Found Space

FOUND SPACE

Kyle Rogler Architectural Photography Prof. Vladimir Krstic Fall 2010 Kansas City Design Center

Intent of Study:

The intent of this independent study is to investigate how Architecture can be explored through the medium of photography. Photography is a method of study that allows for insights into an object that cannot be seen in a plan.

Photography allows for moments in time to be captured in an expression of atmosphere and experience. This method of study is dependent upon conditions such as direction of the lighting and constraints of the camera through the frame.

These two aspects of photography present unique challenges and innovations on how subject matter is studied.

Subject Matter:

The viaducts of the West Bottoms and their juxtaposition to their immediate surroundings are the subject matter of this study. The Architecture of these viaducts produces spontaneous views with the layout of this area in the city. This allows for a perspective to explore how the city is viewed and framed. The viaducts are used to capture the relationship of these structures with the existing buildings and the landscape of the area. These integral thoroughfares in the city produce unique atmospherical qualities that can be studied or built upon in design.

Materials Used: Canon 20D EFS 18mm - 55mm

FOU ND SPAC E

Light & Shadow:

Light and Shadow are essential components in the study of photography to capture the moment. Photography requires a certain level of light to produce a photograph and light is vital in the creation of the atmosphere.

In the search for ideal photographs that express a unique moment certain spaces were studied at various times of the day. The time of year along with overcast, morning and afternoon lighting conditions all produce different atmospherical qualities within the space. This study of Light and Shadow led to a deeper understanding of the importance of lighting to create an atmosphere. The conditions are amplified by using black and white photography, this type of photography renders colors on a grayscale allowing details such as texture and articulation of light and shadow to come to the forefront of the photograph.

Frame:

The frame is the limiting factor of what the camera can capture. The subject matter also becomes a frame to what lies beyond its own existence thus creating a secondary frame. This secondary framing begins to highlight the relationships that exist between the viaducts and the surrounding buildings. The study began as a composition of the frame and moved into how the viaduct could act as a secondary frame to reveal the space that makes up the city.

FO UND S PAC E

The 12th Street Viaduct connects the West Bottoms area to the top of the limestone bluff where the present downtown location of Kansas City, Missouri exist. This viaduct is situated tightly within the grid of the city and intimately integrates the buildings surrounding it. This creates the first series of frames that reveal fragments of the city through the viaduct archways. These structures are highlighted by the lighting conditions of each scene which help to articulate the rhythm of the spaces and relationship to the surrounding context.

1 2 th Street V iad u ct

October 24, 2010 Focal Length: 24mm

1:33 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:05 am

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Aperature: f/8

November 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

4:07pm

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/8

October 24, 2010 Focal Length: 24mm

1:55 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/40

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010 10:36 am Focal Length: 24mm

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:20 am

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:18 am

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Aperature: f/8

November 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

2:25 pm

Shutter Speed 1/200

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:08 am

Shutter Speed: 1/40

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:08 am

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

November 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

2:05 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/320

Aperature: f/8

The following series of photographs are framed directly through the archways of the 12th Street Viaduct. The frame of the camera allows for each archway to become a secondary frame to the buildings beyond. The missing buildings within the grid provide a layering effect of space and articulation with the middle ground and background. These aspects to the frame would not exist if the grid of the city was infilled with buildings which would block these views beyond. This series of photographs starts at the west side landing point of the viaduct and proceeds eastward towards the bluff. A photograph was taken at each archway to create a progression of frames; certain frames were then omitted if they did not display aspects of this project.

Sc enes

September 11, 2010

Focal Length: 20mm

9:00 am

Shutter Speed: 1/320

Aperature: f 5.6

September 11, 2010

Focal Length: 20mm

9:03 am

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/5.6

September 11, 2010

Focal Length: 18mm

9:05am

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f /5.6

September 11. 2010

Focal Length: 18mm

9:06 am

Shutter Speed: 1/250

Aperature: f/5.6

September 11, 2010

Focal Length: 18 mm

9:07 am

Shutter Speed: 1/320

Aperature: f/5.6

The alleyways in the West Bottoms are part of the character that is a remnant from its industrial past. These alleyways still serve their original function as “back of the house� pathways. The varying heights and lengths of buildings facing the alleyways create unplanned framed relationships with the sky. The silhouettes created by the buildings allow for these frames to be experienced throughout the entire length of the alleyway. A photograph was taken approximately every fifty feet in the alleyways between 11th and 12th Street with the strongest views being selected.

A l ley ways

Sepetmber 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24 mm

1:02 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Aperature: f/8

Sepetmber 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24 mm

1:05 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Aperature: f/8

September 14, 2010 Focal Length: 24mm

1:05 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Aperature: f/8

September 14, 2010 Focal Length: 24mm

1:06 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Aperature: f/8

September 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

1:07 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/80

Aperature: f/8

September 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

1:08 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/80

Aperature: f/8

The I-70 Viaduct is the express highway that cuts through the city fabric bridging the states of Kansas and Missouri. The elevated roadway of I-70 is parallel to the limestone bluff and highlights the surrounding buildings and landscape features. As I - 70 diverges into different directions a unique relationship between these elements is created. The engineered placement of the individual columns is based on the structural requirements for the viaduct and creates unintentional relationships with the space below. The photographs show these spaces highlighted by the lighting conditions articulating the columns and the ground below.

I - 7 0 Viadu ct

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:42 am

Shutter Speed: 1/400

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:53 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/8

November 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

2:55 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/8

October 24, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

1:24 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

November 14, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

9:45 am

Shutter Speed: 1/200

Aperature: f/8

October 24, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

12:30pm

Shutter Speed: 1/160

Aperature: f/8

Ocotber 24, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

1:18 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

The Louis & Clark Viaduct is the older section of the elevated I - 70 Highway that crosses the West Bottoms. The space below the highway is a steel forest of viaduct and billboard structures that are a contemporary contrast to the concrete columns of the older structures. The lighting conditions of the different spaces became more important with the framing aspects of the viaduct. The resulting shadows created by the structure start to articulate the ground plane and create a context unique to its location.

Lo uis & C lark V ia d u ct

October 24, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

1:01 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/160

Aperature: f/8

October 24, 2010

Focal Length 24mm

1:06 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/160

Aperature: f/8

Novemeber 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

3:15 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

October 24, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

12:50 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Aperature: f/8

Novemeber 20, 2010

Focal Length: 24mm

3:24 pm

Shutter Speed: 1/100

Aperature: f/8

This collection of photography allows a perspective of the viaducts that articulate elements that would otherwise go unnoticed. The chosen photographs speak volumes on the importance of lighting and framing in order to create an atmosphere which brings a critical viewpoint into the design feature of the viaducts. The architectural aspects of the spaces are highlighted by these black and white photographs which emphasize the true nature of these structures. Photography is often an area of study omitted when designing and planning a project. Through careful study and articulation of elements, photography becomes an essential tool in the design process.

Co n clusion

12th Street Viaduct 2010

12th Street Viaduct 2010

12th Street Viaduct 2010

12th Street Viaduct 2010

Scenes

2010

Scenes

2010

Alleyways 2010

Alleyways 2010

I - 70 Viaduct

2010

I - 70 Viaduct

2010

Louis & Clark Viaduct

2010

Louis & Clark Viaduct

2010