Thesis Proposal
This thesis proposes to analyze the process of learning as an activation of the natural environment via artistic expression. Spaces that embody creative expression composes the artist’s storytelling abilities through fractalization of personal experience, artistic sustainability, and environmental appreciation.
Project The project typology for this thesis is a kilometer-long landscape rejuvenation of The Carrying Place Trail adjacent to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Vaughan, Ontario). The pathway and its flat/barren status are appropriate because it provides an ample amount of scenic greenscape to openly invite the spectator to various opportunities for sensory expression. The project will redesign the trail by constructing various pathways and pavilion structures placed for people visiting the McMichael or walking alongside the Carrying Place Trail seeking opportunities for education, creativity, and personal growth.
Design Objective The design objective is to invite all communities to experience the harmonious relationship between the natural landscape and creative expression. Learning, via the natural landscape, explores the opportunistic control of the designer to develop a common determinant within architecture that allows meaningful relationships between the physical world and a person's cognitive processes. The interior, fixed pavilions and exterior pathways will be programmatically extended to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, acting as shards of landscape that are activated through the unique use of the artist.
The Carrying Place Trail A path through the Humber River that travels from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe, joining within the Georgian Bay; 45 km in length
Natural Resources:
Site Overview:
v Kettle lakes v Farmlands v Forests v Wetlands v Rivers v Primarily Oak Trees v Swamps/marshes v Wooded banks v Brunisolic soil v Vegetation (755 species of plants) v Animal Life (over 185 animal species) v Beavers v Deer v Salmon (the most predominant fish found within The Humber River)
The Carrying Place Trail was an active portage route for Canadas Indigenous communities during the 17th and 18th centuries, including the Wendat (Huron), Onondowahgah (Seneca), and the Mississauga First Nations. However, as time went on the path was extensively used by colonial settlers (European priests, voyagers, traders, and members of government) as a route of transportation and trading post through the developing Ontario. Currently, the land is primarily under the Ontario Greenbelt Conservation Plan, inhabiting the Humber River, parkland, several walking trails, biking trails, and Conservational Facilities (i.e. The Kortright Conservation Centre).
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The McMichael Canadian Art Collection 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, ON, Canada, L0J 1C0
The Art Gallery:
The McMichael/Carrying Place Trail
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is a 10-acre landscape in the ownership of the Province of Ontario. The main program is the house, transformed into an art gallery showcasing primarily scenic works produced by Canada’s infamous Group of Seven. The building rotates in abundance of artistic exhibitions, talks, and activities for children and adults.
URBAN WALLS
The building dates to 1954 designed by architect Leo Venchiarutti, with later additions/extensions of buildings due to the popularity of the gallery from 1963-1972. The timber framing conveys a “Pioneer-Style home” with wall beams placed throughout the interior to mount objects/pieces of art Materials: Hemlock Logs (encase all interior and exterior spaces), Barnboard (walls), Fieldstone (fireplaces)
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, ON, Canada, L0J 1C0
The Surrounding Site:
The surrounding acres of land is a mix of outdoor art space, bike trails, walking trails, and flaneurstyle stations for artists to sit and paint the natural views. The site merges directly in the plot of The Carrying Place Trail and leads to open sections of the Humber River and the adjacent Town of Kleinburg.
MCMICHAEL SOLID & VOID STUDY
CARRYING PLACE LAKEVIEW
OUTDOOR SEATING
ENTRANCE SIGNAGE OF MCMICHAEL
SCULPTURE GARDEN
BUILDING FAÇADE AT MCMICHAEL
SCULPTURE BEGIN CARRYING PLACE TRAIL
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SITE ENVIRONS
GALLERY BUILDING
ENTRANCE SIGNAGE OF MCMICHAEL
MCMICHAEL SCULPTURE GARDEN
LANDSCAPE OF CARRYING PLACE
GROUP OF SEVEN BURIAL GROUND
TOMMY THOMPSON SHACK
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CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Concept Design The five senses—sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste—are singularly enhanced throughout the site, highlighting the identification between one's physical surroundings and cerebral processes. Once placed on the pathway, the person immediately transforms into an artist, initiating a playfulness in exploration and growth. Both interior and exterior programs utilize repetition and adaptability in forms to inspire individuals to learn about the environment that surrounds them, enhancing their unique experiences and their varying sensations.
Metaphorical Design
To convey the conceptual basis for this thesis, the symbolism which I have chosen is the imagery of a Kaleidoscope. The Kaleidoscope's exploration is found in the reflective symmetry of many geometric shapes, with a sense of growth instilled in the lively unification of fractal space. When in use, physically or mentally, a shift of experience occurs on a sensory level in order to uncover the full image or idea.
Parti Diagram Triangulation and the ever-changing formulations of forms is a key design construction within the Kaleidoscope. A fractal effect of exploration occurs in the reflective symmetry, with growth in the lively unification of fractal space and interconnectedness of planning. Similar to the effects of creativity within the self, whether physically exerted or mentally stimulated, the shifting of perspective and openness to an experience occurs on a sensory level in order to uncover a full image or idea.
Concept Modelling
TRANSFORMATION OF SITE
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Entrance Exit
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Key Map
MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION 205 185
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The Carrying Trail Major Intersection 205
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200 185 190 THE HUMBER RIVER
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THE CARRYING PLACE TRAIL
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Taste & Smell
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verview
Touch
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McMichael Gallery 210
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Echo-Chamber Relaxation Pods Performance Space
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Sound
Humber River
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Library Gallery
Site
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Playground Textured Tower Overhead Pathway
Botanical Garden Ink Creation (Geodesic Dome)
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CARRYING PLACE TRAIL SITE PLAN SCALE 1:1000
Sight
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Entrance Exit
Point Of Inter section
Proposed Site Breakdown
SIGHT & SOUND: SITE 1
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1 190 THE HUMBER RIVER 195 200 185 190
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CARRYING PLACE TRAIL SITE PLAN SCALE 1:1000
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1 190 THE HUMBER RIVER 195 200 185 190
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CARRYING PLACE TRAIL SITE PLAN SCALE 1:1000
RECEPTION DESK
CORRIDOR/MODULAR SPACE
RELAXATION PODS
ECHO-CHAMBER FOYER (OPEN-TO-BELOW)
TASTE & SMELL: SITE 2
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THE PL
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CARRYING PLACE TRAIL SITE PLAN SCALE 1:1000
SECTIONS
OUTDOOR WALKWAY
BOTANICAL INK STATION (INTERIOR)
ARCHITECTURAL FAÇADE & MATERIALITY
CONSIDERATION ONE: Use of Triangulation 3-dimensional use of triangulated forms in order to convey an exploration of the site and journey within landscape through colourful transparencies/textures. including, but not limited to, built structures, within pavilions, etc. CONSIDERATION TWO: Identification in Landscape SOUND site location will include the programmatic typologies to be incorporated/placed within site. Second-floor integration with the landscape - 5 m in height. CONSIDERATION THREE: Use of Shade & Shadow Artist Stations/Linear Skating/Exterior Pathway roofing coincides with emerging forms of built architecture, and their resulted reflections of light. Furthermore, mirrored surfaces will be located along the trail, ranging in size from 1-6 m2.
CITATIONS “Backlit Glass Panels Form a Glowing Feature Wall in Lancaster: A Brief Case Study: Gpi Design.” GPI Design | The Artistry of Surfaces + Light, 11 Mar. 2015, https://gpidesign.com/2010/11/backlit-glass-panels-form-a-glowing-feature-wall-in-lancaster-a-brief-case-study/. Boyer, Diane. "Cultural Commotion at the Toronto Carrying Place Trail." Muséologies: les cahiers d'études supérieures 4.2 (2010): 88-111. “From the Archives: The Carrying Place Trail.” The city of Vaughan, 15 Oct. 2021, https://www.vaughan.ca/news/Pages/From-the-archives-The-Carrying-Place-Trail-.aspx. “History of the McMichael.” McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 7 Aug. 2018, https://mcmichael.com/about/history/. “Humber River.” Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), 5 Nov. 2021, https://trca.ca/conservation/watershed-management/humber-river/. Laurin, Richard Daniel. The McMichaels and The McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Diss. University of Toronto (Canada), 2017. LEUNG, ANGELA K–Y., ET AL. "EMBODIED CULTURAL COGNITION: SITUATING THE STUDY OF EMBODIED COGNITION IN SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXTS." SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 5.9 (2011): 591-608. LYU, FANGQING. "ARCHITECTURE AS SPATIAL STORYTELLING: MEDIATING HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD, HUMANS AND ARCHITECTURE." FRONTIERS OF ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH 8.3 (2019): 275-283. “Make A Topographic Map: Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.” Ontario Map Viewer, The Government of Ontario, https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/MakeATopographicMap/index.html? viewer=Make_A_Topographic_Map.MATM&locale=en-CA. Marsh, James H. “Toronto Feature: Carrying Place Trail, Humber River.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 27 Jan. 2013, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ toronto-feature-carrying-place-trail-humber-river. “McMichael Gallery.” Daniel Et Daniel, https://www.danieletdaniel.ca/venue/mcmichael-gallery/. PALLASMAA, JUHANI. THE EYES OF THE SKIN: ARCHITECTURE AND THE SENSES. JOHN WILEY & SONS, 2012. Turner, Glenn. The Toronto Carrying Place: Rediscovering Toronto's Most Ancient Trail. Dundurn, 2015. “Watershed Features - Humber River.” Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), 19 Dec. 2019, https://trca.ca/conservation/watershed-management/humber- river/watershed-features/.