WEEK FOUR: THE EPHEMERAL CONTEXT

STUDENT WORK

BACKGROUND
For the last week you have thoroughly investigated the physical, factual evidence comprising your site and its surroundings. However, such tangible bits are only part of the composition of anything we call a place--a mere imprint of many intangible forces working beyond our physical senses. For this next exercise you are to mine the resources of the non-physical context of this place in order to gain a deeper understanding of how the physical has come to pass; and to understand your responsibilities in proposing any alteration of this existing fabric.

VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY (Ian Coltman, Johnny Karam, Wendy Fan, Calder Erwin)
Research Poster: Team "C" (Ian, Johnny, Wendy, Calder)




PHENOMENA (Frank Gonzalez, Jeff Su, Brittany Teeter)
Active forces on the site

sunlight/shadow study:

wind/rain study:



traffic and noise diagrams


NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY (Kai Pannu, Zephyr Anthony, Sergey Marandyuk)
1920's Historical Context



TYPOLOGICAL CONTEXT: Precedent Studies (Steven Christian, Drew Carson, Angela Previdelli, Felix Velazquez)

ASSIGNED: Friday, 18 April

DUE: Friday , 25 April (PIN UP)

TO DO:

Keep in your teams, and keep your area of scrutiny to that of the previous exercise.

TASK 1 (team A - 3 students): historical context: the past
You are to research all areas of past occupation of this particular parcel of land, and compile a coherent and accurate set of historical documents for the elucidation of the rest of the studio. The aim is to provide a temporal continuum within which one may thoughtfully anticipate future trends. These documents must include the following:
• 1:100 maps in sequence. A minimum of 3, beginning with information prior to human habitation, and ending with the most previous condition prior to the present. These maps are to include natural information such as topography and foliage (abstracted), and all man-made information including all structures, pathways, streets, rail tracks, sidewalks, etc.
o these maps are to be identically rendered, in a drafted, color-coded, figure-ground representation, in order to most easily facilitate a comparison of each time period represented.
• historical photographs/drawings. compile as many perceptual images as possible to accompany each map segment.

TASK 2: (team B - 3 students): phenomenological context: active forces
You are to research and present the 6 most significant forces that are acting on the specific site of the project, but shown in the context of the larger vicinity. Some of these forces may be generated by the surrounding vicinity; and some may occur on a larger scale. It is up to you to determine these 6 forces, but of critical importance are:
• sunlight / shadow
• wind / rain
• noise
• perceived safety
• perceived levels of privacy
Your documentation must include at least one plan / section diagram for each perceived force.

TASK 3: (TEAM C - 4 students): social context: the voices
You are to meet people, listen to what they have to say, and present their opinions to the rest of us.
• Each student must visit the neighborhood engage in a conversation with two (2) separate residents.
o Bring a camera and a note pad or recording device.
o Be polite and positive!
o Try to cover a variety of locations and residents as possible within your group. Try to speak to shop-owners, workers, and residents, young, old, black, white, or brown.
o Avoid knocking on doors or appearing otherwise intrusive, or associated with groups which stand on corners and ask people for money.
o Introduce yourself as a student at PSU's department of architecture who is interested in the opinions of neighborhood residents.
o Ask these people one simple question: "What do you think this neighborhood needs?"
o Ask politely if you can take their picture, if they can give their first name, and their occupation. No other information is necessary, unless they volunteer it themselves!
• Record your conversation and their responses to your question.
• Compose one poster-sized (18 x 24 is preferable) board, which is composed of:
o The photo of each respondent, with his/her name and occupation
o A paragraph quoting his / her response to your question.
• Be prepared to expound up on these conversations.


TASK 4 (team D - 4 students): typological context: the precedent
You are to research and present 4 existing works of architecture which--typologically--represent a similar size, scale, program, and (perceived) architectural significance as our current line of investigation. These works may be as old as the antiquities, and a recent as yesterday, but they must be built.
PARAMETERS:
• size/scale: more-or-less 20,000 sq. foot in footprint. no. stories: (?)
• program: housing for 4-16 'families'. Look for unconventional housing typologies, such as co-housing projects, traditional extended-family compounds (e.g. china, yemen), live/work facilities, certain institutions which incorporate housing /dwelling. Also, look for accessory programs, such as shops, offices, schools.
• arch. significance: you get the idea, but look at some projects by alvaro siza, arne jacobsen, among others.
PRESENTATION (each project):
• minimum of 4 photographs
• plan: figure-ground site plan
• plan(s) / section (s): color-coded diagram(s) showing division of uses within the project
• significant moment: some image which illustrates the importance or uniqueness of this particular project.