Weekly Inspiration

I found this image of a bridge-like design and complex that's very similar to my site and current ideas for development- high rises on one side, an aquatic depression, and a bridging structure to traverse it. I'm hoping this will keep me inspired for next week's iterations!

Floor Plans

Here are my floor plans for this week where I have worked out the first iteration of program organization and building layout.

The general concept is that this is a "working" library, less for access to materials, and more for areas to work, meet, and collaborate. Limited material will be available for "browsing" and will be organized by topic (similar to a bookstore) than by traditional library systems, such as the Dewey Decimal system. The work areas get quieter as you ascend upward. The upper-most floor is a mezzanine level for library staff offices.

Circulation areas and "movement" areas will contain loose book stacks that people will be forced to walk passed and "browse" as they move to their desired location within the building.

I have axons and sections of the building, but can't post them yet because I need to scan them...I will get them up here ASAP.

On networks and circulation patterns

Paul Baran, On Distributed Communications Networks, RAND Corporation, 1962

This post is a small continuation of the presentation on networks and circulation. By identifying the different types of networks one can imagine new ways of organizational principles in architecture. That can be applied either as an organizational diagram of program or as an internal/external circulation system. Each of the different network systems, as presented by Baran, have got both advantages and disadvantages for communications regarding effectiveness and alternative routes. Borrowing elements of these concepts from fields outside of architecture can spark ideas on how one can be more inventive with the way the users of a building can move around on their way to a certain part of it, how long that might take, how many options they might have to reach the same point from alternative routes and so on.
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Paul Baran (1926–2011) was a Polish American engineer who was a pioneer in the development of computer networks. He worked for the computer science department in the mathematics division of the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research and development organization funded mostly by government grants. At that time the RAND Corporation focused mostly on Cold War-related military problems. Baran thought he could design a more robust communications networks using digital computers and by introducing redundancy.


At that time there were two basic models for building communication networks: centralized and decentralized. In a centralized network all nodes are connected directly and only to a centralized hub or switch. All data is sent from an individual node to the center and then routed to its destination. If the center is destroyed or not functioning all communication is effectively cut off. If the route between a node and the center is destroyed or not functioning, that node is effectively cut off. A decentralized network uses several centralized hubs. It is almost like several small centralized networks joined together. Each individual node is still dependent upon the proper functioning of its hub and the route to it.


Baran suggested a third alternative—a distributed network—"a communication network which will allow several hundred major communications stations to talk with one another after an enemy attack. " (Baran, Rand Memorandum 3420-PR, CH.1) A distributed network would have no centralized switch. Each node would be connected to several of its neighboring nodes in a sort of lattice-like configuration. Therefore, each node would have several possible routes to send data. If one route or neighboring node was destroyed, another path would be available.


Excerpts via: ibiblio

I think I've found a solution to my woes. I compressed the program and building into the "tower" that is attached to the existing building thats immediately adjacent to the site. The other "towers" become depressions which are outdoor public areas. The building is accessed by descending a short stair into the depression immediately next to the building...you can see it in the images.

The volumes portruding from the main volume are the work areas that get quieter as you rise. A cafe, and "superloud" work area is at the entrance level. The first portruding volume is a public lecture space/auditorium.

Let me know what you think.

Slab Design (Continued) and Circulation

In the process of working on my plans and circulation, I have been studying the floor surface curvature and its walkability (for lack of a better term).  The diagrams posted are not diagrams of success!  The form of the floor slab as I have been modeling it in previous iterations is largely inaccessible.  The red areas in the lower diagram indicate areas with a slope (or cross-slope) of greater than 1:12, which is of course the steepest incline allowed for ramps.  My goal is to get a large percentage of the floor plan less than or equal to 1:20 (green areas).  This will mean shallower arches than I have modeled so far and perhaps this move will prevent the plan to design building entrances below the arches.  At this point, I am “flattening” out the building a bit to provide for more useable space and more gradual transitions between program elevation changes.  This exercise has really highlighted the interdependencies between form, structure, program, and circulation.

library scavenger hunt?

best scavenger hunt EVER.

Pleating

Original

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

So here are five options for pleating the rear facade of my shape. I've experimented with a variety of singular pleats with varying orientation, and multiple pleats at regular intervals. I prefer the third video, or pleat option 2. It is a singular pleat that trends toward the northwest corner of the building. During the summer, this option allows direct sunlight to the 5 upper stories of the Gehry Building. This might not be an ideal situation from a space conditioning standpoint, but this side of the building gets blasted with sun during the summer. So I guess the building in a way improves this condition. Personally, the most appealing part of this option is the light incident to the pleat faces throughout the day. With this form there is an opportunity for reflected light through most of the day. In fact, with the right material for reflection. The light from this surface could actual be more desirable than the light conditions in the Gehry building presently.

Let me know your thoughts.

Sun Studies

Spring/Fall

Summer

So here are videos of my sun study for the site with my shape on it. The filled in floor plate (which is not the actual design, and is just there to help indicate the shadow's movement) changes to yellow at 12 PM. Three studies are present. At 9/21 slash 3/21, 6/21, and 12/21. As you can see, the shape creates a favorable shadow pattern during the midday hours during the summer. I believe this space should be utilized as outdoor space for the library probably centered around the cafe area. I still need to look at exactly where the parvis should be placed over the highway, and where the highway should be left exposed. This investigation is forthcoming.

Winter

‘Annoying’ Noise Potential and Adaptive Shape

 

We have already identified the ‘potential’ for noise at the selected site, given that is basically an open void to a multi-lane interstate roadway.  I do not usually think that noise is a particularly insightful site force, simply because urban environments are noisy by nature (this kind of sight analysis usually leads to diagrams of the obvious).  I hope this vein of analysis can be a bit more instructive (you can let me know if it is not).

Hoping to engage (and/or mitigate) the noise ‘potential’ at the proposed site, I have tried to model the behavior of noise in and around the site: first, with existing site conditions and then with a proposed massing on top of the site.  Some computer modeling demonstrated that the main source of noise at the site comes from the several lanes of traffic below the void that I hope to span with the new library as opposed to the surface traffic along Massachusetts Ave. and Boylston St.  More specifically, it is the persistent echo and reverberation of sound emitted from the sub-surface roadway that shapes the sound environment most dramatically.  

The attached animations model a theoretical sound source, in this case an 85 dB, 1200 Hz multi-directional source representative of ‘heavy traffic’ as defined by the US Department of Energy (which is coincidentally within the range of what the DOE defines as ‘annoying’ sound levels).  A comparison of these analyses tells me two things particularly: 1) The shape of the site, once filled with direct and reflected sound, affects how that sound is attenuated over time and this shape has a tendency to hold sound like a vessel and 2) any proposed building proposed at the site will not only have to deal with dramatic noise characteristics but it also has the potential to shape how this sound is transmitted to the streetscape.  I see my proposed library as a layer of refuge within layers of environmental noise; the goal will be to shape the moments where these environments can interact.

Site Planning + Building Envelope

Hi all, I have been thinking a lot about site design and natural elements in working out the programming of my library. Because my site is waterfront and intrudes upon some of the Emerald Necklace and precious little greenspace in that area, I have been thinking of ways to mitigate its presence (and haven't gotten too far yet!). I am particularly concerned about excessive glazing, as I plan on using a lot of glass to make my building transparent and to capitalize on the views. But this becomes problematic after analyzing various sun studies and realizing that its getting very direct light for most of the day and year. I found an interesting article about how LEED points don't pay enough attention to building siting, focusing more on materials and products: http://archrecord.construction.com/yb/ar/article.aspx?story_id=157273774 This is something I have believed for some time, after working in a building that is Silver Certified but completely isolated, off the grid, and poorly climate-controlled. I personally think LEED is a hollow gesture, better for encouragement than actually making things more sustainable, and I'm trying to reconcile that with my current site design. Also, check out Architectural Record's ongoing library precedent articles!

Hi All,

I researched some precedents that had similar conditions as my building (building up on top of the existing structure). My structural diagrams are very schematic (beam sizes, column thickness, etc...) but they show the idea of how I would be able to build on top of the parking garage.
Facade studies describe different ways of addressing the street and attracting the passers-by into the library.


For Wednesday, I will have a programmatic model, schematic plans and perhaps a diagrammatic section of the building.

-MM

structure.footprint.section.diagram.

over the past week i have figured out the footprint of my library and whats going where. there will be two parts to the library; stacks/reading rooms/admin/computers at a dropped elevation and louder public areas that are more for quick browsing at ground level.
structurally it is very simple, there will be a grid system and trusses that span the entire space so it can remain open. the interior spaces will be divided/differentiated by furniture and ceiling treatments.

program bubble diagram with building footprint.

plans and entries.

structre diagram- yellow circles indicate columns.



section. its very diagrammatic.

lastly, i am working on a site plan so i can make a proper nolli map. its a work in progress and is closer to finished now.

Where I stand.

I spent the past week looking at interior spatial organization, as well as a level deeper into the structure. Ultimately these two will be intimately connected. I think its easiest to assume the loads need to be transmitted through three points located at each corner of the base. For this reason, the corners of my shape will have to be more structurally robust. The "infill" structure can be used to define space, or as structure for floor plates. I've include two examples below. As far as the interior space is concerned, the size of the shape is good. If I place floors at a similar interval to Gehry's building the interior would be 30,000 sq. ft. This allows for the removal of 10,000 sq. ft. of floor space presenting the opportunity for multiple volume spaces. The images below present a few option for breaking up the interior with multiple volumes and circulation. I think the next step is pairing down my program and figuring out adjacencies so I can figure out the sequence of spaces.

Work Update - Program

This post includes a few program diagrams which I am using to make sense of the proposed program distribution.  In addition to the structural concepts explored in my previous post, I am hoping this weekend to expand on these ideas with more decisive plans and sections (working on that now).  The main idea I want to express through my program diagrams is that of a serial experience, in other words, the affect of "passing through" different distinctive program elements.   I will post more this weekend as I finish up my plans and site sections.

Where I'm at? See below photos...

Where am I headed?
I need to continue working on form as it relates to my concept. As it is now, the form is a little harsh and too literal. The good news is, the process of going through this week's assignment has led to some clarity which I hope I can express in the next week or so. I would like to focus on how the form can create the experience for the user that I intend. Circulation and interior spaces are critical. Talking with a friend led me to realize that my current form as it expresses my concept is sort of upside down. In other words, if credibility is the main concept, each fragment of digital information is a subsidiary. As the building makes its way from foundation to roof much like the fragments of information combining and making their way to the surface as a whole, the building should read more as a collaboration than as fragmented parts. In the plans, you could see how if the floors were reversed, it may reflect this idea better. That is not to say by just flipping them, I will achieve what I'm looking for. As I mentioned, it is still too literal of a translation at this point.

Evan's Work

Latest Design Iteration and Structural Concepts

Sorry, this is going to be a little long...but just to reiterate, my concept is to create a satellite to the BPL - an annex that breaks with the rigid formality and protectionist ideals of the traditional library. This is a response to a tendancy for people to prefer more relaxed work environments that are centered around social environments, such as cafes and book stores.

I think the traditional library excludes a large percent of the population, who wish to work and access its resources, because it creates an environment unsuitable to their habits.

My satellite, would offer, several different workspaces that vary in "loudness" which could be used for individual work, club meetings, business meetings, job interviews, etc, etc, etc. It would also offer a cafe, a small lecture space, auditorium, computer area, free wi-fi throughout, loaner laptop computers, limited magazine, newspaper, and book stacks that are set up on a 'browsing' basis, not a rigid system. Being part of the BPL, however, it would also give access to the main collection. Requests can be put in at a circulation desk, and every hour or so, a truck would bring requested material back and forth from the big library.



This is an the massing that I was initially drawn to from our first massing study. I liked how it worked with the site, being on a corner, and how it had somewhat of a porosity...which could open opportunities for it to express a welcoming feel. It began to disolve a fabric of continuous, stuck together, buildings.



It had some issues though...it was comprised of separate, very vertical structures, that would not lend themselves to practical circulation. Also, they were still somewhat rigid and sterile...something I was trying to get away from with this new library.




Above is a program study that I did to study ways that the programmatic elements could arrange themselves...I plan to do more of these as I progress, however, I think I have a basic understanding of how they will organize.

In my next (and latest) iteration (see below) I tried to literally combine the forms produced by the program study, with my initail massing concept. The idea is to use the organic and highly functional program organization to hover/hang "freely" within the rigid, vertical masses, and begin to contrast and breakdown their formal character.



I also rotated the western two vertical masses so that they connect fully with the neighboring building, and create an 'opening' along the facade along Newbury, for a main entrance. The main program spaces hover within the vertical masses and the vertical masses primarily become circulation and support space (bathrooms, storage, mechanical).

I welcome feedback as to the direction things are going. In my next steps, I will continue to refine my concept and manipulate both my program and form to bring it through another iteration.

Structural Concepts



Essentially, thus far, my building consists of vertical, tower-like elements, with horizontal masses that hang, bridge, and hover between them. The intent for the vertical massing, is that internally, they can be vertically open and not require regular and stacked floor plates. I think the diagrid structural system will be most suitable for that. I believe (someone please clarify) that the diagrid system will essentially turn the entire mass into a big shearwall, carry most of the load through the exterior structure, and require a minimum of internal, horizontal bracing. This can be seen in the top sketch above.

The second sketch is an alternative, more traditional structural system, using a steel grid and floor plates. This system, I believe, will limit how open my structures can be on the inside. The advantage to this however, is that it will be more suited to carrying the loads of the horizontal structures/spaces. If I use the diagrid system, described above, the horizonatal structures/spaces will have to be more self-supporting.

The third sketch shows a simplified diagram of how the horizontal structures will "hover" within the vertical massing. I think the structural system of these elements will be a more traditional steel grid with floor plates, due to their horizontal nature and because they are mostly only one storey in height.

Thats where I am....I hope to get some good feedback.