Pan Tan SCI-Arc SP22 Portfolio

PAN TAN M.Arch I Portfolio | 2020-2022 Southern California Institute of Architecture

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Statement

I have an undergraduate background in physics and studio art. Attending SCI-Arc allows my artistic skills to meet real-world constraints and produce something with a bigger impact. I’m exposed to a great variety of thoughts at SCI-Arc. And it has been conducive to me exploring different ways of working. I’m passionate about communicating ideas through images and text to start conversations with people as I recognize that besides the power of architecture not only shows in its materiality and appearance but also lies in its discourse. Therefore, I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned during tutoring experiences, while also taking the opportunity to internalize and translate knowledge into my own language. And it's for the same reason that I enjoy working in collaboration.To me, architecture promises a unique way to interface with the world and people around.

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Table of Contents

DESIGN STUDIO Uncommon Grounds

2GA DS 1120 Integrated Comprehensive Studio

Housing On Pico

1GB DS 1101 Fundamental Design Studio 2

Jigs and Lines

1GA DS 1100 Fundamental Design Studio 1

6 22 48

VISUAL STUDIES Oblique Worlds

2GA VS4120 Visual Stuidies III Seminar

The Line

1GA VS4100: Strategies of Representation I

Kitchen Experiments

1GB VS4101: Visual Studies 2 Kitchen Experiments

68 78 86

WRITING Stickness in Architecture

1GA HT2100: INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE

Intense Legibility

1GB HT2120: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM II

94 98

APPLIED STUDIES Lego Pavilion

1GA AS3100: Materials and Tectonics

106

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Course: DS1120: Integrated Comprehensive Studio Instructor: Devyn Weiser, Marcelo Spina, Russell Thomsen, Peter Trummer Semester: Fall 2021, 2GA Participant: Pan Tan Software: Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, V-Ray, Illustrator, Photoshop

Uncommon Grounds

New Learning Environments for a Shifting World 2GA semester focuses on engaging the ground through a variety of conceptual and pragmatic considerations, meanwhile working with the mat typology.

This project elevates a celluar mat building on top of individual cores over a terraced site. It creates a meandering circulation among the cellular programs and establishes a formal dialogue between large public volumes and cellular private spaces.

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

90° Sheared Axon The site of this performance arts highschool project is divided into three stages.

The first stage draws on the idea of a mat building as a cellular aggregation, meanwhile updates the mat typeology by raising the clustered classrooms on top of cantilevered platforms Joined in the middle is a sports field that becomes the courtyard of the entire campus, with some classrooms creating an edge on the other side.

On the other end of the site, large public volumes such as gym, cafeteria, and theater are grouped together, holding the NE.

AXON

8

B

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Plan +3'-0 Open common Space on the ground level. Large volumes embeded in ground

A

B

A

B

30 10

100 FT 60

PLAN_ +3'-0

Plan +13'-0 Classrooms and offices aggrigate into clusters, spilling diagonally across the site

A

B

A

B

30 10

100 FT 60

PLAN_ +14'-0

Plan +19'-0 Public programs placed near parking

A

B

A

30 10

100 FT 60

PLAN_ +19'-0

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Site Plan The mixture cellular classrooms and larger public volumes deliberately resembles the project's context

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

100 FT

30 10

60

SITE PLAN 1:1000

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Close-up View of the Academic Zone

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Program Diagram

Circulation Diagram

30 10

100 FT 60

CIRCULATION DIAGRAM 1:500

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Classroom Chunk (Cutaway)

CLASSROOM CHUNK SECTION

Classroom Chunk

CLASSROOM CHUNK

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Transverse Section(BB)

30 10

100 FT 60

SECTION_TRANSVERSE

Longitudinal Section(AA)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

30

100 FT

10

60

SECTION_LONGITUDINAL

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Model Photograph

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Model Photograph

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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Course: DS1101: Foundational Design Studio II Instructor: Matthew Au, Jasmine Benyamin, Andrea Cadioli, Natou Fall Semester: Spring 2021, 1GB Participant: Pan Tan Software: Rhinoceros, CLO 3D, V-Ray, Illustrator, Photoshop

Housing on Pico

Housing paired with an Exploration on material & tectonic systems In this mixed use housing project on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, I experimented with the material layering and articulation. Meanwhile through case studies I explored the possibilities and conventions to representing materials and tectonic details in drawings. Then, the techniques were applied as tectonic systems. A commercial gallery component is inserted at the center of the project.

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Starting with an analog process (layering various types of paper), develop a set of material swatches. The swatch on the left shows diversity in texture and tucking of soft materials. The swatch on the right examines graphics, colors, and transparency.

These discoveries are then expressed through drawing the swatches in elevation and section.

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

PHOTOGRAPH of material swatches

tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesn,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema

ELEVATION of material swatches

tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesn,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesn,tema tis rolod muspi meroL reutetcesnoc ,tema

SECTION of material swatches

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

DETAIL DRAWINGS of the tectonic system developed from the material swatch

Joist

Beam

Stopping Screw

Grommet(Large)

Fabric(Opaque)

Velcro Cable Stopper

Grommet(Small)

Cable

PVC(Transparent)

The swatches are then turned into a tectonic system. The continuous single gesture of the soft sheet material is maintained. Two thin metal columns puncture through vertically. The columns provide structure and retain each layer of draping at certain heights.

Velcro fasteners are used on the back side so the draping follows upward directionality.

The system can be applied as facades or operable partitions. When it extends over edges and corners, it tends to soften the rectilinear form underneath, and produce an illusion of thickness and volume.

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Wall SECTION scale 1/2” = 1’-0”

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Clamp

Stopping Screw

PVC(Transparent)

Grommet(Large)

Fabric(Opaque)

Panel(Rigid, Opaque)

Column

WALL SECTION 1 DRAWING scale 1/2” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

COMPONENT DIAGRAM of the tectonic system

DETAIL DRAWINGS operable and non operable partitions

Typical Panel Detail

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

WORM'S EYE two of the operable panels flod up

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

PLAN (1st floor) apply the tectonic system to the case study chunk

PLAN (2nd floor) apply the tectonic system to the case study chunk

SECTION (2nd floor) apply the tectonic system to the case study chunk

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

WORM'S EYE all operable panels closed

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

DIAGRAM assembly process of the tectonic system

Assembly Diagram scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

DIAGRAM catalog of profiles at 3 different scales

Scale01 (Enclosure)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Scale02 (Discrete Facade)

Scale03 (Furniture)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

RENDER axonometric view of the project within context

The program of this project is a 7-unit social housing with a public space that functions as a gallery and stage set. The material system is applied at 3 scales: multi-story scale enclosure; discrete façade; domestic scale (furniture).

On one hand, the hidden circulation and monotonous façade make the first-time accessing experience perplexing, giving the public venue secrecy. On the other hand, all the facades are customizable through change graphics, transparency, and textures of the soft sheet material. The materials drape from ceilings in various heights, altering the space underneath while defining soft boundaries.

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ARL

ING

TON

AV

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

SITE PLAN the project occupies a nerrow corner lot at the intersection of Pico and Arlington

ARLINGTON AV

PICO BL

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

1/4’’ Section-1

PLANS juxtaposed with sections; programs are organized into 3 independent buildings while the space inbetween becomes courtyards

Plan-1 scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Plan-2 scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

Plan-4 scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

SECTION (east-west)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

Section-2 scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

ELEVATION (Arlington)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

1/4’’ East Elevation scale 1/2” = 1’-0”

ELEVATION (Pico)

1/4’’ North Elevation scale 1/2” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

WORM'S EYE

Worm’s Eye scale 1/2” = 1’-0”

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

FLYER designed for the project's opening event

Design Your Own

Facade Design

Your Own Faca

de Design Your

Own Facade D

esign Your Own

Design Your Own

Facade

Facade Design

Your Own Faca

de Design Your

Own Facade D

esign Your Own

Facade

Design Your Own

Facade Design

Your Own Faca

de Design Your

Own Facade D

esign Your Own

Facade

Design Your Own

Facade Design

Your Own Faca

de Design Your

Own Facade D

esign Your Own

Facade

w ur O

Yo sign e De d a Fac Own our Y n esig

D

sign e De

cad n Fa

sign

ade De wn Fac Your Ow n Facad e Desig n Your O Design

Design Your Own Facade Design Your Own Facade Design

sign ade De wn Fac O r u o Y Design Facade ur Own o Y n ig Des

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

RENDER view from the parking lot

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

RENDER view inside the gallery space

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

RENDER detail view showing how the walls meet the ground

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Course: DS1100: Foundational Design Studio I Instructor: Matthew Au, Kristy Balliet, Jennifer Chen, David Eskenazi Semester: Fall 2020, 1GA Participant: Pan Tan Software: Rhinoceros, V-Ray, Illustrator

Jigs and Lines Community Center in Venice, LA The following 3 exercises each deals with problems of volume, figure-ground relationships, and massing. The exercises provides intensive training of fundamental techniques. Meanwhile drawing with various media produces both representation and jigs for generating ideas.

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING paths created by unfolding a tetrahedron in space

LINE DRAWING select and trim the curves to produce a clear figure

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO the figure modeled with various lineweights

Shape is intrinsic while forms are extrinsic since they must be defined using an external frame of reference. The project begins with unfolding and folding a tetrahedron in space recording the arc swept by its vertices in space. Then the arcs are trimmed and swept by a series of self-similar (concave/convex rectilinear) profiles, resulting in a selfintersecting volume. Simpler chunks are isolated out and their interior articulated.

After this, a jig purposed for producing a small chunk of the volume on a bandsaw is designed. (In this step the simplest chunk is chosen since the bandsaw’s limitation.)

Finally, the positive shapes of the peg holes and rails on the jig becomes figures and the bandsaw table becomes a field. The figures move on the field (pushing salts around), producing new forms while leaving traces.

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING profiles used to sweep the curve

03

52

04

05

06

07

08

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING the volumn resulted from sweeping and trimming; drawn in three orientations

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING section #1 of the volumn

LINE DRAWING section #2 of the volumn

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING split two smaller chunks from the complex volumn and draw in more details chunk #1 (left) chunk #2 (right)

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

DIAGRAM a jig for producing the simple chunk on band saw

MaterialBlock

Wedge1

Jig

Wedge2

Wedge3

h11 hA

h15 h12

h19

h16

h20

hB h13

hC

h21 h17

h14

h18

Peg

h9s

h9e Position1

h1 h3 h5 h3

h8

h6s h6e

h2

h10s

h4 h7

h10e

Position2

Funtion Definition: Rotate[Object,Center,Direction] = Rotate Objects about Center in Direction Connect[Hole1,Hole2] = Connect Hole1 and Hole2 with a Peg Slide = Slide from Position1 to Position2 Peg[Hole] = Insert a Peg in the Hole Instructions: Cut01 = Connect[hA,h5] Connect[hc,h7] Slide Cut02 = Connect[hA,h5] Connect[h8,h6] Rotate[(Jig + MaterialBlock),h5,Clockwise] Cut03 = Connect[ha,h8] Rotate[(Jig + MaterialBlock),h8,Clockwise]

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Cut04 = Connect[h13,h10s] Connect[h14,h9s] Connect[hC,h11] Connect[hA,h12] Rotate[(Jig+MaterialBlock+Wedge1),N/A,Clockwise] Cut05 = Connect[h18,h1] Connect[h17,h2] Connect[hA,h15] Connect[hC,h16] Slide Cut6 = Connect[h19,h3] Connect[h21,h4] Slide

Outcome

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

VIDEO STILLS x 5 simple chunk gestures on its jig together with inverted peg holes and rails; a layer of fine sea salt registers their trace

MODEL PHOTO 3D print model of the simple chunk

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

PLAN 1st floor (left) 2nd floor (right)

b

a

quality that is intrinsic to all the thresholds.

After all, a stair may become a sticky threshold if we discard the assumption of a universal athletic body. (Figure5)

Figure5: Stairs becomes a sticking point

a

The initial massing idea comes from the laying 3 of the courtyard-like chunks (pg33 right) in different orientations.

While the main entrance is facing the parking lot, the interior courtyard and shaded community gardens show hospitality to the surrounding site. The 2-story massing is unified under a single freestanding roof.

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The objects that we call Watts Towers are the result of Simon Rodia’s Labor and various forces that attempt to preserve or alter their appearance. (Figure6, and Figure7). The cement surface, the found objects and their arrangement work together to direct viewers’ attention to the traces of history that are stuck on their surfaces. And thus they “stick” in the foreground to convey their meanings.

Although the stickiness of an object does not make its production easier to trace, foregrounding the clue is one technique architecture can learn from the Watts Towers. Similar to the idea of eliminating the trace of production (“artists hand”) as a way to convey certain intention, revealing and foregrounding the stickiness can (through first showing the object’s own production) serve as an instrument that brings attention to the political and cultural histories of a larger community.

a

b

b

Figure6: cracks formed by wind, seismic activities and temperature change a

Figure7: a device installed to monitor fracture development

b

DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

SITE PLAN DIAGRAM plan generated through offsets and boolean opeartions

RENDERING south elevation

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

SECTION section aa (upper) section bb (lower)

quality that is intrinsic to all the thresholds.

After all, a stair may become a sticky threshold if we discard the assumption of a universal athletic body. (Figure5)

Figure5: Stairs becomes a sticking point The objects that we call Watts Towers are the result of Simon Rodia’s Labor and various forces that attempt to preserve or alter their appearance. (Figure6, and Figure7). The cement surface, the found objects and their arrangement work together to direct viewers’ attention to the traces of history that are stuck on their surfaces. And thus they “stick” in the foreground to convey their meanings.

Although the stickiness of an object does not make its production easier to trace, foregrounding the clue is one technique architecture can learn from the Watts Towers. Similar to the idea of eliminating the trace of production (“artists hand”) as a way to convey certain intention, revealing and foregrounding the stickiness can (through first showing the object’s own production) serve as an instrument that brings attention to the political and cultural histories of a larger community.

Figure6: cracks formed by wind, seismic activities and temperature change

Figure7: a device installed to monitor fracture development

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO south elevation

MODEL PHOTO detailed look at the courtyard entrance and community garden

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

VIDEO STILLS assembly of the model; core spaces are treated as figures and the trace of their gestures become the condition of the ground; these figures are then place back into the jig from which they are produced

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO cutaways in the roof produces various thresholds and lighting conditions

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO translucent shroud covers the diagramatic roof

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DESIGN STUDIO | Pan Tan

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Course: VS4120 Visual Stuidies III Seminar Instructor: Marcelo Spina, Jeffrey Halstead Semester: Fall 2021, 2GA Team: Zhifeng Wu, Pan Tan Software: ZBrush, Rhinoceros, V-Ray, Illustrator, Photoshop

Oblique Worlds

Projection and Distortion in Architecture This project projects a series of architectural plan and section on to an oblique cube. The resulting object’s identity gets further modified in render space. The project explores the formal capacity of projection as well as the visual capacity of drawing

VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Object Elevation 01

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Object Elevation 02

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Object Elevation 03

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Object Elevation 04

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Detail 01

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Detail 02

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Axon 01

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Axon 02

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Course: VS4100: Strategies of Representation I Instructor: Matthew Au, Kristy Balliet Semester: Fall 2020, 1GA Software: Rhinoceros, V-Ray, Illustrator, Photoshop

The Line

Strategies of Representation I This focuses on the techniques and conceptualization of abstraction, modeling and representation. The project begins with drawing 3 interlaced cubes in space with AR cellphone application and remodeling the same geometry with surfaces.

Then, a few joints are split from the larger model, and one of them is chosen to be the subject of various modes of representation.

VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO 3D print model of the selected chunk

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING 3 interlaced cubes; joints enriched by variety in lineweights

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

LINE DRAWING 4 joints split from the larger model; one selected for 3D printing and modeling.

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

MODEL PHOTO painted 3D print model in front and back view

MODEL PHOTO the volumn under water is ditorted by both color and refraction.

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

RENDERING closeup

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

RENDERING zoomed out

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Course: VS4101: Visual Studies 2 Kitchen Experiments Instructor: Matthew Au, Zeina Koreitem Semester: Fall 2020, 1GB Software: Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, V-Ray, Illustrator Photoshop

Kitchen Experiments Recipe and Computational Image Making This semester’s Visual Studies explores the possibility of using computational image-making as means of exploration and experimentation. This exercise begins with manually and digitally tracing the photographs of a cuneiform tablet from the Met collection. Profile lines are extracted from the tracing for constructing physical and digital 3D replicas. The physical replicas are digitized through photogrammetry and output as mesh. Two of the mesh models are blended into one with Grasshopper code. The new mesh’s surface texture and color are manipulated with the aid of the digital replica constructed in surfaces. The inputs and results of the manipulation are documented as image sequences and made into animations. Use the image sequence generated in the first iteration (iteration 00) as the map for both texture and color manipulation. Iterate 5 more times and observe how the model changes. In this way, the process folds into itself and iteration produces registration.

VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

DRAWING document the tablet by manual tracing with line segments and arcs

PHOTOGRAPH of the cuneiform tablet from the Met collection

Use Gaussian Blur to extract information of height for constructing 3D replica DRAWING of the extracted profiles (Right)

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

RENDER of the digital replica

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

VIDEO STILLS make 3 physical replicas of the cuneiform tablet using butter, ready-made pound cake and chocolate; use a cutting stencil and a wirecutter to reproduce the profiles

PHOTOGRAPHS of the physical replicas

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

3D Scan

Render of point cloud

Render of remapped mesh

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VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Value Path STILLS FRAMES of animations

0 (frame 000/622)

25% (frame 156/622)

50% (frame 311/622)

75% (frame 466/622)

100% (frame 622/622) 92

Color Path

Iteration 00

Iteration

n 01

VISUAL STUDIES | Pan Tan

Iteration 02

Iteration 03

Iteration 04

Iteration 05

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Course: HT2100: INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Instructor: John Cooper Semester: Fall 2020, 1GA Keywords: Watts Towers, stickiness, labor, traces, tools

Stickiness In Architecture In the first chapter of Queer

discriminatory policies, and corrosive

Phenomenology, Sara Ahmed used

public services have transformed

the analogy of a “sticky object” to

the once placid 200-acres of alfalfa

illustrate that an object “is shaped by the conditions of its arrival”1. In

fields and livestock farms from a

this research I would like to expand

community into one of the earliest

the idea of “stickiness” and show how it could inform a way of designing

examples of a twentieth-century American ghetto.”3 These facts

architecture. By allowing its surface

depict a difficult condition that many

to show stickiness, a project draws

works of art created in Watts have

viewers’ attention to the conditions

to overcome in their emergence. In

where it emerges. I would like to first

Simon Rodia’s own words: “I wanted

analyze the Watts Towers’ surface to

to make something big, and I just did

illustrate the notion of stickiness and

it.” Perhaps the lack of resources is

its ability to be effective on multiple

one of the reasons why he chooses

levels. Then towards the end, I would

to mix his own mortar, bend steel

like to propose the idea of a “sticky

girders with railroad track and

threshold” where I take “stickiness”

decorate the surface with tile scraps.

in a more literal direction.

However, it is precisely the fact

thriving multiethnic, working-class

that Simon Rodia did not finish the Figure1: imprints of tools left by Simon Rodia

5

In Queer Phenomenology, Sara Ahmed

surface as if it is never touched that

reminds us that “If phenomenologists

makes it uniquely telling. The surface

were simply to ‘look at’ the objects

is allowed to show its “stickiness”,

that they face, then they would be

and hence its history.

erasing the ‘signs’ of history. They would apprehend the object as

Cement mortar covers the Watts

simply there as given its sensuous

Towers’ surface throughout. It

certainty, rather than as ‘having

can be considered the first layer

got here,’ an arrival that is at once

where stickiness is exhibited. The

the way in which objects are biding

cement surface is sticky in the

and how they assume a social form.”2 Therefore, before examining

sense that it is especially capable of

the Watts Towers as objects it is

production. Cement achieves its

important to discuss the condition

stickiness through being plastic

of its arrival. Victor Jones outlines

at first when objects and debris

that “…Infamously dark tales of

can easily leave a mark or literally

corruption, dubious business deals,

stick to the surface. Events (say,

registering how it is treated during

1 Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2006), 40.

2 Ahmed 41 3 Victor J. Jones, (IN)FORMAL L.A. The Space of Politics. (New York, EVolo, 2014), 82 4 A few source pro jects that are not referred to directly in this essay informed me on the context where Simon Rodia lived and constructed the Watts Towers.

From them I also learned important facts on the method and instruments that Simon Rodia used. For example, where the found objects come from, how he manually bent and installed the steel girders, and more stunningly, the fact that he completed the project on his own without the aid of power tools or scaffolding.

The titles of the works are: -Thomas Harrison, Without Precedent: The Watts Towers (Berkley, CA: UC Berkley, 2010) -Richard Cándida Smith, LEARNING FROM WATTS TOWERS: ASSEMBLAGE AND COMMUNITY-BASED ART IN CALIFORNIA. Oral History, AUTUMN 2009, Vol. 37, No. 2, Oral History Society 2009 -Sarah Shrank, PUBLIC ART AT THE GLOBAL CROSSROADS: THE POLITICS OF PLACE IN 1930S LOS ANGELES. Journal of Social History, winter 2010, Vol. 44, No. 2, THE ARTS IN PLACE (winter 2010),2010

8 Figure2: Shells on the Watts Towers

I would also like to acknowledge a documentary film and an interview that provided more insights on Simon Rodia’s life and the current preservation of the Watts Towers. These projects are: -Saving the Watts Towers by Simon Rodia in Los Angeles. December 08, 2020. YouTube video, 23:23. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DWMjVoVl7U8&feature=youtu.be

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

the cement being unevenly applied

toward other qualities. If the surface’s

or stepped upon before dry) can

texture is the result of its “stickiness”

also register on cement’s surface

then the history that is stuck on

in the form of bumps or imprints.

the object can have more chance of

Then when the cement hardens it

catching the viewers’ attention.

holds these marks in place. When

Watts Towers possess a second layer

Simon Rodia left imprints with

of stickiness because the found

his tools, this ability of cement

objects are distinct enough to appear

is shown explicitly. Meanwhile, a

as objects on their own. If we isolate

direct connection to Simon Rodia’s

out the found objects, they each have

labor is drawn (Figure1). Looking at

their own history of production stuck

these imprints one may contemplate

on them. The shells we found on

the type of technology and labor

watts towers’ surface are produced by

that conditioned the towers’ construction.4

the sea creature that once inhabited

Figure3: Glass bottles on the Watts Towers

9

it and then the weathering on the beach, later being collected and

How exactly is Watts Tower

sorted by Simon Rodia and so on.

foregrounding the object’s arrival?

(Figure2) A similar example would

It may be helpful to first look at how

be the glass bottles that retain the

we orient our attention by pushing

trade label and marks of factory

things into the “background”. Sara

manufacture. (Figure3) These objects

Ahmed Points out that when we

bring the viewers’ attention back to

perceive an object, “some things are

the question of how (and when) these

relegated to the background in order

objects emerge and how they end up

to sustain a certain direction; in other

here like this? These questions are a

words, in order to keep attention on what is faced.”6 A smooth surface

nice segue to the idea of more literal stickiness I would like to propose.

reduces the influence of texture and allows viewers to extract its shape

If the word “stick” as a verb means

quickly. In such cases, the texture is

to cling or to cause to adhere, then

made less prominent in perception

“sticky surface” would be a surface

so that attention is directed to the

that causes to adhere. The surface

surface’s other qualities. Notice that

of the Watts Towers is sticky in

when Sara Ahmed makes the analogy of “sticky objects”7 she addresses

this definition because it is visually

objects in general. Therefore, a

complex composition, the large

smooth surface is still sticky, but its

variety of surface types and objects,

stickiness is hidden. By contrast, a

as well as the overwhelming amount

surface that showcases its texture can

of information that each layer of the

slow down one’s attention moving

surface brings (the history that is

confusing and disorienting. The

-The Towers (1957) | Building The Watts Towers. December 08, 2020. YouTube video, 11:55. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=kOPS5IWFQz0&feature=youtu.be 5 The Watts Towers, photograph. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/goya/hd_goya.htm.

6 Ahmed, 31 7 Ahmed, 40 8 Rodia, Simon Los Angeles: Watts Towers: det.: base of tower, Photograph, ARTstor Slid Gallery. https://library-artstor-org.sciarc. idm.oclc.org/#/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000215283 9 The Watts Towers, photograph. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/goya/hd_goya.htm.

10 Los Angeles: Watts Towers: det.: wall. Los Angeles (Calif.). ARTstor Slide Gallery. https://library-artstor-org.sciarc.idm.oclc. org/#/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000215325 11 Ahmed 29

Figre4: Wall that uses a complex composition and mixes various found 10 objects and imprints

12 Ahmed, 37

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HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

stuck to the objects), all resist being

of experience. Maybe this is a quality

understood in a single look. The

that is intrinsic to all the thresholds.

surface requires navigating among

After all, a stair may become a

objects, within the composition

sticky threshold if we discard the

and zooming in and out for a more

assumption of a universal athletic

complete impression. In being

body. (Figure5)

arranged in such a unique way,

13 Figure5: Stairs become a sticking point

the elements on the surface work

The objects that we call Watts Towers

collectively to attract attention.

are the result of Simon Rodia’s Labor

I would also like to propose that the

and various forces that attempt to

form of the Watts Towers creates

preserve or alter their appearance.

sticking points, too. As a widely used

(Figure6, and Figure7). The cement

concept, a threshold is commonly

surface, the found objects and their

talked about as an implied boundary

arrangement work together to direct

defining architectural spaces. It is

viewers’ attention to the traces

usually mentioned for describing

of history that are stuck on their

the spaces that it separates as if the

surfaces. And thus they “stick” in the

threshold has no thickness and it

foreground to convey their meanings.

is always meant to be penetrated

Although the stickiness of an object

easily. In Ahmed’s phenomenology,

does not make its production easier

a threshold might belong to the

to trace, foregrounding the clue is

category of objects that are normally “ever co-perceived”11 or pushed

one technique architecture can learn

“to the ‘fringes’ of vison”12. We

Figure6: cracks formed by wind, seismic activities and temperature 14 change

from the Watts Towers. Similar to the idea of eliminating the trace of

perceive them but at the same time,

production (“artists hand”) as a way

we ignore them in orienting ourselves

to convey certain intention, revealing

to space. If we choose to talk about

and foregrounding the stickiness

Watts Towers as creating a series

can (through first showing the

of thresholds, then it reveals the

object’s own production) serve as an

possibility of a threshold becoming a

instrument that brings attention to

sticking point in space. The openings

the political and cultural histories of

between the girders are sized so that

a larger community.

they suggest a possible passage and hence confuse the circulation. They, therefore, serve to stick the viewers in hesitation and disorientation (one might even be actually stuck when choose to pass through some of the openings). In this way, the threshold becomes the foreground

13 Gutmann, John. Children Exploring the Watts Towers, Los Angeles. Gelatin silver print, 1960. https://library-artstor-org.sciarc. idm.oclc.org/#/asset/AWSS35953_35953_38021987;prevRouteTS=1607577649727

15 Figure7: a device installed to monitor fracture development

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14 Saving the Watts Towers by Simon Rodia in Los Angeles. December 08, 2020. YouTube video, 23:23. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DWMjVoVl7U8&feature=youtu.be 15 Saving the Watts Towers by Simon Rodia in Los Angeles.

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

Bibliography Ahmed, Sara, Queer Phenomenology, ORIENTATIONS, OBJECTS, OTHERS. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2006 Harrison, Thomas, Without Precedent: The Watts Towers. Berkley, CA: UC Berkley, 2010 Smith, Richard Cándida, LEARNING FROM WATTS TOWERS: ASSEMBLAGE AND COMMUNITY-BASED ART IN CALIFORNIA. Oral History, AUTUMN 2009, Vol. 37, No. 2, Oral History Society 2009 Schrank, Sarah, PUBLIC ART AT THE GLOBAL CROSSROADS: THE POLITICS OF PLACE IN 1930S LOS ANGELES. Journal of Social History, winter 2010, Vol. 44, No. 2, THE ARTS IN PLACE (winter 2010),2010 J. Jones,Victor, (IN)FORMAL L.A. The Space of Politics. (New York, EVolo, 2014)

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Course: HT2120: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM II Instructor: Marrikka Trotter Semester: Fall 2021, 2GA Keywords: Trenton Bathhose, legibility, articulation, ruin

Intense Legibility: Hierarchy, Symmetry, and Repetition in Louis Kahn and Anne Tyng's Trenton Bath House The

Trenton

Bath

House

stands

to a distinct gate starts to happen in

quietly in New Jersey Suburb. It

the centrally aligned square scheme2.

appears

and

And the pool was already decided to

insignificant in its both materiality

deceivingly

plain

be elevated higher than the bathhouse

and scale. Originally conceived as

in

part of a much larger but never built

the bathhouse and the pool clearly

program dedicated to the local Jewish

separate.

community, the Bath House now stands

cruciform figure works well in the round

alone in the open. Its relationship with

and may even have the potential to

the adjacent swimming pool seems out

reverse the progress towards the pool.

even

earlier The

schemes,

making

eventually

realized

of context, perpetually anticipating missing ends in a lost conversation.

Passing

Complementing

progress to the pool breaks into two

this

self-evident

through

the

paths

mirroring

the Bath House as an independent

Entering

structure that bears a great amount

two paths meet briefly at the basket

of complexity. Far from depending

counter, before splitting again at the

on other structures to make sense,

central gravel pit, then each swirl into

the Bath House expresses a series of

one of the baths, get out, and finally

formal and organizational intents in

confluent again at the snack bar before

its spatial organization, articulation,

dissipating at the exit that is open on

and material choices. These intents are

three sides. The Bath House clearly

hierarchy, symmetry, and repetition.

organizes

the

each

flow

the

House,

reading, it is also possible to read

from

at

Bath

entrance.

entrance,

of

the

circulation

on its own. In fact, its circulation The bathhouse is designed as the

illustrates

changing

linear

the

and

shower

community

pool.

facility

for

Susan

G.

the

first

hierarchy

Meanwhile,

two

and

these

intents:

symmetry.

intents

also

Solomon’s analysis makes it clear

function as design devices that affect

that, programmatically, the bathhouse

other decisions in the Bath House.

is a transitional experience leading to the pool, rather than a destination

The plan of this building is regulated

by itself1.

by

However, transformation

five

nesting

squares

arranged

1 Susan G. Solomon, Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Jewish Community Center (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000), P77 2 Susan G. Solomon, Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Jewish Community Center (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000), P82

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

in a cross shape. Each of the four peripheral squares overlaps with the center square by 1/5 the length of its side. The small compartments located at the corners of larger squares share an identical size. Their repetition in plan diagrams out the regulating grid in space. The two single-gendered baths mirroring each other across the courtyard also assume a square shape but larger in scale, with the small compartments nesting at their corners

symmetrically.

The

plan

clearly manifests the intention of symmetry mentioned previously. It also translates the linear hierarchy in circulation into a two-dimensional

lowest members are their flat bases.

hierarchy of service spaces at the

The middle wall sections read as infills

periphery of each main program.

between adjacent vertical supports of the roof. Seen in combination with

hierarchy

the flat bottom of the pyramidal roof

extends seamlessly to the bathhouse’s

units which sit on the columns only at

articulation.

their corners, the bathhouse appears

This

two-dimensional

Looking closely at the

exterior elevation, the ends of walls

as

differ from their middle sections by

systems—stout columns supporting

a

group

of

simple

Figre1: plan of Trenton Bathhouse 1_ plan of Trenton Bathhouse Source: Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Bath House Authenticity and an Original Designer, a Lecture by Anne E. Weber, FAIA https://www.aicomos.com/wp-content/uploads/2009_UnlovedModern_ Weber_Anne_Trenton_Bath_House_Slides.pdf

trabeated

rising slightly taller. Besides, there is usually a clear separation in the form of a seam or a large recess. Therefore, wherever the walls turn 90 degrees, they mutate into a rectilinear column.

The roof sits on top of the wall in a peculiar way. The slit between the roof and the wall reiterates that the roof and the wall are discrete, each somewhat uniform. Viewing from afar in strong sunlight, the narrow slit conceals the interior shape of the roof in a thin strip of shadow, allowing the reading of the roofs as floating solid pyramids with cropped tops. The Figre2: Interior view of the bath house. Notice how the roof connects to the hollow column Source: Jacobs III/ Times File Photo https://www.nj.com/mercer/2010/07/ewing_mayors_meeting_tonight_i. html

99

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

a

series

of

monolithic

roofs.

become

immediately

everything

else

visible

remain

since almost

As already revealed in the plan, these

identical. Like the other two formal

stout columns are hollow and contain

intents, repetition is found beyond the

service spaces. And it is very key

plan and applies also to the interior

for these service spaces to appear

and exterior elevations. Since the

as columns. As De Long already

column compartments open mostly to

discovered, within each larger square

the interior, each of them maintains a

module, there is servant space and

similar look when encountered from

main space. This hierarchy between

the exterior. As mentioned before,

the two types of spaces is not only

the spacing between these columns is

visually marked through articulation

completely identical. In other words,

but also corresponds to the appeared

they intensely repeat in elevation.

structural function of components3.

The pyramidal roofs also repeat in

The

structurally

the view from the exterior. Since each

support the weight of the roof, and

pyramid clearly marks out the volume

meanwhile contain support spaces

underneath in elevational view through

such as entrance circulation, toilet,

their singular shape, they also extend

and storage. They are supportive in a

the repetition in the bathhouse’s plan

doubled sense. In turn, this is a strong

into a legible image in its elevation.

hollow

columns

conceptual reason for the gap between roofs and walls. Detaching walls from

The most obvious repetition is found

the roof ensures the hollow columns as

in the bathhouse’s material treatment.

the only vertical supports of the roof,

As every minute shadow gets crisply

making clear their doubled identity.

illuminated two

in

different

sunlight, patterns.

sees brick

In addition, the plan clearly shows

pattern formed by the CMU blocks

REPETITION as a third organizing

below is relatively sparse and given a

intent. David De Long summarizes that

coarse quality where excess mortar is

in a highly self-similar parti, the entire

flattened away. Moving up to the roofs,

plan can be simplified to 5 same-sized

the pattern still consists of interlocking

squares arranged in a cruciform shape.

rectangles but is scaled down and

They coincide with the division of

compressed horizontally. The roof

programs. In this sense, the bathhouse

shingles stack neatly into almost a set

is a set of generic and almost identical

of dense contour lines of the roof. In

volumes4.

Perhaps this similarity

between these two patterns, the ends

makes the subtle difference of each

of rafters beneath the roof repeat

space highly legible. The absence of

horizontally with a uniform rhythm.

a wall, rotation of a hollow column’s

The tessellation on surfaces expresses

opening, or the mirroring of space

repetition

with

high

3 David B. Brownlee, David G. De Long, Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 1991), 58.

4 David B. Brownlee, David G. De Long, Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 1991), 56

100

one The

intensity.

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

favor of oblique views… and more Briefly returning to circulation, it is

so in its systematic deployment of

easy to notice that entrances to each

hierarchy, symmetry, and repetition.

space are placed at corners, which

In fact, it is well known that Kahn

favors an oblique view much like

took inspiration by observing bricks

ancient Greek temples. This didn’t

in Roman ruins forming a larger form

disrupt the symmetry in plan because

in a cellular but unified way. He also

the entrances are mirrored on both

interprets the volume underneath the

sides of the building. But from a

ruins as purely geometrical with his

single user’s experience, the oblique

keen interest in geometry in general.

view is clearly encouraged. In ground

Even the mural is directly inspired by

articulation, the gravel pits in the

the floor mosaic in Bath of Caracalla5.

plan manipulate circulation further in

It is important to note that when Kahn

oblique directions. The two gravel pits

studied Roman architecture, the still

at each entrance block the orthogonal

existing buildings had already been

paths that are parallel along the walls

ruinated

for

thousands

of

years.

while aligning the circulation to an acute angle. Visitors are almost forced

Perhaps the fact that only monolithic

to experience the bathhouse from

components

oblique shortly before they enter.

explains

the

remain

in

heaviness

the in

ruins the

Once they enter, a giant portion of the interior courtyard is occupied by a huge gravel pit that forces circulation around it. A drain is placed at the very center of the courtyard and the two baths respectively. Drains can be considered a hollow in the ground that alerts those who step on them.

Therefore, the center of each space is always occupied. The gravel pits and the drains together push visitors away from the center points of each square room and discourage viewing the four sides orthogonally at once.

At this point, it is evident that many aspects of the bathhouse resemble ancient Greek and Roman architecture through its masonry construction, trabeated systems, oculus, protruding rafters that are almost like cornices, 5 David B. Brownlee, David G. De Long, Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 1991), 50-51.

Figre3: Interior view of the bath house showing how the roof connects to the hollow column Source: http://architectuul.com/architecture/trenton-bath-house

101

HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

use had already been discontinued for thousands of years. And continuously, when the bathhouse itself finally becomes a sort of ruin, it poses the question of how it should be repaired with new materials. A few years ago, the architects in charge of the restoration meticulously match materials, colors, and textures, even concerning if the speed of aging of the substitute CMU blocks would match the originals7. The chosen restoration seems like the only proper solution, but meanwhile, it could also be a missed opportunity for the bathhouse since it continues to mimic a ruin.

While the stout size and proportion of the hollow columns continue to imply the weight of the roof, the interior of the building subverts such a heaviness in a split second. As mentioned before, all the “stout columns” are in fact hollow, containing service programs.

And from the courtyard photograph, the roof is betrayed when we finally

Figure 4: Mural at the entrance. Notice that the brick lines are left blank Source: https://cargocollective.com/pickupsticks/filter/Space/ Reconfigured-Architectural-Imagination

bathhouse’s

exterior.

It

is

also

understandable that the intense, bearbone, undistracted expression of these formal intents has a stunning effect, making them almost impossible to see at a first glance, but rather requires a sort of discovery like in an excavation.

Kahn’s intention of water running on masonry surface in New Jersey’s cold weather eventually leads to serious water damage over time. And this is the environmental effect of literally reproducing aspects of Greek and

see how it stands on top of a stout freestanding column box with a single toe.

Each of the four pyramidal roofs still read as a connected whole only now with its hollow underside completely revealed. The wood members are tightly bonded by the uniform layer of shingles, yet they maintain their singularities as if they are ribs on the palate in a mouth. Now the roof is

thoroughly

destabilized,

ballet

dancing on top of hollow masonry, ready to take off in a gust of wind.

Roman ruins whose maintenance and 6 Katie Gerfen, “Trenton Bath House and Day Camp Restoration,” in Architect, (no.12 (Dec 2010), 61-69, https://www.architectmagazine. com/design/buildings/trenton-bath-house-and-day-camp-restoration_o 7 Katie Gerfen, “Trenton Bath House and Day Camp Restoration,” in Architect, (no.12 (Dec 2010), 61-69, https://www.architectmagazine. com/design/buildings/trenton-bath-house-and-day-camp-restoration_o

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HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

At the entrance, where the stoically

across the entire mural. Geometric

heavy exterior and the incredibly light

elements appearing in this mural

interior meet, a mural silently attracts

consist

attention. It’s interesting that before

with a radius equal to one or half

Solomon

explains

semicircles

mural

brick width. Straight lines are oriented either diagonally, connecting opposite

even water had never made their way

corners, or horizontally, connecting

into my own reading. After Solomon

opposite midpoints of a full or half-

presents the geometric painting by

brick. Arcs always concave up or

Adolph Gottlieb and ancient mosaic

down but never sideways. With this

at Bath of Caracalla, I see the aquatic

geometric pattern as an underline,

reference of the mural more easily8.

graphics

Today,

strong

the

of

depicts abstract figures of fish, fish, or

the

that

exclusively

regularity

are

generated

by

filling

of

in positive or negative shapes or

concrete block pattern and flatness

simply by variation in line weight.

of the painting require a particular

Black infills can be found only in

type of sensibility to convey the

triangular shapes that spread from

intended meanings. But what still can

the middle towards the bottom. And

be read from the mural itself today?

Red infill is only found in arcuated shapes that mostly concentrate on

The mural contains lines and figures

top. And the third type of pattern,

in black or red color on a white

the unfilled lines are mostly found

field. Its distinctly saturated colors

on the lower half of the composition.

dramatically mark out the entrance from the rest of the building. Yet it fits

The mural seems to illustrate the three

perfectly within the size of one column

intents all at once. The two vertical

box, sharing top alignment with the

margins in the mural differentiate

infilling

discrete

from the rest of the composition

graphic element in this composition

with a square red “X”. This move

operates

of

eliminates all half brakes, so all

underneath.

modules’ sizes are unified. It again

a

full

The

brick

wall.

within or

brick

half

Each

the

boundary

brick

clearly

creates a clear hierarchy between the

through the paint as indentations,

main composition and its margins.

provide

a

seams visible

show

grid,

This treatment to margins resembles

and thus should be viewed as an

regulating

allocating the 8-foot margin in plan to

integral part of the mural. In fact,

support spaces. And evidently also, the

the horizontal seams are carefully

modules form an intense repetition.

avoided by black and red paints.

Three types of geometric patterns are contained in the uniform grid marked

Each brick is 2:1 in its width-to-height

by brick seams. Similarly, in plan, four

ratio. This unit proportion repeats

different programs are also contained

8 Susan G. Solomon, Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Jewish Community Center (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000), P95-97

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HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

in the same 24’ by 24’ squares, with the regulating grid diagramed by 8-foot-wide support spaces. And just like how distinct programs are marked in elevation by their pyramidal roofs with the support spaces marked as columns, different types of geometric patterns are diagramed by their color and line weight. Lastly, within each grid unit, a geometric shape is either symmetrical on its own or mirrored somewhere else in the composition. If comparing the mural and the building even more carefully, the composing geometry used in the mural is literally found in the rest of the bathhouse: 45-degree angles are found under each

roof

where

wood

beams

intersect; the longer diagonal lines are parallel to the slope of the roofs. And the arcs allude to the circular gravel pits in plan. The mural is perhaps the most intense and comprehensive expression of hierarchy, symmetry, and repetition in the project, therefore a diagram of the entire bathhouse.

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HISTORY AND THEORY | Pan Tan

Bibliography Susan G. Solomon, Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Jewish Community Center (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000) David B. Brownlee, David G. De Long, Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 1991) David B. Brownlee, David G. De Long, Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture (New York: Rizzoli, 1991)

Katie Gerfen, “Trenton Bath House and Day Camp Restoration,” in Architect, (no.12 (Dec 2010), 61-69, https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/trenton-bathhouse-and-day-camp-restoration_o

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Course: AS3100: Materials and Tectonics Instructor: Pavel Getov Semester: Fall 2020, 1GA Participant: Mange Zou, Sijie Lin, Yuyan Chen, Pan Tan Software: Rhinoceros, V-Ray, Illustrator, Photoshop

Lego Pavilion Strategies of Representation I This project explores how a tectonic system (corbel) produces form. The exercise askes for a pavilion on a 10 M x 10 M site. Our group develops a wooden corbel system that has a 15-degree rotational offset. Each component interlocks with its neighbors, producing a clockwise/counterclockwise ascending path. The system is stabilized laterally by a thin steel column running through the central axis, while it supports its own weight through stacking. The offset between two consecutive steps and the need for longer beams largely dictate the plan. After getting the initial form, we operate on it two more times to generate two new configurations.

APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

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APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

DIAGRAMS of the tectonic system (left) DIAGRAMS of the plan required by the tectonic system (right)

15° 15°

° 15 15

°

75°

15°

2’ - 6’’

108

APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

3D-PRINT MODEL visualizing the tectonic system

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APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

(from left to right) Configuration 1: original form informed by the tectonic system Configuration 2: trim configuration 1 with a cube Configuration 3: shuffle configuration 2

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APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

ELEVATION

PLAN

111

APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

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APPLIED STUDIES | Pan Tan

ELEVATION OBLIQUE Red : counterclockwise up Blue : clockwise up Black : laterial support

RENDERING

113

End