Understanding Project Context
The proposed site for the memorial of the Cincinnati Radiation Test victims is in the green space on the north side of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine building and south of Albert Sabin Way (see image 2). This site is a part of the campus wide master plan that Hargreaves Jones created. One of my main objec tives is to understand the dynamics of the master plan and create a design that works in symbioses with the over all vision of the campus. Hargreaves Associates worked alongside the University for over twenty years to create the original master plan and the two subsequent updates that were needed by the growing forces of the university’s objectives. Before design began the campus was a commuter focused space overpowered by parking lots and roads. However, the new plan transformed the campus into being pedestrian-oriented that prioritizes the quality of student life through green spaces and new buildings.
One of the master planning frameworks focused on the historic quadrangles created through the axis of connectors or “force fields”. Using the organizational pattern of the quadrangles they could create a cohesive connection between these open spaces to provide the strategy for the buildings around them that reinforces the campus quad. Through focusing on the open spaces as the connections throughout the campus,
they successfully sew together the charm of the neighboring Burnet Woods. The drive for this strategy of study and play is backed by the notion that the physical environment is closely tied to the outcome of the educational experience. The university still references and prioritizes the integrity of the master plan today as new projects continues to be built within this framework that Hargreaves Associates developed. Additional information about the site conditions can be found in the Appendix.
[1] Hargreaves, Jones. “University of Cincinnati – Master Plan.” Hargreaves Jones. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.hargreaves.com/work/university-of-cincinnati/.
Image 2: University of Cincinnati Medical Campus project site
Image 3: Hargreaves Associates U.C. Master Plan [1]
In the area of focus for the placement of this Memeorial, we can zoom into East Campus to see how the character of the Hargreaves master plan is being exhibited (see image 3 and 4). Throughout the campus the clean lines in the topography are prominent (see image 5 and 7). In some areas the ridge and valley lines follow a linear arrangement while in other spaces more sweeping curves take the spotlight. The vegetation is often in large simple massings that reinforce the topographic lines.
Bringing a Unique Design Exploration to the Project
In Sculpture in the Expanded Field Krauss writes about the interconnection between sculpture, architecture, and landscape. She draws attention to the history of modern art through hyper abstraction which pushed art further and further into the conceptual art realm. During this time around the 1960’s blending of architecture, landscape, and sculpture became difficult to distinguish so she developed a diagram to explain how these three interconnected fields overlap (see image 6).
There is a great opportunity for a landscape architect to explore how one could develop a compelling narrative for a memorial using the techniques of the expanded field of architecture. It can be seen in the Hargreaves master plan the prominent use of sculptural landforms or marked sites to create a campus theme.
Image 6: Krauss’s digram illustrating the expanded field of sculpture in relation to landscape and architecture. One may explore the expanded field of sculpture by finding the crossroads of sculpture with landscape, architecture, not landscape, and not architecture where hybridity lies with marked sites, site-construction, and axiomatic structures. [2]
[2] Krauss, Rosalind. Sculpture in the Expanded Field, 1979.
Image 4: Aerial perspective of possible areas for memorial implementation.
Image 5: Street view that showcases topography as prominent landscape feature.
Design Focus
The main principle to follow for this project is for the memorial to blend into the aesthetic continuity of the campus master plan. Without question, it is essential for the design to be accessible to as many users as possible. Some demographics that should be considered but not limited to exploring are those with movement impairment, sensory impairment, neurological differences, people who are pregnant, age, race, cultural and linguistic differences, socioeconomical status, and more.
Additional guidelines that will contribute to the design's success would be to create a desti nation place, explore refuge and exposure, provide interest year-round, implement artistic expression, and add ecological value.
The organizational method for this site could be expressed in a series of linear and triangular forms as seen throughout the campus or as broad curved brushed strokes that can relate to the braided network that runs throughout the main campus.
Programing
The programing for the space could incorporate a place for reflection and recovery that sympathizes with those affected by the tragedy. Another programmatic element could explore the educational side of the story that raises awareness and shares the tragic story. This could be a critical part that helps guide the current and future generations to make better decisions.
A more utilitarian aspect that will be deeply explored is how the users circulate through the space. Many questions will be asked and answered during the design process, such as the following ones. Where do people move to and from? Are there places to rest? Do the pathways tell a story or take the user on a journey? Is it inconvenient to follow the provided path? Is there a destination? The movement of people in and through space is a forefront aspect of how the space and circulation should be laid out (see image 8).
Additional components that could aid in the emotional response to the memorial are water, art, and thoughtful vegetation.
Water has often been used in memorial designs to evoke a sense of tranquility, reflection, and peace. Moving water can be used to create an audible experience that directly benefits people the rely more on their sense of hearing and also be used to hide undesirable sounds such as traffic noise.
Image 7: CAGIS 2’ contours surrounding U.C. College of Medicine [3] [3] CAGIS Online. Cagis Online. (n.d.). https://cagis.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/
Image 8: CAGIS sidewalks and drives surrounding U.C. College of Medicine [3]
Art can provide a vast list of benefits depending on how the art is used and what it represents to the viewers. Some benefits to having art in a memorial space can include: enhancing the aesthetics of the place, provoking an emotional response, providing education, bringing a community together, or fostering a reflective atmosphere.
Thoughtful vegetation should also be included in designing a memorial for not only the ecosystem service of ecological enhancement but also for emotional healing. Using plants as symbolism can be a great way to connect to the users and help people recover. This can be achieved through utilizing long lived trees in the memorial for they showcase perseverance, growth, and renewal every year. Many people in the grieving stage find opportunities to connect their loss with the world around them and assign a symbol to their love. For instance, someone who has lost a loved one may sit in a garden and a butterfly lands on a flower nearby. The viewer may see their love within the nature around them and use the butterfly as a symbol of their emotions to get through their difficulty. By providing ecological opportunities like these users can experience emotional connections to nature that can help them recover.
Precedents
In each of these precedents explored the artist/ designer uses land as art to evoke an emotional and contemplative response from the viewers. Robert Morris uses time as his theme in his concentric earthen artwork the Observatorium (see image 9) by creating precise view-ports that allows the sun to be experienced on the spring and autumn equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. The sun will shoot through these view-ports through the earth and into the center of the middle ring during sunrise and or sunset of these specific cyclical days. This relates to a memorial project by encompassing the sense of the passage of time which can provoke a reflective state of mind.
The African Burial Grounds National Monument (see image 10) in New York City capitalize on a very small space by digging into the earth to create a peaceful retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the large city. This sense of refuge could be an impactful way to use landform that relates to the Hargreaves master plan while curating to the needs of a memorial. Both this and Observatorium are examples of Site Construction as outlined by Krauss.
Another earthen example is Heizer’s Double Negative (see image 11). This outlandish piece of large-scale sculptural art was created by excavating 240,000 tons of soil in a straight line on either side of a deep valley. This marked site can tell a story of hurt and burden through experiencing the monumental gash cut through the landscape.
Image 9: Robert Morris’s Observatorium (1977) [4]
At Fatherland Service Square in Mexico City the architectural sculpture that spills a waterfall into a reflection pond below is a great example of an Axiomatic Structure in the expanded field of sculpture that does not lie specifically in architecture nor sculpture, but rather both. This precedent also incorporates water into the memorial as outlined above as a general design guide for creating the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments memorial (see image12).
Continued Evaluation of Project
It will be important to continue obtaining new information that leads to design decision-making. At this stage, an outline of an approach has been made that allows a designer to enter the conversation. After further investigations, light will begin to shine on unknown evidence that will aid in making a personalized memorial that meets the needs of the communities.
As an exercise to showcase empathy towards such a complex subject that is removed from the designer by fifty years, initial research was carried out to set a foundation for the designing and building a quilt. Through this exercise, a deeper understanding of crafting a narrative that expresses an emotional response has proven to be beneficial while also unfolding deeper topics that should be expressed in a permanent memorial for the public.
[4] “Wikimapia.” Observatorium Robert Morris, 2013. https://wikimapia.org/6434801/Observatorium-Robert-Morris.
[5] Smecs. “Design Presentation: African Burial Ground National Monument - Calendar - AIA New York / Center for Architecture.” Calendar, March 8, 2022. https://calendar.aiany.org/2022/02/16/design-presentation-african-burial-ground-national-monument/.
[6] Gorgoni, Gianfranco. Michael Heizer’s Double Negative, Mormon Mesa, Overton, Nevada, 1969. 1970.
Image 10: African Burial Ground National Monument [5]
Image 11: Michael Heizer, Double Negative, 1969. [6]
Image
12: Fatherland Service Square [7]
Desired Design Outcomes
A successful memorial design should fit into the existing Hargreaves master plan so that the memorial is coherent with the aesthetic values and utilitarian purpose of the rest of the campus landscape. On that same note, this memorial should not blend in too easily with its surroundings to be overlooked. These two ends will provide an opportunity to find a strong middle ground for fitting in while also being unique.
It will also prove to be successful when the human component is activated. This memorial needs to engage users in conversation and tell the stories that circulate this tragedy. The memorial should be a place that a community can gather as well as be intimate for independent reflection.
Scaling the Concept
The concept of giving the voices back to those that had their identities taken from them is a difficult challenge. However, this problem of people being erased from time, being discriminated against, and brutally mistreated is something that ties into a lot of other societal problems we have faced and still face today. There are people that may find a connection to the concept of losing their voice due to systemic racism that may travel from out of town to visit a site they can connect to. By using the narrative of this tragedy, this concept of reclaiming lost stories can be scaled to a larger population while still delivering the impact needed for this specific tragedy.
Conclusion
Approaching a design for a memorial can be complex but as expressed in this document, following the guidelines of an existing master plan will prove to be helpful. In response to one of the master plans signature aesthetics, the use of landforms, Krauss’s Sculpture in the Expanded field provides a powerful insight on the possibilities that can be told through the sculptural combination of architecture and or landscape that can relate to the Hargreaves master plan. Further investigation will contribute to the lost stories that will give the voice back to the victims. With this framework, key programing and accessibility minded decisions can be integrated to enhance the success of the memorial design.
[7] “Fatherland Service Square by La Metropolitana.” Architizer, January 7, 2014. https://architizer.com/projects/fatherland-service-square/.
Hargreaves, Jones. “University of Cincinnati – Master Plan.” Hargreaves Jones. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.hargreaves.com/work/university-of-cincinnati/.
Krauss, Rosalind. Sculpture in the Expanded Field, 1979.
“Wikimapia.” Observatorium Robert Morris, 2013. https://wikimapia.org/6434801/Observatorium-Robert-Morris.
Smecs. “Design Presentation: African Burial Ground National Monument - Calendar - AIA New York / Center for Architecture.” Calendar, March 8, 2022. https://calendar.aiany. org/2022/02/16/design-presentation-african-burial-ground-national-monument/.
Gorgoni, Gianfranco. Michael Heizer’s Double Negative, Mormon Mesa, Overton, Nevada, 1969. 1970.
“Fatherland Service Square by La Metropolitana.” Architizer, January 7, 2014. https://architizer.com/projects/fatherland-service-square/.
“The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.” Legacy Sites, February 4, 2024. https://legacysites.eji.org/about/memorial/.
Department of the Army, Office of the Surgeon General, Research and Development Division. List of Attachments for Briefing Book Volume 2. Washington 25 D.C. http://nsarchive. gwu.edu/radiation/dir/mstreet/commeet/meet2/brief2/tab_l/br2l1a.txt
Egilman, David. A Little Too Much of the Buchenwald Touch? Military Radiation Research at the University of Cincinnati, 1960-1972. India: Overseas Publishers Association. 1998.
One Hundred and Third Congress, Second Session. Radiation Experiments Conducted by the University of Cincinnati Medical School with Department of Defense Funding: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations of the Committee of the Judiciary. April 11, 1994. https://archive.org/stream/radiationexperim00unit/radiationexperim00unit_djvu.txt
Saenger, Eugene L. Metabolic Changes In Humans Following Total Body Irradiation. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. DASA 1633.
Saenger, Eugene L. Radiation Effects in Man: Manifestations and Therapeutic Efforts. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. December 1972. DASA-01-69-C-0131.
Saenger, Eugene L. Radiation Effects in Man: Manifestations and Therapeutic Efforts. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. October 1970. DASA 2428.
Soper, Gordon K. Gordon K. Soper, Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy Before the Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Government Relations. Cincinnati, OH. April 11, 1994. http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/radiation/dir/mstreet/commeet/ meet2/brief2/tab_m/br2m1b.txt
Stephens, Martha. The Treatment: The Story of Those Who Died in the Cincinnati Radiation Tests. Durham and London: Duke University Press. 2002.
“Weatherspark.Com.” Cincinnati Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Ohio, United States) - Weather Spark. Accessed February 21, 2024. https://weatherspark. com/y/15856/Average-Weather-in-Cincinnati-Ohio-United-States-Year-Round.
CAGIS Online. Cagis Online. (n.d.). https://cagis.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/
Appendix
MODULE III
PRELIMINARY DESIGN
OBJECTIVES
Empower marginalized voices and inspire collective action towards justice.
Draw awareness to the lasting impacts of historical injustices through educational elements. Cultivate a dynamic ecosystem service network
DESIGN CONCEPT STATEMENT
To empower marginalized communities with a place for connection, reflection, and expression while providing necessary awareness on past and present traumas and narratives that shed light on the injustices of the Cincinnati Radiation Tests of the 1960’s-70’s.
PRECEDENTS
Water Fall and Stream Precedent ‘Muni Kyoto’
Retaining Wall Precedent ‘Teardrop Park’
Plaza Paver Design Intent ‘Jardin de Crevasses’
Ecosystem Services
Regulating
Supporting
Regulating - planting 300% more trees on the west side of the building will help mitigate pollution and heat island effect.
Cultural- Located in the urban concrete jungle, this design creates a rich eco-cultural retreat through ethno-botanical practices of indigenous tribes. Additionally, studies have shown that an ability to see or interact with nature through hospital windows or hospital gardens respectively, increases the speed of patient recovery (Franklin,2012).
Supporting - At the core of ecosystem services are the natural cycles of life. The proposed design contributes to this by filtering water through a bio-diverse root mat, it fixes soil with dynamic guild plantings, creates habitat for various wildlife - such as the endangered native green salamander Aneides aeneus, and builds other local micro-fauna and micro-flora.
Provisioning - By using ethno-botany research key species of plants can be selected that fit into the design intent while also providing native foods or medicines as people from this region have used for hundreds of years. Eg. wild geranium Geranium maculatum has been used as a tea to treat digestion issues or problems in the mouth, like swollen gums, sore throat, and ulcers.
values, existence values, recreation, and ecotourism
Cultural Ethical
Nutrient cycling, water cycling, soil formation, and photosynthesis
freshwater, and natural medicines.
Provisioning Food, fiber, biomass, fuel,
Air quality, climate, water, runoff, erosion, natural hazards, pollination
Franklin, Deborah. 2012. “How Hospital Gardens Help Patients Heal.” SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, A DIVISION OF SPRINGER NATURE AMERICA, INC. 2012.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nature-that-nurtures/.
