Ryan Spillane - Second Year Design Commendation

Work by: Ryan Spillane Professor: Olga Mesa ARCH 214 Architectural Design Core Studio IV February 12 / 2022

SLEEP AND SHELTER Reflecting Reality

Within dreams, there is a degree of realism to what we are shown, almost as if these dreams are a reflection of our reality. Even though these dreams may be slightly distorted versions of our reality, It can be impossible to differentiate these dreams from our waking life. This project aims to demonstrate this reflection of reality through the design of a sleeping space that uses complex geometries and ambiguous entry.

NARRATIVE There exists a unique place, submerged beneath the earth. A peculiar void centered on its surface marks its location. A descending ramp follows the curvature of this void, with each step enveloping the visitor with a sense of wonder. What is this place?

The peculiar geometry within the void appears to lead somewhere. The visitor reaches out to touch the thin wires surrounding the void, and realizes it’s soft and pliable. The visitor peels the wires back, and finds a curved seating space. They rest, noticing below them, they see themselves; no, a reflection of themselves.

An echo of their movements. The visitor notices the surrounding wires appear to continue through this “mirror.” Of course it’s just a reflection of the existing space. The visitor grows weary from their journey, and decides to rest in this idyllic environment; as does their reflection.

When the visitor wakes, they are frightened. Everything looks familiar, but there is something off. As if everything were slightly altered, maybe even reflected.

Is this a dream? Or is it something much more spectacular? An alternate reality? The visitor looks to their reflection once more, and sees their confused expressions, the same as theirs. Wake up.

1. Concept Diagram 2. Section A 3. Section B

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1. Top Plan 2. West Elevation 3. Final Model 4. Process Work 5. Process Work

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1. Model Top 2. Model Front 3. Model Oblique 4. Perspective 5. Reflected Perspective

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Work by: Ryan Spillane Professor: Olga Mesa ARCH 214 Architectural Design Core Studio IV Spring 2022

Place and the Public Realm The Philosopher and the Dancer In this duplex, the Dancer takes center stage. Always on display, expressing themselves through their art, the dancer is exhibited in the front of the building. Their movements are centered within the core of the building, where the majority of their circulation is confined. Despite this confinement, the Dancer is allowed to be dynamic, with a large studio space on the ground level, and stairs that carry them vertically to their private dwelling.

The Philosopher, who chooses when to share his work, remains on the periphery. With stairs along the edge of the building, the Philosopher keeps to the edges, finding different nooks and places to work, study, or gain experience. In his work space, he is able to look into the dance studio for inspiration from the physical realm, while also having views to the back alley, where he can observe people passing by. Long corridors in-between spaces give a sense of compression, and are overflowing with knowledge in books and art. The core structure acts as a means of forced circulation, requiring the Philosopher to meander around, or carve into the Dancer’s core for different nichew spaces. A double height space connects the Philosopher’s private living area with the work area.

Upon entry to both dwellings, a distinct controlled viewpoint is centered around each doorway. The Philosopher, with a view down his corridor into a path of knowledge and reason, while the Dancer, a view straight into their art form and their expressions.

Site Model

Conceptual Diagrams

Process Sketches

Conceptual Strategy Model: Two Cores

Conceptual Strategy Model: Expressive Periphery

Conceptual Strategy Model: Core and Periphery

Ground Floor Plan Site Context

Floor Plans

Volumetric Diagrams

Central Core

Philosopher / Dancer Spaces

Circulation

Sectional Axon or Perspective

Philosopher’s Corridor

Philosopher’s Office

Double Height Dining Space and Alley Kitchen

Living Room

Dancer’s Studio

Core Light Shaft

Dancer’s Kitchen (Core)

Dancer’s Bedroom

Model Front

Model Open

Model Separate

Philosopher / Dancer Buildings

CHICAGO SITE ANALYSIS 625 West Hobbie Street

Ryan Spillane, Juan Fuentes, David Stewart, Emily Barry

History Initial Development: Starting as a settlement 0f 20 in 1830, the population grew to 4,000 in 2 years.

As a port city, connecting rivers to Lake Michigan allowed for huge development.

- Construction of the Illinois and Michigan canals bring immense growth to the city. Commerce boomed and population spiked. Optimal location provided many building materials for the rapid construction necessary to meet the population demand.

Fire of 1871: 100,000 now homeless and 17,500 buildings were destroyed.

- New need for steel skeleton structures for fireproofing. De-massing of buildings. Buildings starting to move vertically and reflect interior functions.

Replanning: Mayor Joseph Medill (1823-99) Promised strict building codes and is responsible for replanning a post-fire Chicago.

- By restructuring the infrastructure, architects were able to lay groundwork for the urban fabric and future skyscrapers .

Home of the Skyscraper: William Le Baron Jenney introduced the 10-storied Home Insurance Company in 1884. This 184’ mass of terracotta, stonework and steel started a worldwide push for architecture that met the sky.

- Monadnock Building - Earliest Steel Frame building.

Cabrini Green Developments: Housing Projects made for lower income housing inadvertently became harbors for gang activity. Chicago crime rates skyrocket. This became the most murderous place in Chicago.

- Eventual destruction of the “Reds” and “Whites” housing developments to clean up the city. More urban development and work done around the area of the site to improve quality of life.

Redevelopment: In 2015, plans were put into motion to develop Goose Island near the Cabrini Green. Parks, river-walks, and other proposals were presented to clean up the area.

- Modern gentrification and destruction of properties drove out those most in need.

Facade Styles

Chicago School Style

Stocky tall masonry-clad buildings with Chicago windows + decorative cornices

Late Modernism Style

emphasizes pattern and shape usually using steel and glass

Greystones Style

2-3 stories with exterior of gray stone masonry

Postmodern Style

unusual shapes, loud colors, ties to arch. tradition

International Style/Miesian Modern Simple shapes that use of a grid rendered in glass and steel

Bungalows Style

Prominent front facade, wide overhangs, low-pitched roof, and a dormer window

Culture

Monuments: The Bean

Performing Arts:

Sports

The Bean’s reflective surface was inspired by liquid mercury. This shiny exterior reflects the people moving around the park, the lights of Michigan Avenue, and the surrounding skyline and green space, It reflects the Millennium Park experience.

Chicago is known for significant advancement of several performing arts, such as improvisational comedy, house music, hip hop, jazz and more. The Chicago Theatre, has been the home for many of these developments for more than 100 years.

Chicago is home to five major sporting franchises, the Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, and Bears. Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is one of the most well known baseball fields in the country.

Culture

Although majoritively white in population, Chicago is considered a very diverse city. Especially when considering artistic expression, architectural displays, food, and culture as a whole.

Food Trucks Chicago is full of food trucks, it's an opportunity for people with low income to try good quality food. It's one thing that makes chicago unique to other cities.

The Chicago River

Murals

The Chicago River is an integral part of the city fabric.

River walks, restaurants, ferries, and other public spaces are riddled along the entire stretch of the river in downtown Chicago. The city famously dyes the river green for St. Patrick’s Day every year.

Chicago is a city with great Architecture, but some buildings are unique because of the murals that are drawn on them. Tens of thousands of square feet of murals make their home on bridges, buildings, train stations, and even parking garages, telling stories of faith, hope, race, immgration, struggle, and success.

The work of acclaimed street artists are an integral part of the city’s progressive art culture.

Famous Landmarks

Willis Tower Marina City Chicago Water Tower

Aqua Building

Chicago Board of Trade

Robie House

Tribune Tower

Figure-Ground

Volumetric Map

Vegetation

Evergreen Trees:

Trees that retain their green leaves throughout the year Struggle in Chicago, very uncommon

Types in Chicago: White Pine Arborvitae Juniper

Deciduous Trees:

Trees that shed their leaves in Winter Cover 15% of Chicago

Types in Chicago: European Blackthorn Green Ash Boxelder Black Cherry American Elm

Public Spaces

Neighborhood Program

Circulation Diagram

Views to and From Site

Views to and From Site

Views to and From Site

Views to and From Site

Street Section

W. HOBBIE STREET

Climate Consultant - Temperature Ranges In Chicago, the annual average temperature is at a relatively cool 50 degrees. With bitterly cold winters as a result of strong wind chills, it is no surprise that year-round, the average temperature is so low.

WINTER: The average lows were around 20 degrees, with outliers dropping well below 0 degrees. Average Highs rarely broke 30 degrees until March.

SPRING: Chicago’s temperatures steadily increased over the season, with average lows of 30 degrees, to average highs up to 70 degrees.

SUMMER: Chicago’s warmest month, with average lows of 65 degrees, and average highs near 90 degrees.

FALL: A steady decline in temperatures, returning Chicago to its notorious winters. With average lows between 60 degrees, and 30 degrees, and average highs between 75 degrees and 40 degrees.

Overall, it appears that it is very important to design for Chicago’s broad temperature ranges, where the city experiences extreme colds, but also occasional record-breaking heat.

Climate Consultant - Sun Shading Chart From December to January, buildings require plenty of sunlight since the vast majority of the days are cooler than 68 degrees. It is very important to orient the building on the site to take advantage of as much sunlight as possible.

From June to December, the amount of shade needed is about even with the need for solar gain, meaning that if a shading device were added to the building, it would need to accommodate both conditions relatively equally.

December 21-June 21

June 21 - Dec 21

Dynamic Louvres to adjust for Thermal Gain

Sun Study

June 21st

9 AM

12 PM

3 PM

March/Sept Equinox

December 21st

Climate Consultant - Prevailing Winds Year-Round Year-round, Chicago experiences wind seemingly from all directions. The two most prominent directions are from the Northwest, and the Southwest. This means that in the summertime, ventilation can be utilized as a passive strategy to mitigate the warm temperatures. However, in the winter, the harsh cold winds that Chicago is known for will be coming from the northwest, so it is important to shield the building on the site from that direction.

Winter Winds

Annual Winds

Summer Winds

Climate Consultant - Annual Psychrometric Chart Without any Design Strategies to help keep indoor comfort levels, Chicago is a majoritively uncomfortable place to live year round. With only 652 out of 8760 recorded hours lying in the comfortable range for Dew Point Temperature and Dry-Bulb Temperature, it is clear that there is a necessity for effective design strategies

Annual Psychrometric Chart

Climate Consultant - Seasonal Psychrometric Charts Year-round, Chicago is a relatively uncomfortable place to live in with regards to humidity and dry-bulb temperatures. It is important to use passive design strategies that can help mitigate comfort from season-to-season…

WINTER Brutal Chicago winters. The most effective method is HVAC heating and cooling to maintain comfort within a building. Wind Protection and Passive Direct Solar Gain are the other methods, which require little energy cost.

WINTER (DEC-MAR)

SPRING (MAR-JUN)

SPRING In the colder months of spring, HVAC heating and Internal Heat Gain are the best options. As Chicago warms, Natural Ventilation and a transition to Sun Shading is important to manage occasional warm days without the need of air conditioning.

SUMMER Chicago’s warm summers eliminate the need for heating, where Natural Ventilation and Sun Shading take precedent in order to cool the building. For internal comfort on colder nights , Internal Heat Gain is best.

FALL As Chicago returns to winter, the need for HVAC Heating and Humidification is needed. Internal Heat Gain is still effective for the early fall months where it is not too cold to require artificial heat.

SUMMER (JUN-SEPT)

FALL (SEPT-DEC)

Climate Consultant - Passive Strategies

There are many design strategies that could effectively heat or cool the design depending on the comfortability needs.

Overall, it seems that building orientation with regards to sun exposure and wind protection is the most important, followed closely by natural internal heat gain, and the use of deciduous trees that drop their leaves depending on the season, allowing in more light in the winter.

Ventilation and Wind Protection

Deciduous Trees - Shade in Warmer Months

Bare Deciduous Trees - Allow Sun in Colder Months

Demographics - Social Explorer

The population density of the immediate site is relatively low compared to the surrounding radius.

With roughly 5000-7000 people per square mile around the site, development should be relatively unobtrusive to the surrounding population.

Demographics - Social Explorer Within the confines of our site, the median age is roughly 30-35 years old. If we are to design a multi-generational housing complex, we should consider the surrounding population to look at who we are designing for.

Demographics - Social Explorer The average household income of the immediate radius is between $75,000 to $100,000, meaning the area is a relatively middle class section of Chicago.

Just beyond the radius of the site, average income levels drop to below $15,000 in some areas. This is interesting when considering the history of the site, as the gentrification of the area drove out lower income families.

Demographics - Social Explorer The median value of homes in the area are relatively uniform throughout, lying at around $300,000 to $750,000.

Again, just beyond the borders of the site, certain areas most likely have affordable housing complexes, where some locations have median home values of less than $20,000.

Demographics - Social Explorer With regards to modernity in the immediate site, the area is relatively new with its construction. Most buildings were constructed after 1990, making it a recently developed area. This will make designing on the site relatively easy with regards to integration into the urban fabric

Conclusions Ultimately, Chicago is one of the most interesting cities for development. As the historical epicenter of the modern skyscraper, rich in architectural history and cultural phenomena, Chicago is the perfect place for new development to be brought in. With regards to our site, our area acts as a focal point within its ¼ mile radius. With dense urban fabric and housing developments to the south of the site, and sparsely developed areas to the north, there is ample room for new development and the possibility of merging these two conditions.

With vegetation and green spaces radiating around the site, there is an opportunity to utilize these spaces to the fullest potential, and to integrate a design into the neighborhood program, as well as to meet the circulatory needs of the area.

With regards to climate, Chicago is a difficult place to live comfortably, as the overall temperature and humidity levels leave few opportunities for comfort year-round. Strong northwest winds in the colder months let Chicago live up to its name as the “windy city.” Ultimately, there needs to be significant consideration into passive strategies that the design can incorporate in order to prioritize internal comfort. There are many possibilities, especially with the use of the surrounding deciduous vegetation for shading and permitting sun, intentional building orientation to absorb the southern sun, allow cross ventilation, as well as avoid the northwestern winds.

This site is most ideal for a multi-generational housing complex mainly because of the impactful history of the area, as well as the current condition of the site. The history of the Cabrini-Green developments and eventual destruction are incredibly important to the future of the site, as we are left with a choice in our design. Current demographic maps show that this once dilapidated and poverty stricken area is now prospering with the gentrification of the surrounding area. Since the destruction of the housing projects that harbored immense levels of crime and violence, officials of Chicago have driven out lower-income families to the outskirts of the city.

On the one hand, West Hobbie Street is no longer the “murder capital” of America, yet the removal of these families and a growing wealth gap has marked a stark divide within the urban fabric of Chicago.

Ideally, this multi-generational housing complex will be able to redefine what housing projects could be, all in order to diminish income inequality for the sake of integrating all types of people regardless of economic conditions.

Work by: Ryan Spillane Professor: Olga Mesa ARCH 214 Architectural Design Core Studio IV Spring 2022

Place and Dwelling with Others Multigenerational Housing Complex When designing for this project, it was important to consider that this site in Chicago is historically charged. At one time, this area of Chicago was known as the murder-capital of America as a result of the aggregation of low-income families into what was known as the Cabrini-Green housing projects.

Initially meant to provide quality affordable housing to the growing population, the Cabrini Green was a step in the right direction towards integrating low-income families into the urban fabric. Although, it ultimately was a catastrophic failure because of its strict isolative nature as an immense monolith housing complex, cutting off its surrounding environment, leading to the harboring of gangs and other illegal activity with its opaqueness.

The driving goal for this multi-generational housing complex is to explore the rich potential for what affordable housing can be in Chicago. Living multi-generationally can bring economic, as well as build familial and social relationships. Through utilizing the housing-block concept, this project aims to add transparency within the complex. With the addition of various nodes of interaction (both indoor and outdoor) between dwellings, a community can naturally develop without the isolative nature of the connotation of affordable housing.

Through climate analysis, historical context, and transparency, this project aims to reinvent the concept of affordable housing.

Sketches

Progress Model

Digital Site Model with Proposed Scheme

Axonometric Massing Drawings Showing Conceptual Architectural Strategy

Shared Spaces

Unit Divisions

Skeleton Frame Facade

Green Space

Unit Aggregation

Solar Gain

Axonometric Massing Drawings Showing Conceptual Architectural Strategy

Conceptual Strategy Model 1

Site Plan

Ground Floor Plan 5’ 10’

25’

50’

75’

100’

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Fourth Floor Plan

Fourth Floor Plan

L1 Unit Type B Floor Plan

L2

L1

L2

3 Bedroom Unit w/ ADA

1’

5’

10’

15’

North Building Section

West Building Section

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

West Elevation

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

West Elevation

Sectional Axonometric

Perspective 1: Lower Courtyard

Perspective 2: Raised Playground

Perspective 3: North Facade

Perspective 4