For the Love of Concrete - Booklet 3 - Thesis Document

For the Love of Concrete embracing the ugly duckling, not the decorated shed

Steven Carlson — 2017 Advisor Nicole McIntosh

For the Love of Concrete embracing the ugly duckling, not the decorated shed

Steven Carlson — 2017 Advisor Nicole McIntosh

In the face of increasing superficiality in architecture and the world at large, this thesis celebrates the authenticity and substantiality of concrete.

an architectural thesis by Steven Carlson advisor Nicole McIntosh committee Julie Larsen / Roger Hubeli & SinĂŠad Mac Namara model production assistance by Jamie Thorn & Patrick Smith Class of 2020 this thesis generously supported through the Crown Award of the Syracuse University RenĂŠe Crown University Honors Program presented on 4/26/2017 at 8:30 AM Room 325 Slocum Hall Syracuse New York

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Thesis Statement

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Brutalism: In Memoriam

18

Field Research Photographs

24

Thesis Prep Precedent Research

36

The Inconsequential Facade

42 Sections 52 Plans 66 Views 78 Model 86

Final Presentation

90

Shelf Life Exhibition

92 Conclusions 94

Figures + Works Cited

96 Acknowledgements 98 Dedication 100

For More Information

a more compelling section, in concrete 6 of 100

For the Love of Concrete is at its heart an homage to concrete, advocating its beauty, versatility and durability; celebrating concrete’s ability to create spatial experiences that are compelling, varied, acoustically attuned and thermally tempered. In the face of increasing superficiality in the world at large, this thesis above all celebrates the authenticity and substantiality of concrete.

buildings were built to be immortal!

But ironically, Brutalist buildings are now being torn down in droves despite their demonstrated potential to be adapted. They are at worst being replaced by parking lots and at best being replaced by monotonous glass-skinned boxes that value the optimized, ethereal and temporary over the whimsical, substantial and eternal.

What prompted this research is debate around ‘Brutalism’, the oft-misjudged architectural style.

Brutalist buildings are architectural ugly ducklings, beloved by many designers but loathed my most others.

A cult following has grown up around Brutalism, valuing its honesty of material (predominantly concrete), nuanced surface treatments, bold structural moves, and its befuddling balance of historic and decidedly futuristic expressions. Still many noted Brutalist buildings have been prematurely demolished, unable to earn wide community support or be preserved through litigation.

Brutalist architecture explicitly references ancient architecture in its massing and materiality; these

Some say that beauty is only skin deep. In kind, many architects have become solely obsessed with (and are often relegated to) the design of facades. This thesis advocates the design of good bones, not just beautiful skin. It therefore focuses on the design of said bones, encouraging a return to the solid, poché-driven structures of old. Therefore, For the Love of Concrete forages for inspiration in the history of concrete construction (from ancient Roman, through 20th century Brutalism, to the exquisitely executed Swiss concrete of today).

Concrete: ubiquitous, anything but common; durable adaptable; robust yet beautiful.

thesis statement 7 of 100

yet yet

substance 8 of 100

over skin 9 of 100

brutalism 10 of 100

“ Jesus... that is a depressing building” “Eh... Could be worse. Nice parks in the middle!” “ I love Brutalism... but this example is hideous. It looks like it was designed by someone that holds utter contempt for humanity.”

reddit reactions — 2016 11 of 100

Robin Hood Gardens Alison & Peter Smithson 1972 — 2017?

Orange County Government Center Paul Rudolph 1971 — 2015

brutalism 12 of 100

Prentice Womens Hospital Bertrand Goldberg 1975 — 2014

Sirius Building Tao Goffers 1980 — 2017?

in memoriam 13 of 100

Robin Hood Gardens Carsten Czaja 2008

Orange County Government Center Clark Patterson Lee 2015

brutalism 14 of 100

Prentice Womens Hospital Jeanne Gang 2014

Sirius Building LAVA Architects 2015

demonstrated adaptability 15 of 100

Jessie Brennan — ‘A Fall of Ordinariness and Light’ 16 of 100

So it is worth asking about those Brutalist architects and the public servants who were their primary patrons: What did they know, and aspire to, that we don’t?

Thomas de monchaux — 2012 17 of 100

field research photography 18 of 100

cortland 19 of 100

field research photography 20 of 100

binghampton and new haven 21 of 100

field research photography 22 of 100

new haven 23 of 100

thesis prep research 24 of 100

poche catalogue 25 of 100

thesis prep catalogue booklet 26 of 100

ancient poche 27 of 100

thesis prep catalogue booklet 28 of 100

twentieth century poche 29 of 100

thesis prep catalogue booklet 30 of 100

twenty first century (swiss) poche 31 of 100

diagramming poche conditions 32 of 100

superpoche, walls and core, cores on cores, cores and columns 33 of 100

the inconsequential facade 34 of 100

momentarily considering concrete on the domestic scale 35 of 100

facades 36 of 100

should change 37 of 100

facade ‘skin’ burns away 38 of 100

concrete ‘bones’ remain 39 of 100

stripping away enclosure 40 of 100

to reveal compelling internal conditions 41 of 100

sections 42 of 100

sketches 43 of 100

sections 44 of 100

sketches 45 of 100

40M

60M

Schematic Section 1/32” = 1’

250’ schematic plan 1/32” = 1’

sections 46 of 100

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process 47 of 100

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section 48 of 100

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as collage of elements 49 of 100

section a-a 50 of 100

section b-b 51 of 100

plans 52 of 100

process 53 of 100

plans 54 of 100

diversity of spatial experience emphasized 55 of 100

1 — ground 56 of 100

2 — castle 57 of 100

3 — basilica 58 of 100

4 — vaults 59 of 100

5 — columns 60 of 100

6 — arches 61 of 100

7 — cavern 62 of 100

8 — bulwark 63 of 100

9 — shapes 64 of 100

10 — canopy 65 of 100

physical model 66 of 100

*

*angela copes included for scale

photographed as base for collages 67 of 100

atri

view 68 of 100

ium

atrium 69 of 100

4 vau

view 4 70 of 100

4 ults

vaults 71 of 100

6 arch

view 6 72 of 100

6 hes

arches 73 of 100

7 cave

view 7 74 of 100

7 ern

cavern 75 of 100

9 shapes

view 9 76 of 100

shapes 77 of 100

physical model formwork 78 of 100

chipboard and nashua tape 79 of 100

physical model 80 of 100

casting 81 of 100

physical model 82 of 100

casting 83 of 100

completed physical model 84 of 100

weighing in at 100 lbs 85 of 100

final presentation 86 of 100

room 325 slocum hall 87 of 100

final model 88 of 100

east wall 89 of 100

A final re-presentation of this project was created for ‘Shelf Life’ an exhibition staged in Slocum Hall.

The objects submitted for the exhibition are as follows: 1 — a swiss chocolate box filled with two dozen concrete hearts 2 — a gold locket, with pictures of Louis Kahn and Valerio Olgiati 3 — a framed photograph of Prentice Womens Hospital ca. 1975 4 — a diptych of Prentice proposed adaptation by Jeanne Gang post demolition snapchat art by Erik Carlson PhD 5 — a framed photograph of I.M. Pei at the Everson Museum 6 — a framed photograph of Jessica Hauffe atop a concrete parking garage in Syracuse ca. 2013 7 — Booklet of precedents 8 — Booklet of field research photographs

catalogue 90 of 100

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shelf life exhibition 91 of 100

concrete 92 of 100

Concrete ubiquitous, yet anything but common durable, yet adaptable robust, yet beautiful

conclusions 93 of 100

Brennan, Jessie. A Fall of Ordinariness and Light (The Enabling Power). 2014. Photograph.

Accessed May 8, 2017. https://www.iconeye.com/images/2015/11/Jessie- Brennan_A-Fall-of-Ordinariness-and-Light_The-Enabling-Power_2014_ Graphite-on-paper-framed-in-aluminium_57-5-x-71-5-cm_Commissioned- for-Progress-by-the-Foundling-Museum_2014.jpg.

Carsten Czaja LIVFE Design Agency. Robin Hood Gardens Wrapped in Glass. 2008.

Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/ web/c/w/l/Czaja1.jpg.

Chicago Architecture. Former Prentice Women’s Hospital Demolition. 2014. Photograph.

Accessed May 8, 2017. https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/12/IMG_0194-768x1024.jpg.

Clark Patterson Lee. South Elevation of New Building at Orange County Gov Center - Existing Courtyard. July 9, 2015. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. http:// clarkpattersonlee.com/uploads/images/_blogPostsMainImage/cpl_orange_ co_gov1.jpg.

Gang, Jeanne, Michael Kimmelman, and Jay Hoffman. Jeanne Gang and Michael

Kimmelman’s proposal to save Prentice Women’s Hospital. October

4, 2012. Photograph. Accessed May 2, 2017. http://www.archdaily. com/284783/jeanne-gang-and-michael-kimmelmans-proposal-to-save-

prentice-womens-hospital/sga_prentice_pedestrian_final.

Gofers, Tao. The Sirius Building during Its Initial Construction Phase. 1980. Photograph.

Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7904642-3x2- 700x467.jpg.

LAVA Architects. Sirus Redevelopment Plan: Rendering. Photograph. architectureanddesign.

com.au. 2015. Accessed May 8, 2017. http://www.architectureanddesign. com.au/getattachment/News/LAVA-architects-Sirius-about-saving-Sydney- s-bruta/chris.jpg.aspx.

Lousada, Sandra, and The Smithson Family Collection. Kids Playing at Robin Hood Gardens. 1972. Photograph. Accessed May 8, 2017. https://

municipaldreams.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/p14307-robin- hood-gardens-1972-300dpi.jpg?w=529&h=355.

World Monuments Fund. The Stripped-Down Facade. 2016. Photograph. Accessed May 8,

2017. https://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/styles/project_gallery_full_ size/public/projects/gallery/og2.jpg?itok=TpqVdLfd.

*All photos unless above-noted were taken by Steven Carlson

figures 94 of 100

Blaser, Werner. Der Fels Ist Mein Haus (The Rock Is My Home). N.p.:Van Nostrand

Reinhold, 1977.

De Monchaux, Thomas. “The Other Modernism.” n+1, July 12, 2012. Accessed

December 13, 2016. https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/ the-other-modernism/.

Fuck Yeah Brutalism (blog). Accessed December 13, 2016. http://fuckyeahbrutalism. tumblr.com/.

May, Kyle, Julia van den Hout, Jacob Reidel, Archie Lee Coates, IV, Jeffrey Franklin, and

Michael Abrahamson, eds. CLOG: Brutalism. N.p.: Clog, 2013.

Scalbert, Irénée, Tom Emerson, and Stephanie Macdonald. Never Modern. N.p.: Park

Books, 2013.

Smithson, Alison, and Peter Smithson. From the House of the Future to a House for Today.

Edited by Max Risselada and Dirk Van Den Heuvel. N.p.: Uitgeverij, 2004.

works cited 95 of 100

final review 96 of 100

I would be remiss if I did not thank my advisor Assistant Professor Nicole McIntosh, who was a constant support. Her wealth of knowledge, experience and critical eye was an invaluable resource.

Critical to this project, was the advice and support of my Thesis Committee: Professors Julie Larsen, Roger Hubeli and Sinéad Mac Namara.

Their encouragement, wealth of structural and material knowledge, consistently tough and constructive criticism served as the foundation of this project. Additionally, the courses I’ve been able to take with each through the years have been invaluable in shaping both this project, and my specific interests within Architecture.

I’d like to thank University Professor Carl Schramm, not only for being a great sounding board and critic, but also for his Fast Cities / Failed Cities course which I was lucky to take several years ago. He has engendered my peers and me with an invaluable skepticism that we will carry with us as we begin our careers.

I would like to thank the supportive and generous faculty and staff of the Syracuse University honors program; especially Kate Hanson for her feedback and support over this past year.

I would like to thank the generous benefactors of the Crown-Wise Awards provided through the University Honors Program, and the Crown-Wise selection committee. The funding provided me is greatly appreciated, and opened up many avenues of exploration that would have otherwise been shut.

Thank you for reading! All good wishes.

acknowledgements 97 of 100

In Loving Memory of Jessica Lynn Hauffe 1994 — 2014 San Jose, California Syracuse Architecture Class of 2017

dedication 98 of 100

Jessica Lynn Hauffe 99 of 100

thesis prep poche research booklet https://issuu.com/scarlson94/docs/for_the_love_of_concrete_precedents

field research photography booklet https://issuu.com/scarlson94/docs/for_the_love_of_concrete_pilgrimage

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concretelove.tumblr.com

for more information 100 of 100