24/04

2ND INTERMEDIATE CRITIC

the same "ok, go on"..... i feel lucky.
he was not that nice this time though (maybe because my explanation was shitty and the project had quite obvious unsolved questions that made me nervous... about the rest, i really think getting to a point where the structure was plausible has been a major achievement. now i think ill just stick to what i have and try to pull it together with much more strength. like, with a more "continuous" logic, actual answers to things and thought-of plans.

for now im working on the VERBAL EXPLANATION of the project because it was one of the biggest flaws in the critic (believe it or not). and it also helps to clarify ideas.

so:

the building is a shopping mall on top of the existing financial center of Madrid.

the area is one of the most economically active and well connected of the city: laying along a main arthery that crosses Madrid from north to south, it already features a huge department store, shopping street, gym, bingo, bar/clubs and more. it is connected by bus, train and metro, existing a big underground station from where to check in and take the metro line to the airport.

the shopping mall has a longitudinal development, connecting the roofs of different buildings in the area. the main programs are located on top of these roofs and they all get connected by a path/corridor that goes from one end to the other.

the shopping mall is targeted at businessmen, so the program is oriented in that direction and complement the programs existing underneath ("on earth"): office depot, media and technology store, catering services, wellness center, entertainment areas, bars and club.

there are entrances from each of the highest office buildings in the area. thay give access at different points of the path through a hallway that can be used for short term stay or access to the main programs.

people from the street can only enter the mall from the evening/night area, open outside office hours and on weekends. this area contains the club, bars, cinema facilities, wellness and catering.

there is another route parallel to the main path for service purposes. it has its own accesses from the street for distribution and features storage, kitchens, changing rooms, administration etc.

in total there are only 2 levels to walk across the mall, even though each volume can be up to 5 floors high.

the routes get connected in the volumes on top of the roofs. these volumes work as crossroads for all communications in a "distribution floor", at the level of the main path.
the layout of each volume gravitates around a central space and features connections as:
- distribution floor to main program floors by escalators
- distribution floor to service floor by ramp
- distribution floor to office hall floor by ramp
- all floors by lift

the skin of the building works as supporting structure and contains all spaces, either its filled in or not. it lays on pillars and some roofs, working as beams and bridges between buildings.

(i would like to) the pillars are entrances on their own, so they give access to the service floor or the main program depending on the area.

03/03 (04/03)

reaaaally quickly:

yestarday and today ive been studying the area of south Canal with the demographic info i got from NYCgov.com (awesome idea, i thank the government and kindly ask them if they could post some CAD plans... if its not too much to ask for)

its been really productive. jesus! first of all i didnt think censuses could give you that much information.. now i can figure exactly the kind of people there is in every couple of streets, their interests, income, activities... and that obviously makes the choice of program way easier.

now i need to combine it with the reality of the buildings (shape, height and so) to see if i can make it happen.

so the study was basically identifying main residential, commercial and scholastic areas (apparently there is a university campus) and the access , parking facilities, main streets and of course public spaces.

it is quite easy in fact bc as i understood it there are basic divisions such as the financial area, the commercial Canal area, 3 residential areas: one rich (above the financial), one mid-high-class professionals (tribeca) and one mid-class workers (west of tribeca, the so-called "battery park city".
the streets are pretty clear too: theres broadway and west broadway as highlights, as well as a highway running from battery park up.

all of that having the vacant land in the lots as a reference.

finally ive arrived to some main spots where the accesses and "stay" areas can be placed.
the program is really quite defined in each:
grocery and basic goods for the west side, hang out and young-oriented entertainment/shops for the college and midschool students, cafes and rest/alternative shopping for the commercial side of Canal, wellness and luxury + everything-to-go for the rich and financial quarter and two centers for larger scale and area of influence events.

in other words:
1 - NEED
2 - HANG
3 - BUY
4 - LUXURY
5 - GO SPECIFICALLY

as well as that ive been looking at some pictures and thoughts very interesting to the idea of lightness and heaven. surprisingly i had a book on my shelf on Terragni's Danteum and the entire point was to explain the building in terms of hell-purgatory-heaven through the massive and light character of the construction.
some other references: Boullée's Bibliotheque for the clean, huge spaces with everything happening on the sides, construction with glass and plexi, utopian glass columns in frescoes, the futurist culture of density and skycrapers, Delirious NY, Mies (not only his early works but also the Exhibition Pavillion in Berlin or any other "mass floating on air" work), Sejima's Mediatheque and other ways of creating structure...

notes just in case (not developed ideas)
- organising functions in mezzanines with a continuous reference to a main space (Panopticon sorta)
- continuous connection to the sky and natural light
- would be nice to have good views for cafes and rest spaces
- go down to the street when possible offering services to attract people up.


and then again the classis question:
how am i going to make it continuous????

01/03

so! i thought about it and its not exactly parasiting. parasiting is a word with too much negative connotation.

this place saves you from the hectic life of the streets. it gives you space to enjoy, air to move and breath in. thats what public space is supposed to do. it is a place of social interaction, or individual rest.
on the way, of course, it profits from your being there.

it cannot be oppresive to the streets, it cannot be massive.
it is a CLOUD.
it effortlessly lies on buidings.
it is light and luminous.
it is heaven.
there is no effort, no suffering, just enjoyment and peace.
the PARADISIAC PARASITE.

so the question is obviously: how do people spend their money in Paradise?
not an easy question. material goods? services? lifestyle?

i could think of some things we, mortals on earth, spend our money on:
-living: rent, food, clothes, education (1st worl mentality of course, essentially should be food... and yeah food)
- transportation: public (tickets), private (car, gas...)
- unecessary:
turism: plane, hotel, eventually souvenirs...
"choice" goods: brands, complements, music, books..... everything really
choice services: headresser, sport, wellness...
entertainment: cinema, eating out / going out (drinks, club), all kinds of games...

i think it's most likely that in heaven people would like to spend money on services. there are no material needs anymore. there is no matter, as a matter of fact (ho ho ho, im so witty making word tricks) following a principle of concentration of activity it should help to make them spend money on other things on the way.

* and then a reflection on the way: the architectural idea doesn't have to be related to the connotation of the program (i mean, it can't but it is not necessary to make a big bluntant metaphor). it is purely architectural, more of a response to the site, situation, size, typology, character.... -so context or structural/metaphysic reflection)

i still have a HUGE structural problem. i really don't know how to solve it. the piece is huge and the idea was to make it all connected. on existing buildings. over the streets. it is really crazy if you think about it (and even if you don't, just from hearing).
i figured it could (maybe, hopefully) work like a spider. there would be a body (the cloud) and these sort of legs arriving to the ground. that would be the way to get in, too.

two more problems coming up after this decision:
1- how far away from each other are these legs?
2- how the f*** is it going to be continuos if it just has the buildings to go over?
as for the first issue, i should detect the holes in the urban texture where i can go down and see if it works. there will not be empty lots (density was the entire point of it in the first place), but maybe some non-occupied room in lots. i know they have most probably used all the edificability permitted by NY law, but im a student. i can disregard law.
and about the second... i really don't know. depends on geometry and structural possibilities, i guess.

for the body is an extension of great length (we can be talking about an entire neighbourhood) it should be able to change program depending on the character of the population. that's why i'd like it to be on a crossroad of different ny "ghettos" (say, east village, tribeca or chinatown). i'll do as much as i can but i saw they are not that close as i'd imagined.

as for the target and program (all i came out with):
- families --> children's leisure, adult relief
- teenagers --> place to hang out + eat, movies, sports, some non-necessary products
- young adults --> music/events, cafés, bars/clubs, restaurants, sports
- adults --> businessmen: quick basics, quick rest, some non-necessary/expensive items
--> generally: cultural/sports events, eating out, chill and going out
- elder people --> wellness, rest, care, guided activities
- economically challenged (omg the american euphemisms) : basic goods, space to hang
- different etnies --> associated cultural needs lacking in the area, common activities

plus:
if there are no shops in the area, sell goods (basic and unnecessary)
if there is no public space, provide it
if there are no leisure spaces (eating out, activities), provide them

and the problem now is
HOW DOES THE TRANSITION BETWEEN ONE AND ANOTHER PROGRAM OCCUR?
at this point i thought it would be common sense (and more operative, too) to focus on main spots well characterized by their particular program. the idea then would be establishing a net of communication (with linkages according to a logic)
the action would be at a LOCAL level or a SPECIFIC level
the first would focus on neighbourhood-oriented goods and services
the latter woul have a bigger program, and would attract people from further away in the city. it would have to be bigger and specific in the attractive, in very accesible spots.

** note to myself: i gotta do some kind of diagram showing 1st: available spaces and 2nd spots of defined program and their level of intervention. for that i have to get informed about the population, kind of families/residence, commercial activity and all. and i have to LOCATE THE ACCESSES!!!

coming back to the idea of light and transparency and the structural problem, some brainstorming:
BUILDING AS THE SACRED LIGHT OF THE CITY (Bruno Taut, Mies and expressionists)
clarity
cleaness
transparency
openess
luminosity
lightness
THE SKY OVER MANHATTAN
making the artifact light (visually and structurally) it is immediately placed on a lower level of architectural hierarchy (and that's why it is a parasite)

structure:
the "legs" work structurally and are the main base points for the entire body, which flyes over and takes some anchor points on the buildings (¿?)
structure should also show transparency and lightness (see Mies -Barcelona, Berlin-, moderns, Ando/Sejima/Ito, Phillip Johnson's Glasshouse...)

"new yorkers lack time and public space" --> provide a place of pleasure and compatible with work


** so now i have an architectural idea (which could contain whatever program inside). i have to work now on the SPACIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROGRAM
(but first goes all this thing of making plans and detecting spots in order to know WHAT program)

(well i guess i could also develop it in abstract and then apply the observations to the real situation)


NEXT STOP: cartography of new york!