ecological spatial urbanism
DESCRIPTION
The goal is to explore the importance of landscape and ecology for people, urban community and individuality, and the combination of the best ideas of an ideal urban street and establish it in the format of a skyscraper. The mega structure will then refl ect a landscape frame and modular spaces within this framework will be designed by its inhabitants. Technological and biological systems within the tower will provide a infrastructure to promote healthy living and ecological preservation.TRANSCRIPT
Ecological Spatial UrbanismThesis by: Benjie Morillo
Accepted in Partial Fulfi llment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of Master of Architecture
atThe Savannah College of Art and Design
_______________________________________________________________________________/__/__Scott Dietz DateCommittee Chair
_______________________________________________________________________________/__/__Samuel Olin DateCommittee Member 1
_______________________________________________________________________________/__/__Jo Hickson DateCommittee Member 2
Ecological Spatial Urbanism
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Building Artsin Partial Fulfi llment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of ArchitectureSavannah College of Art and Design
By
Peter Benjamin Albert B MorilloSavannah, GA
June, 2011
This book is dedicated to:my mother and brother,
ducky,martha and terry,
classmatesand all my professors.
Table of Contents
Part 1 - General Principles 1
Abstract
Landscape
Desire for Nature
Destruction of Nature
Place of Uniqueness
Vertical Gardens
Constructed Wetlands
Vertical Farming
Need for Evolution
Ecological Spatial Urbanism
Part 2 - Context Analysis and Regional Description 19
Spatial City
Case Studies
Multiple Site Possibilities
Downtown Chicago
Economy
Local Programs
Commercial
Demographics
Streeterville
Part 3 - Site Analysis 41
Sun and Wind
Chicago Land Use
South Chicago
Macro Analysis
Micro Analysis
Part 4 - Program Analysis 59
Evolving Programs
Human Scale
Street to City to Spatial City
Frame and Landscape
Vertical and Horizontal
Evolution Through Time
City to Skyscraper
Macro Zoning Program Analysis
The Destination
Public Buildings, Trails, and Parks
Modulating Service Connections
Lot Divisions
Commercial Buid Lots
Modular Farming
Circulation and Transportation
Ground Activation Program
Part 5 - Quantitative Program Development 95
No Development
Maximum Development
Support Programs
Part 6 - Schematic Building Design 101
Three Planes
Build Plane
Ecological Plane
Digital Model
Farming Module
Part 7 - Design Development 121
Site
Reclamation Plan
Diagrams
3D Model
Elevations
Levels
Details
Renderings
Conclusion
Ecological Spatial Urbanism
Peter Benjamin Albert B Morillo
June, 2011
The goal is to explore the importance of landscape and ecology for people, urban community and individuality, and the combination of the best ideas of an ideal urban street and establish it in the format of a skyscraper. The mega structure will then refl ect a landscape frame and modular spaces within this framework will be designed by its inhabitants. Technological and biological systems within the tower will
provide a infrastructure to promote healthy living and ecological preservation.
1
General Principlespart 1
2
Abstract
People have occupied the landscape for two
hundred thousand years, from living inside caves to
building skyscrapers. People have conquered and
expanded territory, claiming nature in the process.
During the industrial era, skyscrapers reached for the
clouds, vehicles reached for the horizons, and drills
reached for cheap energy. As population increases,
pressure on land development increases. We have
allowed ourselves to claim land and call it our own.
We gathered precious non-renewable resources
and consumed them for the comfort of large spaces.
We built cars that allow us to travel through the land
to function in our daily lives. We have moved away
from the supposedly “undesired” cities to the more
quiet, peaceful and supposedly “natural” suburbs,
which generally become the exact opposite of
nature. Nature has to step aside while farmlands
spread across the landscape to feed people. As
population numbers rise and non-renewable
resources are depleted, ideas for sustainable living
are increasing. One concept is to combine the best
ideas of the ideal urban street and establish it in the
format of a skyscraper. The skyscraper will then
refl ect a landscape frame and modular spaces within
this framework will be designed by its inhabitants.
Technological and biological systems within the
tower will provide a infrastructure to promote healthy
living and ecological preservation.
Fig 1.1
Fig 1.2
3
Landscape
Landscape is essential for life. If the world was
covered in concrete, we will not have a place to farm
food. Land is where we set our feet on and feel
comfortably grounded to. Landscapes are determined
by two axes that we use to identify our position in the
world.1 The unfortunate thing is that landscape is
not infi nite; although there is a lot of it, we can run
out of it. Preserving landscape is something people
need to take in seriously. Landscape is defi ned in
several ways. The dictionary defi nes it as a section
or expanse of rural scenery, usually extensive, that
can be seen from a single point of view, a panoramic
view of a scenery, or a vista; it may be a picture
representing natural inland or coastal scenery or
any category of aesthetic subject matter in which
natural scenery is represented.2 Michel Desvigne
describes landscape as always heavily marked by
the practices and natural structures that exist or
that existed and never a blank page from which the
unexpected will spring.3 Henry David Thoreau,
an American author and poet, notes that almost
all of man’s improvements such as the building of
houses and the cutting down of the forest and large
trees have deformed the landscape and made it
more and more tame and cheap. “Earth provides
a self-regulating bubble that sustains us indefi nitely
without any thought or contrivance on our own. This
protective shield is the biosphere, the totality of life,
creator of all air, cleaner of all water, manager of
all soil, but itself a fragile membrane that barely 1 Anna Lambertini, Mario Ciampi, and Jacques Leenhardt, Vertical Gardens (London: Verba Volant, 2007), 9.2 “Landscape | Defi ne Landscape at Dictionary.com.” Diction-ary.com | Find the Meanings and Defi nitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 06 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/landscape>.3 Gilles A. Tiberghien, Michel Desvigne, and James Corner, Intermediate Natures the Landscapes of Michel Desvigne (Basel: Birkhäuser, 2009), 63.
clings to the face of the planet. Upon its delicate
health we depend for every moment of our lives.”4
Developing cities usually means clearing land and
vegetations. Clearing land and vegetation means
destroying natural wildlife habitat that may have
been in existence for probably tens or thousands of
years. The impact of human colonization can be
lessened by providing refuge for wildlife.
In the United States, it remains a challenge to
overcome the polar distinction between what is
“urban” and what is “natural”. Perhaps because
of the expansiveness of our ecological resources
and land base, we have tended to see the most
signifi cant forms of nature as occurring somewhere
else – often hundreds of miles away from where
most people actually live – in national parks, national
seashores, and wilderness areas.5
4 Wilson, Edward O.. Th e creation: an appeal to save life on earth (New York: Norton, 2006), 27.5 Timothy Beatley, Green Urbanism: Learning from Euro-pean Cities (Washington, DC: Island, 2000).
4
Desire for Nature
“Nature is that part of the original environment and
its life forms that remains after the human impact.
Nature is all on planet Earth that has no need of us
and can stand alone.”1
“The destructive power of Homo sapiens has no
limit, even though our biomass is almost invisibly
small. It is mathematically possible to log-stack all
the people on Earth into a single block of one cubic
mile and lower them out of sight in a remote part of
the Grand Canyon.”2
People look at nature as a refuge from the concrete
pavement that we drive on every day. From the
beginning of time, we, as human beings, have
strived to make life easier, better, and richer. In the
process, we have created countless things that are
way beyond the comprehension of a single human
being. One particular thing we have achieved is the
mass production of automobiles and cheap gasoline.
Combine this technology with almost infi nite cheap
landscape and urban sprawl is achieved. Even
though people try to live in the country, most
often than not, there is a hard borderline between
farmlands and buildings. Michel Desvigne explains,
1 Wilson, Edward O.. Th e creation: an appeal to save life on earth (New York: Norton, 2006), 152 Wilson, Edward O.. Th e creation: an appeal to save life on earth (New York: Norton, 2006), 29
“The usual catastrophe of the city outskirts is
embodied in that terrible line separating the housing
environment from the vast swathes of land that were
created by the consolidation of lots and are used for
modern-day extensive farming.”3 There is a lack of
direct connection between the natural environment
and the housing developments that are, in most
cases, fenced in.
“At the dawn of the twenty-fi rst-century, metropolitan
America has sprawled far beyond the wildest
imaginings.”4 Suburbia is an attempt to create a
country estate that people love to live in. It advertises
as a healthy, beautiful, protected, and far from the
dense crowd and noise pollution of the city center.
However, the suburbs are changing because of the
growing diversity that has moved and permeated to
it. Some suburbs become unsafe and far different
from the initial ideal place. Through time, suburbs
age and diversity sets in resulting in problems that
were once thought of as exclusively ‘urban’ such as
crime, vandalism, disinvestment, and blight.5 3 Gilles A. Tiberghien, Michel Desvigne, and James Corner. Intermediate Natures the Landscapes of Michel Desvigne (Basel: Birkhäuser, 2009), 63.4 Rutherford H. Platt, Th e Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st-century City (Amherst: University of Massachusetts in Association with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, 2006), 8.5 Rutherford H. Platt, Th e Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st-century City (Amherst: University of Massachusetts in Association with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, 2006), 10-11.
Fig 1.3
5
Suburbs grew from 55 million residents in 1950 to
more than 141 million in 2000 and are now home
to more than one-half of the entire U.S. population.
Most metropolitan areas today are expanding
spatially much more quickly than they are adding
population. Between 1982 and 1997, the total extent
of urbanized areas, as delineated by the Bureau of the
Census, increased by 47 percent while the nation’s
population grew by only 17 percent. Between 1950
and 2000, suburbs tripled in population while central
cities collectively gained only 73 percent. Even this
comparison understates the actual shift away from
older cities toward suburbs.1
Central cities have stopped growing due to the
relocation of jobs out of the downtown areas toward
the suburban areas. People living in downtown
areas with jobs in the suburbs create a daily reverse
commute. The places where the commercial jobs
1 Rutherford H. Platt, Th e Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st-century City (Amherst: University of Massachusetts in Association with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, 2006), 8-9.
are located are called “edge cities” or “mushburbs”.
They are often found in major interstate exits for easy
vehicular access. The edge cities would be composed
of retail spaces, commercial, entertainment centers,
hotels and some residential spaces. It is estimated
that “edge cities in 1991 contained two-thirds of all
U.S. offi ce space, thus eclipsing conventional urban
downtowns.”2 One difference between edge cities
and actual towns is that edge cities lack the public
infrastructure that creates a community. Edge city
growth is based on private vehicular transportation
and usually lacks pedestrian access. With the
commercial and residential spaces spreading thinly
across the landscape, it is expensive to create a
suffi cient public transportation system because of
the lack of users. People give up all the necessities
of living in cities and prefer long commutes home.
It is also usually diffi cult to fi nd a home in a dense
city environment, where most people see home as
someplace unique and identity driven.
2 Rutherford H. Platt, Th e Humane Metropolis: People and Nature in the 21st-century City (Amherst: University of Massachusetts in Association with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, 2006), 12.
Fig 1.4
6
Destruction of Nature
As we sprawl across the land, we kill a large number
of species that are home to these areas. “Now when
you cut a forest, an Ancient Forest in particular, you
are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few birds
fl uttering around in the canopy. You are removing or
drastically imperiling a vast array of species even
within a few square miles of you. The number of
these species may go to tens of thousands. Many of
them, the very smallest of them, are still unknown to
science, and science has not yet discovered the key
role undoubtedly played in the maintenance of that
ecosystem, as in the case of fungi, microorganisms,
and many of the insects.”1
1 “SECOND PAGE: E.O. WILSON SLIDE SHOW, SAVE AMERICA’S FORESTS.” Save America’s Forests. http://www.saveameri-casforests.org/wilson/second.htm (accessed April 20, 2011).
Place of Uniqueness
The concept of uniqueness is often amorphous
and very diffi cult to express when it concerns a
specifi c place. Throughout the world, however, exist
places which people categorize as unique and the
mention of them brings forth a mental image or an
imagined character.”1 To create a place for people,
designers cannot impose a foreign character, but
rather develop the character that is in existence.
When this concept is applied to small towns, it will
create a unique character and this enables the place
to grow and change. The communities that are
growing and changing in today’s commercial world
have introduced sameness that can erode individual
qualities of a place and destroy its unique spirit. A
designer must comprehend function and how people
use the space. What activities happen and when
1 Harry Launce Garnham, Maintaining the Spirit of Place: a Guidebook for Citizen/professional Participation in the Preservation and Enhancement of Small Texas Towns (College Station, Tx.: Texas A & M University Printing Center, 1976), 6.
they happen are essential topics to understand a
site.2 The cultural activities that are developed in the
town refl ects people’s interaction with the landscape
during its evolution. Walter Gropius describes a
town “as a living organism, subject to continuous
change but with a basic structure generated by
the character of life of its populations, constituting
its identity; its growth cannot be left to change but
should be consciously developed and controlled
by act of will and that the fi nal aim of successful
planning is to raise the standard of town life, thereby
expressing practically and aesthetically the pride of
its inhabitants.”3
2 Harry Launce Garnham, Maintaining the Spirit of Place: a Guidebook for Citizen/professional Participation in the Preservation and Enhancement of Small Texas Towns (College Station, Tx.: Texas A & M University Printing Center, 1976), 21. 3 Harry Launce Garnham, Maintaining the Spirit of Place: a Guidebook for Citizen/professional Participation in the Preservation and Enhancement of Small Texas Towns (College Station, Tx.: Texas A & M University Printing Center, 1976), 21.
7
Fig 1.5
8
Vertical Gardens
Vertical gardens technology is similar to vertical
farm technologies. The only difference is getting an
aesthetically pleasing psychological response being
in a garden, instead of harvesting food to provide
for a physical or physiological need. Gardens and
farming is almost a great combination because
it becomes a place of connection with nature.
Plants are vertical by nature. Vertical Gardens
describes “the roots of verticality to be found in
the principles of life itself; through its relationship
involving photosynthesis, the growth of vegetation
is essentially determined by the search for light.”1
The cities today are always trying to bring back
areas for nature to grow, such as parks, to help 1 Anna Lambertini, Mario Ciampi, and Jacques Leenhardt, Vertical Gardens (London: Verba Volant, 2007), 11.
reduce the carbon dioxide from dense traffi c and
also reduce the heat island effect. Vegetations
can be incorporated into architectural elements in
several different ways. It can be planted directly
onto the walls that have pockets with soil for roots
to grow, or it can be a vine that crawls up to form a
natural mesh. However, incorporating these vertical
plants onto a wall has little natural context especially
when done as a garden art. “A green or plant wall
constitutes a particular facet of verticality in garden
art. It has the unusual characteristics of being
developed separately from a garden in areas that
have no natural green context. It is an urban and
architectural element.”2
2 Anna Lambertini, Mario Ciampi, and Jacques Leenhardt, Vertical Gardens (London: Verba Volant, 2007), 13.
Fig 1.6 Vertical Garden
9
Constructed Wetland System
Constructed Wetland System, also called Greywater
Biofi ltration system removes pollutants from
greywater that comes from sinks, baths, or clothes
washing. Wastewater is treated by the processes
of sedimentation, fi ltration, digestion, oxidation,
reduction, adsorption and precipitation. The system
will have wetland plants as well as micro organisms
that thrive in wetland environments which break
down pathogens, bacteria, and non-biodegradable
toxins that could potentially reach surface waters
causing pollutions. “Typically greywater does
contain nitrate, phosphate, soaps, salt, bacteria,
bleach, foam, food particles, organic matter,
suspended solids, perfumes and dye.”1 Greywater
fi ltration systems can also prevent bad odors from
pooling stagnant water. It prevents nutrient overload 1 Yocum, Dayna. “Design Manual: Greywater Biofi ltration Constructed Wetland System.” Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. University of California, Santa Barbara, n.d. Web. 24 May 2011. <fi esta.bren.ucsb.edu/~chiapas2/Water%20Manage-ment_fi les/Greywater%20Wetlands-1.pdf>
of surface waters.
Maintenance of greywater wetlands is very
limited. The depth of the water must be adjusted
to encourage the roots of the plants to grow.
Vegetation must be properly removed when wilted
and replaced. The mesh in the inlet and outlet must
be cleaned periodically to prevent clogging. Water
must be monitored for nutrient and BOD levels.
Common problems of this system include clogging
and overfl owing. There are typically sediments in
the water that accumulate over time and potentially
clogs the pipes and prevents the water to fl ow. This
can be prevented by installing screens at the pipe
inlet. The wetlands may also overfl ow during a
storm, but can be regulated through proper drainage
through the outlet pipes.
Fig 1.7 Greywater System
10
Vertical Farming
According to The Vertical Farm, nearly 80% of the
earth’s population will be concentrated in urban
centers by the year 2050 and the most conservative
estimates of the human population show an increase
of about 3 billion people in less than 50 years.1 This
means that we will need to fi nd more land for people
to grow food in. With nature diminishing because of
the farmlands that carpet the landscape as shown
in (fi g ?), a solution then is to plan vertically (fi g ?):
the vertical farm. Although it is not a new idea to
grow produce indoors in a controlled environment,
the challenge is how to be able to do it on a large
scale to accommodate the rising population.
An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be
invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The
Vertical Farm must be effi cient (cheap to construct
and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories
high, will be situated in the heart of the world’s urban
centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the
promise of urban renewal, sustainable production
of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop
production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems
that have been sacrifi ced for horizontal farming.2
There are several great advantages from this
concept. The following are listed from The Vertical
Farming website:
•Year-round crop production
•Eliminates agricultural runoff 1 Th e Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century and Beyond | Www.verticalfarm.com. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.verticalfarm.com/more>.2 Th e Vertical Farm Project - Agriculture for the 21st Century and Beyond | Www.verticalfarm.com. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.verticalfarm.com/more>.
•Signifi cantly reduces use of fossil fuels (farm
machines and transport of crops)
•Makes use of abandoned or unused properties
•No weather related crop failures
•Offers the possibility of sustainability for urban
centers
•Converts black and gray water to drinking water
•Adds energy back to the grid via methane
generation
•Creates new urban employment opportunities
•Reduces the risk of infection from agents
transmitted at the agricultural interface
•Returns farmland to nature, helping to restore
ecosystem functions and services
•Controls vermin by using restaurant waste for
methane generation
When farming becomes vertical in a highrise
environment, this will impact the way surrounding
context is developed to ensure the agricultural
spaces are well lit from the sun. Guidelines must be
set on these such as how tall surrounding buildings
are depending on its orientation to the sun and
other considerations to ensure productivity and
desirability of the area. Farming, and especially
community farming, typically brings community and
social value up in the area, not just because of fresh
local produce, but also the experience of increasing
bond by sharing a public garden with a neighbor.
11
Fig 1.8 Farming
12
Need for Evolution
From birth, the skyscraper has evolved signifi cantly
into different forms and styles. Skyscrapers, just
like living organisms, have even tried to evolve into
fantastic futuristic ideas with the help of futurists,
avant-garde architects and artists. But nature –
or rather technology, feasibility, human culture
and taste – prevented them to evolve. Today, the
big issue is the climate change due to the over
consumption of natural materials, particularly the
thirst of human infrastructures for energy that we
acquire through non-renewable resources. “Broadly
speaking, the industrial application of fossil fuels in
the nineteenth century set the developing world on a
path of seeing nature as a resource for consumption
rather than conservation and restoration. Rapidly
urbanizing cities established parks and limited
natural systems within their borders as symbols of
nature while broadly exploiting nature elsewhere as
a source of energy.”1.
Tall structures can eventually become a landscape
of spaces/cities. Skyscrapers will not just be another
building in an urban context, but rather an urban
context within an urban context. Buildings will merge
with one another or merge with the landscape to
create a more functional environment for the
1 Scott Johnson, Tall Building: Imagining of the Skyscraper (Glendale, Calif: Balcony, 2008), 108.
inhabitants and urbanism more humanized in scale.
“Ground based structures would not necessarily
shift, but new labyrinths of circulation could develop,
change, and disappear in response to social
demands. Floors would become obsolete. Rather,
we would have to make distinctions based on
contiguous spaces, or devise a sub neighborhood
category equivalent to the street.”2
“Historically, the skyscraper has been a vertical
extrusion of similarly inhabited fl oors. Implicit in the
concept of tall is the omnipresence of gravity as both
a structural force as well as a force to be overcome
to achieve accessibility. While the horizontal space
symbolizes a kind of sociable and barrier free
access, vertically organized space typically presents
obstacles to movement and visibility, separating
activity on one fl oor from the next. Horizontal space
is epitomized as fl exibility, organizable into shade
of public, semi-private and private, while a vertical
extrusion of similar fl oor plates implies privacy and
separation.”3
2 ”Parametric Architectural Concept Development | Th e Archi Studio.” Koh Samui, Architect Design Service, 3dInterior Design, Construction, Renovation, Animation. 4 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.<http://www.thearchistudio.com/3d‐showcase/3d‐render‐3d‐visualiza-tion/parametric‐skyscraper‐conceptdevelopment.html>. 3 Scott Johnson, Tall Building: Imagining of the Skyscraper (Glendale, Calif: Balcony, 2008), 58.
13
Fig 1.9 Evolution of a City
14
Ecological Spatial Urbanism
There is a common idea of trying to put urbanism into
the vertical skyscraper. The concept of hybridizing
skyscrapers and urbanism is one of the evolving
types of skyscrapers today. However, these design
seems to still be creating private and cul-de-sac
scenarios once you read the top fl oors. There is
also little emphasis on Ecological Issues that urban
sprawl is creating and other issues such as food
sources being far away from central cities. Systems
such as wetland biofi ltration, ecological trails, travel
distances, street experience, community farming,
and healthy community connections interactions,
connections to existing context and/or other
skyscrapers must be addressed and incorporated
into the design.
The framework of the ecological spatial vertical
landscape is a key element and must be invented
from the combination of skyscraper technology
and landscape relationship to people, adapting
and creating culture through community and self-
individuality. The project must evolve through
phases in time, able to change its environmental
character during seasons, and changing its physical
and cultural character throughout the years. Farming
shall be the initial use of the framework to provide for
the surrounding communities. The spaces will initially
provide food for the surrounding neighborhood then
eventually provide for the skyscrapers’ inhabitants.
Spaces are divided three-dimensionally in the
skyscraper allowing for designated public spaces
and buildable spaces for businesses and residents
to occupy and inhabit the spaces. The spaces and
architectural style are not defi ned by the frame, but
rather from local architects, urban designers, and
landscape architects working for the clients and for
the community. As the years pass, the skyscraper
will evolve more, creating a community and culture
within itself. Culture is defi ned as the sum total of
ways of living built up by a group of human beings
and transmitted from one generation to another.1
“Certain changes in agricultural practices can be
studied to support other types of solutions. But
above all we must create a place to develop, and we
must set up a structural frame for this city.”2 In the
future, we cannot bind our cities to the ground and
there is no important reason why we have to. The
higher spaces is our a new areas for urbanization
ans must be planned well. The idea is that cities will
not be developed building by building in the ground,
but rather in a spatial frame. As earth’s species,
we have evolved and must evolve to survive in
the changing time, and as we notice a change in
the landscapes horizon, evolution seen though
theoretical visions are schemed.
1 “Culture | Defi ne Culture at Dictionary.com.” Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Defi nitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture>.2 Gilles A. Tiberghien, Michel Desvigne, and James Corner, Intermediate Natures the Landscapes of Michel Desvigne (Basel: Birkhäuser, 2009), 38.
15
Fig 1.10 Spatial Urbanism
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Fig 1.1 http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0710/MilkyWayRoad_landolfi .jpg
Fig 1.2 http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/images/sts-097_kidstation_project2000_earth_night.jpg
Fig 1.3 http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/myth/erik-johansson
Fig 1.4 http://www.lasmogtown.com/?cat=108
Fig 1.5 http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=section=&q=self+identity#/d1724qchttp://www.fl ickr.com/photos/suephi /3064021001/in/photostream/http://www.positivenation.co.uk/is sue117/features/feature1/feature1.htmhttp://www.cooltownstudios.com/2007/ 11 /08/self-expression-at - -its-residential-best
Fig 1.6 http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Home/10-Magnifi cent-Urban-Gardens.html
Fig 1.7 Yocum, Dayna. “Design Manual: Greywater Biofi ltration Constructed Wetland System.” Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. University of California, Santa Barbara, n.d. Web. 24 May 2011. <fi estabrenucsb.edu/~chiapas2/Water%20Management_fi les/Greywater%20Wetlands-1.pdf>
Fig 1.8 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Crops_Kansas_AST_20010624.jpghttp://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/12/vertical_farming.html
Images
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19
Context Analysispart 2
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Fig 2.1 Topologies
21
Spatial City
During the 1960’s, a group of avant-garde
visionaries comprised of architects, artists, writers,
theorists, and critics imagined a series of urban
utopias. They drew out phantom cities of the
future. They called themselves “spatial urbanists”,
which refl ected their conceptual idea of the utopian
“spatial” city. The city is suspended in the space
on an industrialized three- dimensional mesh over
existing urban centers. From this diverse group
of images, illustrations of the ideal, “spatial” city,
shows an almost endless number of possibilities.
Sometimes we fi nd dreamlike descriptions of the
images from the writing of critics like Raagon, Pierre
Restany, Henry Van Lier, Abraham Moles, Nicolas
Schoffer, and Victor Vasarely. The most observable
evidence that back up the phantom city is the big
collection of architectural drawings, models, and
artworks by various architects and artists. With all
these sketches and drawings combined, they begin
to outline the image and idea of a luminous city that
was to fl oat above the earth, with all its habitable
parts circulating in rhythm. Technology would make
sure that the inhabitants’ needs were going to be
attended to, transportation will be fl awless, and
there will be a great variety of social and leisure
spaces for the citizens. Rectilinear and polyhedral
structures and towers would support biomorphic
living cells, and themselves would constitute a great
wide network of plastic art. Color, light, and sound
would all be harmonized in this urban space into a
unifi ed, constantly changing spectacle. 1
The spatial city in France tells a two-part story. “One of
these parts recounts the formation and development
of a particular avant-garde, or neo-avant-garde: the
French tendency toward “spatial urbanism,” which
comprised architectural design, artistic production,
and engineering experimentation. The second part
described the external or contextual vicissitudes of
the society in which this avant-garde practiced.”2
The spatial city is developed from post-industrial
ideology and developed not for a single
1 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 3.2 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 4.
22
country but with a global language. The raw material
from the industrial age is used for the construction
of the framework for the urban utopia. The sixties
is seen as an international time for experimental
architecture. Van Lier envisioned the city with
great light and fl exible structure that could be
mobile. There will be effi cient circulation systems
that transport people into a fl awless communication
of spaces. In Mole’s and Van Lier’s visions of the
urban environment, the realistic and the futuristic
mix, networks would multiply, structures transform
and reconfi gure in time, and the city would change,
grow, and expand upward and into sky.1
“The science of space embodies at best a
technological utopia, a sort of computer simulation
of the future, or of the possible, within the framework
of the real, the framework of the existing mode of
production. The starting-point here is a knowledge
that is at once integrated into, and integrative with
respect to, the mode of production. The technological
utopia in question is a common feature not just of
many science-fi ction novels, but also of all kinds
of projects concerned with space, be they those of
architecture, urbanism, or social planning.”2
The actual nature of the design made it clear that the
“spatial” city will be almost impossible to make into
a realistic product. The way the spaces were drawn
and designed were very symptomatic and highly
problematic, which shows programmatic failings and
internal ideological contradictions in urban design
1 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 27.2 Henri Lefebvre, Th e Production of Space (Oxford [u.a.: Blackwell, 2003), 9.
and theoretical programs alike.3 The sketches
and drawings did not provide enough realism to
demonstrate the ideal city of the future. As soon as
the artists and writers describe a resolution above
the spatial city concern, their scientifi c approach
turned into an avant-garde manifesto.4
“Within the new urban labyrinth described by Moles
and Rohmer the city-dweller would experience
a complex aesthetic existence. His immediate
physical needs would be taken care of and he
would be left with a surplus of time, during which he
could wander a vast network of parcours, each of
which would present varying sequences of ‘spatial
acts’ –passively perceived aesthetic moments,
or particular events. These spatial acts could
include changing views of the urban landscape, art
‘happenings,’ and even the viewing of aesthetically
enhanced publicity materials, or affi chage.
Orchestrating these various experiences would
become the main occupation of the artist of the
future, an aesthetician cum development engineer
who would design ‘an aesthetic structuralism of
fragments of the environment.’ Thus the logic of the
spatial combinatoire was being applied to the urban
environment itself, and the experience of it by the
individual inhabitant.”5
3 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 7.4 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 23.5 Larry Busbea, Topologies: the Urban Utopia in France, 1960-1970 (Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2007), 25.
23
Yona Friedmans Spatial City
Reviewed by Jonas Komka
His space frame/city/agglomeration:
-holds several layers
-horizontal and vertical movement
• -50-60% of structure occupied my modules (25-30 sq.m.) can provide air and light
circulation for lower level
• -prefabricated modules for modular voids
• -mobility and adaptation: multiple and changeable confi gurations for social needs.
• -accomodates increasing population, provides second layer for urban pedestrian fl ow,
preserves heritage in lower level
• -architect acts as a from giver (a similarity to situationism)
• -ground occupying foundation is outdated
• -space as structured substance, technical formulation of ideal infrastructure.
The proposal may span over
• -certain unavailable sites,
• -areas where building is not possible or permitted (expanses of water, marshland),
• -areas that have already been built upon (an existing city),
• -farmland.
In 1958, Yona Friedman published his fi rst manifesto : “Mobile architecture”. It described a
new kind of mobility not of the buildings, but for the inhabitants, who are given a new freedom.
The spatial city, which is a materialization of this theory, makes it possible for everyone to
develop his or her own hypothesis. This is why, in the mobile city, buildings should :
1. touch the ground over a minimum area
2. be capable of being dismantled and moved
3. and be alterable as required by the individual occupant.1
1 Komka, Jonas. “ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM: Larry Busbea: Topologies - Th e Urban Utopia in France 1960-1970 (2007).” ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM.
Topologies
24
Skyscraper Case Studies
Vertical Campus: A New Skyscraper for an Ever-evolving LA Fig 2.2
The tower is located over Los Angeles River, Using the
buildings base to generate hydroelectric power. There is a
mix of residential, commercil, garden and civic spaces. “Wind
turbines join the hydroelectric to provide energy, as does
photovoltaic fi lm; horizontal farms breed algae for energy
use while hanging gardens grow vegetables and fl owers for
residents; rainwater is collected and purifi ed; and all of the
city’s transportation paths – bike, pedestrian, car, subway,
train – run across the building’s base, unifying the building in
another way with its landscape.”1 The features of the tower
is very close to a functioning spatial community. There is a
combination of mixed use spaces and the ability for modular
spaces to be attached. However, the circulation is very
dependent on vertical lifts and a pure vertical tower suggests
privacy so it is hard for a natural community core to evolve.
1 http://www.evolo.us/architecture/vertical-campus-a-new-skyscraper-
for-an-ever-evolving-l-a/
25
Fig 2.3Vertical Street/City
The design of this skyscraper is to provide a structure for
a vertical street where developments gradually occur and
change attaching to the structural cores. This allows the
skyscraper to have its own character depending on multiple
architectural designers for multiple inhabitants. “A great
number of architects, designers and landscape architects
will have an opportunity to participate in erection of this
skyscraper. The tenants may choose the look, planning,
style, characteristics of their house. The bounds of the ground
on each separate level will be formed in such way that will
prevent their interference. This will give a general skyscraper
look complex and unpredictable shape. The uniqueness
of building’s volume will contain in that, like a coral lying
on the ocean’s bottom and accumulating mollusks, it will
be fi lling itself with life. This will form natural and inimitable
environment.”1 This is design however creates a vertical cul
de sac. The tower is mainly a linear design instead of planar
design like the vertical campus. This case study is defi nitely
a good example of how to turn the horizontal street into a
vertical element.
1 http://www.evolo.us/competition/vertical-street-city-2/
26
Vertical City in Mexico
The tower is in designed by a mock fi rm of 10 undergraduate
architecture students. The concept is similar to the “Vertical
Street”, but the street is designed to be diagonal which almost
for a more public environment. “The Architecture within the
tower is built over time, creating a dynamic composition of
Mexico’s cultures. Furthermore, the proposed tower allows
sub-public and private spaces to evolve naturally, creating
complex urban spaces similar to those of historic Mexico.”1
The diagonal street is defi nitely the strong characteristic
of this tower. It functions more as a community rather than
private spaces, compared to the vertical street and vertical
campus.
1 http://www.architecturepost.org/2010/06/student-competition-vertical-city-in-mexico-city/
Fig 2.4
27
Multiple Site Possibilities
The spatial town or skyscraper cannot support itself
like a biosphere but it certainly can be developed
anywhere in the world as long as the region has
the right climate to farm and other resources
for its inhabitants to thrive. Spatial Urbanism in
Urban Areas. The spaces in the spatial skyscraper
should not destroy the existing social and spacial
context of a place bur rather provide additions to
the neighborhood that helps promote community,
self-individuality, and culture. For example, in
commercial rich areas, more residential spaces and
even farming programs can be developed within the
skyscrapers context.
Spatial Urbanism in Rural Areas. If a rural site is
chosen for development, the programs may be
more mixed use to provide the essential needs of
a community. Farming may be the main use of the
surrounding landscape thus there might not be any
priority to develop vertical farming.
Fig 2.5
28
Downtown Chicago
Downtown Chicago sits at the edge of Lake Michigan
and its lake front invites a lot of nightlife and tourists
alike. Around one-third of Chicago is concentrated
in the lake front neighborhoods. The majority of the
skyscrapers is located in Central Chicago. Central
Chicago is divided into three community areas; Near
North, Near South, and the Loop. In Near North
Side, there are 11 neighborhoods.
Streeterville is one of the neighborhoods in Near
North. It is bordered with the river on the south, Lake
Michigan in the North and East, and Michigan Ave
on the west. There is a large collection of luxurious
high-rise apartment buildings and restaurants.
Navy Pier, John Hancock, and the Magnifi cent Mile
shopping district are its popular destinations. Navy
Pier consists of 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops,
eateries and attractions to mainly tourists. Visitors
can ride a 150 ft. tall Ferris wheel, take boat rides,
or go in the IMAX Theatre. Near Navy Pier closer
to my site is an old warehouse that became River
East Art Center, where visitors can observe work
and take art classes or go to lectures. Streeterville
is also known for the Museum of Contemporary Art,
one of the best museums in Chicago 1
1 Solomon, Alan. “Streeterville | Chicago Neighborhoods | Explore Chicago.” Explore Chicago | Th e Offi cial Chicago Tourism Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/streeterville.html>.
29
Fig 2.6
30
Chicago’s diverse economy is based on
manufacturing, printing and publishing, fi nance and
insurance, and food processing as primary sectors.
A big part of the economy comes from a substantial
industry and its location as a major inland port. This
gives the city a big role in the nations transportation
and distribution center. The source of nationally
distributed magazines, catalogs, educational
materials, encyclopedias, and specialized
publications, Chicago ranks second only to New
York in the publishing industry. The city is also home
to the Federal Reserve Bank, the Chicago Board of
Trade, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Items and goods produced: telephone equipment,
musical instruments, surgical appliances, machinery,
earthmoving and agricultural equipment, steel,
metal products, diesel engines, printing presses,
offi ce machines, radios and television sets, auto
accessories, chemicals, soap, paint, food products
and confections
The City of Chicago Department of Planning and
Development (DPD) takes big part in promoting the
diversity of the city as well as growth and economy.
They work with the existing business and try to
attract new ones. Community based planning is also
practiced to coordinate activities with residents and
community organization.
DPD promotes effective neighborhood planning
by coordinating the strategic allocation of public
funds to maximize private investment—and the
attraction of new companies—by providing a menu
of fi nancial resources, neighborhood improvements,
site location assistance, and the expediting of
permits and licenses. DPD also has the primary
responsibility for preserving city landmarks and
protecting the Chicago River and the Lake Michigan
shoreline.
Economy
Local Programs
31
Since its founding, Chicago has been an important
transportation and distribution point; at one time
it was a crucial link between the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River waterways and today the city
ranks among the world’s busiest shipping hubs. The
city became a world port in 1959 with the opening of
the St. Lawrence Seaway, which provides a direct
link from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The
Port of Chicago handles marine, rail, and overland
freight. The state of Illinois maintains the third-
highest combined mileage of railroads and paved
highways in the country. Approximately 750 motor
freight carriers serve the metropolitan area, and
trucking companies ship more than 50 million tons
of freight each year; railroads average more than 40
million tons. Chicago’s airports handle more than
one million metric tons of cargo annually
Chicago has one of the fastest growing population
in history. There are about 2,695, 598 people with
1,045,560 households residing within Chicago. Half
of the population lives in the metropolitan area. The
median Income for a household is $38,652, and the
median income for a family is about $42,724.
Racial Composition
45.0% White (31.7% non-Hispanic whites)
32.9% Black or African American
0.5% American Indian
5.5% Asian
13.4% from some other race
2.7% from two or more races
Hispanics or Latinos (of any race) make up 28.9% of
the total population.
Commercial
Demographics
Census Population in Chicago
1840 4,470 1850 29,963 570.3%1860 112,172 274.4%1870 298,977 166.5%1880 503,185 68.3%1890 1,099,850 118.6%1900 1,698,575 54.4%1910 2,185,283 28.7%1920 2,701,705 23.6%1930 3,376,438 25.0%1940 3,396,808 0.6%1950 3,620,962 6.6%(the beginning of suburbia)1960 3,550,404 −1.9%1970 3,366,957 −5.2%1980 3,005,072 −10.7%1990 2,783,726 −7.4%2000 2,896,016 4.0%2010 2,695,598 −6.9%
http://www.census.gov/
32
Fig 2.7 Racial / Ethnic Self-identifi cation
33
Fig 2.8 Historic Zoning Map
Fig 2.9 Streeterville Visitors Map
34
B u s w a y ( T o M
c C o r m i c k P l a c e )
TH
E
MA
GN
I FI C
EN
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I LE
i
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
The Museum of Contemporary Photograpy
CHICAGO
NO R TH / C L YBOUR N
CHICAGO
SEDG
WIC
K
CLAR
K/DI
VISI
ON
MERCHANDISE MA R T
WA TER T AX I PO R T
WA TER T AX I PO R T
WA TER T AX I PO R T
WA TER T AX I PO R T
GRAND
ROOSEVE L T
CLIN
TON
CLIN
TON
GRAND
CHICA
GO
UIC/
HALS
TED
CERMAK- CHIN A TOW N
HALS
TED
C T A Purple Line to Evanston/Wilmett e weekday rush hour se r vice to/from Loo p
C T A Brown Line to Kimbal l
C CTA Pink Line to 54th/Cermak
T A Green Line to Harlem/Lak e
C T A Blue Lin e
to Cermak or Forest Park
C T A Blue Lin e
to O’Hare Airport
Wrigley Field/Chicago Cubs 2 m i l e s v i a C TA Red L i ne t o Add i s on
Frank Lloyd Wright Historic Distr ict/Oak Park/Garfield Park Conservatory 9 m i l e s v i a C TA G reen L i ne t o Ha r l em
CTA bu se s M -F, C e r t a i n hou r s2 , 29 , 65 , 66 , 120 , 121 o r 124
Lincoln Park Zoo The L inco ln Park Conservatory Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum 1/2 m i l e v i a C TA Bu s 151 She r i dan
United Center/Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bul ls 1 m i l e v i a C TA bu s 20
CTA Red Line to Howard
Ukrainian National Museum
2249 W. Supe r i o r S t .
Wicker Park
Ukrainian Vil lage
Bucktown
Polish Museum
of America
984 N . M i lwaukee CT
A Re
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to 9
5th/
Dan
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CTA
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n Li
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to A
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U .S. Cel lular F ie ld/Ch i cago Whi te Sox 1 m i l e v i a C TA Red L i ne
Bronzevi l le 1/2 m i l e
Hyde Park (via CTA Bus 2, 6, 28 or55)Harold Washington Cultural Center (via CTA Bus 1, 3 or 47)Museum of Science and IndustryFrank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House (via CTA Bus 6)DuSable Museum of African American History (via 2, 4 or 55)4 m i l e s v i a C TA Bu s 6 o r 10
CTA Bu s 146 f r om The Magn i f i c en t M i l e o r S t a t e S t r ee t
National Museum of Mexican Art
Pi lsen
1852 W. 19 th S t r ee t1 m i l e v i a C TA bu s 18 o r C TA B l ue L i ne t o 18 th
National Ital ian AmericanSports Hal l of Fame1431 W. Taylor S t reet
N a v y P i e r
C T A O
r a n g
e L i
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a y A
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G R A N T
P A R K
Pritzker Park
Ping Tom Park
Burnham Park
Gold Star Families Memorial and Park
Hutc
hins
on F
ield
Washington Square Park
Erie Landing Park
World Trade Center
Apparel Center
Chicago Performing
Kendall College RiverWorks Campus
Arts Center
River Walk
Merchandise Mart
Sightseeing Boats
Chicago Theatre Mil lennium Station
Centennial Fountain and Arc
Riverwalk Gateway
Riverwalk
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Chi ldren’s Museum
Ferris Wheel
Bike & In-l ine Skate Rentals
Sight- seeing boats
Chicago Shake- speare Theater
Sky- l ine Stage
The Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows
Exhibit ion Hal ls
Macy’s
Gallery 37 Center for the Arts
The Art Institute of Chicago
Symphony Center
Auditorium Theatre
Buckingham Fountain
Spir it of Music Garden
Spertus Museum DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre
Hostelling International Chicago
Harold Washington
Library Center
Goodman Theatre James R. Thompson Center
Petrillo
Chicago Architecture Foundation Bandshell
Butler Field
D A L E Y B I C E N T E N N I A L P L A Z A
MILLENNIUM PARK
Bank of AmericaTheatre
Chicago Board of Trade
Chicago Board Options Exchange Chicago Stock Exchange
LaSalle Station
Ford Center Oriental Theatre Daley
Center City Hall
Cadillac Palace Theatre
Civic Opera House
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Sears Tower
Union Station
Harpo
Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center
Studios
Origin of the Great Chicago Fire
Greyhound Bus Station
Jane Addams Hu l l -House Museum
The Maxwell StreetMarket
Rando lph St reet Restaurant Corr idor Ogilvie Transportation Center
(formerly North Western Station)
Chicago Place
Tribune Tower NBC Tower Wrigley
Building
Historic Water Tower/City Gallery
Water Tower Place
The 900 Shops
Charnley- Persky House
International Museum of Surgical Science
Maxim's The Nancy Goldberg International Center
Chicago History Museum
The Second City
L I N C O L N P A R K
Chicago Water Works Visitor Center
Lookingglass Theatre
Oak Street Beach
Ohio Street Beach Milton Lee Olive Park
Jane Addams Memorial Park
John Hancock Center
Newberry Library
Roosevelt Branch Library
Steppenwolf Theatre
Royal George Theatre
North Avenue Beach
Museum of Contemporary Art
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
University Center of Chicago
The Field Museum
Museum Campus
Shedd Aquarium
America's Courtyard
Queen's Landing
Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
12th Street Beach House
Charter One Pavilion
Northerly Island
Soldier Field/ Chicago Bears Burnham
Harbor
McCormick Place North
McCormick Place South
McCormick Place West
Motor Row Landmark District
Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation
National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum
Wheeler Mansion
Glessner House
Clarke House Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens
Prairie Avenue Historic District McCormick
Place Lakeside Center
Arie Crown Theater
Shops at North Bridge
Chinatown Branch Library
Near North Branch Library
Sears on State Sullivan Center
Gene Siskel Film Center
Chicago Arts District
Three Arts Club
Van Buren Station
Drury Lane Theatre–Water Tower Place
McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum
House of Blues Chicago
Hotel Indigo Chicago Downtown Gold Coast
Sutton Place
Flemish House B&B
Gold Coast Guest House Bed & Breakfast
The Elms
Whitehall Sofitel Chicago Water Tower Tremont
Park Hyatt
The Talbott
The Drake
Westin Michigan Avenue
Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile
Ritz- Carlton, A Four Seasons Hotel
Hilton Suites Chicago/Magnificent Mile
Raffaello Hotel Seneca Hotel and Suites
Millennium Knicker- bocker
Affinia
Allerton The Avenue Hotel
Red Roof Inn Chicago Down- town
Wyndham Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Chicago Downtown
CourtyardChicagoDowntown/River North
Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Courtyard by Marriott Magnificent Mile Downtown Chicago
Homewood SuitesChicago Downtown
The Peninsula
Conrad
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
Swissotel
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Fairmont Hotel Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel
Hotel 71
Hotel Sax Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago
AmalfiResidence Inn/Springhill SuitesChicago River North Hotel
WestinChicagoNorth River
Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza
Hotel Allegro Chicago, A Kimpton Hotel
The Silversmith Hotel & Suites
Hotel Burnham A Kimpton Hotel
Hampton Majestic Chicago Theatre District
Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown
Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro
Travelodge Hotel Downtown
Hotel Blake
Hilton Chicago
Chicago’s Essex Inn
Best Western Grant Park
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Congress Plaza Hoteland Convention Center
Palmer House Hilton
W City Center
Renaissance
TheJames
Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Hampton Inn & SuitesChicago Downtown
Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown
Dana Hotel & Spa
Hotel Cass Mag Mile Chicago,
A Holiday Inn Express
Omni Chicago
Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile
InterContinental
Doubletree HotelChicago Magnificent Mile
Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown Lakefront
W Lakeshore
Four Seasons
Howard Johnson Inn Downtown Chicago
Ohio HouseMotel
Best Western River North
Comfort Inn & Suites Downtown Chicago
Ambassador
Old Town Bed and Breakfast
East Hotel
Hard Rock Hotel
The Blackstone – A Renaissance Hotel
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17TH
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ALEXANDER
22ND PL
CERMAK
ARCHER
CHINA PL
CERMAK
24TH
24TH PL
CULLERTON
18TH
14TH PL
17TH
16TH
L A S A L L E
BELLEVUE
Kennedy Expwy
Da
n R
yan
Exp
wy
E isenhower Expwy
Stevenson Expwy
L I N C O L N P A R K
N E A R
N O R T H
S I D E
Old Town
Gold Coast
LOOP
L A
K E
M
I C
H I
G A
N
South Loop
Central Station
West Loop Gate Greektown
Little Italy
N E A R
W E S T
S I D E
C h i n a t o w n
Goose Island
River West
River North
Streeterville
MIC
HIG
AN
AT&T Plaza and Cloud Gate
Ice Rink at McCormick Tribune Plaza
The Crown Fountain
Garden Terrace
Garden Terrace
Boeing Gallery South
Boeing Gallery North
The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance
The Park Grill Restaurant
RANDOLPH
CO
LUM
BUS
MONROE
Millennium Park
Chase Promenade
BP Bridge
The Lurie Garden
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
McDonald’s Cycle Center
Millennium Monument in Wrigley Square
Exelon Pavilions
Exelon Pavilions
Welcome Center
90
94
90
55
94
290
M
AD ISON
ST
A
TE ANDBASE
ZEROLINE
E
S
W
N
i
i
Visitor Information
Landmark
Hotel
C T A RAPID TRANSI T
1000 FEET
300 METERS
Elevated Subway
Legend
Base line zero signifies the city of Chicago street grid numbering system. Street address numbers increase as one moves progressively North or South of Madison Ave., and East or West of State St.
All in
forma
tion w
as co
rrect
at pre
ss tim
e. Sp
onso
red by
the C
hicag
o Offic
e of T
ouris
m
W i l Fi ld/ChiW Chil
www.explorechicago.org
Fig 2.10 Chicago Visitors Map
35
The inhabitants of Streeterville are business people
as well as families, professionals as well as the
working class. There are several hospitals in the
area, as part of Northwestern University’s Feinberg
School of Medicine, and thus there are several
members of the medical community living in and
near Streeterville as well.
Potential Impacts of a spatial skyscraper Increase
diversity of jobs and programs that surround the
area. Create a more self dependent sustainable
community. Provide the neighborhood new venues
for public recreation. Promote densifi cation on
empty lots and spaces.1
1 Solomon, Alan. “Streeterville | Chicago Neighborhoods | Explore Chicago.” Explore Chicago | Th e Offi cial Chicago Tourism Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2011. <http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/streeterville.html>.
Streeterville
Navy Pier
John Hancock
Center
Magnificent Mile
Museum of
Contemporary Art
Fig 2.11 Chicago Neighborhoods
Fig 2.12 Landmarks
36
Fig 2.13 Streeterville
37
River East Art
Center
AMC Theatre
NBC Tower
NBC Tower
Ogden Plaza
River East Center
River East Art Center
AMC Theatres
Parkview West
Childrens Learning Place
North Columbus Drive Bridge
North Lake Shore Drive Bridge
Chicago River
Fig 2.14 Surrounding Buildings
Fig 2.15 Landmarks
38
Fig 2.16 South Streeterville
39
Fig 2.1 http://dprbcn.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/konrad-wachsmann/http://www.htvdeijsberg.nl/79-mental-architecture-former--u t o -pian-building/thomas-hirschhorn-2/http://www.mocadetroit.org/pastexhibitions.html
Fig 2.2 http://www.evolo.us/architecture/vertical-campus-a-new-skyscraper-for-an-ever-evolving-l-a/
Fig 2.3 http://www.evolo.us/competition/vertical-street-city-2/
Fig 2.4 http://www.architecturepost.org/2010/06/student-competition-vertical-city-in-mexico-city/
Fig 2.6 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Chicago_Downtown_Aerial_View.jpg
Fig 2.7 http://www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?chicagodots
Fig 2.8 http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/maps/mapweb.html
Fig 2.9 explorechicago.org
Fig 2.10 explorechicago.org
Fig 2.11 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Chicago_community_areas_map.svg
Fig 2.12 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Navy_Pier.jpghttp://www.gothereguide.com/Images/USA/Chicago/JohnHancockCenter_chicago1.jpghttp://www.redroof-chicago-downtown.com/Portals/281/images/Red_Roof_Chicago_Downtown_Magnifi cent.jpghttp://contemporaryartphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Chicago-Museum-Of-Contemporary-Art.jpg
Fig 2.15 http://www.chicagodossier.us/ResV/destination_img/usa/il/chicago/Chicago-River-East-Art-Center-685.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/NBC_Building_060912.jpg/450px-NBC_Building_060912.jpghttp://www.activistangler.com/storage/chicago%20river.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1299878817913
Images
40
41
Site Analysispart 3
42
Chicago Sun and Wind
Winter Wind
Spring Wind
Sun Path Diagram
Fall Wind
Summer Wind
Sol
ar E
leva
tion
East <--- Solar Azimuth ---> West
43
Chicago Land Use
Fig 3.1 Regional Change in Land use, 1990 - 2001
Fig 3.2 Percent New Urbanization and DistanceFrom Downtown Chicago
Acr
esP
erce
nt o
f Tot
al N
ew U
rban
izat
ion
Land Use
Distance in Miles from City Center
“Between 1990 and 2001, a total of nearly
178,000 acres in the region converted from an
‘undeveloped’ (Agriculture or Vacant/Wetland) state
into another use. This amounts to 278 square miles,
or 7.4% of the region.”1 Shown in the chart above,
most of the land use is changed into Open Space
as well as the Urban and Buit-Up space. There is 1 Part II: Analysis of Land Use Change, 1990 – 2001
approximately 140 square miles of new Open Space,
as opposed to nearly 134 miles of Urban/Built-Up
land. This shows that the Agriculture spaces are
decreasing, perhaps being pushed farther from the
city to accommodate more Urban space.
The graph above shows where most of the
urbanization happens between 30 to 40 miles from
Downtown Chicago. The growth is not concentrated
in one area but spread out in a ring as shown in
the next image. This shows how urbanization is
spreading faster in the far suburban regions. The
footprint of the developing areas is also greater
than the corresponding density as it would be in
downtown Chicago. The map also illustrates how
the Agricultural areas are pushed further away from
the densest areas of the city.
44
Fig 3.3 “Urbanized” Lands (2001) Classifi ed as “Agriculture” or “Vacant” in 1990
45
Fig 3.4 NIPC’s 2001 Land Use Inventory
Fig 3.6 Sub-Regional Land Use Share Gain
Fig 3.5 Municipalities in North Illinois (2000)
Residential Commercial Industrial Open Space
Tha maps above shows how the land use
has a parallel relationship with the expressways.
While most of the commercial (red) areas are
concentrated in city center, there are clear indications
of larger areas of commercial zones spread along
the expressways. These are the edge cities based
primarily from vehicular access.
The for pie charts above shows the land
use percentage per region. The yellow represents
Chicago, while the red is suburban Cook and the
blue is suburban Dupage. Throughout the Chart,
there is not much land use gain in Chicago, and
very little land gain in suburban Cook. There is a
lot of Agriculture land turned into Industrial land in
suburban Dupage and Residential, Commercial,
and Open Space developments in Will and Lake
County. “The dramatic increase in Open Space
acreage during this period is due in no small part to
the conversion of a large portion the former Joiliet
Arsenal in Will County into the Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie.”1 There has also been an active
adding of more forest preserve in the other Counties
since 1990’s.
1 Part II: Analysis of Land Use Change, 1990 – 2001
46
South Chicago
This area is an interest for a reclamation
plan. This area is mainly industrial zoning. This
is also the region where there is the most wildlife
ecology nearest to Chicago because of the national
parks and small lakes in the area. There is also
a large concentration of food deserts in the area
from the lack of nearby grocery stores and a large
amount of fast-food restaurants. The south side is
connected to the city center through highways, but
there are also metra lines and well established bike
routes for commute or recreation.
--
-
-
--
-
-
Fig 3.7 South Chicago
w i l d l i f e p o p u l a t i o nf o o d d e s e r tp a r k sb i k e r o u t em e t r a
47
Macro Site Analysis
Fig 3.8 Satellite
Fig 3.9 Street, Highways and Parks
Lake Michigan
Navy Pier
Lake Shore Dr.
Millennium Park
I-290
I-94
Site
Streeterville
Loop
48
Fig 3.11 Train and Metro
Fig 3.10 Nodes and Edges
orange - main roadsblue - main nodes
green - parksblack - streets
red - edges
blue - local metrored - trains
49
Fig 3.12 Density and Voids
Streeterville
Loop
Shown in fi g 3.12 in the previous page, the nodes and edges which is important to know if there are important impacts these urban features might be a part of the schematic design. Also knowing the main streets and public transportations is important to understand how vehicles and pedestrian might access the site.
The map above shows a cluster concentration of voids in south part Streeterville as well as a few south of the Loop, while there are
highrises that surrounds the areas. These voids serve as a possible footprint for the spatial mega structure to densify the city through creating the spatial landscape.
red - densitywhite - voids
green - parks
50
Micro Site Analysis
Fig 3.13 Satellite
Fig 3.14 Site
Wacker dr.
Chicago River
Nor
th C
olum
bus
dr.
Nor
th C
ityfro
n P
laza
dr.
E Grand Ave.
E Illinois st.P1
P2
E North Water st.
River Esplanade Park
N P
ark
dr.
Ogd
en P
laza
N N
ew s
t.
N M
cClu
rg c
t.
Lake
front
Tra
il
Chicago Riverwalk
Nor
th L
akes
hore
dr.
51
Fig 3.15 Main Building Use
Fig 3.16 Vehicular Circulation
Orange - Site (Parking)Red - Parking
Brown - Apartments and CondosBlue - Commercial
Light Brown - Hotel Green - Parks
Parkview WestRiver East Center
River East Art Center
NBC
Sheraton Hotel
52
Fig 3.17 Figure Ground
Highrise Data1 River East CenterHeight: 196.29 m Floors: 58Structural material: concreteFacade system: curtain wallFacade color: light gray, dark blue, light brownArchitectural style: postmodernMain usages: residential condominiumSide usages: cinema, fi tness, parking
2 Parkview WestHeight: 151.64m Floors: 49Structural material: concreteFacade system: curtain wallFacade color: dark orange, dark greenArchitectural style: modernismMain usages: residential condominiumSide usages: parking
3 Riverview IIHeight: 121.62m Floors: 32Structural material: concreteFacade system: applied masonry, curtain wallFacade color: white, dark red, greenArchitectural style: postmodernMain usages: residential condominium
4 Cityfront PlaceHeight: 120.70m Floors: 40Structural material: concreteFacade system: brickFacade color: dark red, light greenArchitectural style: modernismMain usages: rental apartments
5 Sheraton HotelHeight: 100.76 m Floors: 31
Structural material: concreteFacade system: curtain wallFacade color: light brownArchitectural style: postmodernMain usages: hotel
6 Riverview IHeight: 97.99m Floors: 27Structural material: concreteFacade system: applied masonry, curtain wallFacade color: white, dark red, greenArchitectural style: postmodernMain usages: residential condominium
7 Embassy Suites Lakefront HotelHeight: 86.59m Floors: 19Facade system: curtain wallFacade color: gray, light grayArchitectural style: modernismMain usages: hotel
8 City View CondominiumsFloors: 12Structural Material: concreteFacade system: applied masonryFacade color: dark green, dark redArchitectural style: post modernMain usages: residential condominium
9 NBC TowerHeight: 191.11 m Floors: 37Structural material: limestonFacade system: curtain wallFacade color: light brownArchitectural style: postmodernMain usages: commercial offi ceSide usages: tv studio
1 2
345 6
7
89
53
Shown in fi g 3.15 in the previous page shows the diversity of building usage in the area. There are a good mix of residential and commercial buildings. This will help determine possible connections to the existing uses. Fig 3.16 shows vehicular circulation, showing the two dead ends near the site as a possible entrance to the spatial city. The fi gure ground map shows the amount of voids in the area where the footprints for the spatial city will grow from.
54
Fig 3.18 Panorama 1
Fig 3.19 Panorama 2
55
56
Fig 3.1 Part II: Analysis of Land Use Change, 1990 – 2001
Fig 3.2 Part II: Analysis of Land Use Change, 1990 – 2001
Fig 3.3 Part II: Analysis of Land Use Change, 1990 – 2001
Fig 3.4 NIPC’s 2001 Land Use Inventory (V. 1.2, 2006)
Fig 3.5 NIPC’s Digital Map of the Region (1999)
Images
57
58
59
Program Analysispart 4
60
Evolving Program
Like a new developing town, there is no defi nite
residential, commercial, or industrial program that
will be addressed in the skyscraper. The program
will change and evolve as needed. However there
will set zones in respect to the human scale. There
also will be set rules for programs that might be
eventually designed. The only set programs in
the skyscraper is the support systems and the
public systems. What infrastructure is needed to
support the evolving city? For a fl at city to function
you need the basic infrastructure of transportation
systems such as roads, bridges and highways.
Sewage systems, water, gas, and electric. As well
as the buildings in it such as schools, libraries, court
houses, and recreation areas such as parks. For a
vertical or three-dimensional city, the infrastructure
is not very different. The main challenge however
is how will roads and highways translate vertically.
How will the relationship of public infrastructure
relate to the private developments to simulate or
recreate what it is in the ground. In this chapter, I
will diagram horizontal and vertical experiences,
connections, integrated systems, three-dimensional
zoning, transportation, circulation, public buildings
and parks, and relationships with existing conditions.
From this, there will be a set of rules and guidelines
for the development of the three-dimensional city.
FIXED
connections
integrated systems
three-dimentional zoning
transportation
circulation
public buildings and parks
agricultural development
open spaces
EVOLVING
residential development
commercial development
industrial development
relationship with existing conditions
spatial city experience
by zoning/building guidline
61
Human Scale
Being a city is typically overwhelming scale wise
because of the tall skyscrapers that is only used by
the people who work or live in it. The experience of
the city dweller becomes limited to the ground in the
streets. The skyscraper becomes a fi xed destination,
meaning that once you enter the building, you know
exactly where you want to go, what fl oor, and which
room. “Humans interact with their environments
based on their physical dimensions, capabilities and
limits.”1 With the skyscraper being extremely limiting
and the streets being a place for human interaction.
By re conceptualizing the typical skyscraper and
making it more diverse and more like a experience,
the spaces will be more humanized. If its just taking
a walk, without having to ride an elevator to the
ground, or riding an elevator without knowing the
destination right away.
Posted by Paul Malo on April 22, 2002
“Cities grow around human needs. As Paul Malo
points out, architects sometimes think in terms
of buildings (objects) rather than in the spatial
requirements of the humans who are to occupy and
use the space. Many poorly designed urban spaces
are hostile to humans. The spaces or buildings leave
one cold and alienated, causing us to rush past such
spaces or buildings. Good urban design of spaces
and buildings should be inviting, encouraging us to
stay for a while, as we go about our human activities.
The best urban spaces and buildings are gathering
places for people to conduct whatever business or
1 “Human scale: Encyclopedia II - Human scale - Human scale in architecture.” Enlightenment - Th e Experience Festival. http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Human_scale_-_Human_scale_in_ar-chitecture/id/5145332 (accessed May 29, 2011).
social activity is important at the time.” 2
In response:
Posted by JWmHarmon on April 23, 2002
“Yes, we speak of “activating” a space--which means
providing a human use for it or, conversely, NOT
creating spaces for which there is not activity. Most
of us have experienced grandiouse lobbies of offi ce
buildings where a lonely security attendant sits at
a desk benearh lofty ceilings. Chilling. People are
alientaed by grand, empty spaces. Vast, windswept
plazas likewise are modern architectural conceits
that people really dislike. There is such a thing as
“human scale” and there are approriate sizes for
areas related to the uses they serve. No use, no
space. Sometimes small is better.”3
By dividing a large scale building with similar spaces,
and changing these spaces into different uses,
and at the same time allow it to evolve and grow
depending on the users needs, makes a skyscraper
become more humanized.
2 “Re: urban design - spaces and human scale - Architecture Forum.” ArchitectureWeek DesignCommunity Home. http://www.designcommunity.com/discussion/18111.html (accessed May 29, 2011).3 “Re: urban design - spaces and human scale - Architecture Forum.” ArchitectureWeek DesignCommunity Home. http://www.designcommunity.com/discussion/18178.html (accessed May 29, 2011).
62
home
home
commute
commute
work
work
Fig 4.1 Large City
Fig 4.2 Small City
63
Fig 4.3 Line, Plane, and Volume
Street to City to Spatial City
To create a spatial city, you have to understand
how fl at city works and what are the main elements
that forms the spaces and buildings. We take the
basic infrastructure and reformulate the equation in
a simple vertical representation of its network and
converting it into a framework.
In the diagram below, the street is a representation
of a line, which goes only two directions. When you
multiply and intersect these lines (or streets) you
create a plane which is a representation of a city grid
which interconnects all spaces in the plane. This
is the limitation of the traditional urban design, a
single plane where you cannot build on top or under
buildings, but only on the single plane.
If we put planes parallel and perpendicular to each
other, this creates a three dimensional mass where it
becomes a spatial city. There are vertical, horizontal,
and diagonal circulation and spatial relationships
are less limited than “planar” relationship.
street plane
commercial street
plane plane
open space open space
plane
64
pFig 4.4 Street to Vertical Street
The model below is a study of how a street may be
turned into a vertical street with horizontal elements
and connections for different uses.
65
Fig 4.5 Space Frame and Connection Diagram
The model below is a study of how a structural frame
may twist and bend into existing buildings around
the site. The main connections exist in the ground
as well as the upper levels of the surrounding
skyscrapers.
66
Frame and Landscape
Below is a diagram of a comparison between what
the landscape is and how the frame might be.
The space frame will be composed of a structural
mesh rigid enough for space building attachments.
While the landscape is more horizontal in quality,
the primary quality of the frame is vertical because
of structural issues with horizontal elements. The
frame just like the landscape must somehow be
dynamic in nature, and vegetation and farming must
be able to thrive
Fig 4.6 Frame and Landscape
67
g p
Vertical and Horizontal
Because of the dynamics of building in a spatial
city, types of spaces can be can function better and
more compact compared to the limiting ground.
For example, Homes can actually feel more private
when you stack them vertically because you cannot
see you cannot see the neighbors until you move up
or down. Commercial and public can feel more like
a community node because once you designate a
horizontal element in a vastly vertical surrounding, it
automatically becomes a gathering space.
Fig 4.8 Private and Public
Fig 4.7 Residential and Commercial
68
Evolution Through Time
The ability for the spaces to grow, expand, and
connect with each other is essential for the cities
growth and cultural enrichment. As years progress,
the spaces dandifi es and built into. Farms may
be tempted to move higher but must remain fi xed
into designated areas. Public spaces become the
connections between each vertical planes. The
most density happens at the lower levels and in
commercial levels and gradually decreases the
further high it gets.
The ability to expand means that structural members
must be pre-fabricated and able to connect with
each other in almost any orientation. Structural
issues must be calculated to the highest possible
load factors.
Guidelines of zoning must also be set to insure a
balance between open spaces and closed spaces,
farming and built in, and also keeping a human
scale factor.
Fig 4.9 Evolving
69
open space and farming
residential
commercial
residential
open space
commercial
residential
primary
secondary
openspace
openspace
Fig 4.10 City Spatial Relationships
The diagrams below demonstrate how the Savannah
plan can be refl ected into a vertical situation and
take the vertical situations into a more private group
of spaces while the perpendicular main horizontal
circulations become more public centers which
connects the vertical elements together. The ground
level (the river street in the savannah plan) acts as
a more commercial market type environment as it
connects to other communities or cities and acts as
a highway. Open spaces or parks happen around the
densest part of the residential zone or closer to the
commercial zones, without disrupting the distances
between the main commercial areas. The open
farming areas are typically in the outskirts of the
city, as it requires vast expanses of cheap land for
profi tability. The Agriculture is typically disconnected
with the main commercial areas of a city.
City to Skyscraper
70
commercial planeminimum hight of surrounding highrise
square/park/gathering/recreationmiddle/easiest access
connecting the cul-de-sac
highest plane5 min travel from base
cul-d
e-sa
c
cul-d
e-sa
c
verti
cal s
treet
verti
cal s
treet
verti
cal s
treet
verti
cal s
treet
ground planedivided into smaller lots and
activates street level
Fig 4.11 Connecting Cul-de-sac
When you turn a city section into a urban plan, the
skyscrapers become dead end streets or cul-de-
sacs. This limits the program of a typical skyscraper
to stay into a private residential development or
a series of corporate offi ce spaces. There are no
community-like environments and no possibilities
for new types of public programs because of its
fi xed core structure. However, when you add the
urban plan into skyscraper in between the existing
skyscraper, you can create bridges and connection
allowing the cul-de-sacs to meet into another street
and actually create a community connection in the
surrounding context. These connections typically
happen in the horizontal commercial planes or web.
71
Macro Zoning/Program Analysis
Zoning is important to the spatial city as it is important
to a fl at city. There are several factors that affect
how the zoning will occur in a spatial environment.
One of which is the existing zoning/programming
that is around the site. How much of what building
type or zone is need. How will the spatial circulation
connect to existing streets.
Zoning the spatial city does not provide the fl oor
plans of what is to be built, but rather will provide the
spatial boundaries of what can be built where. In the
next few pages are diagrams of how these zones
will connect and relate to each other.
There are two initial macro attempts, the fi rst one is
with the main faces facing north and south, which
concentrates direct sunlight to the south facing
planes creating shadow into more than half of the
other residential zones. The second mass model
shows the same concept but rotated 90 degrees
which allow the sun to touch all residential zone
planes, this also maximizes sunlight into the major
park area.
Fig 4.13 Existing Site Program red = commercialblue = residential
orange = hotelsgreen = open/parks
72
Fig 4.14 Zoning Mass
Fig 4.15 Top, South, East Elevation
Mass 1 - North South Confi guration
Mass 1
red = commercialblue = residential
orange = hotelsgreen = open/parks
Mass 2
Mass 2 - East West Confi guration
73
This third model is the combination of the previous
two zoning masses which is ideal for the site. This
takes advantage of the other empty void space. By
extending residential zones over it and providing
a more open public space. This also give several
other possible orientations for living spaces.
The ground level is zoned as mixed use with
commercial occupying the ground fl oors and
residential up to 5 stories high. The ground levels,
just like the spatial levels are divided and allowed for
smaller scale development.
The park spaces are aligned with the with the
highrise buildings connecting them to each other.
There are two main park levels. The lower level
park is leveled high enough to connect with all the
highrise buildings through trail systems. The upper
park level is connected to the NBC tower and the
River East Center Condominiums.
Also in the upper park system is the commercial
spaces connecting the residential planes.
Fig 4.16 Mass 3 red = commercialblue = residential
green = open/parks
74
Fig 4.17 Parks and Highways
Fig 4.18 Top, South, East Elevation
red = commercialblue = residential
orange = primary circulationgreen = open/parks
The diagram below shows the green as different
parks that may be placed throughout ideal locations
within the live and work zones. Trails would
interweave with each other connecting these park
systems as well as exiting trails and sidewalks
around the site.
75
The major commercial areas are to be zoned along
the major traffi c circulations for easiest access. There
are commercial zones at ground level, along the major
vertical levels, and also at the highest level plane that
connect the highrises. Local Civic buildings are also
going to be at the top plane at the major intersections
to act as a defi ned node point and increase public
activation at this level.
The residential areas are arranges into pairs of vertical
planes. This allows effi ciency in vertical, horizontal,
and diagonal circulation, with the space between the
planes used for transportation. The vertical plane will
also allow for easy insertion of the homes into the
structural plane. These spaces might also be service
commercial or light industrial. While this planes are
zoned for residential use, its primary use is for module
farming until they are sold and moved into.
The park and wetland spaces are what makes up the
majority of the horizontal planes, connecting all or most
vertical elements in and around the site. The area will
initially and permanently be a public park connected
with trails, while the commercial and residential zones
are developed.
Fig 4.21 Major Park Planes
Fig 4.20 Major Living Planes
Fig 4.19 Major Commercial Web
76
Fig 4.22 Primary Uses
The Destination
Because the spatial city is practically empty of
inhabitants from start, a program that will draw
people into the structure is important. One is park
and trail system that would serve as a open space
recreation. Another is program is integrating its
main use as a Vertical Farming facility on the upper
spaces and market programs at the lower level.
Systems such as greywater treatment will already
be running to purify water from the surrounding
buildings. There will also be wind farming turbines
that help power the building and give the unused
power back to the grid.
77
Public Buildings, Trails, and Parks
Public buildings or Civic buildings and Parks are
public infrastructure and must be considered in the
initial program analysis as it will help defi ne the form
of the mega structure. It will be the main focal points
and nodes of the spatial city as it usually is in a fl at
setting. The public buildings needs to lay within easy
access of the community and neighborhood. The
civic buildings will be permanent but also evolvable
in case the use of the area changes.
Unlike the public buildings, the public parks will be
more defi ned in the structure. Parks have to be
easily accessible by everyone and able to provide a
recreational trail that weaves throughout the spatial
city. Parks in the landscape are of course very
typically fl at and horizontal in nature. This creates
a very public environment for people to mingle,
exercise, play, and other recreational activities. To
create a vertical park is like going against what its
best function. The task of creating a trail based park
system in the spatial city will be like designing a
trail that weaves upward. This would mean that the
trail system will be primarily diagonal and the parks
will be horizontal. If there are existing trails in the
surrounding site, the spatial trail must connect with
it as well. A prime example of an elevated city park
is the NY High Line.
The parks will have trees and grass and will be
irrigated through a irrigation system that recycles
water from collected rain and grey water. There will
also be wetlands within the structure to help purify
grey water and re-use it for fl ushing water.
Fig 4.23 The High Line, New York
78
washed pea gravelwetland plants
washed stones
trail
rest/sitting/viewing
area
y
viewingarea
The diagrams above shows a conceptual section
and plan how wetlands can be integrated into the
horizontal trail systems. “A greywater biofi ltration
system is a constructed wetland that removes a
signifi cant amount of pollutants from greywater
before it fl ows into the groundwater, river, or natural
wetland. Addition of pathogens, bacteria, and non-
biodegradable toxins to the surface water can be
avoided with this biological treatment, to promote a
healthier ecosystem and more sanitary conditions.“
Most plants clean water pollutants by penetrating
the soil and transporting oxygen where it reaches
deeper than it would naturally travel. Natural wetland
plants and micro-organism are the best at using the
nutrients from the wastewater. It is better to use the
type of wetland plants near the site because these
plants are used to the climate. However, any wetland
plants that grow well can be used, such as Cattails,
Bulrushes, and Reed Grasses. Cattails are great for
removing large amounts of nitrate and phosphate.
Brushes are good with high pollutant removal. Reed
Grasses allow more oxygen to reach the root zone.
Fig 4.24 Integrating Biofi ltration with Trails
Fig 4.25 Cattails, Bulrushes, Reed Grass
79
Plants and Animals
of Wetlands
Arrowhead
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Butterfl y
Black Spruce
Black Tern
Bowfi n
Brook Stickleback
Bulrush
Cardinal-Flower
Common Cattail
Common Loon
Cotton Grass
Damselfl y
Dragonfl ies
Dragon’s Mouth, Wild
Pink
Dwarf Mistletoe
Eastern Newt
Great Blue Heron
Green Frog
Green-backed Heron
Iris
Kingfi sher
Kirtland’s Snake
Lichen Liverwort
Marsh Wren
Marsh-Marigold
Michigan Holly
Minnow
Northern Harrier
Osprey
Pitcher Plant
Poison Sumac
Red Maple
Red-bellied Dace
Red-winged Blackbird
Sandhill Crane
Smartweed, Knotweed
Snail
Sphagum Moss
Spotted Turtle
Sundew
Tamarack
Trumpeter Swan
Water Milfoil
Water Shrew
Water-lily
Waterweed, Elodea
p
Medium community system: assumes a contribution of 240L/family/week for 200
families, with a conservative reaction rate of 1.1 and average
lowest temperature of 3°
6.86 33 5 4.62 0.70 5.32 21.27 113.14
Large community system: assumes a contribution of 240L/family/week for 400
families, with a conservative reaction rate of 1.1 and average
lowest temperature of 3°
13.72 33 5 4.62 0.70 7.52 30.09 226.28
Medium community system: assumes a contribution of 240L/family/week for 200
families, with a semi-conservative reaction rate of 2.0 and average lowest temperature
of 3°C
6.86 33 5 2.54 0.50 4.67 18.67 87.12
Large community system: assumes a contribution of 240L/family/week for 400
families, with a semi-conservative reaction rate of 2.0 and average lowest temperature
of 3°
13.72 33 5 2.54 0.50 6.60 26.40 174.23
Table 2. Size Matrix for Greywater Wetlands, varying depth of medium, size of contributing discharge, and reaction rate. Calculations based on equations presented in Crites and
Tchobanoglous (1998)
Description Influent into
wetland (m3/day =
1000L/day)
BOD level of influent (mg/L)
Desired BOD of effluent (mg/L)
Days in Construc
ted Wetland
Depth of
Medium (m)
Width (m)
Length (m)
Total Area (m2)
80
level trail
sloped trail
steep trail
multiple pathsand accessibility
elevator
wetland
irrigation
grass
irrigation
grass
Fig 4.26 Elevating the Trail
sittingrestingplayingetc
typical slope < or = 1:12
very small slope for drainage
81
Modulating Service Connections
To connect the systems in a skyscraper, the buildings
could be equipped with some sort of service module.
This module is to be built in the building and attached
at a specifi c point to where it can be easily attached
to the service infrastructure. These shall include
clean water, greywater, treated water, black, water,
power, and waste. If the attached building has its
own system, this can also be connected to the grid
through the service module.
There is no black water that come out of the building,
except if there is an emergency, and goes into a
biomass plant which converts waste into energy
and some greywater which is fed into the biofi ltration
system and comes back as treated water primarily
used for fl ushing and irrigation. The process is
recycled repeatedly reducing the amount of water
coming from outside the system.
Fig ? and ? shows diagrams of how this connection
relationship for the systems might work between
the buildable frame, the service module, and the
modular spaces attached.
clean watergreywatertreated waterblackwaterpowerwaste
wetlands
modules
modules
biomass plant
wind turbines
settleranaerobic reactors
Fig 4.27 Systems
82
verti
cal s
treet
empty lotvegetation
primary module
primary moduleattach primary
module
attach module
attach module
Fig 4.28 Module Connections
Fig 4.29 Service Module
service module
pre-fabricated wall structure pre-fabricated door/opening structure
showersink
hvac
waterheater
toilet fixtures
83
Fig 4.30 Horizontal Service
The image below shows service connection moving
horizontal along the diagonal trails connecting each
modular house into the grid.
84
Lot Divisions
For the vertical planes are zoned primarily for
residential use, the build zones are divided into a
Grid Volumes with three Volume Lots which can
then can be combined into up four volume lots
horizontally or vertically, creating a Spatial Unit. One
grid volume is determined by the structural plane
grid. One volume lot is dimensioned large enough
for a single bedroom home.
In the image shown below is one grid volume
divided into three volume lots. The light brown area
is the main build zone, while the dark brown is the
extension zone which overhangs from the structure.
The extension zones will allow for different exterior
interaction with neighboring buildings. The blue
dashed line is a build-to line for an edge in the
main circulation area. This is similar in concept if
compared to old townhouse urban planning.
Fig 4.32 Grid Volume
Fig 4.31 Townhouse
extension zone
main build zone
build-to line
volume lot
20’
60’
35’
60’25’
volume lot
volume lot
85
Above is an example of a occupied 4 x 1 Grid volume
with several type of Spatial Units. The main build
zone will allow street stability and the extension
zone should allow spatial diversity.
Fig 4.33 Spatial Units
Fig 4.34 Vertical Spatial Unit Types
4 x 1 Grid Volume
1 spatial unit 4 spatial units 3 spatial units
86
This unit type is type is has 1400 sq ft in the main build zone and 1000
sq ft in the extension zone, totalling of up to 2400 sq ft by 10 ft high, or
24000 cubic ft buildable space. These spaces are typically going to be
the medium sized one to two bedroom one bath type homes, for couples
or small families.
This unit type is type is has 2100 sq ft in the main build zone and 1500
sq ft in the extension zone, totalling of up to 3600 sq ft by 10 ft high, or
36000 cubic ft buildable space. These spaces are typically going to be
the large sized two to three bedroom one to two bath type homes, for
high income small families to medium income large families.
This is the largest spatial unit type. This unit type is type is has 2800 sq
ft in the main build zone and 2000 sq ft in the extension zone, totalling of
up to 4800 sq ft by 10 ft high, or 48000 cubic ft buildable space. These
spaces are typically going to be the duplex homes for families, or studio
apartment type living for single individuals or low income couples. This
unit type cannot be for one family.
This is the smallest spatial unit type. This unit type is type is has 700 sq
ft in the main build zone and 500 sq ft in the extension zone, totalling of
up to 1200 sq ft by 10 ft high, or 12000 cubic ft buildable space. These
spaces are typically going to be the small one bedroom one bath studio
type homes, for single individuals or low income couples.
Fig 4.35 One Spatial Unit
Fig 4.36 Two Spatial Unit
Fig 4.37 Three Spatial Unit
Fig 4.38 Four Spatial Unit
87
Fig 4.39 Some Spatial Unit Confi gurations
The ideal confi gurations preferred for my project
would be the ones with single units on the fl oor level
to maximize variety of uses in the street.
88
Fig 4.40 Commercial 2 - 6 Spatial Units
Commercial Build Lot Divisions
The commercial build lots is similar to the residential,
however commercial spaces, usually mixed use
spaces can take up two to six spatial units and can
be built horizontally as long the vertical and top lots
are already built into.
89
Modular Farming
Vertical farming will function through module.
By modulating the agriculture it will be able to
fi t into any area of the structure and also be able
to move to a different location. Each module will
contain a self functioning aquaponics tapping into
the already existing grey water wetland treatment
system to recycle water. The modules will be mini
greenhouses, taking in as much sunlight as possible
for photosynthesis and keeping the temperature
warm for all year growth production. LED lighting will
make up for the absence of sunlight. The system
will be fully automated growing catfi sh, tilapia,
striped bass in the fi sh tanks and a variety of green
vegetables in the growing beds.
The farming areas could also be built into the frame
as a separate structure from the modular structure. It
can be built as part of the ecological trail system so it
can be a more permanent infrastructure rather than a
temporary and replaceable one. It may be important
to create permanent farming areas in urban centers
from the threat of higher profi t businesses.
pump
planting bed
planting bed
fish tank
planting bedsettling tank
to grey water treatment system
artificial light
artificial light
artificial light
from rainwater and grey water treatment system
Fig 4.41 Aquaponics
90
Circulation and Transportation
When you look into a typical highrise, the vertical
transportation method usually consists several
express elevators which takes you to a sky lobby
then you take local elevators which would bring you
to your fi nal fl oor destination. This same concept can
be parallel into a street scenario. When you get out
of the house you walk (local elevator) to the bus stop
(sky lobby) then you take the bus (express elevator)
to another bus stop then walk to work.
Elevators typically go straight up or straight down.
However is street level people and vehicles pass
each other as they go about on their own speed. In
the image below showing pictures of Monolab’s High
Rise Tower where the idea of being able to pass
people and break from a straight line dimension is
addressed, “The elevators... are moving up, down
and diagonally for passing. The varying speeds and
differing directions allow each elevator to fi nd its
own path to a requested address. This creates a
vertical highway and a dedicated logistical matrix.
Each elevator moves individually.”
Experiencing an elevator however is nothing
compared to walking or riding down the street.
Usually in a typical elevator you are enclosed in
a box with no view of what is outside. There are
exterior elevators which give you a view but does
not give a sense of where you are in the building.
Several ideas such as placing a mirror can refl ect
your location vertically or having a monitor project
an image from the outside to whatever direction your
going to. This is further explored in the diagrams in
the next page.
Fig 4.42 Monolab’s High Rise Tower
91
skyopen view
vehicularexpress elevators
pedestrian
local elevators
pedestrian
local elevators
buildingsbuildings
street perspectivevanishing point
skyopen view
buildings buildings
vertical perspective
mirror
elevator
monitor
camera
elevator
skyopen view
verti-street perspective
mirror
Fig 4.43 Street and Exterior Elevators
Fig 4.44 View Perspectives
Fig 4.45 Verti-Street Perspective
92
Ground Activation Program
The diagram below shows a conceptual diagram
of how the spatial city will connect and activate
the ground level. There will be two main entrances
where the main primary elevators will be located
for quick transportation to the main commercial
zones, or one can walk down into a series of other
secondary elevators which goes to the residential
spaces.
The rest of the ground level will become divided into
smaller lots with three to fi ve story retail commercial
and residential spaces on the fl oors above it.
Before the spatial skyscraper is populated with
residents, the ground level will act as a market
for the agriculture goods produced in the farming
modules. The number of elevators are going to be
limited because it wont be needed as much.
Fig 4.46 Site
93
Fig 4.1 http://www.davidmacd.com/web_pages/scenic_photos_canada_usa.htmhttp://thefreegeorge.com/thefreegeorge/elevator-music-16-review-at-the-tang-who-said-elevators-couldnt-be-fun/http://www.werkkrew.com/2008/06/12/whats-so-bad-about-cubicles/http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p226150
Fig 4.2 http://www.lifeinitaly.com/decor/bedrooms.asphttp://thinkorthwim.com/index.php?tag=new-urbanismhttps://www.castleintheair.biz/shoppe/?b=10&k=10&c=125
Fig 4.3 http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_STREET/0_street_views_-_arden_street_2006_barry_nelson.jpghttp://photoshoptutorials.ws/creative-inspirations/photography/18-spectacular-aerial-city-photos.htmlhttp://www.nycvp.com/frames/theater/central_park.htm
Fig 4.22 http://www.17thwardstl.com/wordpress.com/?p=1116http://www.fl ickr.com/photos/fl ydime/384397661/http://ecoble.com/2009/09/08/the-worlds-most-amazing-wind-farms/http://allaboutroswell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mountain-biking.jpg
Fig 4.23 http://www.thehighline.org/
Fig 4.31 http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/74320.html
Fig 4.42 http://www.archdaily.com/25317/monolabs-high-rise-tower/
Fig 4.43 http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_STREET/0_street_views_-_arden_street_2006_barry_nelson.jpghttp://www.fl ickr.com/photos/travisimages/2867753742/
Images
94
95
Quantitative Program
Developmentpart 5
96
No Development
Vertical Planes
Farming = 65%
Circulation = 10%
Ecological Trail (Wetland)= 25%
Horizontal Planes
Farming/Open = 40%
Circulation = 10%
Ecological Parks (Wetland)= 50%
Developed and Open Area
Developed = 0%
Farming/Open = 100%
Before the tower might be developed and populated
with residents and businesses, the use would be
primarily farming and recreation for the existing
population surrounding the site. Ecological wetlands
will have functioning as a biofi ltration system for the
surrounding context as well.
97
Maximum Development
Vertical Planes
Developed = 30%
Farming = 30%
Circulation = 20%
Ecological Trail= 20%
Horizontal Planes
Developed = 40%
Circulation = 10%
Ecological Parks = 50%
Developed and Open Area
Developed = 50%
Farming/Open = 50%
Built Area
Referenced on New Urbanism Development
Public/Civic = 10-15%
Commercial = 10-40%
Residential = 50-80%
Civic Buildings
City Hall
Community Center
Courthouse
Clinic
Library
Post Offi ce
School
When the tower is fully developed, there is a balance
between the built on spaces and agriculture spaces.
The built area is zoned civic, commercial, and
residential, based on New Urbanism Development.
There should have a collection of civic buildings,
such as city hall, community center, courthouse,
clinics, libraries, post offi ce, and public schools.
98
Support Programs
Welcome Center
Cistern
Waste Disposal
Maintenance and Storage
Other support programs such as a Welcome
Center for guests who are new to the idea of spatial
urbanism. Water collection and water storage is also
important for the recycling of water. Waste disposal
just like any other urban environment for proper
disposal of waste. There will also be a place for
maintenance and storage for maintenance workers
who work on tower.
99
100
101
Schematic Site and Building
Designpart 6
102
Three Planes
The spatial city has three skyscrapers connected to
each other, and each skyscraper is divided into three
planes. The build and farming plane, the vertical
transportation plane, and the ecological plane. The
vertical transportation plane is not as noticeable in
the exterior because it is sandwiched between the
build plane and the eco plane.
The relationship of these places are arranged this
was to create an enclosed private space on the build
plane, and a semi public place on the ecological
plane. This will allow for a street like space between
the build and eco plane.
The two top images on Fig 6.2 shows what if the built
plane is used for modular farming, and as people
move in will be replaced with modular units. The
four images below it also shows the openness and
also private, semi-private, semi-public and public
experience.
build and farming plane
vertical transportation plane
ecological plane
Fig 6.1 Three Plane System
103
Fig 6.2 plane diagrams
104
The build plane structure will have a pre-fabricated
frame which attaches to the main structural
columns. Fig 6.3 shows how modular beams can
attach to the frame structure. The structure of the
unit modules connect to the modular beams. The
structure of the may differ, but the common design
will be a cantilever truss structure as most modules
will cantilever. Below is a collection of case study
images of existing cantilever structures as well as
diagrams of how a enveloped space is attached to
a cantilever truss.
Cantilever House / Anderson Anderson ArchitectureLamar Construction Headquarters, Grand Rapids
Seoul National University Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
Emilio Caraffa Fine Arts Provincial Museum, cordoba
Build Plane
Fig 6.4 Frame and Buildings Structure
Fig 6.3 Pre-fab Frame
105
Below is images that show the density of the
buildings present in the vertical plane. There are
two concentrations of densities. One concentration
is in the bottom, centered on the commercial
zone. The other concentration is above, which is
a separate community or neighborhood. This is to
show that communities can be created at different
elevations on a spatial city. Because the commercial
areas are the busiest zones, placing the residential
zoning around it will let it be a natural center for the
community. This also helps minimize travel distance
from live spaces to work spaces. The agricultural
spaces are also between residential spaces for
short distance access as well.
commercial
residential
clean industrial(agriculture and wind farming)
clean industrial(agriculture and wind farming)
residential
residential
residential
commercial
Fig 6.5 Vertical Build Density and Primary Use
106
Fig 6.6 Build Frame
The image below is a early study of how the build
frame which look like a mesh or space frame like
structure attaches to the main structural columns.
The structural columns needs to be able to carry
lateral loads as most of the modules cantilever into
only one direction. The main structure also holds
the ecological plane which includes the trail and
adaptive skin.
107
Fig 6.7 Buildings
Fig 6.7 shows isolated views of the unit modules.
The fl at side of the masses is the front of the
buildings, which faces the “street”, while the other
side is like the “backyard” which faces into different
view of the city. Some of them facing the other side
of the another tower which could create a nice view
of the eco plane.
108
The ecological plane includes accessible to steep
trails, small garden and park areas, as well as the
wetland systems. The diagrams below show how
this plane might look like because it needs to have
a natural and or random form which contrast the
build plane. This will provide a sense of organic
nature when your looking at or when your in the
skyscraper trails. The wide variety of travel choices
also provides a sense of choosing your own path
just like in typical large park trail system.
Because my site is in a cold climate, this plane would
need to be enclosed to create a greenhouse effect.
The image shown in fi g 6.10 is a mass model of
this surface and how it could adapt to the seasonal
climate.
Fig 6.9 Trail Types
Fig 6.8 Deforming the Trail
Ecological Plane
green = wetlandblue = accessible trailsblack = random trails
109
The eco plane mass was created by overlapping
several fl at planes on top of each other and extruding
a linear center which then creates a series of curved
intersecting planes creating dynamic surfaces.
The curves varies in length and height and width
depending on its location in relation with the zoning
use. The length extends farthest the most in the
commercial level. The width is the shortest in the
residential level, followed by the commercial level,
then the largest width for the farming for agriculture.
The height is also larger in the farming level for a
more open space and more sun light penetration.
Fig 6.10 Adaptive Skin
110
20 minute walk or 10 minute bikeapprox 200’1 mile trail distance
ADA trail slope 1:12
farming zoneapprox 400’
buildable zoneapprox 400’
Fig 6.11 Vertical Distances
The measurement of the distanced for the zoning
is based on the 20 minute walk, or 10 minute bike
ride radius, translated into a line. The distance from
the end of a residential zone is approximately 200’
high or 1 mile of trail distance if it sloped on ADA
standards of 1:12. This means that anybody living
within this distance is ideal to travel by foot or by
bike to the main commercial levels without having to
use the vertical lifts.
111
Fig 6.12 Ecological Plane
Fig 6.12 shows an early model of the ecological
plane which is basically the interweaving different
types of slopes. The early study helped determine
how the width of the trails might differ in different
levels by relating them with the zone type, which
can be then used to model the mass the fi nal eco
plane. There is a combination of 1:12 slopes, almost
horizontal slopes, and steep slopes for variation of
trail and landscapes.
112
Fig 6.13 Ground
Digital Model
services
major connection
major connection
market
plaza
The ground level of the site has two dead end
streets. Shown in fi g 6.13 these can serve as major
connections to the towers. The existing plaza can be
untouched by elevating the tower over it. This plaza
can act as a community area with a marketplace
development along one side of it of the road.
Services can be placed on the basement spaces of
the tower or the end of west tower far from the plaza.
A park can be developed near the major connection
on the west tower.
Fig 6.14 Top View
B
113
----Fig 6.15 Section B
Shown on fi g 6.15 is a section through the site.
It shows how all the towers are connected in two
areas, primarily in the most dense areas of the tower
through horizontal street bridges. The west tower
and the central tower are connected through the
ecological trails for more possibilities of connection
to the central tower which is not connected through
vertical circulations with the ground. The diagonals
you see are how the ecological trails might slope.
The trail at the end should look more unpredictable
and enclosed.
Fig 6.16 shows the different main use zones. The
orange represent where the residential unit modules
would be, and the red represents where most of
the commercial unit modules would be. This area
is where the concentration of density will be. The
ecological trails and parks are colored green and
found throughout the tower. The ideal agricultural
area is also found on the west tower which faces
south. The central tower and the east tower catches
the most wind from its orientation to the lake and
also from the spring and winter winds.
114
Fig 6.16 Building Use
red = commercialorange= residential
green = trails/parks/open spaces
ideal agricultural area
ideal wind farming area
ideal wind farming area
115
The section boxes below shows the different typical
section boxes of the early designs. It shows the
relationship of the built density and open spaces, as
the density increases, the open spaces increases,
and the density of the trails increases.
Fig 6.17 Section Boxes
116
Fig 6.18 Typical Section
117
Fig 6.19 South View
118
growing beds
growing beds
growing beds
fish tank
fish tank
office
office
rest area
rest area
pump and tank
pump and tank
restroom
restroom mech
storage
storageshelf
wash area
work and wash area
work area
work area
growing beds
work area
Farming Module
There are two types of farming module. One is a
community farm where the locals can grow their own
vegetables and fi sh. The other is a production farm,
which is run by local farmers who profi t by selling the
produce to local groceries or restaurants.
There will also be a farming and wetland laboratory
which regulates and inspects the production of
food as well as the maintenance of a balanced
wetland ecology. This laboratory is for the farmer
to work right next to researchers and scientists
to fi nd improvements of aquaponics farming and
biofi ltration systems. There is also an auditorium
where locals are invited to learn and or contribute
knowledge and ideas about systems as they
become part of maintaining the ecology.
Fig 6.20 Community Farm (1 spatial unit)
119
storage
packagingand distribution
offices for scientistswork area for farmers and landscapers
auditorium
community
dining room
labs
vegerables
fish
wetland
others
growing beds fish tank
pump and tank
storage
cartswash areawork area
growing beds
growing beds
growing beds
fish tankpump
and tank
mech
storageshelf
carts
work area
Fig 6.21 Production Farm (1 spatial unit)
Fig 6.22 Farming and Wetland Lab
120
121
Design Development
part 7
122
Site
Below, Fig 7.1, is the site plan showing the street
level as a public plaza for the community which can
be turned into a gathering place and a market place.
To activate the ground level further, there will be
buildable lots for mixed use buildings. The lots are
going to be smaller than the typical lots surrounding
the site for a more diverse use in a small space.
You can also see the dead ends of the existing site
which now meets at the same area with the vertical
bus transportation system. Only the West V Plane
and the East V Plane vertical circulations meet the
ground through the Vertical Bus and also the Vertical
Taxis.
Fig 7.1 Site Plan
new ground lots
n co
lum
bus
dr
n ne
w s
t
n m
cclu
rg c
t
north
city
front
pla
za d
r
north
lake
shor
e dre north water
chicago river
wacker dr
e illinois st
e grand ave
123
Reclamation Plan
The footprint of the site I am using is about 280,000
sq ft. If there was a spatial city a hundred times
bigger (643 acres) over the Chicago skyline , a total
of about 800,000,000 sq ft (18300 acres) of land
can be reclaimed on the south end of Chicago. The
reclaimed site is a 15 mile, 1 hour bike ride through
an already present bike trail. The result would be a
wildlife ecosystem fl ourishing in the reclaimed land
as well as ecosystems in the spatial city downtown.
Fig 7.2 Site Plan
c h i c a g o
15 miles1 hour bike ride
280,000 sqft x10028,000,000 sqft (643 acres)
8,000,000 sqft x100800,000,000 sqft (18365 acres)
build
reclaim
--
-
-
--
-
-
w i l d l i f e p o p u l a t i o nf o o d d e s e r tp a r k sb i k e r o u t em e t r ar e c l a i mb u i l d u p
whitetail deer lang elliot warbler
124
Diagrams
The next few diagrams shows a summary of how the
spatial towers work. Fig 7.3 shows the how the tower
is divided into the different main uses ranging from
commercial, to dense and light residential, farms,
parks and civic areas.. Fig 7.4 shows diagrams of
some of the different studied concepts that was
mentioned in the previous chapters. The static
and dynamic diagram shows where the modular,
developing, and ever changing spaces are. The live
work plan diagram shows how human activity works
in the tower. The biofi ltration diagram shows how
the rainwater is collected, distributed throughout
the tower, bio fi ltered through the wetland trail, then
recycled. The circulation diagram shows the different
typed of vertical transportations, with the vertical but
that connects all major levels, mainly commercial,
and the vertical taxi as the switch able lane lifts
which is slower but more effi cient as it connects to all
levels without having to stop very often. The winter
and summer diagrams shows how the building can
adapt with seasonal weather change.
Fig 7.5 shows a summary of the 3 layer plane
system which makes up the towers. There is the
build plane using a 3D grid, the circulation plane
which are the vertical and horizontal streets, and
also the ecological plane which holds the natural
ecosystems, wetland water fi ltration, and parks. Fig
7.6 shows a more detail explosion of the different
planes and how they attach to each other.
Fig 7.3 Uses
Level 10' - 0"
Level 210' - 0"
farms
farms
light residential units
light residential units
dense residential units
dense residential units
mixed use commercialmajor park
major park
ground center
civic buildings
light residential units
light residential units
ground buildings
ground connections
dense residential units
dense residential units
mixed use commercialconnections and night life
mod
ules
mod
ules
ecol
ogic
al fa
cade
125
Fig 7.4 Diagrams
126
buildings buildable frame vertical circulation main structure eco planemodular,adapting
residential, commercial
fixed,pre-fabricated connections for buidlings
fixed,additive
dependent on population
fixed,site for wetlands,
parks, and agriculture
fixed,supports buildable frame, circulation,
and eco plane
build plane
circulation plane
ecological plane
grid
irregular
density widthagriculture
residential
commercial
primary
horizontal connection to existing context or other spatial urban towers
connects ground and other main horizontals. fast.
two lane lifts. passing and stopping. connects to all levels. slow.secondaryvertical
system connectionsmodular building
one volume unit
two volume units
three volume units
volume lot
Fig 7.5 3 Layer Plane
Fig 7.6 Exploded
127
3D model
The next couple of images shows different
perspectives on how the three towers interact with
each other. Fig 7.7 shows the south west view which
is where you can see most of the modular units.
Fig 7.8 shows the north west view where you can
see how these three towers are connected in the
commercial level. The ecological plane also extends
where trails bridge two of the towers.
Fig 7.7 SW View
128
Fig 7.8 NW View
129
[a]
[b]
[c]
[com 01]
nbc tower626 ft
643 ft
1600 ft
river east center
[west v plane] [east v plane][central v plane]
[com 02]
ada 1:12 slope/200 ft:1 mile20 min walk 10 min bike
Elevations
Fig 7.9 East
Fig 7.10 South
130
Fig 7.11 West
Fig 7.12 North
131
[ n b c t o w e r ]e x i s t i n g c o m m e r c i a l
[ r i v e r e a s t c e n t e r ]e x i s t i n g r e s i d e n t i a l
[ h i g h w a t e r s t r e e t ]t h r e e l a n e v e r t i b u s
w e t l a n d
a d a p t i n g s k i n
m o d u l e s
v e r t i t a x i
m a i n s t r u c t u r e
m a i n s t r u c t u r e
v e r t i t a x i
w e t l a n d
[ f i r s t h m a i n s t r e e t ]
[ f ir s
t h m
a i n s
t r ee t ]
[ h b r i d g e s t r e e t ]c o n n e c t i n g s t r e e t
[ h i g h i l l i n o i s s t r e e t ]t h r e e l a n e v e r t i b u s
c o m m u n i t y c e n t e r
w e s t v p l a n e
c e n t r a l v p l a n e
e a s t v p l a n e
p u b l i c c o m m u n i t y c o r e
Levels
Fig 7.13 Commercial 1
Fig 7.14 Com Circulation and Use
Fig 7.13 shows a plan of the commercial level .The
intersecting streets in the level creates a natural
community gathering area at its intersections.
In the commercial 1 level also, there is the main
stops from the high water street and high illinois
street vertical buses. Wetlands make up some of
the ecological trail, but there are spaces for small
parks and recreational areas at each end of each
tower. The ecological plane creates a diverse eco
system just in front of the modules. You can also
see that the modules with different exterior facades
create different individual identity for each module.
The different units create a strong community while
being strong in individuality.
Fig 7.14 shows the circulation and the main building
use, with red as commercial use, blue as residential,
and purple as civic.
132
Fig 7.15 Commercial 2
Fig 7.16 Typical Residential
Fig 7.17 Agriculture
Similar to commercial one but higher in
elevation. No horizontal connection to
existing skyscrapers.
Smaller modular units and limited connection
because the spaces are more private.
Ecological trail is less wider compared to
commercial levels.
Very open fi xed spaces to collect light for
growing plants and vegetables. No modular
units and no build planes. The systems for
agriculture are built into the structure for a
more permanent function.
133
a d a p t i v e p a n e l s
s p a c e f r a m e
w e t l a n d s u r f a c e
w e t l a n d b a r r i e r
v e g e t a t e d s u r f a c e
v e g e t a t e d s u r f a c e
d r a i n a g e
p r e - f a b g i r d e r
v e r t i t a x i
t r a n s p a r e n t p a n e l s
r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e s l a b
s e r v i c e m o d u l e
[ b ]
m o d u l a r b e a m s
b u i l d a b l e f r a m e
Fig 7.19 Detail
Fig 7.18 Section Box
The detail below shows how the unit module sample
[b] is attached to the buildable frame through
modular beams and also attached to a service
module. It also shows how vegetated surfaces can
attach to a service module. The ecological planes
section has three types of surfaces, which is solid
reinforced concrete slab for street, vegetated
surface for plants, and wetland surface for the
wetland system. The adaptive panels are attached
with a space frame. Under each fl oor is a roof of
transparent panels able to illuminate the lower level
with LED lights built into it.
Details
134
Fig 7.20 Adaptive Skin
The panels for the adaptive skin are fl exible
polycarbonate panels which attaches to a
mechanism able to fl ex them open or closed by
lifting two corners up or down. The adaptive skin
is essential in Chicago climate because of its cold
winters. Fig 7.21 shows different sample modules
that I have designed to see how the structure of
the modular units may look as different sized. The
structure has little effect on the possibilities of fl oor
plans, however, considerations of neighboring
modular units and the site (the eco plane) must be
part of the design process.
135
[ a ]
[ b ]
[ c ]
4 volume lots, mixed use commercial modules[1][2] [3]
2 volume lots, medium family residential[1]
[1]
[2]
1 volume lot, single or small family residential
Fig 7.21 Sample Module Units
136
Bridge
Renderings
137
Day Market
138
Night Life
139
140
141
142
Thesis Conclusion
Most of the process of my thesis is exploring how
urbanism can evolve into being designed in a three
dimensional space instead of a two dimensional
map. The direction from the research went to the
studies of lines, connections, and planes and how
that relates to public and private spaces, streets and
landscapes, which became the basis of developing
the form and function of the building. As I developed
how the residential and commercial zoning relate
to each other in three dimensional form, the
ecological aspect of trying to create greenspaces,
agricultural spaces, and wetland areas developed
from being horizontal spaces to have a diagonal
importance. It became what would be the bike and
pedestrian streets. Wetland biofi ltration systems
also is important to purify water to be recycled and
help create or preserve a biodiversity in the towers.
The modular units which are the buildings of the
spatial city are also explored up to the level of the
type of structure and how much units one module
may take and it what form. I believe that the ability
to decide the size of the modules and the ability to
create unique fl oor plans and facades promotes
individual identity in a community. Agriculture
spaces is important to bring food close to people. It
is a program that could either be fi xed permanently
into the structure or modularized and able to move if
the space will be replaced with a building. However,
if it is modularized, there needs to be a location
where it can be moved to or recycled properly. This
idea is open to either option, but I chose for it to be
permanent mostly so that it cannot be threatened to
be replaced by higher profi t uses.
Because of the variety of experiences I was trying
to design from all the programs, I found out that
there was a need for a variety of forms. There is
the rigid build plane, the linear interweaving vertical
lifts, the dynamic agriculture and ecological plane,
and of course the ever developing modular units.
I found these components to have mostly a planar
relationship with each other. From the design
process, urbanism, vertical planes can provide
more freedom of layered infrastructure and ecology
compared to trying to build horizontally.
The addition of a reclamation plan in my project
helps reverse urban sprawl and give back land
to species a natural ecology for them to thrive in.
In the city context, the one spatial community will
take on skyscraper form but eventually as more
communities are built suspended in their own three
dimensional space, connections can be made in
different strategic levels and the tower will not be
seen as a tower but rather a single piece of a larger
urban ecology.
143
v e r t i c a l f r a m e
c o n n e c t i o n si r r i g a t i o n s y s t e m s3 D z o n i n gc i r c u l a t i o nt r a n s p o r t a t i o np u b l i c b u i l d i n g s a n d p a r k sa g r i c u l t u r a l d e v e l o p m e n to p e n s p a c e s
e v o l v i n ge c o l o g i c a l s p a t i a l
u r b a n i s mr e s i d e n t i a l d e v e l o p m e n tc o m m e r c i a l d e v e l o p m e n tc l e a n i n d u s t r i a lr e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h e x i s t i n g c o n d i t i o n s
archetypal skyscraper
spatial urbanism
s m a l l f o o t p r i n t , d e n s e
s i m i l a r i n d i v i d u a l i d e n t i t y , s t a t i c f l o o r s , p r e - d e f i n e d s p a c e s , u n a d a p t a b l e , “ v e r t i c a l c u l - d e - s a c ” , l i m i t e d e x p e r i e n c e .
urban
l a r g e f o o t p r i n t , s c a t t e r e d , v e h i c u l a r d e p e n d e n c y , d i s r u p t s l a n d s c a p e a n d n a t u r a l e c o l o g y
d i v e r s e i n d i v i d u a l i d e n t i t y , s t r e e t , u n - d e f i n e d s p a c e s , a d a p t a b l e , h u m a n i z e d .
. . .
s m a l l f o o t p r i n t , d e n s e , d i v e r s e i n d i v i d u a l i d e n t i t y , d y n a m i c f l o o r s , u n - d e f i n e d s p a c e s , a d a p t a b l e , “ v e r t i c a l s t r e e t ” , u n l i m i t e d e x p e r i e n c e , m o d u l a r , h u m a n i z e d .
i n f r a s t r u c t u r e
destroys ecologyspread:
stacked: prom
otes
eco
logy
e c o l o g y
b u i l d i n g s
biofiltration / water purificationwaste to energyfood / aquaponic farming
Spatial Urbanism
Ecology and Infrastructure
Ecological Spatial Urbanism