Katherine Woods Thesis Viewbook

montgomeryartscenterThesis Viewbook

Auburn University CADCProfessor: Behzad Nakhjavan

Katie Woods

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Architecture Degree, Auburn University

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Behzad Nakhjavan and Magdalena Garmaz for studio guidance, Johnny Veres and Mike Shows for insight into Montgomery, Kelly Wilson for teaching

and inspiration, and Thomas Kurian for encouragement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Introduction

02 Precedent Analysis

03 Facade Studies

11 Brick Screen Study

12 Model Images

13 Image References

08 Final Documentation

10 Canopy Study

09 Connecting Topography

07 Kelly Wilson Rendering

04 Study of Montgomery

05 Site Context

06 Programming

14 Conclusion

01 Introduction

As we look at Montgomery’s layout, we begin to see a collision of city layouts or grids. The result of this collision is a series of awkward dead spaces. These spaces provide a challenging proposition: one of unifying the city. Cohesion is the basis of progression. Through my project, I aim to bring the theory of cohesion of spaces one step further by not only addressing the linkage of these sites with my group members, but also creating a unification between two important landmarks on my chosen site.

Each of our sites correlates with an underdeveloped green space. Developing an architecture that not only speaks of structure and space, but also of landscape and place, is crucial to connecting the sites to one another. By creating a series of common exterior areas that relate to our buildings, the squares will be interconnected and organized in a way that can be read easily and felt by the people.

Following this line of thought, I am able to address a similar challenge in connecting two places through my individual design. I will address the concept of a passageway, by utilizing my project as a thoroughfare. I plan to develop the park space in my site in a manner that speaks clearly to the language of my building and vice versa. The locations along the way will then begin to be read as a series of journey and revelation. After one attends a concert at the Kress building, he or she will exit into a small area between the Kress building and my site. The beginning of my site will then serve as an alleyway type space leading to the final destination of the green space of the court square. The middle site itself is to be designed as an artist commune, with a progression of spaces ranging from workshops, to classes, to galleries, all overlooking the 40 foot installation wall illuminating the thoroughfare.

Through the entire design, the sites (both vertically in respect to my group and horizontally through my site) will read as a system of journeys and revelations. By developing both the journey (the passageway) and the revelations (1. Between the Kress buildingand my site 2. The green space itself ), I can accomplish this progression.

As the capital of the state of Alabama, and a formerly active port city, Montgomery has served as a thriving, bustling city in the past. Now that the industries of Alabama have changed, and the city population has deserted the core urban zones of Montgomery, the city planning department has taken it upon itself to revitalize the urban core. The reason for Montgomery’s issues lies in the disjointedness of Montgomery. In my project, I propose a connection between two historic spaces. Through this connection, I believe that, not only will the areas become rejuvenated, but that the unity of the city will be emphasized.

Introduction Statement:

Proposal:

Introduction 07

02 Precedent Analysis

Precedent Analysis 09

American Folk Art Museum:Billie Tsien and Tod Williams


The American Folk Art Museum displays a unique separation of space. The vertical circulation of the building is shifted to its perimeter, opening the remainder of the floor plan for horizontal circulation.

Analysis:

Italian Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010:Bicuadro Architects

Case Study 2The second case study represents the form I am working to express through my design. Bicuadro expresses the pro-ject by stating, “The design are a major reinterpretation of a split casing in a series of plates “stratigraphy” that back to a time sequence, a metaphor for urban training Italian. The plates create series of light and shadow that �ltering the transaction between the space.”


The Italian Pavilion utilizes a striation pattern to evoke a sense of passage and elongation to its site. The planes open in the center of the building’s footprint to a large, open atrium space.

Analysis:

Tate Modern Addition:Herzog and de Meuron


When viewed from the exterior of the building, the skin reveals a sense of program for each level. The most shaded spaces are the most private, while the least shielded are the most public.

Exterior Analysis:

The interior of the Tate Modern addition reveals a grid system of concrete structure. The grid allots a sense of scale as well as the structural integrity necessary to support the brick skin.

Interior Analysis:

03 Facade Studies

Facade Studies 17

In preparation for our thesis projects, a study of downtown

Montgomery was conducted. Each student chose a downtown

building and rendered the facade with prismacolor colored pencils.

The building I chose to render is the Cunningham Group building,

currently serving as a design office and located a block from the

main town square.

After completing the rendering, we addressed features

expressed in each building, and discussed which features we

admire. The most prominent features of this building are the brick

details and patterns that form almost literal framing of the building’s

facade. These ornamentations served to distinguish a relationship

between interior and exterior, to display a framing of space, and to

define rooms within the building itself.

We were asked in discussions to convey what gives

character to a building. The most common answers were the aging

of material, the reflections of glazing, and the raw talent shown

through brick ornamentation created by skilled craftsmen. With the

knowledge that aging is a result of time and not design (in most

cases) and that methods of construction are not as they were when

these buildings were designed and constructed, we approached

the question: how do we design character in present day situations.

The answer to the posed question has to be connected

with the definition of “character.” Character in architecture stands

in a level of honesty and integrity to context and program. The

buildings that age most gracefully, are composed of materials that

are allowed to succumb to the effects of time, rather than being

treated or altered. The reflections add context from the surrounding

buildings, and the craft reveals what the materials can be formed

by craftpersons who know their limitations by experience.

Once we discussed what we gained from the analysis, we

redesigned the facade of the buildings we rendered. In my facade

renovation, I covered the same ideas of framing and defining space,

as well as separating portions of the building to denote function.

Facade Studies 19

04 Study of Montgomery

Study of Montgomery 21

In accordance with Montgomery’s new

urban code, the SmartCode,the site I

have chosen is designated in a T5 zone.

This zone is within the urban center of

the city. The standards set by the code

convey that the sites be designed to

address an urban edge and portray a

commercial, residential, or civic frontage.


The T5 zone, according to Montgomery’s SmartCode, is subject to certain

restrictions. These restrictions include building type, material usage, parking

provisions, and height restrictions. My site has a limit of a four story height,

must be used for retail, offices, rowhouses, apartments, or certain civic spaces.

05 Site Context

Montgomery’s street system is set up on two grids formed from the

merging of earlier established towns. The first is a cardinally oriented

grid, and the second is formed parallel to the river.

Grid CollisionSite Context 27

We split into groups to analyze different site contexts throughout Montgomery. The group I was a member of

addressed the merging grids and the spaces created by them. Each time the grid parallel to the river and the

cardinally oriented grid collide, there results a triangular space. Most of these spaces are poorly designed and

remain as unused green spaces or awkward traffic islands. Each member of the group chose a site along this

path and began to address the issues that arose from the spaces, whether that means developing the green

space, reorganizing the design of the site, or opening their building up to the space created. My site is Site 3,

represented by the red section and elevation on the adjacent page.

Site Selection

Site Context 29

Grid Intersection

As the cardinal grid and the grid parallel to the Alabama River collide, the result is a triangular street space, currently serving as a traffic roundabout and a triangular green space.

Approach to Green Space Approach to Green Space

Site Context

Site 3 is located adjacent to the Court Square. This area has served as the center of the downtown district dating as far back as the early 1800’s.

Approach to Green Space

The green space is approached mainly from the Northeast, Southeast, and Northwest directions.

Approach from Kress Building

The site is to be addressed mainly from the exiting crowd from the Kress Building. As concert attendees exit the venue, they will be directed through the site adjacent to the building.

Site Context 31

Problem Solving

The block my site is located on has recently become the center of attention in the redevelopment of downtown Montgomery, similar to the establish-ment of The Alley in years past. 2WR is working to convert the old Kress build-ing into an entertainment venue as well as modern apartments. The proposal for Kress is to use the entire span of the building and carve out an alleyway beside the existing building. My pro-posal is to connect the alleyway to the park and square by utilizing my building as a throughway. This would a�ord a space to enjoy intermissions, connection to the city, and also provide outdoor public space to the tenants in the newly renovated apartments along Monroe.

Kress Building and Green Space

The programmatic intention is that the building serve as a connection between the Kress building and the space.

Problem Solving


Problem Solving


Adjacent Sites

A triangular park and developing concert venue enclose the vacant lot.

Solid and Void

The site will partially consist of a building enclosed to the elements and partially as an outdoor room and intermediate space.

Art Installation Wall

The southern most wall will serve as an installation wall, displaying temporary artwork of both local artists and contracted regional artists.

Site Context 33

06 Programming

Programmatic Layout

The core of the building is circulation space. The striational layout creates a sense of being pulled through the build-ing while the remaining programmatic areas diverge from the linear scheme.

7914 sq ft green design5000 sq ft egress6000 sq ft circulation/gallery1000 sq ft w.c.6768 sq ft classroom/studio

Circulation Core

Egress Classroom/Studio

W.C.

Green Space

SculptureGarden

LandscapeDesign

Mechanical

CeremonialStaircase

Cafe

O�ce

The core of the building serves as circulation space. The layout creates a sense of being pulled through the space while remaining programmatic areas diverge from

the linear scheme.

Programming 35

07 Kelly Wilson Rendering

Kelly Wilson served as a visiting professor during the spring semester. Over a week of class with him, we learned a rendering technique using poppy red prismacolor pencils to depict the most important spaces in our projects.

Kelly Wilson Rendering 37

08 Final Documentation

Final Documentation 39

South Elevation

West Elevation


UP

AA

AA

BB

CC

Site Context

Detailed Section A:A


Section C:C

Section B:B


UP UP

Ground Floor Floor Two

UP

UP

Floor Three Floor Four


09 Connecting Topography

Undulating Topography of Green Space

Ground through Site

Canopy Surface

Connecting Topography 49

10 Canopy Study

%

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Daylight AnalysisD a y lig ht F a c to rValue R ange: 10.0 - 50.0 %© E C O T E C T v 5

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Lighting AnalysisD a y lig ht F a c to rValue R ange: 54.0 - 74.0 %© E C O T E C T v 5

%

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The study shows the differentiation of light as the spacing of the canopy construction is altered. I came up with four different schemes, each differing slightly in density. The results were surprisingly similar. One factor I had not taken into account was the height of the canopy and its role in allowing more diffused light in than direct light. The spreading of light made a weaker dappling affect than I had originally thought. In hindsight, this can also be seen as a positive design aspect. Sunlight will penetrate the slats as I design them without altering too dramatically the comfort level of the space itself. The results can be seen below in order of most dense to least dense. The image at the top is the most dense case within site, and the image to the right is a rendering before the design of the spacing.

%

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%

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Canopy Study 51

11 Brick Screen Study

Brick Screen Study 53

Exploded Axon of Screen System

Most Dense Mid Dense Least Dense


Brick Screen Scenarios

In order to create a shading system to diffuse some of the constant southern lighting, I created a brick panel system. The brick panels serve as screens, allowing in different amounts of light according to the density of the brick panel. Three main wall types were utilized. In the first, the brick panels mimic the windows, allowing the most light into the interior of the building. For this situation, dense panels were used, due to the fact that the density was not a factor if there were to be sections cut out. The second scenario is between a solid wall and the brick panels. The space between is occupied by a staircase. The least dense brick panels are used here to allow the most ventilation into the space, as well as better viewing through the panels. The third instance is behind a curtain wall. Again, the least dense panels are used here. The glazing is recessed enough to allow maximum lighting through the panels without direct light becoming a problem. The most dense panels are used in the bottom row creating a canopy for the shops below.

Staircase

NoScreen

Most Dense

60.0+

54.0

48.0

42.0

38.0

30.0

24.0

18.0

12.0

6.0

0.0

In the first instance, no screen is placed on the exterior of the building. A consistent read of 42-60% daylighting factor results from the southern light. This amount of daylight, though consistent, is too intense for circulation. The use of the second screen type, the most dense, results in a great range of daylighting levels, from 0-60%. The cause of such a range is the amount of dappled light created. Though the lower ranges are desired, the amount of variation seems problematic. In the mid-dense screen tests, the range is smaller and the daylighting factors are a bit higher than the former. The final scheme, the least dense, results in the least dramatic dappling effect. The range is from 12-60%. Though this would be too high for an interior space, it seems suitable for the outdoor terraces and circulation. The larger openings provide for both more ventilation and better visibility through the screens from the standpoint of persons on the terraces.

Less Dense

Least Dense


Curtain Wall

NoScreen

Most Dense

60.0+

54.0

48.0

42.0

38.0

30.0

24.0

18.0

12.0

6.0

0.0

In all instances pertaining to the curtain wall spaces, the focus area seems to be pulled back far enough, so that the exterior light is not problematic. The interior space holds a daylighting factor of 0-6% in all instances. With this being said, the choice of screen type is still imperative to creating a comfortable space on the exterior of the curtain wall. No screen results in a daylighting factor of 42-60%. The most dense screen results in a daylighting factor of 0-48%. The mid-dense reads 12-54%, and the least dense reads similarly. In coordination with the previous study of the staircase screen typologies, the least dense panels could be used, however, the optimal design may be a more dense panel.

Less Dense

Least Dense


Windows

NoScreen

Most Dense

60.0+

54.0

48.0

42.0

38.0

30.0

24.0

18.0

12.0

6.0

0.0

The screens in front of the windows were originally designed to mimic the shape of the windows, themselves. However, after calculating the daylighting factors with no shading devices over the windows, this seemed to be a potential cause of too much daylighting in an interior space. Setting a target daylighting factor of 0-10%, The most efficient screen system seems to be the most dense panel system. The range reads from 0-6% in the vast majority of the room, with few exceptions of 12 and 30%. These influxes are results of dappled light from the screen perforations. The less dense panels allow a similar range, but the occurrence of the higher ranges is more common.

Less Dense

Least Dense


12 Model Images

Model Images 65

Model Images 67

13 Image References

American Folk Art Museumhttp://archinect.com/news/article/5967406/moma-to-buy-american-folk-art-museum-buildinghttp://www.twbta.com/#/2645

Italian Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010http://www.cumbu.com/italian-pavilion-at-shanghai-expo-2010-by-bicuadro-architects/italian-pavilion-at-shanghai-expo-2010-by-bicuadro-architects-02http://archplus355.blogspot.com/2011/01/italian-pavilion-shanghai-expo-2010.html

Tate Modern Addition:http://www.tate.org.uk/about/projects/tate-modern-project/designhttp://thestudio325.blogspot.com/2011/02/brick-veil-house.html

Image References 69

14 Conclusion

Conclusion

In conclusion, this thesis was intended to begin a study into the connection of spaces. With the intentions of creating both a gathering and exhibition space, the arts center and installation wall unite two prominent sites in downtown Montgomery, the Kress building and green space of the court square, and therein, allot a sense of location and connection of place. Through the continued renovation of Montgomery’s downtown area, a unifying language of design and space

is imperative to bring activity back to the urban core.

Conclusion 71

Katherine Woods Thesis Viewbook

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