A Real Grip On Making

The past week brought great news as the city has agreed to fund all the ground work we have designed. Thanks to the diligence of our ground crew, John and Jeff, our information and options were well organized and presented which resulted in the swaying of the city. Along with the support of the city, a local steel company has offered to donate all the steel we would need for our structure plus fabrication to a certain degree. So it looks like money will not be an issue. What is going to be an issue, rather, is time. As we speak, we are attempting to fabricate a full scale mock up of the parametrically paneled funnel. After attaching just the bottom ring about ten minutes ago, I realize what kind of work we would be in for. I think the mock up is a valuable tool in informing us of both the work it will require to make the real thing and also in giving the funnel a sense of presence that it has not had in the digital world. It will also let us know just how "airy" the canopy will be. By "airy" I mean the amount of negative space which translates into light penetration. After seeing both of these factors, our area of coverage (at least by panels) might change. One thing is sure, and this has held true throughout my undergraduate career, you learn from making. When I made the two mock ups for the previous wooden lamella structure, I learned more in those hours than all the time previously spent in books and on the computer. Tonight was no different while I assembled the panels. The rest of this mock up will be a valuable lesson for our whole class I think.

Broken Ground

Well, as of yesterday (March 3rd, 2008) we have officially begun construction on the Clemson site. I have to say that it was not easy to make it to that point, and we still have numerous conflicts to resolve. After much toil and trouble in dealing with the canopy over the stage, we voted and decided to extend the coverage past the side walk and over most of the groundwork. By doing so, we hope to mediate more effectively between the different aspects of the site. By this I mean that we have tried to create a more physical correlation and organization of spectator and performer across the through-path which bisects it. Our system will be a series of vertical members placed strategically across the site (with regards to issues of view, congregation, and safety) which are connected above by a network of cabling from which the parametric fabrik system will be suspended. By doing this, we create a hierarchy of significance between the canopy and the structure, the canopy being the main focal point, where as before, the two systems seemed to compete. An issue that is still at hand is the materiality of the vertical members. Wood would be ideal from a visually tactile sensibility while steel would prove to be the more practical option considering our time frame. It is easier to resist moment forces created by our network and fabrik load with steel than with wood. This means the wood would need to be larger in girth and footed with much more reinforcement. This is a system that need be resolved by…well, today actually.

The signage aspect is being geared now primarily towards construction signs to inform the community of our intentions and design proposal. While being on the site working for just one day we were approached several times by park users. With the implementation of the construction signs, the community will be able to make visual associations with the space more easily. To expound upon the community interest, I see this site as a hub of parental and child activity. We should have every opportunity to receive feedback and reach out with our sustainable efforts. Throughout the process so far, reminding myself that we are stewards has been the most beneficial tool in staying on track (both in mind and action). After being on site for one day that attitude has been firmly reinstated.

Critical Point

A new surge of energy has griped our group and leads us through a rigorous investigation in which we are learning how to design with an intent to build. Having designated task with an ever growing trust in each other, we are moving foward with momentum. The ground crew has interesting things going on while the up-top boys are cranking out ideas on how we get this canopy safely and solidly in place and still maintain a delicate sense of tact for the site. As of now, we see this system supporting a lattice-like wooden structure from which the fabrik panels will be suspended. Methods of constructing this lattice will most probably be between a laminated timber construct in which the main structural members will be footed at a pin joint and run parallel in the "x" direction while the intermediate struts will run normal to these. We seek the balance between: the mass needed to span the distance of the stage and the lightest system possible for reasons of support and cost. The other system would be a series of repeated planks whose joinery would allow for a hyperbolical space grid. In either case, if we can avoid driving those big ass light poles in the ground to suspend it, I'll be happy. Much love Gary. Along with the canopy, the elements of the site are really being tied together by suggestion and repitition rather than an overwhelming invasion of the site. For example, elements of the fabrik material manifest in strategic places on the site in order to form a new continuity. The materiality of the canopy is mirorred in the stage work and on the handrail of the bridge which begins to stage moments for the signage which informs the viewer of our efforts while also, through the signs materiality, tie to both the parametric fabrik and our recycling bins. I think that when experienced by the common user, this conectivity will be subconsious but effective.

We meet with a structural engineer tommorrow to try and nail down the canopy framework so we can move to the process of calculating cost and means by which to begin building.

Progress

A lot has gone down since returning from the Rural Studio and the last entry. As of late, the Clemson group has come to a general agreement on what we expect from our design; mostly in terms of the degree to which our implementation affects the site, a sense of how all the elements in the site need to be tied together, and our underlying approach to sustainability through materiality. What we were hung up on, though, was exactly what this element we create will look like. I think we are faced with the infinite number of possible things that could be done. This is why we have been hesitant. I feel we are stagnant and have been since the first flourishes of enthusiastic communication. The ideas were fresh and vibrant then but since then that energy and momentum brought us to the brink of manifesting these ideas in the analog world. We have not made that leap; instead we sit on the edge and say what it could be instead of what it will be. The reason for this hesitation is obvious. It is the lack of a formal design concept that informs the design decisions. I think these concepts are there, but we have not embraced them and clearly identified them. I feel that as of now we are responding to the unique condition of the site. It is a small cradle of life within the city. What is not so readily obvious is that the small lush area is the outer most tip of a branch of the lake. It is a delicate capillary in a global vascular network in which all the earths waters are connected. It is a threshold space in all aspects of the term. It is the point at which urban becomes natural. The creek that flows through the site nothing more than the run-off from the cities drainage system. The water from Clemson is then channeled out into the lake and permeated out into all corners of the world. It is an opportunity to bring awareness to that scale and to make parallels between the waters relationship with that larger network and our responsibility as stewards of the earth as they are situated in a larger global effort. I think this is an opportunity to employ the cleansing properties of crumb rubber. It strengthens the aspect of a community effort by plugging into other Clemson resources. Maybe in the same way we cleanse the water we put into the system through the creek, the pavilion is also a cleansing space for us, for catharsis and rejuvenation.

My responsibility is to solve the issue of structure. I will post a blog in the morning that speaks to this endeavor. I hope to provide photos as well.

Personal issues include the parallelism of the signage element whose presence as an integral part of the design process is detrimental to its success.

Catfish Country

As we begin to move further into the projects, the complexities of a design+build process start to manifest themselves even more, a pattern that I am sure will continue throughout the semester as our investigations bring us to new levels of enlightenment about ourselves and our roles as architects. The way that we graft a new "organism" into the existing fabric of that community must be delicate and must be approached with an attitude of genuine stewardship. Our discoveries can be compared to those of technological developers in that to be able to operate efficiently we will rely on the progress made by other academic design+build endeavors; the Cumulative Property of Technology. One of the most notable in the US is the Rural Studio in Newbern Alabama.

On Thursday, January 24th, 2008 the Stewardship South Studio traveled to Newbern to experience the way in which the Rural Studio approaches design+build first hand. Upon arrival the most astonishing aspect of the program is the magnitude of the remote location. The word rural is almost an understatement when comparing what could be labeled rural and Newbern. It was incredible how humble the place was with an undeniable disregard to its national reputation. There was nothing cutting edge about the facilities but instead they possessed an unusually rugged atmosphere. I almost wondered if the students were aware of exactly what they were getting themselves into when they applied. Before seeing the work the studio produces, I thought the students may have been a little disappointed with the resources upon arrival. But in hindsight, the aesthetic and program of Newbern is probably crucial to the bond between the students and the work produced there. Rather than a single building with a different rooms, the Rural Studio constitutes and entire rural community in which different buildings along a central thruway house the different components of a "studio facility." I think this emphasizes the ability to work within a community while being conscious and aware of the consequences of each implementation.

While I have been left with much to ponder since returning from Alabama, most of which concerns how the studio responds to those who feel they have the priviledge to impose expectations upon it, I will reserve those thoughts until I have had a chance to further digest them.

Responding to Context

Significant architecture must be a response to the context in which it finds itself. Each of the two sites, Clemson's Jaycee Park and Pendleton's Hundred's site, already possess a history that is defined by the way in which humans have encountered and used them. The ambiance of each is credited to this interactivity while each can also be viewed in the broader context of its surroundings. The way in which each site situates itself in these communities, in both location and use, is a product of this interactivity. As designers, we have the ability, and more often than not, the responsibility to manipulate this ambiance. To first become intimately familiar with what the place is will inform our architectural approach to allow us to make delicate and decisive moves towards a design that ultimately serves the people. In the Clemson site, the design should serve, not only by protecting against chosen elements of the natural world, but should inform the public of the importance of sustainability and where Clemson can tap into this global awareness. In Pendleton, the history of a place that is cherished by many, will be memorialized with respect.
In this particular instance we, the Stewardship South Studio students, have the privilege as Clemson residents to be a layer of the immediate fabric that constitutes the context of the Clemson Pavilion. It is beneficial to experience first hand the environment on which we will graft our creation. There are influences, that are becoming apparent, which accompany a design build process that have been able to be overlooked in previous studio work. Within the chronological confines of this semester, by which decisiveness is crucial, there will be a product. At some point, we will be forced to make. I shouldn't use the word force because, I know, we are all eager to build what we design, but it is a new experience to result in an absolute rather than leaving possibilities for infinite change as in studio work. What we do here WILL impact this community, for better or worse, and we will be responsible for that impact. We are held accountable by the city, its leaders, its citizens, the university, our peers, and most importantly to ourselves. It is a delicate balance that lies within personal benefit through learning and the practicality as it is viewed by the users of the space. I want to make something that Clemson will be proud of. Something that is worth writing about, but I want it to be worth writing about because the people who it affects are enlightened by its existence.