regional qualities of the place should be ingrained within the built form, and can provide continuous references to the surrounding context, and therefore create a level of transparency between the architecture and the place.

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[ Literature Review ]

[ Introduction ] [ Globalization Within Architecture ] [ Critical Regionalism ] [ Site Specific Architecture ] [ Threshold Spaces ] [ Sequence and Layering ] [ Parametric Design ] [ Conclusion ]

Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Globalization impacted contemporary architecture through the loss of cultural significance and regional identity. Through this decrease in site specific architecture, architects are facing a global challenge. This challenge is met through revitalizing the importance of place by referencing the physical and metaphysical context within the built environment. Instead of designing with an intention that is oppositional, this design strategy engages the forces behind globalization in order to produce an architecture that is rooted within its region but also embraces technological advancements. The identity of the region is a critical element within the experience of the architecture in order to ensure that the visitor retains an awareness of place within the built form. This awareness can be achieved through the activation of thresholds between programmatic spaces.

By referencing the regional qualities of the site and context, a series of threshold experiences can provide the user with a consistent reminder of the place in which they exist. These threshold spaces can be designed through the utilization of parametric design as a contemporary design strategy. Parametric design is one example of a technological advancement that has been brought forth by globalization, and is a contemporary method that can be applied to the design of threshold spaces. This thesis will explore the activation of thresholds in order to ensure site specificity and regional identity in an age of globalization.

GLOBALIZATION WITHIN ARCHITECTURE

The transportation of goods and information is limited to the technological advances of the time. Prior to the 20th century, global trade routes and availability of information were scarce and therefore provided limited distribution. There was also a nationalistic approach 18

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to architectural and landscape design that incorporated regional qualities. During the 18th century, a development of an “English way� began to emerge in European landscape design. This nationalistic approach to the design of space began to be critiqued and was adopted by the French, who embraced the English regionalism as a method of breaking rules and establishing identity. This translation was met with a reinvention and adaptation to the regional conditions of France. While the spread of these concepts began to inspire instances of adaptation, it was equally met with situations of mimicry.1 These instances and many others are discussed in Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization by Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis. There were benefits and deficits to this example of regional architecture being transferred and adapted to different parts of the world. With developments in transportation and the colonization of major continents, the dependency upon local materials and cultural references within architecture became design elements of secondary importance. The first great globalization occurred during the 1930’s, following the first World War, when machinery managed to accomplish what man could not: transport information and goods across boundaries which inevitably led to an interdependency between nations.2 Architectural styles began to compete with and respond to each other across the previous boundaries of communication.

Architectural theory and criticism emerged as influential discourse for the development of styles that react to the time. Modernity then began to question the importance of the form, the influence of history on architectural design, and in effect, the regional dependency upon which architecture derives meaning. Robert Adam discusses the causes and impacts of globalization on architectural discourse in Globalisation of Modern Architecture, and begins to reference a regionalistic approach as a critical design strategy.

1 Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis, Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World (Oxon: Routledge, 2012), 49.

2 Robert Adam, The Globalisation of Modern Architecture: The Impact of Politics, Economics, and Social Change on Architecture and Urban Design Since 1990 (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012), 18.

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CRITICAL REGIONALISM

Regionalism begins to emerge as an alternative to the International Style in that it depends upon contextual references of culture and site within the built form. Similar to this discourse, Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis explore the historical and contemporary significance of regionalism within their book, Critical Regionalism. They identify Lewis Mumford and Paul Rudolf, amongst a few others, as the pioneers of the “American Regionalist Rebellion�.3 Lewis Mumford began to pioneer the concept of Critical Regionalism as one that is not necessarily in complete resistance to globalization, but is in fact an engagement with the globalizing world through a negotiation of principles. This notion of engagement as opposed to resistance is what makes his regionalism a critical endeavor, and what separated him from other architects of his time. In order to adapt to the globalization of architecture, urban, and landscape design, an engagement with the inherent forces behind it is of critical importance. Mumford established five poles of critical regionalism that were adopted in his work. The first pole is a complete rejection of historicism in terms of mimicry. Historic buildings were successful because they functioned properly at one point in time, and cannot be simply duplicated with the anticipation of similar success. The second pole is a rejection of the picturesque as a spiritual aesthetic for its own sake. He claimed that regional architecture provided opportunity for a people to feel at home in their environment, and not to simply place the building upon the soil but reflect the current conditions of the regional culture.4 The third pole is the embrace of modern technology as long as it was functional and sustainable. In essence, he believed that regional architecture can adapt to contemporary methods and technology, however it must be utilized in a regionally sensitive manner. The fourth pole is the importance to community, which enhances the beliefs and demands 3 Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis, Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World (Munich: Prestel, 2003), 31.

4 Lefaivre and Tzonis, Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World, 36.

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of a specific age and the people that will be experiencing the architecture. The fifth and final pole of Mumford’s critical regionalism is that there is not an opposition between the local and the universal.

He did not believe that regionalism is a way of resisting globalization, because everything that is regional is inherently affected by global forces.5 A denial of this relationship will lead to an inclusive and isolated architecture that will not remain resilient through the continuity of change. In this exploration of regionalism as a critical design approach, Lefaivre and Tzonis also reference and critique Kenneth Frampton’s work in regards to critical regionalism, which Frampton revisits in his lecture Critical Regionalism Revisited within Local Architecture: Building Place, Craft, and Community, compiled

by Brian MacKay-Lyons. Frampton’s self-critique resulted in his agreement of Lefaivre and Tzonis that a critical regionalism should be understood as a divergence as opposed to a resistance.6 Lyons then references the critical importance of place within the regional context.

The Heideggerian approach to globalization as a defiant resistance is noble, but can have negative repercussions. Critical regionalism relies heavily on the importance of place and cultural identity. The motivations behind regionalism stem from an alternative response to the modern abandonment of cultural values and sense of place that have been lost due to globalization. Through the increase of transportation and availability of information and materials, architecture has struggled to find its identity within a world that became void of context. There is, however, an alternative that lies between strictly regional and fully universal. That alternative is a critically regional approach to design that proposes an engagement of the forces behind globalization, while reflecting the current conditions of the region.

SITE SPECIFIC ARCHITECTURE

The fundamentals of regionalism run parallel to those that

5 Lefaivre and Tzonis, Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World, 39.

6 Brian Mackay-Lyons, Local Architecture: Building Place, Craft, and Community (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2015), 27.

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qualify site specific architecture. Site specific architecture relies upon physical context and metaphysical context in order to ensure that the built form is dependent upon the place in which it exists. The physical context includes site references such as location, local materials, and formal qualities. The metaphysical context includes site references such as community values, cultural identity, and ephemeral qualities.

Through a reference of these contextual elements, architecture can become site specific. Lefaivre and Tzonis make reference to Richard Neutra, who produced site specific architecture through an integration with the topography of the site and with its region, through an interpenetration of both the exterior and interior. According to Neutra’s architectural theory, a building may “root itself in nature by outward reaching tentacles, so the site may be tied to the building by pleasant infiltrations”.7 There is no difference between the interior experience and the exterior experience. Neutra’s permeable architecture resulted in forms that incorporated large panels of glass paired with local materials that embedded the built form into the landscape. He brought the regional qualities into the interior, in order to create the illusion that the interior was dependent on the exterior (See Figure 1).8 His architecture at the time was not critically regional, however his architectural theories ensured that the built forms were site specific.

These methods of integrating qualities of the site into the form should be applied to specific moments within the architectural experience.

Figure 1 7 Lefaivre and Tzonis, Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World, 134.

8 Richard Neutra’s Tropical Architecture sketch. Source: Ibid., 135.

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THRESHOLD SPACES

The methods of ensuring site specificity as an engagement of the forces behind globalization are inherent within the aspects of regionalism, and should be applied to the specific qualities of the experience throughout the built form. This experience is dependent upon the qualities of the thresholds through which the user’s awareness within the site has potential for engagement. The threshold is a moment of transition as one passes from one space to another. A threshold can be spatial as well as programmatic, and its thickness can be expanded in order to provide opportunities to engage the user in various ways. The qualities of a threshold have potential for referencing formal and ephemeral qualities of the context, site, and region. Formal qualities are physical elements that can be replicated or engaged with in order to bring an awareness of the external environment into the interior. Ephemeral qualities are temporary conditions of the context that bring character to a specific place and can be referenced through the architecture. The potential for threshold design within the architectural experience is explored in Threshold Spaces: Transitions in Architecture by Till Boettger. Boettger discusses the importance of threshold spaces in relation to the overall context through a series of parameters. These parameters are delimitation, sequence, geometry, topography, materiality, and furnishings.9 Each of these criteria can be designed in such a way that they incorporate the physical and metaphysical context. Boettger further explains each of these criteria through a series of precedent analyses, and concludes that they impact the experience of the user in different ways. Delimitation references the design of the spatial body’s perception of the threshold, and whether the space is defined to the user. Sequence references the path along which the user passes through the threshold space, and what nature that path entails toward the user’s experience. Geometry references the organization of the threshold, and whether geometric forms can be identified and related to the user’s awareness within the transition 9

Till Boettger, Threshold Spaces: Transitions in Architecture (Basel: Birkhäuser, 2014), 58.

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Figure 2

space. Topography references the planes that the threshold space defines, and the orientation of the threshold within the space encompassed on the site. Materiality references the atmospheric qualities that are experienced by the user while they are within the space, and the impacts that color, light, contrast, and texture have on the user. Furnishings reference the effect of the technical execution of the threshold in order to alter or support a specific function within the transition between one program and another. These parameters can be used through the design of thresholds as vehicles to ensure the built form is dependent on the site and reflects the conditions of the region in which it exists. Within the threshold, a greater knowledge of the building is achieved. The design of the threshold takes the human senses into account, specifically the kinesthetic sense and visual perception. This grants the architect the opportunity to modify the thickness of these threshold spaces to impact the experience as the user passes through them (see Figure 2).10 Qualities like the duration 10

24

Spatial Delimitations. Source: Ibid., 25.

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of time it takes the user to enter and exit the threshold, the formal and ephemeral qualities of the space within the transition, and the spatial design of the programmatic spaces that surround the threshold all influence the impact upon the user’s experience. The user develops an awareness of place and feels more comfortable exploring the program. An understanding or familiarity with the environment ensures a level of comfort as one travels through the architecture. A sequential continuity from exterior to interior, and from one threshold to the next, is referenced throughout Boettger’s extensive analyses.

SEQUENCE AND LAYERING

The spatial sequence that a user experiences through a series of thresholds can provide a continuity throughout the architecture. This continuity is also referenced in Time, Space, Material: The Mechanics of Layering in Architecture by Anne-Catrin Schultz. Schultz explores the idea that throughout the many fields of study that incorporate the use of layering, the term suggests a continuity through a configuration of planar surfaces. This continuity is created along a sequence that can be modified in order to achieve a specific design goal and analyzed to extract the response to specific stimulus.11 To prove this concept of continuity outside the realm of architectural design, Schultz references engineering, geology, psychology, graphic design, and the fine arts as supporting evidence. Within engineering, the utilization of layers is used through a combination of physical materials in order to create a single engineered product, such as veneers. In geology, a layering of deposits of various sediments creates a continuous historical record of the earth’s tectonic movements. Psychology uses layering to reference stratification of the human personality, through which certain effects can impact the nature of the subject. In graphic design, layering is a tool used to isolate certain elements in order to modify them without affecting the rest of the drawing. Layering within fine arts occurs through a series of applied elements in order to achieve 11 Anne-Catrin Schultz, Time, Space, and Material: The Mechanics of Layering in Architecture (Stuttart: Axel Menges, 2015), 9.

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Figure 3

a complexity through materials and context. This continuity through the use of sequence and layering is evident is various fields of study and design, and can be applied specifically to architecture in order to encourage and support the design intentions. The parallels between a continuity through sequence and the threshold is found through its application (see Figure 3).12 By applying a continuity through the sequential layering of thresholds along the user’s path, the architecture continuously reinforces an awareness of place and blending of exterior and interior. The sequential layering of architectural thresholds is dependent upon the spatial relationships within the built form. Schultz claims that the application of spatial layering in plan can assist in the transition between programmatic spaces, while a vertical layering can provide zones for a progression of light or shift in scale. The various arrangements of spatial layers create design opportunities that can influence the user’s experience. By creating a procession, the architect can correlate the quality of the transition between each layer with the qualities of the context. Schultz references spatial layering through an analysis of 18th century castles, Japanese palaces and paintings (through which Frank Lloyd Wright found inspiration), contemporary glass curtain wall systems, and Roman Catholic churches.13 This spatial 12 Sequential Threshold Spaces.

13 Anne-Catrin Schultz, Time, Space, and Material: The Mechanics of Layering in Architecture, 13-14.

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layering provides us with a sequence that exhibits the impression of spatial complexity and depth.

PARAMETRIC DESIGN

Similar to the way that a sequence can influence the quality of thresholds, Patrik Schumacher claims that parametric design can be “transcoded into radically different conditions...perhaps engendering a phase change at a certain threshold. This is much more prone to the development of versatile conditions and different atmospheres, which bleed into each other instead of establishing disparate zones”.14 Parametricism, as proposed in Schumacher’s lecture on the Autopoiesis of Architecture, involves the utilization of technology, mathematics, and geometry to create flexible and responsive forms through an input-response method of design. Parametric design can be applied to various places within architecture, yet its relevance to threshold spaces and the transition between one space and another provides opportunity for specific design outcomes. However, the design of parametric architecture has become relatively controversial within contemporary discourse due to its dependency on computer design and inherent capacity to create a seemingly endless output of design solutions. Once established, a parametric design can produce a multitude of design options based on a mathematical relationship between multiple elements. This style of design relies heavily on massive fields of data and utilizes adaptive intelligence within the built form instead of using geometrical compositions as the basis for design.

In the light of this new technology, the work of Philip Yuan has proven to be increasingly relevant through his integration of regional variations as tangible data within parametric design. Yuan claims that “regional information can be directly fed into the geometric parameters of building elements through purposeful selection and extraction of data”.15 In the Archi-Union Architects offices, he utilized regional 14 Patrik Schumacher, Parametricism and the Autopoeisis of Architecture, Lecture at SCIARC, Los Angeles, California, September 2010.

15 Philip Yuan, “Parametric Regionalism,” Architectural Design 86, No. 2 (2016): 93.

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Figure 4

elements like traditional materials and craftsmanship to create a morphological expression of tectonics that was designed using parametrics. The result is a wall of undulating visual complexity that was built using the traditional material of concrete blocks, and built using traditional construction methods. The application of the parametric design using the local materials and methods is where his thesis of Parametric Regionalism comes to fruition. Similarly, at the Xiaoqinghe Wetland Children’s Centre in Jinan China, Yuan integrated regional tectonics with a parametric design that resulted in a continually changing sectional experience (see Figure 4).16 Within the building, there are no fixed dimensions of the structural elements, and the space, program, and structure are integrated as one parametric system. This system was built using traditional construction methods from the region, using local materials, and architectural elements that are always responsive to the local context.17 The application of parametric design to the project has adaptive qualities that also engage the local environment, culture, and people. This example of parametric regionalism is relevant to many aspects of contemporary architecture, and is of critical importance as an engagement of both regional architecture and the forces behind globalization.

16 17

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Xiaoqinghe Wetland Children’s Centre Rendering. Source: Ibid., 98.

Ibid., 98.

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CONCLUSION

The inevitable forces of globalization have impacted architecture in an irreversible manner. The approach to move forward through architectural design is through an engagement of globalization and critical regionalism. Lefaivre and Tzonis explicitly determine the importance of critical regionalism in this age of globalization, through the work of Lewis Mumford, Richard Neutra, and Kenneth Frampton.

The analysis of these architects strives to connect the built form with the region, cultural conditions, and site. Site specific architecture is a parallel discourse that requires contextual references. By referencing these contextual elements, the architecture becomes dependent upon the place in which it exists. Within the site specific architecture, a sequential layering of thresholds impacts the user’s experience in various ways. Till Boettger claims that the threshold encompasses a series of parameters that can be modified and utilized for specific design outcomes. The qualities of a threshold space as a transition engages the user through the exterior experience as much as the interior. The thickness and quality of these transition spaces determine the specific impact on the user’s awareness while passing from one to the other. Similarly, Anne-Catrin Schultz presents the mechanics of layering in architecture that, when applied to threshold design, influence the user’s experience and relate to the context and region.

Spatial layering produces a continuity through a sequence of planar elements. This continuity establishes an overall knowledge of the building, and encourages comfort and circulation. The formal and ephemeral qualities of these layers in relation to the context are predetermined by the architect, and Philip Yuan’s study of parametric regionalism presents a contemporary coalition of parametricism and critical regionalism. Through his incorporation of local materials, construction methods, and cultural identity into parametric design, he creates a modern response to globalization through the utilization of regional conditions. By engaging the forces powering globalization and critical regionalism, a sequential layering of threshold spaces can produce a dependency on the site, culture, and region.

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[ Thesis Design as Research ]

[ Spatial Layering ] [ Contextual References ] [ Site Specificity ] [ Parametricism ]

Thesis Design As Research

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[ Spatial Layering ]

SEQUENTIAL THRESHOLD SPACES Through a sequence of planes, this drawing explores a method in which spatial relationships within a building can relate to each other. These relationships begin to identify the necessity for threshold design, as one travels from one space to the next.

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[ Spatial Layering ]

CONTINUITY THROUGH SEQUENCE As one travels from one side of the form to the other, one passes through a series of planes that can impact the experience at that point in time. Each plane measures a duration of time of traveling into and out of the enclosed form, and there is an inherent continuity that retains the user’s overall awareness within the space.

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[ Spatial Layering ]

SECTIONAL DICHOTOMY This charcoal drawing depicts a series of vertical and horizontal forms in section. These forms intersect and create various spatial moments that begin to blend the dichotomy between interior and exterior.

SECTIONAL SEQUENCE Each of the vertical planes in this model represent the architectural boundaries between programmatic spaces. The layering of these planes can be designed to influence circulation.

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[ Spatial Layering ]

AT THE EDGE OF THE THRESHOLD The user’s experience when traveling along the boundary between exterior and interior is a place in which many identities can be embraced. This drawing depicts the exploratory study of spaces along this boundary. The edge between the exterior and interior, as well as between other interior spaces, is shown as a bold black line. This edge is experienced along the curved line that begins to emody the concept of a threshold.

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LECA POOLS BY ALVARO SIZA The site specific design of these pools critically depends on regional materials and the integration of intermediate spaces into the built form. The user is slowly transitioned from the street level down into the building through the use of a continuous edge and gradual ramp. This experience is within the first of many threshold spaces that transition the user from one programmatic space to the next.

The built forms emerge from the exposed rocks and integrate themselves into the site, while also using the natural elements found on the site.

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[ Contextual References ]

SPATIAL THRESHOLDS Threshold design can incorporate qualities from the programmatic spaces that the threshold is connecting, as well as external qualities. This additive diagram displays the connections that are created when forms are joined together to create a large enclosed space. This design strategy is utlized in many buildings as a way of connecting one space to the next in the form of an intentional path or itinerary. In this particular example, the intermediate zone that exists between the two forms exhibits the boundary of the threshold.

As each additional form is connected to the overall composition, a unique intermediate space is created. This particular space provides a certain duration of time and spatial quality that will be experienced while within the threshold.

The threshold design opportunities exist within these parameters; duration of time and spatial quality.

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TOPOGRAPHIC DEPENDENCY Within the realm of site specific architecture, the boundaries between exterior and interior is a crucial moment. The nature of these boundaries is explored in this charcoal drawing through an integration of the built form with the topography of the site. By taking advantage of a site’s topographical character, the thickness of the boundary between exterior and interior can be expanded.

SITE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS All qualities of site specific architecture remain dependent on the place in which they exist. This sketch shows in detail how a change in elevation can provide moments of pause while still remaining integrated with the topography.

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[ Site Specificity ]

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[ Parametricism ]

PARAMETRIC SPATIAL DESIGN The spatial relationships between horizontal planes are designed using parameters in this digital sequence. The distances between the vertical planes are parametrically linked to eachother, so if one value changes, it causes an effect on the rest of the design. The horizontal forms are bound to the edge of a particular vertical plane, and adjust accordingly when the vertical plane shifts in a any direction.

This exercise exhibits the capabilties of parametric design in regards to spatial relationships. These relationships can be designed using modern technology and digital software to provide the user with a variety of experiences when traveling through the horizontal planes. These parametric relationships can also be applied on multiple axes, creating a dynamic complexity that is only possible using modern technology.

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[ Parametricism ]

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[ Kinetic Facade ]

KINETIC FACADE PROTOTYPE This panel monitors the interior temperature and amount of sunlight that is entering a window, and parametrically responds by automatically adjusting the angle of a row of triangular fins to provide optimal interior thermal comfort for the user. The code that is embedded within the motors allows the fins to rotate from completely open, 45 degrees, and fully closed. Therefore, this facade prototype responds to the local climate parametrically.

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[ Kinetic Facade ]

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[ Thesis Project ]

[ Probe ] [ Regional Parameters ] [ Site Analysis ] [ Schematic Iterations ] [ Method ] [ Outcome ] [ Analytique ]

Design Outcomes

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[ Probe ]

PROBE The parametric implications of design manifest themselves in this installation.

Parametric relationships between each of these cubes are flexible and respond to user input.

By changing the “input value�, the system responds accordingly and creates an output of several spatial configurations. This model probes the method of responsive design, which can be applied conceptually in a development of micro-units that react to external factors. This method can also be applied practically to achieve selfshading design strategies.

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[ Site Analysis ]

FRANKLIN STREET, SALEM MA The site chosen for this thesis is on the coastline of Salem, Massachusetts.

This specific site is located in a thriving city that embraces innovation and alternative living typologies. The site is a 4-minute walk from the commuter rail train station, which is ideal for the growing amount of commuters who cannot afford to live in the city. The site also is nestled between Franklin Street and the water, which will provide a connection to the ocean that is highly marketable and contemporary.

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[ Site Analysis ]

EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS The site is currently owned by Ferris Auto Service and Repair, which houses hundreds of vehicles that would need to be removed. The removal and renovation of this particular site would require a substantial effort from a developer, but would be highly beneficial considering the potential for future development. The site’s character and location lends itself toward a mixeduse residential community that preserves the cultural identity of Salem while also embracing innovation and contemporary housing typologies.

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[ Site Analysis ]

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[ Regional Parameters ]

SINGLE-FAMILY HOME SIZE The average house size has been increasing dramatically over the years.

Micro-living is an alternative typology that provides the essentials for comfortable living, without sacrificing the benefits of the single-family home.

This shift in the way we live is more efficient, more affordable, and can be plugged into a mixed-use development that maintains a sense of community.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

THESIS MIND MAP

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[ Regional Parameters ]

PRESERVATION OF

CULTURE

The cultural implications of this development in Salem, MA need to be addressed in order to preserve the sense of place and identity within the region.To do this, this development provides public access to the water to retain a balanced relationship between the public and the private realms.

The historic culture of Salem is welcoming to alternative and innovative lifestyles, despite the fact that the city is almost 400 years old. There have been many renovations and new buildings that have been built in alternative ways.

IMPORTANCE OF COASTLINE The location of Salem along the waterfront is a staple in the city’s cultural implications. The tourism industry has transformed Salem into a highly visited location, leaving the current residents striving for authentic culture that isn’t derived from witches and ghostly walking tours. The connection to the water is utilized by the local clamming industry and for casual recreation.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

HISTORIC SALEM The city of Salem is home to countless historic buildings that retain a local identity and contribute significantly to the culture of Salem.

While the residents appreciate the historical implications of living in Salem, they also find themselves bunkering inside during the month of October to avoid tourist traps.

MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING With the recent growth of the city, Salem has seen many new developments of large multi-family buildings. Both apartments and condos, the market is thriving and therefore needs to be carefully monitored in order to prevent a surplus of vacant units from developers who overestimated.

SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING Within the density of Salem, there are many residential neighborhoods made up on single-family housing.

There is a market for families who are striving to follow the american dream and own their own property.

Unfortunately, these properties are at the top of most commuter’s price range. Most of these houses are being turned into apartments.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

MATERIAL

UTILIZATION OF LOCAL

By utilizing locally sourced materials, the development is directly dependent on the conditions of the place in which it is built.

In addition, the residential units can utilize materials that are harvested within a certain distance from the construction site to get LEED points, which helps to provide sustainable housing.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER The destruction of many trees by the Mountain Beetle means that many trees must be harvested and reused, otherwise the carbon will be released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. These trees can be engineered into Cross-Laminated timber panels, which have structural capacity and can provide the potential to aggregate the development in various spatial configurations.

The wood for these panels can also be harvested within 500 miles of the site.

There are manufacturers of these panels in the Northeastern United States.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

CLIMATE

RESPOND TO

HUMID - CONTINENTAL

The regional climate of this development falls under the humid continental climate, which results in hot summers and cold winters. By applying regional climate data such as primary wind direction, solar heat gain coefficients, average snow fall, and average rain fall, this development can respond by staggering units to provide self-shading, orienting due south to capture solar gain in the winter months, and mitigate the wind to provide natural ventilation in the summer months.

SUN ORIENTATION Based on the orientation of the sun as it passes over the site, southernfacing windows are utilized to capture natural light and solar heat gain. In order to offset this gain in the summer months, the units are staggered to provide natural ventilation from wind currents.

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[ Regional Parameters ]

WIND PATTERN The majority of wind on this site comes from the North-NorthWest direction. This regional data can be utilized to naturally ventilate the spaces between units if they are aggregated in specific ways. The units themselves can also benefit from wind through operable windows on the north and west facades.

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

SPATIAL AGGREGATION By reducing and compartmentalizing the unit into a self contained object, the potential for stacking and staggering them in various ways. The configuration of these units begins to provide potential roof occupancy and self-shading strategies.

Considering the amount of square footage that is inside the units, there is almost twice the amount of occupiable space outside the units, which can be used as private decks, communal areas, or urban gardens.

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

FROM OBJECT TO FIELD By reducing and compartmentalizing the unit into a self contained object, the potential for stacking and staggering them in various ways. The configuration of these units begins to provide potential roof occupancy and self-shading strategies. Considering the amount of square footage that is inside the units, there is almost twice the amount of occupiable space outside the units, which can be used as private decks, communal areas, or urban gardens.

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA The orientation, materiality, spatial configuration, thermal comfort, and cultural values within this development of micro-housing units are responsive to characteristics of the region.

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

COMMUNAL AREAS By establishing a priority on community values, this development provides communal areas to share amenities between the inhabitants.

Each of these areas exhance a sense of community and shared economy, while also allowing the size of each unit to decrease. The units have functional purpose, inverting the concept of all-inclusive living.

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[ Schematic Iterations ]

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[ Schemtic Iterations ]

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[ Method ]

UNIT DESIGN AND CRITERIA The programmatic needs of this thesis are most effectively shown through micro-housing units. These units are self-contained objects which are part of a larger field, and utilize regional characteristics to retain a local identity. The size of the unit is reduced to 500 square feet and utilize programmatic zones instead of rooms. This allows the user to maximize flexibility within the unit, to entertain guests, and to feel as comfortable as possible within their unit.

Each unit is equipped with the essentials for comfortable living; a private deck, eat-in kitchen, bathroom, resting zone, and living zone. The living zone is reduced within the unit in order to encourage community engagement.

Without sacrificing too much of the luxury of owning property, which primarily includes hosting guests and feeling comfortable in your own space, the unit balances living within your unit, and within the larger development.

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Outcome ]

THRESHOLD SPACES The development utilizes semi-private spaces that are designed to encourage interaction with other users in the community. These spaces are used for urban gardens, gathering spaces for hosting large parties, and circulation pathways to the upper levels of residential units.

These spaces function as thresholds between the public and private realms.

While reserved for the occupants within the development, the spaces encourage a sense of community that is essential in order to preserve the local identity of Salem, which relies on and thrives from community interaction.

Salem residents find themselves caught between a historic town and a tourist trap, so maintaining a tight-knit community is of critical importance.

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[ Outcome ]

STORAGE

RES. LOBBY

PRIVATE GATHERING

RETAIL

RETAIL

RETAIL

RETAIL

RETAIL RETAIL

RES. LOBBY

PRIVATE GATHERING

STORAGE

RES. LOBBY

RETAIL

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RES. LOBBY

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[ Outcome ]

FIRST FLOOR PLAN The ground floor of the development is a series of mixed-use public and semi-private spaces. By concentrating the units along the edges of the site, the potential for a central circulation axis is utilized to provide an active public realm.

Off the major circulation paths are entry points to residential egress and elevator lobbies. These entrances are not in direct line of sight from the public corridor, in order to preserve privacy and discourage the public to explore the upper levels unless they are welcomed by a resident.

With such a beautiful location along the water, the development takes advantage of the site’s potential by providing a launch dock. This dock engages the water through providing access to activities such as stand up paddling boards, boat rentals, and kayaking, all of which are regional interests.

Active retail shops, a green space for relaxing, and communal gathering spaces ensure that the development’s ground floor engages the public while also providing functional circulation to the residential units.

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Outcome ]

SECOND FLOOR PLAN The upper levels of the development are restricted for the residents and their guests. This means that there is a decrease in density to allow for a comfortable flow of circulation throughout the floor plan.

The quality of life in the upper levels is highly marketable, with vegatation that grows from the ground floor up to the third floor. In addition to trees, there are urban gardens and secondary spaces that bring the natural environment up to the second and third floors.

Each of the units is within a short walk to an egress and elevator lobby, which is exclusive to the residents as well. These lobbies connect to the ground floor and act as communal spaces for interaction between the residents.

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Outcome ]

ROOF PLAN The upper levels of the development take advantage of the occupiable spaces located ontop of the other units. This provides opportunites to utilize solar panels, roof gardens, and private patios.

The aggregation of the units allows for circulation throughout the development, and improves quality of life. These roof gardens are private to each resident, but there are additional communal gardens on the second floor for those who do not have access to a neighbor’s roof.

Elevated circulation paths provide access to each of the upper units, reducing the amount of concrete slab and flooring per floor. This also allows sunlight and wind to penetrate into the space, and allows trees to grow up into the upper floors from beneath.

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Outcome ]

ENTRY + ACCESS The pedestrian and vehicular entrance into the development are merged through the Franklin Street entrance. This location has designated spots for Uber / Lyft cars, Zipcars, and private parking spaces.

The number of parking spaces is limited, in order to attract residents who rely on public transportation. However, adequate parking is available for those visiting the development’s retail locations.

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[ Outcome ]

FROM OBJECT TO FIELD Inspired by Stan Allen’s work in regards to Field Conditions and the aggregation of the units from “object to field”, each unit maintains its original integrity while also existing as part of a whole. The units conform to a set of regulations that determine their individual role in collective the field.

These regulations are minimum distances between the neighboring unit to provide circulation, maximum cantilevering distance to provide canopy space, and specific configuration patterns that grant each unit its individual nature.

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Outcome ]

SPATIAL AGGREGATION Through the four stories that compose the development, one travels from the public realm up to the most private unit.

Due to the structural capacity of the object, the spatial aggregation of the field is enhanced by staggering the units. This aggregation provides optimal views to the water and intermediate threshold spaces inbetween public and private.

These intermediate spaces enhance the quality of life within the development, allow for a sense of privacy while also extending one’s property into unique locations.

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[ Outcome ]

CIRCULATION + COMMUNAL AREAS The connection between the ground floor and the units above is dependent on the circulation and egress lobbies. These lobbies are private entrances on the ground floor, and gathering spaces on the upper floors.

The communal areas function as rentable spaces that can be reserved by residents to host larger dinners or gatherings. These are available on the first and second floors, where the circulation is most accessible.

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[ Outcome ]

CONNECTION + LOCATION The location of the development is strategically placed inbetween a neighborhood that is primarily made up of single-family homes, and a complex of multifamily apartments and condos.

Also located along the waterfront, this site lends itself toward offering the benefits of owning property in the single-family home neighborhood, while also having a sense of community and density that is experienced in a traditional apartment building.

Single-family Houses

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Development

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[ Outcome ]

Ocean + Pedestrian Walkway

Train Station

Multi-Family Apartments + Condos

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[ Outcome ]

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[ Analytique ]

Ingrained Architecture: A Regional Approach to Urban Housing Brian Bishop

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[ Analytique ]

INGRAINED ARCHITECTURE A REGIONAL APPROACH TO URBAN HOUSING An alternative housing strategy can preserve a local identity by applying regional data, in order to root the built form to the place in which it exists..

The identity of place within architecture has become a factor of secondary importance due to the impacts of globalization. Through the interpolation of regional data such as cultural values, materiality, and climate, this housing typology roots the architecture to its place.

The application of regional data manifests within a residential development of micro units. The spatial qualities of the development encourage community engagement while also retaining a level of privacy.

PRESERVE COMMUNITY VALUES AND CULTURE UTILIZE LOCALLY SOURCED MATERIALS

RESPOND TO REGIONAL CLIMATE

M

Arch 2017

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[ Conclusion / Projection ]

[ Reflection / Projection ]

This thesis has explored many the problems and issues that are facing society and contemporary architecture today. Some of these issues include placeless architecture, which in the face of globalization has become a critically devastating issue to the identity and importance of architecture.

The other issue that this thesis explores is affordable housing. By reducing the square footage of each unit, this thesis project is able to provide more affordable housing strategies without sacrificing the quality of life that one would have when purchasing a single family home.

Personally, this thesis has challenged my architectural skills to think of architecture holistically, through a set of parameters, and in multiple scales simultaneously. It has been an invaluable lesson in terms of managing my design strategies, developing graduate level graphics, and critically analyzing the research that originally inspired this thesis.

Moving forward, this thesis can serve as a system that can be applied to many projects. In this way, one can analyze the regional parameters of a specific place and ingrain the architecture within it, in order to achieve site specificity. This thesis exploration can also begin to incorporate different unit types within the development to accommodate for a wider range of tenants.

The market for this particular project was young couples or empty-nesters who cannot afford to purchase a single-family home yet, but would like to own their own property. In retrospect, the concept that these couples might start a family, and want to stay in the development has inspired a continuation of this thesis in order to provide those types of opportunities. In addition, a financial analysis or pro-forma calculation might be beneficial to ensure that these units would actually be more affordable. Based on the structural implications, the density of units, and the design nature of the project, these units might actually be moderately expensive. This, however, could provide Salem with a highly marketable development that would be very intriguing as an alternative housing typology.

I am pleased with the current status of this thesis, and look forward to continuing this study of ingrained architecture through the utilization of regional data. Thank you to all who have inspired, encouraged, and supported my graduate level study, and in effect, assisted in the production of this thesis.

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[ Bibliography ]

[ Bibliography ] Adam, Robert. The Globalisation of Modern Architecture: The Impact of Politics, Economics and Social Change on Architecture and Urban Design Since 1990. Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012.

Boettger, Till. Threshold Spaces: Transitions in Architecture. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2014.

Lefaivre, Liane, and Alexander Tzonis. Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World. Oxon: Routledge, 2012.

Lefaivre, Liane, and Alexander Tzonis. Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World. Munich: Prestel, 2003.

MacKay-Lyons, Brian, and Robert McCarter, eds. Local Architecture: Building Place, Craft, and Community. First edition. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2015.

Schultz, Anne-Catrin. Time, Space, and Material: The Mechanics of Layering in Architecture. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2015.

Schumacher, Patrik. “Parametricism and the Autopoiesis of Architecture.”

Lecture at SCI-Arc, Los Angeles, California, September, 2010.

Yuan, Philip. “Parametric Regionalism.” Architectural Design 86, no. 2 (March 11, 2016): 92-99. doi:10.1002/ad.2029.

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