Urbanisms

Urbanisms

Princeton Architectural PressNew York

Working with Doubt

Steven Holl

This book is dedicated to Astra Zarina (19292008), passionate teacher of urban phenomena.

Gymnasium Bridge 1977 Bridge of Houses 1979 Parallax Towers 1989 Storefront for Art & Architecture 1993 Pratt Institute Higgins Hall Insertion 19972005 World Trade Center Schemes 1 and 3 2002 Highline Hybrid Tower 2004 Hudson Yards 2007 Erie Canal Edge Rochester 1989 Stitch Plan Cleveland 1989 Spatial Retaining Bars Phoenix 1989 Spiroid Sectors Dallas-FortWorth 1989 Chapel of St. Ignatius Seattle 19941997 UCSF Mission Bay SanFrancisco 1996 MIT Master Plan Cambridge 1999 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art KansasCity 19992007 School of Art & Art History IowaCity 19992006 Green Urban Laboratory Nanning 2002Museum of Art & Architecture Nanjing 20022009Linked Hybrid Beijing 20032009 Xian New Town Xian 2005 Horizontal Skyscraper Shenzhen 20062009 Sliced Porosity Block Chengdu 20072012Ningbo Fine Grain Ningbo 2008 World Design Park Complex Seoul 2007Void Space / Hinged Space Fukuoka 19891991 Makuhari Bay New Town Chiba,Tokyo 19921996 Manifold Hybrid Amsterdam 1994 Sarphatistraat Offices Amsterdam 19962000 Toolenburg-Zuid Amsterdam 2002 Kiasma Helsinki 19921998 Meander Helsinki 2006 Porta-Vittoria Milan 1986 Lombardia Regional Government Center Milan 2004 Les Halles Paris 1979 le Seguin Paris 2001 Beirut Marina and Town Quay Beirut 20022010 Akbuk Peninsula Dense Pack Akbuk 20062010

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LebanonTurkey

ForewordUrbanisms: Working with Doubt

Geo-SpatialExperiential PhenomenaSpatiality of NightUrban PorositySectional CitiesEnmeshed Experience: Partial ViewsPsychological SpaceFlux and the EphemeralBanalization versus Qualitative PowerNegative CapabilityFusion: Landscape / Urbanism / Architecture

Coda: Dilated TimeThe Megaform and the Helix byKennethFramptonProject CreditsImage CreditsAcknowledgments

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Chiselofftheboltsoflightduskhastheswimmingword.

PaulCelan,ForceofLight

Micro-MacroThisbookisconceivedasanaccom-panimenttothebookHouse: Black Swan Theory(PrincetonArchitecturalPress,2007).Whilethemicroscaleofthefirstbookisjuxtaposedwithavisionofthepreservationofnaturallandscape,thisbookfocusesonthemacroscaleofcitiesthroughthelensofarchitecture.

TheexplorationofstrategiestocountersprawlattheperipheryofcitiesandtheformationofspacesratherthanobjectsweretheprimaryaimsofourEdgeofaCityprojectsmadebetween1986and1990.Eachofthesevisionsproposedliving,working,recreational,andculturalfacilitiesjuxtaposedinnewpedestriansectorsthatmightactassocialcondensersfornewcommunities.

Eachsite,eachcityrequiresauniquearchitecturalresponse.InChina,20032009,wehavehadtheopportu-nitytorealizeunprecedentedprojectsasthatcountryundergoesoneofthegreatestpopulationmigrationsinhumanhistory.500millionpeoplewillbetransplantedfromruralareastourbanzonesoverthenextfewdecades,theenvironmentalconsequencesofwhicharecategoricallyglobal.TheambitionofAsianclientstorealizenewurbanvisionspresentsanurgencyincontrasttoourformervisionstudies.

OuropportunitiestoworkinChinahavebeenfocusedonsettingurbanandenvironmentalexamplesatlargescales.Whileatthemicroscale,wemightaimatshapingspace,light,materialanddetail;atthemacroscalebroaderaimshavebeenthechallenge.Ratherthanmonofunctionbuildingswehavestrivedfornewhybridbuildingswithrichprogrammaticjuxtaposition.Ratherthaniconicobjectbuildings,wehaveattemptedtoshapenewtypesofpublicspace.Reshapingthelargeprogramsofprivatedevelopmenttomoldurbangeometryfornewpublicmetropolitanexperiencehasbeenacoreaim.

Thefusingoflandscape,urbanism,andarchitecturehasbecomeanewgroundforexploration.Asourinteriorsareoftenconceivedasexteriors,sotherelationofbuildingtogroundsmightbereversedorintegrated.Thepotentialtoseelandscape,urbanism,andarchitectureasacontinuedcrisscrossingexperienceproposedin1993forHelsinki'sKiasmawasfullyrealizedintheintertwinedland-scapeoftheNelson-AtkinsMuseumofArtinKansasCity(2007)andtheLakeWhitneyWaterTreatmentFacility(2002).In2007thisinterlacingaimtookonanewscaleintheWorldDesignParkComplexforSouthKorea.HowthelargeurbanscaleisturnedinsideouttothemicroscaleiscentraltoourMicro-Macroallegory.

Foreword

StevenHoll

The United States covers an area of 3,537,441 square miles with a population of 304,686,000. With 3,696,100 square miles, China covers a similar area but its population is 1,330,044,544.

Ineveryseriousphilosophicalquestionuncertaintyextendstotheveryrootsoftheproblem.Wemustalwaysbepreparedtolearnsomethingtotallynew.

LudwigWittgenstein,1950

Today,workingwithdoubtisunavoid-able;theabsoluteissuspendedbytherelativeandtheinteractive.Insteadofstablesystemswemustworkwithdynamicsystems.Insteadofsimpleandclearprogramsweengagecontingentanddiverseprograms.Insteadofprecisionandperfectionweworkwithintermittent,crossbredsystems,andcombinedmethods.Suspendingdisbeliefandadoptingaglobalunderstandingistodayanaprioricondition,anewfundamentalforcreativeworkinscience,urbanism,andarchitecture.Workingwithdoubtbecomesanopenpositionforconcentratedintellectualwork.

Theresearchandpreparationrequiredforanyintegratedurbansuccessisquitedifferentfrompreviousperiodsthatimposedclassicalstylesorsoughttofulfilltheabsoluteaimofmodernistfunctionalclarity.Weaimforatwenty-firstcenturyarchitectureincontrasttotheempiricalkitschofthepost-modern.Weaimforanarchitecturethatisintegral:landscape/architecture/urbanism,anarchitectureofdeepconnectionstosite,culture,andclimate,ratherthananappliedsignaturestyle.Workingwithopennessanddoubtattheoutsetofeachprojectcanyieldworksengagedonlevelsofbothsiteandculture:manydifferenturbanisms,ratherthanasingleurbanism.

Working with Doubt

oppositeBeijing: the Linked Hybrid located just off the second Ring Road.

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Reflectiononthemacroscaletakesusbeyondthemetropolitanpresentintodeephistoricaltimeononescaleandoutwardintothesolarsystemonanother.Archaeologicalandhistoricalaspectsofasiteanditsformerculturesmightspanthousands,ifnotmillionsofyears.

IfwelookatEarthfromaboveduringtheauroraborealisforexample,unlikeourancestorsofnortherncultureswhoattachedmythicalandreligioussignificancetoitsappearancewenowunderstandthephenomenaasacollisionofchargedparticleswhichoriginatefromthesunarrivingtoEarthviathesolarwind.Yet,notallmysterieshavebeenresolvedgeomagneticstormsthatigniteauroralactivityhappenmoreoftenduringthemonthsaroundtheequinoxesaphenomenonstillunexplained.

VenusisEarthsnearestplanetaryneighborandacloseequivalentinsize.Itsgreenhouse-effectcloudsaremadeofwaterandCOwhichmaintainasurfacetemperatureof860degreesFarenheit.Venusoncehadwaterbutitisnowsteam.Venusisinretrograderotation;thesunrisesinthewestandsetsintheeast.Ithasnomoon.Mytheoryisthatitoncehadamoonjustasitoncehadwater,bothvictimsofgreenhouseheat.

WhenlookingbackatEarthfromspacelikeourEdgeofaCityprojectsfrom19891990everyarchitecturalactioncanbeseeninsomewayasurban.EveryconstructivemarkonEarthscrust,inrelationtonaturallandscape,shouldbescrutinized.Thereisnowhereontheplanettodaythatisnotsubjecttoconcentratedhumanforces.

aboveIn 1899, less than 10 percent of the earths population lived in cities. In 2008 the 3 billion urban inhabitants continues to grow.

oppositeCurtains of light; electrons from the solar wind rain down along the Earths magnetic field lines. Their color depends on the type of atom or molecule struck by the charged particles. Today these northern lightsthe aurora borealis, historically poetic and mythicalare full of new meanings.

1Geo-spatial

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Itisoddthatfewurbanplannersspeakoftheimportantphenomenologicalcharacteristicsdeterminingthequalitiesofurbanlifespatialenergyandmystery,qualitiesoflight,color,sound,andsmell.Thesubjectivityofurbanexperiencemustbeheldinequalimpor-tancetotheobjectiveandpractical.Therightandlefthalvesofthebrainwhichbalancepragmaticfactsandsubjectiveart,respectively,shouldhaveaparallelinthemacroscaleofurbanexperiences.Themusic,art,andpoetryofurbanexperienceshouldbegivenmoreforceinbalancewithinthecapitalist-drivenclimateofurbandevelopment.Constructedinwallsofglass,concrete,orbrick,thecityisasmuchasubjectiveexperienceasitisanobjectivereality.Thissynthesisofsubjectiveandobjectiveoughttobecentraltourbandesignfromtheoutset.Ourfocusisontheimmenserichnessfullofcontradictionsthatistheurbanexperience.Justasthebrainisembeddedwithinthebodyandjustasthecityisembeddedinitssurroundingenvironment,weshouldworktowardrelationalvalues.

Large,privatelyinitiatedurbandevelopmentsmayhavemorepotentialthanmasterplanstoshapenewpublicspaceinthecity.Civicmasterplans,endlesslydebatedandpoliticallypositioned,movetooslowlytobeeffectiveandare,usually,eitheralteredbeyondrecognitionorshelved.Masterplansshouldbeconceivedwithintegratedelementsofarchitectureastheirinitialcatalyst.

In1950,thepoetCharlesOlsensaid,ThecentralfactofAmericaisSpace.Almostfiftyyearslater,atthecloseofthetwentiethcentury,HaroldBloomsaid,OurcentralfactisTime.Iproposethatwearenowataturningpoint.Justaswehavenowengageddeeptime,wemustengageequivalentdimen-sionsofspace.Adeepspaceoftheurbanbeginswhereinteriorsbecomeexteriorsandviceversa.Thecrisscrossinglaticelikequalityofnewurbanexperiencesopenupanewspatialsenseofwonder.

Thephenomenalqualitiesofthelightandairofparticularcitiesarepartoftheimportantcharacteristicsdeterminingthequalityoflife.Perhapscityofficialsshouldemploypoetsforurbanredevelopmentprojectsinordertobringthedelicatephenomenalpropertiesofurbanplacesintoclearfocus.Therational,statisticalpointofviewiscertainlynotenoughwhenoperatingonaverycomplexbody.Ifmodernmedicinehasfinallyacknow-ledgedthepowerofthepsycheasafactorinphysicalhealth,perhapsurbanplannersmayrealizethattheexperi-entialandphenomenalpowerofcitiescannotbecompletelyrationalizedandmustbestudiedsubjectively.

Tothinkofthelightandairincitiesat34latitudeforexample,isnotacompletelyscientificoperation.Thealtitudeandbearingangleofthesun,togetherwiththenumberofrainydaysperyearandthemeantemperature,cannotyieldanaccuratedescriptionoftheplace.Thinkofmovinginrapid

2experiential phenomena

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successionduringthefirstweeksofsummerfromRometoBarcelonatoMadridtoLisbon.Theastonishinglyuniquequalitiesofplaceineachofthesecitiesisawonder.

RomeinlateJunehasadryheat,sometimesfannedwiththebreezeoftheAviernos.ThehugescaleoftheRomanmonumentspackedintotheochrewallsshapestheskyinslicesandwedgesinawaythataltersthelight.LightdefinestheurbanwallsandfacadesinaparticularwayfoundonlyinRome.Shinyblackpavingstonessmoothlyjointhebottomofeachfacade.Afterafreshrain,thestreetsofRomehaveaparticularmagicintheirreflections.

TheRomansummerheatcanbeverystillinawaythatseemstoreinforcetheslowmovementoftime.Time,light,stone,history,andurbangeometryintermeshtoformauniqueimpression.Theintermeshingofthesephenomenalaspectsyieldsavisceral,intellectual,andphysicalexperiencethatdemandsdescriptivewordssuchasamazement,wonder,poeticrevelation;wordsnotfoundinplanningdocuments.

WhileRomeisknownastheeternalcity,Barcelonaturnsrapidlyintime.ThebeveledblocksoftheCedraGridwhirllikeaclock.Theyturnandturnagainatcornercrossingsrepeatedoverandoveracrossthemainurbangeo-metryofBarcelona.Theoldcrooked-streetcityissurroundedbythismodernwhirlingmachine.BarcelonacombinesthesaltairoftheseaandthesliceofblueMediterraneanacrossthedistanthorizon.

ThepolishedpavementoftheRamblasglowswithreflectionsofpedestrianswalkingpaststandssellinghousepets,cats,livesnakes,roosters,andparrotsturningsomersaultsintheircages.Barcelonahasasenseofsurrealisthumorveryparticularandirrational.WalkingdownthePortaferrisaweseepadsforshoulders,buttocks,groins,hips,andbreastsproudlydisplayedonbrightredfeltbackdrops.ThewaytheseelementsaregroupedtogetherandshownintheshopwindowseemstoprojectaparticularbrandofdarkhumorappropriatetoBarcelona.

followingspreadBarcelonas urban grid andplastic shadows, Ouro Preto, Brazil, 2007

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Theluminosityofeighteenth-andnineteenth-centurycitieswasradicallyalteredinthetwentiethandtwenty-firstcenturies.Theshockingjoyofvastquantitiesofurbannightlightaltersourperceptionsoftheshapeandformofurbanspace.NewYorksTimesSquareacrowded,dirty-greyintersectionbyday,isanastonishingvolumeofglowinglightatnight;spaceisdefinedbytheinterrelationshipoflight,color,andatmosphericconditions.Inaslightmistspaceisliquid.Dynamiccolor,reflectedinwetstreets,blursandmultipliestheexhilarationofthismetropolitanspacetointense,cinematiclevels.Theextremecontrasttothisblastofurbancolorisfeltinthemysteryofaruralvalleyinwinter,carpetedwithafreshpowderofsnowandbathedinmoonlight.Thespatialityhereisquitedifferentfromtheurbananditdependsonsurroundingdarknessforitsprimaryeffect.

ThespatialityofnighttransformsthesculpturegardensbetweentheglasslensesoftheNelson-AtkinsMuseuminKansasCity,Missouri.Bydaytheseindividualoutdoorroomsforsculptureofferaneutralwhitebackdrop,formed

bythestructuralglassplanksofthelenseswhichbringlighttothegalleriesbelow.Atnightthespatialityisreversed;thelensesbecomeblocksoflightthatdramaticallybacklightasculpturebyTonyCragg,changingitsreadingtosilhouette.Inatransformationofweighttolight,adifferentspatialityisdescribed:thespatialityofnight.AtthePrattInstituteSchoolofArchitectureinBrooklyn,shadowsofstudentsmovingaboutinthedraftingstudiocanbeseenfromtheglowinglightoftheentrancecourt.Theprojectionoflightinthisnewcourtyardisasoftwashratherthantheregimentedlightofastreetlamp,anewurbancourtyardwithagoldenpenumbra.Urbanspaceatnightmayhaveaveiledcharmandmystery.

Aruralspatialityofnightrequiresrestoringdarkness.Thesuburbanlightpollutionthatisrapidlyerasingthestarsfromournightskiesnegativelyaffectsanimalsandmigratingbirds.Anaimtowardnewurbanspaceanditsmetropolitanvitalityhasitscomplementinclarifiedrurallandscapeandtheresto-rationoftheinspiringandmysteriousglowofthenighttimefirmament.

aboveleftTouching blocks of light, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

abovemiddleCommunicative light, Simmons Hall, MIT

aboverightPainting light, the canal with Sarphatistraat offices

oppositeLiquid Light, Times Square

3spatiality of niGht

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aboveThe Linked Hybrid in Beijing shapes public space; twelve buildings for living / working / recreation / education are porous from every edge.

InWalterBenjaminsReflectionsthereisadescriptionoftheurbanporosityofthecityofNaples.Heobservesporousarchitectureinwhichbuildingandactioninterpenetrateinthecourtyards,arcadesandstairways...tobecomeatheaterofnewunforeseenconstellations...Porosityistheinexhaustiblelawofthelifeofthiscity,reappearingeverywhere.Ratherthanapreoccupationwithsolid,independentobject-likeforms,itistheexperientialphenomenaofspatialsequenceswith,around,andbetweenwhichemotionsaretriggered.ThereisascaleofdistanceswalkedandseenandpassagesavailableintheareaaroundrueduBacinPariswhichoffersagentleurbanporosityofmovement.Thepedestriancanchangedirectioninseconds;thepedestrianisnotblockedbylargeurbanconstructionswithoutentryorexit.Thisfreedomofpedestrianmovement,championedbyJaneJacobsastheidealmatrix,isbasedonthecaseofGreenwichVillageinManhattanandcanbeenvisionedindifferentwaysforthetwenty-firstcentury.

Forlargerurbanprojectsmadeupofseveralbuildings,porositybecomesessentialforthevitalityofstreetlife.EspeciallyinthecityofBeijingwheretheurbangridlayout(inheritedfromtheHutongblocks)tendstowardsuperblockdimensions,urbanporosityiscrucial.OurBeijingLinkedHybrid,aprojectofeighttowersrangingfromtwelvetotwenty-onestories,linkedbybridgeswithpublicfunctions,isanexperimentinurbanporosity.Passages

fromallsidesleadingintothecentralspacearelinedandactivatedwithshops.Adiagonalspatialporosityanimatesthiscitywithinacityconnectingdifferentlayersofpublicactivity.

4urban porosity

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Insteadofthenineteenth-centuryflat-footedfigure-groundspace,twenty-first-centurymetropolitanspaceismoreactiveinsection.Weriseandfallinelevatorsandescalatorswhileourpointsofviewopenandcloseinamazingsequences.Itisachangeasdramaticastheleapfromhorsebacktoautomobiletoaviation.Nowwecansweepthroughoururbanspacesbirdlikefromunprece-dentedandexhilaratingperspectives.Invigoratedurbanismofthetwenty-firstcenturymustmovebeyondtheplani-metric,andtakenewformsinsection.ThisZ-dimensionarchitectureyieldsnewexperiencesinspace,light,andperception.Increasedspatialenergydirectlyrelatedtoahighdegreeofsectionaldevelopmentallowsforfreshdimensionsofurbanliving.

TheXandYdimensions,theplanimetric,wereoncetheurbanplannersbasicrealm.TodaytheZdimensionofthedevelopmentofbuildingsinsectionhasovertakentheplanimetric.Asurbanistsandarchitectswemustthinkfirstoftheurbansectionsinourcities.Thesectioncanbefiftytimesmoreconsequentialthantheplan,especiallyinmetropolitancenterssuchasManhattan,Shanghai,Tokyo,andHongKong.

TheBeijingLinkedHybridinscribeslayersofurbanlifeinaloopofeightbridgesconnectingatthehighestfloorsofeightskyscrapers.Ourexperimentsinthehorizontallydevel-opedskyscraperbeganinprojectsliketheBronxGymnasiumBridge(1977)inNewYorkCityandSpatialRetaining

BarsforPhoenix,Arizona(1989).TheseprojectsofferednewhorizonsofexperiencenotunlikeWolkenbgel(CloudIron)designedbyElLissitzkyandMartStamin1926.However,wewantedtoavoidisolatedobjectsinfavorofurbanspaceshapedbyurbanconnections.WiththerealpressuresofrapidurbanizationinBeijing,abridge-linkedassemblageofhorizontallydevelopedskyscraperswasproposedandacceptedin2003.Hydraulicliftconstructiontechnologypermittedapubliccirculationofvariousfunctionsincludingacafe,bookstore,gallery,spa,andswimmingpool.Anewlayerofurbanexperience,anactiveurbanpattern,ismixedwiththeenchantmentofdeepurbanviewsfromthetwenty-firstfloor.

Advancedstructuraltechnologiesandconstructiontechniquesopenuptheimaginationandpotentialforhorizontalskyscrapersandpublicfunctionbridgesdevelopingnewdynamicexperienceswithcinematicspatialsequences.

Allarchitecturalworksareinsomewayurbanworks;theyeitherdenyoraffirmthepotentialofthecity.Themetro-politandensityofthetwenty-firstcenturyasksforafurtherspatialaffirmationintheverticalandthediagonal.Adiagonalrisebyescalatorthroughoverlappingspacesofamodernmetrostationyieldsanopen-endedspatialsensation.Thelimitedconditionsoflinearperspective(fromplanimetricprojections)disappearasmodernurbanlifepresentsmultiplehorizonsandvanishingpoints.

topWolkenbugel, MoscowEl Lissitzky and Mart Stam, 1925

middleSpatial Retaining Bars, Phoenix, 1989

bottomParallax Towers, Manhattan, 1990

5seCtional Cities

(toward new urban Volumes)

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Ourexperienceofacontemporarycityisoneofpartialviews,fragmentedandincomplete.Aswemovethroughthesepartialviewsandoverlappingperspectivesourexperientialqualitiesareofenmeshedspace;insteadofdistinctobjects,weunderstanddistinctfieldsasanewtypeofwhole.Forexample,whenwalkingonWestTwelfthStreettowardtheHudsonRiveratsunsetonanautumnday,thelastorangelightreflectedinthehighwindowscreateswhitestreaksintheorangecloudsinthedistance.Atasecondglance,thesewhitestreaksmoveasifgiantchalklinesarebeingdrawninthesky;ajetplanestreamsoverNewarkAirportasthesettingsunbecomesinextricablyintertwinedwiththeurbanperspective.Thegeo-metricframeofthebuildings,theorangelightreflectedinwindows,theshineofthecobblestonesandthewhitechalklinesintheskybecomeoneenmeshedexperience.

Unlikeastaticvieworanimage,thedynamicexperienceofourperceptiondevelopsfromaseriesofoverlappingurbanperspectiveswhichunfoldaccordingtoangleandspeedofmovement.Whilewemightanalyzeourmovementalongaspecificpathatagivenspeed,wecanneverenumerateallpossibleviews.Thepartiallydescribedpathsthroughurbangeometriesremainindoubt,alwayschanging.Aseriesofviewsfromastationarypositionisconstructedbetweenhorizontal,diagonal,orverticalaxesofmovement.Nosingleviewofabuildingorurbanspacecanbecomplete,

astheperceptionofabuiltobjectisalteredbyitsrelationshiptonearandfar,solidandvoid,theskyandthestreet.

Afantasticspatialenergyresidesnotinthebuildingasobjectinitself,butinitsrelationshipstotheurbanenvi-ronment.ThepartialviewsthroughtheurbanframeofadjacentbuildingstothecurvilinearfacadeoftheKiasmaMuseumofContemporaryArtinHelsinki,Finland,forexample,weremeanttobemoreinspiringthanthatofafreestandingobject.Thepredominanceofpartialviewsisanargumentforurbanintegrationandtheinterrelationofurbanspace.Throughthephenomenologicalstudyofcitieswefindnewwaysofincorporatingthisaspectofperspectivalspaceintoourvisionandourfabricationofarchitecture.Amultipleperspectivesapproachtoplanningispartofouraimtoconceiveurbanspacesbyincorporatingperceptualprinciples.Arevaluedunderstandingoftheexperientialdimensionsofurbandesignmovesbeyondthenormsofindividualarchitecturalintention,towardtheindefinitepropertiesofurbanassem-blage.Enmeshedexperiencesmergeforeground,middleground,anddistantviewthroughpartialviews.

6enmeshed experienCe:

partial Views

oppositeKiasma Museum of Contemporary Art between the post office and the Helsinki Sanomat building, Helsinki, Finland, winter 2004

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Ourthoughtsaretheshadowsofourfeelings.

FriedrichNietzsche

Meaningsafterallareinvisible.ArthurDanto

Asfirst-yearstudentsattheUniversityofWashingtoninSeattlein1967,ourassignmentwastodesignan8'8'8'cubeofspacetoserveallaspectsofdailylife;living,working,eating,sleeping.Mosttriedtodesignabedthatcouldfoldupintoaworkingdesk,etc.Iquestionedthepremisealtogetheranddrewacubewithadottedlinetoacurvilinearshapeindicatingpsychologicalspaceasanecessity.Theprofessorswereoffended,butpassedme.

Onamacroscale,psychologicalspaceexpandstothepsychologicalfieldofurbanspace.Thesimultaneousinteractionsoftopography,program,linesofurbanmovement,materials,andlightcometogethertomanifestthespiritofanurbanplace.Thepsychologicaleffectsofsoundmustbeconsideredaswellasothertemporalfragmentations.Inthisregard,architectureproducesdesire.Theexhilarationwefindwhenwewalkintothespacebetweenorinsidecertainbuildingsproducesakindofpsychologicalspace.Itcanrepresentanexperienceweneverhadbeforeandwanttoseemoreof.Therecognitionofspatialandmaterialphenomenameetstheimagination.Thepowerofchanginglight,thespatialenergyoftherouteofmovementfusetogetherintosomething

totallynewtous,anewdesire.Thisisacoreaspectofpsychologicalspace.

Wedevelopedtheideaofpsycho-logicalspaceasadimensionofour1986triennaleoftheMilanPortaVittoriaplanfromtheprojectPhenomenaofRelations.Thespatialenergyofthegeometricallyinspiredurbanensembleyieldsitsvitalenergyaswemovearound,through,andoveritsspaces.Circlinginunfoldingperspectivalspaces,weareosmoticallyimbuedwiththejoyousfreedomofnewforms.Thearchitecturalspacesandsurprisesmakeussmile.Themodernmetropolitansoulisborn.

aboveHouse of Nothing, Makuhari Bay New Town, Chiba, Tokyo, 19921996

Franz Kafka told the story of a nervous man who was fishing in a bathtub. Approached by a psychiatrist who had a certain treatment in mind for him, he was asked, Are they biting? to which he replied, Of course not, you fool, this is a bathtub!

7psyCholoGiCal spaCe

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aboveFiber-optic undersea cables for telephone and internet traffic

oppositeWhether at the scale of dense city fragments, or the rural landscape with the solitary house, a deeper, more comprehensive vision of humans and the Earth is an urgent issue. A fundamental change of attitude, a revi sioning of values must take place.

8flux and the ephemeral

Inahyper-mobilepopulation,theconstantfluxofinformation,materials,andproductsdissolveanddisperse.Thismalleabilityoflifeinthemetropolis,whilechangeableinitstransientturbulence,neednotbesoinanephemeralarchitecture.Openarchitecturewhichcanadapttochangelikearockcanyoninwhichmaterialandeometryiserodedbytheriverflowcallsforanarchitectureofdurationratherthanoneofthrowawayspace.

Ofthemillionsoftonsofsolidwasteproducedbycitieseachday,morethan50percentisconstructionwaste.Acultureoftemporary,media-drivenconsumeristangstpropelsarchitecturetowardimpermanence.Architecture

well-proportionedforlight,space,andflow,andconstructedoflastingmaterials,isfundamentalforanewabilitytoadapttothemetropolitanflowandchange.Forexample,inordertopersuadesponsorstoinvestinaninfrastructureofgeothermalwellstoheatandcoolarchitecture,aminimumbuildinglifespanoffiftyyearsshouldbeassumed.CurrentlymostAmericanuniversitiesconstruct100-yearbuildingsfortheircampuses.Abalanceofreceptivitytometropolitanfluxandthecreationofenduringarchitecturesetsahigheraimthanassuagingargumentsforephemeralconstructionsandjunkspacedebris.

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Thefactthatexplosiveurbangrowthyieldsbanalizationwithoutarchitecturalqualityisnosurprise.Whatissurprising,however,istheattemptofthecurrentgenerationofurbantheoriststowriteapologeticallyforthisflatteningbanality,asifwecouldbeimmunizedtoitseffectsviachartsanddata.

Recently,rapidlyconstructeddevelopmentsinAsiahavereachednerveshatteringproportionswhoselassitudeyieldsbrutalurbanconditions.Abruptconstructionofback-to-back-to-fronthigh-riseapartmentscontinuesregardlessofintelligentcriticsinschoolsofarchitectureadvocatingmoredensitywithaspecioussmile.Thisdifferentsortofbanalitythebanalityofthedetachedcriticalargumentdevelopsfromalackoffirsthandobservation.

Ouraimistorealizeatleastsomeconstructionsofexemplaryquali-tativepower;asurbanconstructions,thesearevehiclesoftransformation.Constructedwithapluralityofmeanings,anintenseurbanarchitectureofqualitycanbeaninstrumentofabstractthought:unforeseen,resistanttobanalization,andcapableofchangingandshapingurbanlifewithphenomenalexperiences.

Asanexampleoflarge-scaleintensityconsidera1953projectbyOscarNiemeyer:CopaninSoPaulo,withover1,000apartments.Treatiseshavebeenwrittenonthesubjectofhowpeopletakepleasureinlivingthereandhowthedetailoftheshoppingcenterunderneaththebuildingwascarefullyworkedoutandstillfunctionstoday.

TheartistJurgenPartenheimerwritesabouthisexperiencesfromhisapartmentonthe28thfloor:Copanisaphilosophy.Withthirty-twofloorsandmorethanseventyapartmentsoneachfloor,thebuildingisaveritabletowninitselfwithfivethousandinhabitants...Theextravagantsensualityofitsundulatingformanditsmajesticeleganceandgrandeurrubsoffonthepeoplewholivehereandfillsallwhoworkwithit,itsmanagersandcaretakers,withpride.Anystudent,urbanist,orarchitectvisitingSoPaulomustvisittheCopanBuildingtoseethisdimensionofqualitativepoweronamassivescale.

aboveHong Kong residential congestion

oppositeQualitative power at Oscar Niemeyers Copan Building, So Paulo, 1953

9banalization Versus QualitatiVe power

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TimeisdyingonthemoonIheartheminuteslimpingroundandround.Forgivemethisminute;thehoursarecreakingpastthesemidnitebones

TheodoreRothke,StrawfortheFire

Severalthingsdovetailedinmymind,andatonceitstruckme,whatqualitywenttoformaManofAchievementespeciallyinliteratureandwhichShakespearepossessedsoenormouslyImeanNegativeCapability,thatiswhenmaniscapableofbeinginuncertainties,Mysteries,doubtswithoutanyirritablereachingafterfact&reason.

JohnKeatsinalettertoGeorgeandThomasKeats,December21,1817

Negativecapabilityisapositivecapacity.Negativecapabilityistobeabletotakeinalltheproblematicaspectsofthesurroundingworld,toseeandacknowl-edge,toentertainuncertaintyandstillbeabletoact:amodusoperandiforthetwenty-firstcentury.Asanarchi-tectyougotoasitetostudyeveryangleavailabletofeelinyourbodywhatneedstobedone;intuitivelyyoucreate.

Pastandongoingfailuresinthisworldinclude:thedeteriorationofnaturalandbuiltenvironments,discrepanciesofwealthandpoverty,andtheinabilityofcapitalistdemocracytomanage

economieswhilewagingunnecessarywars.Thefirstofthesethreeissuescanbedirectlyengagedwithurbanprojectsofvision.Architectureandurbanismmighthavea5positioninthepotentialtoredirectandtoshapethefuture.Urbanexamplesofchange,evenifmodestinscale,canleadtohopesandexpec-tations.Theycanserveasapositivecatalyst.Workingwithdoubtandopen-nessis,inessence,aformofoptimism.Regardlessofhowunfortunateanddifficultelementsaccumulateinourdailylives,asarchitectsandurbanistsitisimportanttoaimwithoptimismatalong-termview.

aboveBeijing, March 2006 dust storms

oppositeBeijing traffic 2003; one appointment per day is the maximum achievable due to delays.

10neGatiVe Capability

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Thefusionofarchitecture/urbanism/landscapecanberealizedincityfragmentswhenallaspectsarecon-ceivedintegrally.Thisintegrationshouldcarryoverintotexture,material,color,translucency,transparency,andreflection.Landscapedesignorderedasanafter-thoughtcannoteffectivelyfusewitharchitectureandurbanism.

TheZengardensofJapanareaninspiringexampleoftheindefiniteboundaryofarchitectureandgardens:bodiesofwater,illusionsofdistance,andedificesfloatingontheirownreflec-tionsarepartofatraditionofslowdevelopment.Japaneseculturemergedtheartsofgardening,painting,sculpture,andarchitecture.

Todayscontextofspeed,internationalinterconnection,andhypercontrolofdevelopmentrequiresrapidandflexibledesignstrategies.Toooftenanarchitectisexpectedtopresentaconceptforaverylargeprojectwithjustafewweekstoprepare,andmustconceptuallycoalescelandscapeandarchitecturetogivedirectiontoapublicspace.Fusinglandscapeandpublicspaceinlargecommercialurbandevelopmentsrequiresquickinterdisciplinaryconceptualwork.

FortheWorldDesignParkComplex(wdpc)projectinSeoul,Korea,anintegratedweaveofparkandinfrastruc-tureofferstwolayersofoutdoorspaceinthisdensemetropolis.Thefusingofurbanism,landscape,andarchitectureinawovenstructuralmorphologyisfoldeduptobecomeapartialverticalpark,whichcontainsavianandscientific

exhibits,includingextinctKoreanfloraandfauna.Heremorphologyandtopog-raphyhavemergedwitharchitecture.Thenetlike,reticulatedfusionoftheWDPCprojectisaconvergenceoflandscapeandarchitectureinanentirelynewtopology.

Amoreconcentratedexampleoffusinglandscape/urbanismandarchi-tecturecanbeexperiencedinourNelson-AtkinsMuseumofArt(19992007).Fromthearrivalintothe500-cargarageskylitbysubaqueousmoonsintheplazapool,totheoverlappingsequenceofmuseumspacestoplitbytheiceberg-likeglasslenses;thisisanarchitectureofporositywherelandscapeandbuildingaimatadynamicintegrationandanewexperientialdissolve.

aboveandoppositeWeaving architecture, landscape, and urbanism in WPDC, Korea, 2007

11fusion: landsCape /

urbanism / arChiteCture

New York City

41

TheGymnasiumBridgeisahybridbuildingsynthesizedasaspecialstrategyforgeneratingpositiveeconomicandphysicaleffects.Thebridgecondensestheactivitiesofmeeting,physicalrecreation,andworkintoonestructurethatsimultaneouslyformsabridgefromthecommunitytotheparkonRandallsIsland.

Alongthebridge,communitymembersparticipateincompetitivesportsandphysicalactivitiesorganizedaccordingtoanormalworkdaywithwages.Thebridgebecomesavehiclefromwhichdestitutepersonscanreentersociety,becomeaccustomedtoanormalworkday,andhelpgainstrengthtodeveloptheirindividualpotential.Theformofthearchitectureisaseriesofbridgesoverbridges.ThesmallentrancebridgesateachendofthemainspanpreservetheviewdownBrookStreettothecanal,andfromRandallsIslandupBrookStreet.Themainspanisalignedwiththisaxisandiscrossedbyafourthandhighestbridge.Inwaterratherthanoverwater,thisbridgeactsasastructuralpivotfromwhichtheturnbridgeportionofthemainspanrotatestoallowfutureshippassageinthewaterway.

South Bronx, New YorkGymnasium Bridge

opposite Site plan of Randalls Island and South Bronx, 1977

rightBeginning without clients: 1977 projects for urban transformation

1977

43

ThesiteandstructuralfoundationoftheBridgeofHousesistheexistingsuperstructureofanabandonedelevatedraillinkintheChelseaareaofNewYorkCity.ThissteelstructureisutilizedinitsstraightlegfromWestNineteenthStreettoWestTwenty-ninthStreetparalleltotheHudsonRiver.

In1977,WestChelseabegantochangefromawarehousedistricttoanartdistrict.TheBridgeofHousesreflectsthenewcharacteroftheareaasaplaceofhabitation.Reuseratherthandemolitionoftheexistingbridgewouldbeapermanentcontributiontothechar-acterofthecity.

ThisprojectoffersavarietyofhousingtypesfortheChelseaarea,aswellasanelevatedpublicpromenadeconnectingwiththeConventionCenteronitsnorthend.Thestructuralcapacityandwidthoftheexistingbridgedeterminetheheightandwidthofthehouses.Fourhouseshavebeendevelopedindetail,emphasizingtheintentiontoprovideacollectionofhousingblocksofferingthewidestpossiblerangeofsocial-economiccoexistence.Atoneextremearehousesofsingle-room-occupancytype,offeredforthecityshomeless;eachoftheseblockscontainstwentystudiorooms.Attheotherextremearehousesofluxuryapartments;eachoftheseblockscontainsthreeorfourflats.Shopslinethepublicpromenadelevelbelowthehouses.

Thenewhousesarebuiltinanalternatingpatternwithaseriesof2,000-square-footcourtyards(50percentopenspace).Allnewhousesalignwiththeexistingblockfrontatthestreetwalls,

reinforcingthestreetpattern.Theornamentalportionsoftherailbridgethatpassoverthestreetsremainopen.

Bridge of Houses New York City, New York

rightStudy model in steel, copper, and brass

aboverightBridge of Houses shapes a public promenade, 1979

1979

44

Sections 8'

oppositeWest Twenty-first Street toward the Hudson River

Bridge of Houses

46

47

InthisproposalforManhattan,theexistingSeventy-secondStreettrainyardswouldbetransformedintoanewcity-edgeparkinthespiritofFrederickLawOlmsted.Theexistingdensedevelopmenttotheeastlooksoutoverthisnewopenpark,whichextendstotheHudsonRiversedge.

Ontheriver,ultrathinskyscrapersbrackettheviewandcreateanewkindofframedurbanspaceoverwater.Hybridbuildingswithdiversefunctions,thetowersarelinkedbyhorizontalunderwatertransitsystemsthatconnectunderwaterparksidelobbiestohigh-speedelevatorsservinguppertransferlobbies.OccupantsarewithinwalkingdistanceoftheSeventy-secondStreetsubwayentranceorexpressferriestotheJacobK.JavitsConventionCenter,WallStreet,andLaGuardiaAirport.

Incounterbalancetotheultrathintowers,anultrathickfloatingpublicspaceisusedasaconcertstadium,large-screenmovietheatercomplex,orgrandfestivalhall.

Parallax Towers New York City, New York

rightA proposed extension of Riverside Park. The site, former railyards, were later developed by Donald Trump.

aboverightModel in collection of Museum of Modern Art

1989

Parallax Towers

51

TheStorefrontforArtandArchitecture(designedwithVitoAcconci)issitu-atedonthecornerofablockthatmarkstheintersectionofthreedistinctneighborhoods:Chinatown,LittleItalyandSoHo.Thegalleryitselfisalimited,narrowwedgewithatriangulatedexhibitioninterior;themostdominantisthebuildingslongfacade.

Usingamaterialcomprisedofconcretemixedwithrecyclednewspapers,weinsertedaseriesofhingedpanelsarrangedinapuzzle-likeconfiguration.Whenthepanelsarelockedintheiropenposition,thefacadedissolvesandtheinteriorspaceofthegalleryexpandsoutontothesidewalk.Ifthefunctionofafacadeistocreateadivisionseparatingtheinsidefromtheoutsidespace,thisnewfacade,inthewordsofformerdirectorKyongPark,isNowall,nobarrier,noinside,nooutside,nospace,nobuilding,noplace,noinstitution,noart,noarchitecture,noAcconci,noHoll,noStorefront.

In2008thisproject(temporaryin1993)wasrestoredtoitsoriginalcondition.

oppositeandthispageA triangular space opening up to the city, inside and outside

New York City, New YorkStorefront for Art & Architecture

1993

53

ThenewHigginsHallCenterSectionisanurbaninsertionwhichdrawsfromthesectionsofthetwoadjacenthistoricland-markedbuildings.Floorplatesofthenorthandsouthwingsdonotalign.Bydrawingthismisalignmentintothenewglasssectiontomeetatthecenter,adissonantzoneiscreated,whichmarksthenewentrytotheschool.

ThetwomasonrybuildingstogetherwiththenewglassinsertionformanHinplan.Newcourtsfacingeastandwestarepavedinthereusedredbrickwhichwassalvagedfollowingthefirethattookplacein1996.Theeastfacingcourtoverlooksthegreenyardsoftheinnerblock,whilethewestcourtisshapedasthemainfrontonSt.JamesPlace.

Risingfromthisredbrickplinth,theglasscenterissupportedonsixprecastconcretecolumnsthatwerefabricatedinCanada.Duetotheirprecision,thethickbeamsandcolumnsformstone-likebones,whiletheU-shapedstructuralglassplankswithtranslucentwhiteinsulationformathickglowingskin.Thethickskinisinterruptedbyclearglassatthedissonantzone,whichisalignedwiththeinternalramps,turningthecirculationnorthandsouthforviewsout.

Themisalignmentinfloorscanbeseeninthedissonantzonewhichvaries

increasinglyasitmovesverticallyinsection;onthefirstfloors,themisa-lignmentisinch;onthesecondfloorsitis1foot8inches,onthethirdfloorsitis4feet9inches,andonthefourthfloorsitis6feet7inches.Thus,thedissonancemovesfromthedetailthicknessofafingertohumanscale.

RebuildingthecenterallowedanewarrangementoftheSchoolof

ArchitectureunderthedirectionofDeanThomasHanrahan.Forthefirsttimethenorthandsouthwingsarefunctionallyconnected,andtheSchoolofArchitecturegainedasingle,clearlyorientedentranceandcentralentrancecourtthatbecomesameetingpointintheneighborhood.

Pratt Institute Higgins Hall Insertion

Brooklyn, New York 19972005

oppositeandrightThe dense fabric of Brooklyn does not leave much room for public space. At Higgins Hall we were able to

create a small urban alcove that is being used by students as well as the surrounding neighborhood.

54

EastWestSection 10'

1 Skylight 2 StudioBeyond 3 LobbyBeyond 4 Gallery 5 Corridor 6 LowerLobby 7 LectureHall 8 PublicOutdoorSpace

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Pratt Institute Higgins Hall Insertion

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N0 5 10 20'

N0 5 10 20'

opposite The red brick plinth forms a warm entrance court. At night the building functions like a lantern.

First-andSecond-FloorPlan 18'

Higgins Hall Insertion

59

AstheWorldTradeCentertragedytookmanysoulswithoutbodiestobury,thismonumentalnewspacefloatswiththeriverwatermovingbelow.Stripsofsunlightanimatethefloorsandwallsfromlightslots,whichallowobliqueviewsoftheHudsonRiver.Inamemorialhalleachpersonlosthasaphotoportraitbelowacandle.

ThememorialrampsuptoanewbridgeoverWestStreet,connectedtoafoldedstreetwhichascendsoverthesite.Alongtheascendingstreetareanumberoffunctions:galleries,cinemaspaces,cafes,restaurants,ahotel,classroomsforabranchofNewYorkUniversity.Sheathedintranslucentglassthetrussconstructionallowsforgrandpublicobservationdecks.

Anewstreetlevelplanallowsnorth-southandeast-weststreetstogothroughthesitewhileaccommodatingauditoriumhallsforconcertsandevents.

Thefootprintsoftheoriginaltowersareformedinto212'212'reflectiveponds,withthousandsofglasslensesallowinglighttospacesbelow.

Scheme 3OurthirdproposalforthedesignoftheWorldTradeCentersitewasdevel-opedwithRichardMeierandPartners,EisenmanArchitects,andGwathmeySiegel.Asareminderthatthemagnitude

ofwhathappenedwasfeltfarbeyondtheimmediatesite,thedesigndoesnotattempttocontainordividethesite.Ratheritextendsthesiteintothesur-roundingstreetsthroughaplanthatcontainsaseriesoffingers.

Insteadofindividualiconicbuildings,thecreationofurbanspaceinthespiritofRockefellerCenterwasouraimasateam.Themostvisiblesignsofrenewalaretheproposedhybridbuildings,rising1,111feettorestoretheManhattanskylinewithgeometricclarityinglowingwhiteglass.Thehorizontalandverticalfieldofbuildingssustainactivitiesfromahotelandconferencecentertooffices,culturalspaces,andresidences.

Comprisedoffiveverticalsectionsandinterconnectinghorizontallayers,thetwobuildingsrepresentanewtypologyinskyscraperdesign.Atgroundlevel,

theseformsbecomeceremonialgatewaysintothesite.Intheirquietabstractionassolidsandvoids,thebuildingsappearasscreens,suggestingbothpresenceandabsence,andencouragingreflectionandimagination.Theircantileveredendsextendoutward,likethefingersofthegroundplan,reachingtowardthecityandeachother.

oppositeNew folded street on an open trapezoid plan ascends to 1300'

World Trade CenterSchemes 1 and 3

New York City, New York 2002

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aboveandrightThird Scheme developed with Richard Meier and Partners, Eisenman Architects, and Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects

opposite First scheme folded streets over Manhattan

63

EnvisionedasthenorthterminusoftheHighlinethistowerbeginswithabridgelinktothenorthendoftheHighline.ThehorizontalityoftheHighlineParkhereturnsupwardintoaLineartower,withmultipleurbanfunctions,markingthenorthterminusofthisnewpublicspace.StoresalongthebridgesdescendingsteppedrampandalongtheTenthAvenuestreetfrontareincludedasamenitiesforthenewinhabitants.Thefullservicehoteloccupiesseveralfloorsandsharesitslobbywiththecondominiums.

Thestructureisacombinationoftaprootstrongcorewithperimetercolumns.Onthetopfloorsatunedmassdamperisoftheliquid(sloshing)typeintheformofaskylinespaandswimmingpool.Thespaalsoincludesacafewithspectacular360-degreeviews.ThetowersconnectiontothehorizontalHighlineorientspedestriansinChelseasnewpublicspaces.Theaimistomakethegreenestskyscraperpossible.Itwascalculatedthattwo30-inch-diameterpipesslungbelowthenorthlinkoftheHighlinetotheHudsonRivercouldprovideallcoolingforthe660,000-square-footbuilding.

Highline Hybrid Tower New York City, New York

opposite The Tower and the Highline tracks: the needle at the end of a thread of park

rightFirst scheme with flare out sections and vertical rail elements

2004

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SitePlan 50'

above2007 scheme, 63 floors

rightBridge to Highline dissolves into multiple awnings over lobbies

Highline Hybrid Tower

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1Mechanical 2 Lobby 3Restaurant/ ConferenceCenter 4Offices/Galleries 5 HotelAmenities 6 Hotel 7 Residential

Highline Hybrid Tower

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Thislastlarge,undevelopedMidtownManhattansiteprovidesanunprece-dentedopportunitytocreateanewurbanparadigmforthetwenty-firstcentury.Whileofferingahighmixed-usedensityof12millionsquarefeet,theproposedsuspension-deckparkdesignmaximizespublicspaceandcreatesaporosityandopennessforthesitefromallsidesandapproaches.ItconnectsMidtown,theChelseaArtsDistrict,andtheconventioncenterwithagrandpublicparkopentotheHudsonRiver.Thisproposalprovides5acresofurgentlyneededparkspace(twoacresmorethancompetingproposals).

THIS

NOT THIS

FLEXIBLE SPACE FOR LIRR WITH NO INTERRUPTIONS AND LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRAINED SPACE FOR RAILYARDS WITH LIMITED FLEXIBILITY, MAX RAIL CLOSURE, LONG ASSEMBLY TIME, RISKY CRANE LIFTING, HEAVY EXCESSIVE CONSTRUCTION, THREAT RISKS WITH TRAINS BELOW BUILDINGS

Hudson Yards New York City, New York 2007

oppositeHudson Yards: one of the last possibilities for a large park space in Chelsea

rightA cable-suspended park saves millions in unnecessary deck construction.

70

rightThe Hudson Yards are a chance to add much-needed green space to Manhattans West Side.

GreenSpaceandCirculation

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Hudson Yards

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CrossSection

1 ExittoHighline 2 ResidentialTower 3 ResidentialAmenities 4 RetailSpace 5 Sculpture&ArtsPark 6 GreenRoof 7 Cafe 8 Lobby

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Water Recycling 1 ToiletFlushing 2 LandscapeIrrigation 3 RoofGardenIrrigation 4 PondWaterMakeup 5 StormWater 6 RetentionTreatment

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Hudson Yards

rightThe entire 11.3 million square feet of the complex is geothermally heated and cooled and utilizes gray-water recycling.

USASEATTLE

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oppositeUrban densities with strips of clarified landscape

Rochester, New YorkErie Canal Edge 1989

TheErieCanal,agrandworkthatsecuredthegrowthofNewYorkandofcitiesalongitsroute,isnowanundistinguishedtrenchtothesouthofRochester.Thisprojectisacross-sectionalstudywhichredefinesthecanalandreinforcesthecityedge.

Canalhousesrestonthetopandbottomoftheembankment,likedogsat

thedinnertable.Onthenorthsideofthecanal,thehousesformacontinuouswallandanintermittentarcade;onthesouth,theyaremisalignedandopentotheruralsurrroundings.

Thenorthernurbanedgeischaracterizedbyaworkplacebuilding,whichanticipatesnewprogramsnotrequiringhorizontalfloors.Operation

occursviawalkwaybeamsanalogoustotheformerwork-walksalongtheErieCanal.

Betweentheworkbuildingandthecanalhousesareaseriesofsocialandculturalfacilities:agroupofcinemas,amusicschool,andhousingfortheelderly,withaconnectingculturalgallery.

78

aboveView from the canal

rightModel

oppositeDetail of 1989 model: The northern urban edge contains a workplace building that anticipates new programs not requiring horizontal floors. Operation occurs via walkway beams analogous to the former work-walks along the Erie Canal.

79

81

FiveXsspacedalongtheinlandedgeofCleveland(thenorthernedgeisformedbyLakeErie)defineprecisecrossoverpointsfromnewurbanareastoaclarifiedruralregion.Thesenewlycreatedurbanspacesaregirdedbymixed-usebuildings.

AtoneXthecrossoverisdevelopedintoadamwithhybridfunctions.Theurbansectioncontainsanumberofbuildingsincludingahotel,acinema,andagymnasium.Theruralsectioncontainspublicprogramsrelatedtonature,includingafishhatchery,anaquarium,andbotanicalgardens.

Theartificiallakeformedbythedamprovidesalargerecreationalareaandextendsthecrossoverpointintoaboundaryline.Takentogether,theXsimplyanurbanedge,connectedbylightrailtransit.

Stitch Plan Cleveland, Ohio 1989

oppositeStitch Plan edge and clarified landscapes beyond

rightModel of Hybrid dam and pedestrian sector

82

aboveStitch plan with multiple functions as a dam, pedestrian sector, and clarified landscape.

rightA new pedestrian sector with clarified rural landscape (connected by rail transit)

oppositeStitch Plan aerial view

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Stitch Plan

85

ThemostprominentaspectofthehistoryofPhoenixisthemysteriousdisap-pearanceoftheindigenousHohokumcivilizationafter1,000yearsofcontinuouscultivationofthevalleywith250milesof30-footcanals.SitedontheperipheryofPhoenix,aseriesofspatialretainingbarsinferanedgetothecity,abeginningtothedesert.Eachstructureinscribesa180'spacewhilerisingtoframeviewsofthedistantmountainsanddesert.

Theloft-likelivingareasintheupperarmshanginsilentisolationforminganewhorizonwithviewsofthedesertsunriseandsunset.Communallifeisencouragedbyentranceandexitthroughcourtyardsatgrade.Workisconductedelectronicallyfromloft-spacesadjoiningdwellings.Culturalfacilitiesaresuspendedinopenframestructures.

The30'by30'buildingsectionsactasreinforcedconcretehollowbeams.Exteriorsareofpigmentedconcretewiththeundersidesofthearmspolishedtoahighgloss.Inthemorningandeveningtheseundersidesareilluminatedbythereddesertsun;ahangingapparitionoflightoncereflectedbythewaterofHohokumcanals.

Spatial Retaining Bars Phoenix, Arizona 1989

oppositePhoenix with retaining bars (red) protecting the desert at the northwest, southeast, and west.

rightUpward axonometrics showing ground-level courts and polished undersides of upper bars.

86

topleftSectional urbanism

toprightRetaining bars at horizon and reflecting sunlight at sunrise

aboveFlexible cultural building frame

oppositeProtected desert landscape beyond new urban edge compared to uncontrolled sprawl

SiteLocation

89

ProtectedTexasprairielandisframedbynewsectorscondensingliving,working,andrecreationactivities.Futureinhabitantsaredeliveredauto-freebyhigh-speedMaglevtransitfromtheDallas-FortWorthAirportinminutes.

Anewhierarchyofpublicspacesisframedbythearmatureswhichareknottedinacontinuousholdingtogethermorphology.Variouspublicpassagesalongtheroofaffordashiftinggroundplane,invigoratingtheinterconnectedexperienceofthesectorsspaces.

Theloopingarmaturescontainahybridofmacroprograms;publictransitstations,healthclubs,cinemas,andgalleries,withhorizontalandverticalinterconnectedtransit.Micro-programsofdomesticactivitiesareinsmalleradjacentstructures.Thesmallestspiroidsformlow-costcourtyardhousinginexperi-mentalthin/thickwallconstruction.

Spiroid Sectors Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas 1989

oppositeClarified landscape bracketed by spiroid sector connects to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to North Phase I

rightMaglev train connecting four proposed spiroid sectors and new landscape between Dallas and Fort Worth

Dallas-FortWorthAirport

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rightStudy models

opposite Spiroid Sector:With a high-speed rail stop in each dense cluster, suburban sprawl is scraped away for reconstituted landscape.

93

Withineverybeingandeveryeventthereisaprogressiveexpansionofamysteriousinnerclaritywhichtransfiguresthem

PierreTeilharddeChardin,The Heart of the Matter

Elementsofthecityandtheuniversity,areeachembodiedinthebuildingschemeofthischapel.TheSeattleUniversitycampuswasplannedonexistingurbanblocks.Weaddressedtheneedforcommongreenspacebysitingthechapelinthecenterofaformerstreetandelongatingthebuildingplan.Newgreencampusquadrangleswereformedtothenorth,west,andsouthandtotheeast(future).

AlargereflectingpondwasformeddirectlytotheSouthofthechapel.Theshallowwaterofthispond,thethinkingfieldjoinswithalawntotheSouthtoformtheforecourtforthechapel,providinganewcampusspace.Atnightthepondreflectsawashoflightfromthebelltowerandemphasizesthegeometryofthespace.Afternightfall,whichisthetimewhenmassesareofferedinthechapel,thelightvolumesbecomebeaconsshininginalldirectionsoutacrosstheuniversitycampus.Oncertainoccasions,theselightsshinethroughouttheentirenight.

Theelongatedrectangularplanisespeciallysuitedtodefiningcampusspaceaswellastheprocessionalandgathering

spacewithin.Theconceptofthesevenbottlesoflightemergingfromastoneboxareexpressedinthegroundplan.Adoubleentendre,theconceptreferstoagatheringofdifferentlightsintheoversixtynationalitiesattendingSeattleUniversity.Thesevenbottlesoflightalsoreferstotheliturgicalelementsoftheprogram;narthex,blessedsacramentchapel,choir,processionalarea,naveeast/west,reconciliationchapelandbelltower/reflectionpool.

leftCentral urban location: Seattle University Campus

rightConcept: Seven bottles of light in a stone box

Chapel of St. Ignatius Seattle, Washington 19941997

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6 CampusServices Building 7 FutureGreen Quadrangle 8 GreenQuadrangle 9 PigottBuilding10ChapelofSt.Ignatius11AdministrationBuilding

12GarrandBuilding13CaseyBuilding14KannanBuilding15newThinkingField withPool16FutureGreenspace

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Chapel of St. Ignatius

97

The2.65-million-square-footprogramforthiscompetitionincluded1.2millionsquarefeetoflaboratoryspaceonavacantindustrialsiteintheMissionBaydistrictofSanFrancisco.OurproposalforthisUCSFCampusoftheFutureaimsatbuildingsocialandcommunityrelationsonthescalesofstudenttostudent,studenttofaculty,scientisttoscientist,andthecampuspopulationtoitssurroundingcommunity.Thedesignisporouswithinterconnectedmeetingplacesatseveralscales.

Campus Quadrangles Theinterconnectedopenspaceofthesevenquadranglesprovidesastrongdefinitionofplaceforinteractionbetweenfaculty,students,andcommunity.Thesesevenlargegreenspacesofpublicdimensionsareformedbythebasicsilentmassesofthecampusbuildings.Thesevenquadranglesofferavarietyofspatialexperiences,views,andlandscapegatewaystothecampus,complementedbyportalsinthesilentbuildingsthatopenontothespaceswithin.

Theplanismadeupoftwobasicbuildingtypeswithnumerousvariations.Themainspacesofthecampusareformedwithsilentmassstructuresset

atadatumof85'.Thesestructuresareofregulatedmaterialandcolortoformthebasicspatialfabric.Thesecondtype,publicpavilionstructures,areofvarietyandlightweightexpressions,addingadynamiclifetotheoverallcampusspace-formingbuildings.Withtheinteractionofthesetwobasicarchitectures,unityisprovidedwithflexibility,balancedwithfreeexpression.

UCSF Mission BayCOMPETITIOn

San Francisco, California

oppositeQuadrangles and grid of San Francisco: A new urban campus

rightThe quadrangles shape green chambers on the campus

1996

98

1

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1 LaboratoryInteraction Lounges

scientist to scientist meetings are catalyzed by these intimate places with outside terraces that per me ate the research labora- tory plans.

2 CampusQuadranglesthe interconnected open space of the 7 Quadrangles provides a strong definition of place for interaction between faculty, students, and community.

3 ProgramsofMeeting &FreeArchitectural Expression

to catalyze orien-tation and meetings, such campus com-munity programs as cafes, libraries, day care centers, and student ser vices are given heightened definition within the basic unity of the campus quadrangles.

4 PortalsofPorositythe basic quadran-gles of the campus are formed by buildings pierced with numerous open portals that welcome the community inside.

5Wind,Water& Sunlight

Controlled experi-ence of these natural phenomena characterizes the urban and archi tectural plan. Quadrangles open to the south receive sunlight, contributing to microclimates within the landscape.

rightandoppositeUCSF campus as incubator for urban development of the Mission Bay area

99

101

The site for the new dormitories at MIT is a unique strip of land 90' wide and over 2,100' long with a railroad at its north side and Briggs Field and distant river views at its south side. In 1903 Cambridge planned to divide the site with four streets, and physically connect the neighborhood to the river. The Vassar Street Corridor master planning process for the twenty-first century would be an opportunity to realize these physical and visual connections in conjunction with the planned residential redevelopment of Cambridge Port. However the new master plan was based on a homogenous seven-story brick structure all along Vassar Street. Instead of a brick, urban wall we envisioned this strip as a porous membrane made up of four individual buildings each with a different type of permeability: vertical porosity, hori-zontal porosity, diagonal porosity, and all-over porosity.

The light, materiality, and trans-parency of these buildings would loosen them from the city fabric on both sides and interconnect the city through them. In a sense they are a living front for the residential district to be built to the north of them. As a front they should be permeable. The urban planning of the residential dormitories should support

their maximum potential as inspirational spaces in which to live and study. Each of the dormitories would be an individual house with a particular identity.

Social spaces are planned to bring people together, to provoke interaction, friendships, and dialogues. The perme-able openings between and within the four buildings would be developed as meeting places, terraces, lounges, and activated passages. Porosity as a massing concept might have programmatic potential for the dormitory buildings. In the case of the residence building, Simmons Hall, individuation of the students room, indi-vidual character of the cluster or collective portion, and individuation of the overall residential building can contribute to the vitality and identity of the residents.

The Sponge concept for the new Undergraduate Residence Hall transforms a porous building morphology via a series of programmatic and bio-technical functions. The overall building mass has five large-scale openings. These roughly correspond to main entrances, view corridors, and the main outdoor activity

terraces of the dormitory, connected to programs such as the gymnasium. The next scale of opening creates vertical porosity within the section of the block. A ruled-surface system freely connected to sponge prints joins plan to section. These large, dynamic openings (roughly corresponding to the houses in the dorm) are like lungs of the building, bringing natural light down and moving air up through the section.

The PerfCon structure is a unique design, allowing for maximum flexibility and interaction. Each of the dormitorys single rooms has nine operable windows over 2' 2' in size. The 18-inch depth of the wall naturally shades out the summer sun, while allowing the low-angled winter sun in to help heat the building. At night the light from the 9-window rooms is magical; the architecture glows with a mysterious scale.

MIT Master Plan Cambridge, Massachusetts 1999

above leftConcept sketch 1/12/99

above rightSimmons Hall overlooking Briggs Field along Vassar Street

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above left and middleStudent lounges connect houses on different floors vertically.

above rightCafeteria activates street

oppositeMaster plan showing different types of urban porosity in four new buildings

107

The fusion of architecture, urbanism, and landscape was an aim of our compe-tition entry for this project. The charge to expand the 1933 museum offered the chance to fundamentally transform the museum toward an open relationship with the city. During the competition briefing we realized that the expansive sculpture garden, open to the public at all hours, could be the catalyst for a new museum architecture, joined to the original Temple of Art. The aim to fuse architecture and landscape opened up possibilities to shape interior space in relation to landform rather than building mass. The landscape is treated as a plane extended over the galleries, a green roof creased and pitched for continuity with the adjacent grades. The landscape grade to each side follows in and out of sync with the floor levels, setting a varying relation between interior and landscape; one moves down into the landscape only to unexpectedly arrive above it.

The new Bloch Building traverses the sculpture garden with multiple entry points. The gallery level opens to the garden periodically as it steps down into the landscape, the sculpture garden in turn continues up over the galleries, forming an indoor / outdoor museum open to the surrounding cityscape.

An expanded field instead of an object, the extent of the museum is indeterminate from any single position.

Visitors can experience the museums exterior spaces, between the lenses and among the sculpture, at all hours. At dusk the lenses are lit, transforming from daylight-gathering vessels for the galleries to glowing lanterns for the sculpture garden.

As blocks of light, the lenses shape space. They are instruments of lightfiltering, diffusing, mixing, and intensifying lights variation to the interior during the day and glowing in the sculpture garden at night.

At the Nelson-Atkins a visitors experience begins by opening the car door within pools of natural light from above. Above ground, the granite-paved plaza has a serene reflecting pool and a sculpture by Walter de Maria, One Sun and 34 Moons.

The interior of the building, linked by stairways and ramps, encourages a natural flow throughout the long structure, allowing visitors to look from one level

to another, from inside to outside. The meandering path in the sculpture garden above has its complement in open flow through the continuous level of new galleries.

oppositeNelson-Atkins campus site

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtcomPEtition 1St PlacE

Kansas City, Missouri 19992007

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lower level 30'

1 Upper lobby 2 lower lobby 3 contemporary art 4 Photography 5 african art 6 Featured Exhibitions 7 noguchi court 8 museum Store 9 library 10 Stacks11 multipurpose Room 12 Parking 13 mechanical 14 Service level

opposite bottomPrecast concrete wave T is pierced by the natural light from underwater moons.

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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

1 Library 2 Upper Lobby3 Event Room4 Museum Store5 Lower Lobby6 Contemporary Art7 Photography8 African Art9 FeaturedExhibitions10 Noguchi Court11 Art Service Level12 Parking13 Multipurpose Room14 Executive Offices15 Auditorium16 Cafe

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The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

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The University of Iowa campus merges with the urban Grid of Iowa City, which has the old State Capitol of 1842 as its symbolic center. Projected across the Iowa River, the grid becomes distorted as it meets the topography of ravines and hills descending to the rivers west bank; there, a series of buildings for the arts are aligned: the theater, museum, and the original 1936 School of Art building. At the outset of the project, a flat green space immediately to the west of the museum was believed to be the best site. Our site engages and reclaims the Quarry Pond, brings the new building closer to the existing and frees the proposed site for the future.

The buildings fuzzy edges create new campus spaces, pathways, and connections: a campus porosity. On the west, a double height reading room marks a new campus gateway and opens to a sunny deck suspended over the water. On the north, a serene urban wall of channel glass is set against open campus space. On Riverside Drive, situated in relation to a major path from the main campus, the buildings principal entrance occurs under the curving overhang of the auditorium. Internally, this path continues as a public route. Through the multiple access points, campus is drawn

into the building. The dispersion and fuzziness of the edges is seen as a positive way to embrace phenomena such as sun-light reflected from water on the lagoon or the white light from freshly fallen snow. As an analogy for a hybrid instrument, Picassos 1912 Guitar sculpture provides a planar open architectural language. Two levels of the library are pushed out into a cantilever keeping the building low while engaging the pond.

oppositeThe campus grid dissolves at a limestone bluff and pond at the building site.

School of Art & Art History Iowa City, Iowa 19992006

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above and rightA deck that functions both as a connecting path and sunny place to study

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School of Art & Art History

Section 12'

Section 12'

Section 12'

Section 12'

1 Library 2MainStair 3 SculptureStudios 4 Classrooms 5 Auditorium 6WestReadingRoom

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opposite A hybrid instrument of weathering steel

SitePlan 25' 1 Entrance 2 Forum 3Gallery 4 Administration 5 Cafe 6 StudentAdvisors 7 ArtHistoryLectureRooms 8OfficeofVisualMaterial

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School of Art & Art History

China

CHENGDU

XiAN

NANNiNG

BEijiNG

NANjiNG

NiNGBO

SHENZHEN

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oppositeLiusha Peninsula New Town: The design began with clear geometric relations to the cut mountain landscape of the peninsula site.

The red line is the proposed new tram to the city center.

rightSketch for living above street-front shops

Liusha Peninsula in Nanning was once a beautiful rolling ridge of green, which was likened to the tail of a dragon whose head lay in Qingxiu Mountain Park. The green dragon was sliced by an aborted development in the early 1990s leaving two muddy flat plateaus. The overall shape of the new town for this 1,865,000-square-meter peninsula site results from an organic link between idea and site. A figure-8 plan takes its form from the shape of the peninsula together with the preservation of two large existing green hills. The linear city loops back over itself like natures cycles.

Two new central parks are contained by the linear looped form. One offers recreational and athletic activities; the other has cultural elements such as modern Chinese gardens, meditation pavilions, cafes, and school playgrounds. For this new town of approximately 27,000 residents and 9,000 units of housing (of 120 square meters per unit on average) are planned. The town will also include schools, shops, hotel and recreational facilities, as well as a Beiqiu anthropology museum and the rebuilt Tianning Buddhist Temple.

The project is divided in two parts: low-scale housing and buildings as mountains. The main housing aims for maximum porosity with natural venti lation and shading. Precast concrete sections with 50 percent wall and 50 percent window are basic structural elements forming porous architecture. Deep set operable windows allow for natural sun shading. Green roofs are hydro-ponic vegetable gardens accessible to the residents. Within a strictly defined building envelope, the aim of indivi duation in housing is achieved through overlapping spatial configurations.

On a higher scale, mountain buildings of multiple stories (with a defined cubic envelope of 60m 60m 60m) yield rich urban experiences with multiple functions and views over the garden city. The master plan allows for the eventual construction

of seven of these hybrid buildings, which could be constructed in phases.

A new light rail line is proposed to connect the heart of Nanning with three stops within the new town and continuing to Qingxiu Mountain Park.

Green Urban LaboratoryCOMPEtitiON

Nanning, China 2002

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FOLDED STREET MOUNTAIN - THE STEPPED RAMP SECTION SPIRALS UP WITH SHOPS OF ALL KINDS ARRIVING AT A 100 ROOM HOTEL AND OBSERVATION ROOF WITH CAF. (TOURIST DESTINATION: GREEN TOWN SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITION ONGOING)

CULTURAL MOUNTAIN - SCHOOLS- BEIQIU ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM- MONASTIC CELLS & TIANNING TEMPLE AT TOP

ROCK MOUNTAIN(LOCAL ROUGH CUT STONE FACED)- RAIL STATION AND BIKE AND AUTO GARAGE- OFFICES (TOWN OFFICIALS OFFICE)- COMMUNITY MEETING ROOM- ROOFTOP OBSERVATION DECK

KNOWLEDGE MOUNTAIN- SCHOOLS / CLASSROOMS- AUDITORIUMS- FACULTY OFFICES- OTHER OFFICES / WORKSPACES

IMPLOSION MOUNTAIN- MEDIA CENTER- CINEMAS- DIGITAL HEALTH CLUB- PARKING BELOW

SUBTRACTION MOUNTAIN- TRAIN STATION- OFFICES, WORK AND STUDIO SPACE- SCHOOLS AT BASE NEXT TO PLAYGROUND

GATE MOUNTAIN- LUXURY APARTMENTS- HOTEL- WORKSHOP / SHOPS- SCHOOLS AT BASE

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opposite and aboveThe proposed mountains are described in order of construction.

A SevenMountains B DensePacktown C UrbanStreet D FourLandscapes: twoexistinghills preservedtwonew parks

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Green Urban Laboratory

KEY

1- FOLDED STREET MOUNTAIN2- / CULTURAL MOUNTAIN3- ROCK MOUNTAIN4- / KNOWLEDGE MOUNTAIN5- IMPLOSION MOUNTAIN6- SUBTRACTION MOUNTAIN7- GATE MOUNTAIN8- LIGHT RAIL TRAIN9- NEW CHINESE GARDEN10- CAFE PAVILION11- SCHOOL PLAYGROUND12- ATHLETIC COMPLEX13- GYMNASIUM & POOLS14- TENNIS COURTS15- BASKET BALL COURTS16- ROWING & LAP POOLS17- ORGANIC GOLF COURSE

MAP OF NANNING IN QING DYNASTY

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1 FoldedStreet mountain

This mountain provides space for shops connected by a stepped ramp, a 100-room hotel, and a public observation roof with cafe.

2 CulturalmountainWith a museum for Bieqiu anthropology, schools, monastic cells, and Tianning Temple at top

3 RockmountainIn local rough-cut stone, this houses bike and auto garage, offices, a community meeting room, and a rooftop observation deck

4 KnowledgemountainWith schools, auditoriums, faculty offices, workspaces, reading rooms, and a rooftop library

5 implosionmountainWith a media center, cinemas, health club, and parking

6 SubtractionmountainAt ground level schools adjoin the playground; this mountain accommodates a train station, offices, work, and studio space.

7 GatemountainSchools are located at ground level and the higher levels are used for workshops, shops, luxury apartments, and a hotel.

8 LightRailtrain 9 NewChineseGarden10CafePavilion11SchoolPlayground12AthleticComplex13GymnasiumandPools14tennisCourts15BasketballCourts16RowingandLapPools

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN1:1500

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MAIN ROADSERVICE ROADSECONDARY ROAD

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The new city is to be a model of the underlying principles that govern natural cycles. The most advanced ecological / architectural systems and techniques will be employed. Some aspects include:

Solar power by arrays (30 percent more efficient than current silicon cells).

Natural ventilation through natural passive solar shading walls boosted by solar powered fans

Geothermal cooling from river

Recycled water system using the latest treatment technologies

Ecosystem standards of non-polluting transportation: light rail connection, electrical hybrid cars, bike, and pedestrian paths

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Green Urban Laboratory

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SustainabilityDiagram

1 Greensodrooftoprovideinsulationandstormwaterretention

2Maximumheightlimitoffourstorieseliminateselevators

3Riverbedtoallowforenergyefficientevaporativecooling

4 Precastconcretepanelsbylocalflyashconcreteplants

5 Sunlightfromhighandlowangles

6 Photovoltaicpanelsonroof

7 Hydroponicvegetablegardens

8 Shadingforpedestrians

9 Gray-waterrecyclingsystem

10Concretestructureprovidesthermalmassfornaturalradiantcooling

11Greenroofsfunctionasterrace

CIPEA Site

Nanjing

visual link to the city

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Perspective is the fundamental historic difference between Western and Chinese painting. After the thirteenth century, Western painting developed vanishing points in fixed perspective. Chinese painters, although aware of perspective, rejected the single-vanishing point method, instead producing landscapes with parallel perspectives in which the viewer travels within the painting.

The new museum is sited at the gateway to the Contemporary International Practical Exhibition of Architecture in the lush green landscape of the Pearl Spring near Nanjing, China. The museum explores the shifting viewpoints, layers of space, and expanses of mist and water that characterize the deep alternating spatial mysteries of early Chinese painting. The museum is formed by a field of parallel perspective spaces and garden walls in black bamboo- formed concrete over which a light figure hovers. The straight passages on the ground level gradually turn into the winding passage of the figure above. The upper gallery, suspended high in the air, unwraps in a clockwise turning sequence and culminates at in-position viewing of the city of Nanjing in the distance. The meaning of this rural site becomes urban through this visual axis to the great Ming Dynasty capital city, Nanjing. The courtyard is paved in recycled Old Hutong bricks from the destroyed courtyards in the center of Nanjing. Limiting the colors of the museum to black and white connects it to the ancient paintings, but also gives

a background to feature the colors and textures of the artwork and architecture to be exhibited within. Bamboo, previously growing on the site, has been used in bamboo-formed concrete, with a black penetrating stain.

The Museum has geothermal cooling and heating, and recycled storm water.

Museum of Art & Architecture

Nanjing, China 20022009

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Site Plan 10m

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aboveSite for Contemporary International Practical Exhibition of Architecture

1 Museum of Art & Architecture at site entrance 2 Conference Centre, Arata Isozaki 3 Recreation Centre, Ettore Sottsass 4 Reception Centre, Jiakun Liu 5 Circle of Interaction, Kazuyo Sejima / Ryue Nishizawa 6 A Construction for One Thousand Hands, Hrvoje Njiric (Among several others)

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Museum of Art & Architecture

EastWest Section 3m

NorthSouth Section 3m

1 Main Entry 2 Exhibition 3 Model & Sculpture Gallery 4 Courtyard in recycled brick

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Ground-floor Plan 5m

aboveLooking from city back to site, the museum forms the entrance gate to the site.

1 Main Entry 2 Exhibition 3 Model & Sculpture Gallery 4 Courtyard in recycled brick

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Museum of Art & Architecture

rightLower gallery under construction

above and far rightBamboo-formed concrete

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The 220,000 square-meter Linked Hybrid complex, in Beijing, creates a porous urban space, inviting and open to the public from every side. As a "city within a city" the new place has a filmic urban experience of space; around, over and through multifaceted spatial layers. A three-dimensional public urban space, the project has programs that vary from commercial, residential, and educational to recreational.

The ground level offers a number of open passages for residents and visitors to walk through. These passages include micro-urbanisms of small-scale shops which also activate the urban space surrounding the large central reflecting pond. On the inter me diate level of the lower buildings, public roof gardens offer tranquil green spaces, and at the top of the eight residential towers private roof gardens are con nected to the penthouses. Public functions on the ground level include restaurants, a hotel, Montessori school, kindergarten, and cinematheque. Elevators displace like a jump cut to another series of passages on higher levels. From the eighteenth floor a multifunctional series of skybridges with a swimming pool, a fitness room, a cafe, a gallery, connects the eight resi dential towers and the hotel tower, and offers views over the city.

Programmatically this loop aspires to be semi-lattice-like rather than simplis-tically linear. We hope the public sky-loop and the base-loop will constantly gener ate random relation ships; functioning as social condensers in a special experience of city life to both residents and visitors.

Focused on the experience of passage of the body through space, the towers are organized to take movement, timing, and sequence into consideration. The point of view changes with a slight ramp up, a slow right turn. The encircled towers express a collective aspiration, rather than towers as isolated objects or private islands in an increasingly privatized city. Our hope is for new Z dimension urban sectors that aspire to individuation in urban living while shaping public space.

Geothermal wells (660 at 100 meters deep) provide Linked Hybrid with cooling in summer and heating in winter. The large urban space in the center of the project is activated by a gray water recycling pond with water lilies and grasses. In the winter the pool freezes to become an ice-skating rink. The cinematheque is not only a gathering venue but also a visual focus to the area. The cinematheque archi tecture floats on its reflection in the shallow pond, and projections on its facades indicate films playing within. The first floor of the building, with views over the land-scape, is left open to the community. The poly chrome of Chinese Buddhist archi tecture was used in chance operations of the I Ching to color

window jambs. The under sides of the bridges and canti levered portions are colored membranes that glow with projected nightlight.

All water in the project is recycled. Gray water is piped into tanks with ultra violet filters, and then recirculated into the large reflecting pond and used to water the landscapes. Re-using the earth excavated from the new construc-tion, five landscaped mounds to the north support recreational functions. The Mound of Childhood, integrated with the kindergarten, has an entrance portal through it. The Mound of Adolescence holds a basketball court and a rollerblade and skate board area. In the Mound of Middle Age we find a coffee and tea house (open to all), a Tai Chi platform, and tennis courts. The Mound of Old Age is occupied with a wine tasting bar and the Mound of Infinity is carved into a meditation space.

top rightFour main passage routes create a thorough urban porosity.

Linked Hybrid Beijing, China 20032009

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rightBeijing 1900 (1) shaped by the ancient rule: that new buildings could not be tall enough to look over the walls of the Forbidden City. Together with the giant block size set in the grid, this gave birth to

the hutong courtyard typology. After 1980 Beijing grew vertically and outward (2). With isolated towers and gated communities (3) Horizontally con-nected and porous buildings.

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Site Plan 10m

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oppositeGreen public space on three levels: the ground level, on the roofs of the lower buildings for the cinema and kindergarten, and on top of the towers

1 Cinematheque 2 Hotel 3 Pond (parking below) 4 Kindergarten / Mound of Childhood 5 Mound of Adolesence 6 Mound of Middle Age 7 Mound of Old Age 8 Mound of Infinity

PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION DIAGRAM

PUBLIC GARDEN ACCESS & CIRCULATION

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HOTEL

PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION DIAGRAM

PUBLIC GARDEN ACCESS & CIRCULATION

BRIDGE LEVEL ACCESS & CIRCULATION

ACCESS FROM B1 PARKING LOT

GROUND LEVEL CIRCULATION

COMMERCIAL

LOBBY TO APARTMENT

ACCESS LOBBY TO BRIDGE LEVEL

PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION DIAGRAMrightThree public circulation loops: at ground level, on top of the lower buildings, and the loop of skybridges

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Linked Hybrid

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1 Entry 2 Bedroom 3 Master bedroom 4 Kitchen 5 Dining 6 Living 7 Multiuse space: Study room / Guest room 8 Bathroom

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above topTypical apartment with diagonal views across hinged space

above bottomTypical apartment with hinged space doors

rightModel apartment

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Typical Floor Plan 10m

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Linked Hybrid

EastWest Section 6m

NorthSouth Section 6m

A variety of functions in the semipublic bridge loop connecting eight towers via eight bridges

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Linked Hybrid

SPORTS CLUB

17F: BRIDGE ENTRY LOUNGE

16F: HEALTH FOOD STORE17F: HAIR / NAIL SALON

15F: COFFEE SHOP

16F: TEA STORE

15F: GAMING SPACE

15F: DESIGN STORE

14F: BOOK STORE

14F: ARCHITECTURE GALLERY

13F: ART GALLERY

12F: EXHIBITION SPACE

13F: VIEWING PLATFORM

12F: ART GALLERY

12F: BAR / COCKTAILLOUNGE

17F: MEETING PLACE

18F: SPA / MASSAGE

17F: WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM

18F: OFFICE / MEN'S LOCKER ENTRY

17F: MEN'S LOCKER ROOM

16F: LAUNDRY / MECH

18F: SPINNING ROOM

17F: MEN'S LOCKER ROOM

18F: PERSONAL TRAINER

17F: JUICE BAR / BRIDGE ENTRY

18F: STRENGTH TRAINING

17F: FITNESS TRAINING

BOOK EVENT SPACE

TEASEATING

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VIEWINGPLATFORM

SUSPENDEDCATWALK

3 LANELAP POOL

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SCULPTURE / ARCHITECTURE

GALLERY

DINING DECK

ULTRALOUNGE

LISTENINGLOUNGE

HEALTH SPA

ENTRY POINT

COFFEE HOUSE / BAR

BOOK SHOP

EXHIBITIONS

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Linked Hybrid

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abovePublic reflecting pool utilizing recycled grey-water. The project has been awarded with the AIA NY Sustainable Design Award 2008 as well as with a Popular Science Engineering Award for Largest Geothermal Housing Complex in 2006.

above right660 geothermal wells, 100 meters deep

right Gray-water system:

1 Roofgardenirrigation 2 Toiletflushing 3 Landscapeirrigation 4 Pondwatermakeup 5 Graywaterfrom650 apartments

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Linked Hybrid

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Linked Hybrid

NorthSouthSectionCinematheque 2m

Upper-levelPlan 2m

oppositeThe cinematheque archi tecture floats on a shallow pond. Its first floor is openly constructed, leaving space for the commu-nity. It houses three cinemas, with 94, 118, and 218 seats. The roof is a public garden.

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TypicalFloorPlan 1mrightHotel plan

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Linked Hybrid

above and rightFive landscaped mounds to the north contain recreational functions. The Mound of Childhood, integrated with the kindergarten, has a tunnel through it. The Mound of Adolescence holds a basket ball court, and a rollerblade and

skateboard area. In the Mound of Middle Age we find a coffee and tea house open to the public, a Tai Chi platform, and tennis courts. The Mound of Old Age is occupied by a wine tasting bar, and the Mound of Infinity forms a meditation space.

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North-SouthSectionKindergarten 1m

TypicalFloorPlan 1m

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Linked Hybrid

KindergartenSections 1m

aboveConstruction: skylights and courts in the Montessori school and kindergarten, which will have a green roof.

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UnfoldedElevation 2m

Section 2m

Plan 2m

The Mound of Infinity forms a space of reflection and medi ta-tion. The mound is sliced with an infinity diagram-like incision with the north section carved out in concrete with a stone floor. The large circular opening for the main entry is scaled to match the disc-shaped geometry of the Milky Way galaxy 100,000 light years across, 10,000 light years thick. The other elliptical openings refer to the many other galaxies. In Chinese cosmo - logy the square is a symbol of the earth and daily life, the circle that of the heavens and beyond.

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Linked Hybrid

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Linked Hybrid

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The concept for Xian New Town is based on a twenty-first century reading of the ancient grid of Chang-An, the ancient capitol and the beginning point of the Silk Road. Chang-An, which means forever peace, had a grid based on walking steps with blocks proportioned in 100 strides by 60 strides. This idealized grid became the inspiration for plans of many later cities such as Beijing and Kyoto.

In Xian New Town, a new grid city, the dimensions are all related to human measurements. Compared to auto mobile-driven urbanism, which segregates programs into zones, our plan seeks to create an integrated fabric serving the moderate and low income residents of the city. No matter the social status of the resident, housing is always within walking distance to shops, parks, schools, cultural programs, and libraries.

Four quadrants of a low-scale residential fabric are complemented by a group of taller structures placed on the north. Each quadrant is a self-sufficient neighborhood. Park voids are cut from this fabric employing the enlarged calligraphy geometry from a poem by Chang-Ans great ancient poet Tu Fu (713770). Each one of the four quadrants of the main town fabric can be built separately; each contains a large green park and recycled graywater pond

with water plants and wildlife. Aspects of Feng Shui were followed for the placement of buildings and landscaping.

The 24 story residential fabric of Xian New Town for low-cost housing is developed from prefabricated, air-entrenched concrete elements which set the geometry of the garden and passage spaces. Within these frames, individually developed floor plans, room configurations, details, wall tile work, finishes, and colors allow the house owners individualized expression. The prefabricated walls contain the structure, insulation, wiring links, and rough plumbing. All roofs will be covered with sedum planting.

Whereas the town center houses the largest public facilities, primary and secondary schools will be located in the residential quadrants. These buildings will be designed individually to add to the unique character of the parks.

The towers in the town center are conceived as a spatial group, bracketing a public space for the new town with a centrally located library, museum, and cultural center. These towers are of mixed use; some contain offices, some hotels, some residences with splendid views across the green roofs and gardens of the new town.

Using permeable ground surfaces (porous concrete, grass pavers, and gravel) allows for greater ground water retention and minimizes erosion. The gray water ponds provide evaporative cooling in summer months.

oppositeAncient grid of Chang-An

above rightConcept Sketch;Calligraphic cuts

Xian New