Billy -n- (kris'ti) at OSB, Chicago

byRobert Anthony BensonBachelors of Science in Architectural StudiesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign1993

Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partialfulfillment of the requirements for the degreeMaster of Architectureat theMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyJunp_1996 ,

ignature/bf authorRobert Phthony Benson, Department of ArchitectureMay 24, 1996

certified byWellington Reiter, Assistant Professor of ArchitectureThesis Supervisor

accepted byWellington Reiter, ChairpersonDepartmental Committee on Graduate Students

@ Robert Anthony Benson 1996. All rights reserved. The author hereby grantsMIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly the paper and electroniccopies of this thesis document in whole or in part.

ASSAOUSETTS MST T<OF TE(HWAOcY

JUL 19 1996

LIBRARIES

readersEllen Dunham-Jones, assistant professor of architectureGeoff Wooding, architect

2

abstract

The metropolis exacts from man, as a discriminating creature, adifferent amount of consciousness than does rural life... With eachcrossing of the street, with the tempo and multiplicity of economic,occupational, and social life, the city sets up a deep contrast withthe small town and rural life with reference to the sensoryfoundations of psychic life.

-georg simmel

The (metropolis) must be seen as an organism, but a deeplyperplexing one because it is simultaneously a machine, or rather, aseries of disconnected (nano) machines running their owndetermined and reckless courses... the combined result of which wewill never fully fathom.

-lars lerup

The contemporary metropolis (or megalopolis) existsas a dramatic urban landscape. With a propensityfor territorial sprawl, this mega-entity can bephysically defined by its severe shifts in scale andintensity. Spatial cohesiveness is non-existent asimmense, fragmented barriers are introduced andmarginal non-spaces are created. The whole can beviewed as calamity of independent layersmanifesting coincidental relationships andintersections.

This contemporary environment is inherently inmotion as conditional and cultural elements competefor attention. Planes, trains, automobiles, media,cell phones, signage, voice mail, BMW's, exercisemake-up, couriers, overnight delivery, e-mail, phonesex, commercials, busses, espresso, deadlines,ambulances, whistles, bars, parades, politics, dogsbarking, news at nine...bombard the senses. Withinthis environment the individual must insulateperceptions to cognitively organize the stimulus.Consequently a psychological ambivalence isprocured and sensual experiences lost.

Billy -n- (kris'tI) at OSB, ChicagobyRobert Anthony Benson

Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 24, 1996in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degreeMaster of Architecture

thesis supervisorWellington Reiter, assistant professor of architecture

Can the individual be implicated' in the mega-scaleenvironment by mediating2 the barriers and marginalzones of the urban landscape?

This investigation engages the megalopolis and its fullgrotesqueness in terms of scale and intensity; experimentswith a range of strategies attempting to emphasize theindividual without combating the potency of the urbanenvironment; prismatically separates and intensifies the visual,audible and tactile senses while involving cognitive processesin re-sensitizing the individual.

' implicate

2 mediate

2. to involve as a necessary circumstance4. archaic to fold or twist together,intertwine, interweave2. to bring about by serving as intermediary3. to be in the middle, intercede

abstract 3

project 7

definitions 8

site analysis 10

design strategy 16

execution 21

conclusion 33

selected bibliography 36

credits 39

left"urban eclipse" of hancock at OSB

rightrestroom facility adjacent to bike path on south side

6

Chicago's thirty miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan havebeen retained for public recreation. The Chicago Park Districtmanages the land while specific legislative control of eachsection is divided between the political wards. The parks andbeaches suffer from a lack of facilities and connections,physical and psychological, with the city.

The Chicago Park District has proposed the development of arestroom facility prototype to fill the need for facilities. How-ever, considering the diversity of issues and needs of the sitesalong the lakeshore, a more site specific approach is neces-sary. The focus of this project will be to design a portion of thebarrier region between the metropolis and the water withmovement from a selected urban point, through a crossing to abeach facility, at the confluence of Michigan Avenue, LakeShore Drive, and Oak Street Beach.

The project and thesis must focus upon the compulsion to actwithin the metropolis. The "movement", consisting of the needfor a footbridge contrasted with the needs of a bicycle path, willbe juxtaposed against the power and demands of the "Drive"'This compulsion and mediation, culminating within a beachfacility, will physically and psychologically extend perception.

scalefocussensory intensification/ deprivationprismaticgrotesquemph 60-30-10-4-rest

I a.k.a. Lake Shore Drive

city'1. a large or important town. 2. (in the U.S.) an incorporatedmunicipality, usually governed by a mayor and council. 3. theinhabitants of a city collectively. 4. (in Canada) a municipalityof high rank, usually, based on population. 5. (in Great Britain)a borough, usually, the seat of a bishop, having its title con-ferred by the Crown. <Latin civitatem, acc. of civitas citi-zenry, town = civi(s) citizen + tas>community 2

1. a group of people who reside in a specific locality, sharegovernment, and often have a common cultural and historicheritage. 2. a locality inhabited by such a group. 3. a social,religious, occupational, or other group sharing commoncharacteristics or interests. 4. joint possession, enjoyment,liability, etc.culture 3

1. artistic and intellectual pursuits and products. 2. a qualityof enlightenment or refinement arising from an acquaintancewith and concern for what is regarded as excellent in the arts,letters, manners, etc. 3. development or improvement of themind by education or training. 4. the sum total of ways ofliving built up by a group of human beings and transmitted fromone generation to another. 5. the behaviors and beliefscharacteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.metropolis 4

1. any large, busy city, especially the chief of a country orregion. 2. a central place of some activity. 3. the mother cityor parent state of a colony. <Greek metropolis a mother stateor city = metro-, combination form of meter MOTHER + polis>politic5

1. shrewd or prudent in practical matters; tactful, diplomatic.2. contrived in shrewd and practical way; expedient.public6

1. of, pertaining to , or affecting a population or a community

as a whole. 2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community asa whole. 3. open to all persons. 4. of, pertaining to or beingin the service of a community or nation. 5. maintained at thepublic expense and under public control. 6. a particular groupof people with a common interest. 7. pertaining or devoted tothe welfare or well being of the community.rest room7

1. a room or rooms, esp. in a public building, having wash-bowls, toilets, and other facilities. (1895-1900 Amer.)sequence8

1. the following of one thing after another; succession. 2. acontinuous connected series. 3. a melodic or harmonicpattern repeated three or more times at different pitches with orwithout modulation. 4. a series of related scenes or shots thatmake up one episode of a film narrative.series1. a group or a number of related or similar things, events, etc.arranged or occurring in temporal, spatial, or other order ofsuccession; sequence. 2. a succession of coordinatesentence elements. -Syn SERIES, SEQUENCE, SUCCES-SION are terms for an orderly following of things one afteranother. SERIES is applied to a number of things of the samekind, usu. related to each other, arranged or happening inorder. SEQUENCE stresses the continuity in time, thought,cause, and effect, etc. SUCCESSION implies that one thing isfollowed by another or others in turn, usu. though not neces-sarily with a relation or connection between them.urban'01. of pertaining to, or comprising a city or town. 2. living in acity. 3. characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified

selected definitions from: Random House Webster's Dictio-nary_ Random House. New York. 1995

1 1. an economic sub-division of larger national politicalinterests. 2. An urban entity consisting of a defined and cohesivespatial sense esp. of European descent.2 1. a party of more than one who have a common interest,not esp. having to do with physical contact or geographic proximity.3 1. term surpassed in relevance for "sub-culture" andcollections thereof. (United States) 2. (culture) being increasinglyinfluenced and organized by economic means.4 1. Chicago, New York, L.A. etc. (late twentieth century)5 1. Means by which public decisions, directives and actionsare carried out.. 2. (politics) often exceed importance of the publicthat it is servicing.6 1. term currently sub-divided (similarly to term culture) into:public, semi-public, semi-private, etc. 2. term applied to segment ofpopulation not empowered politically7 1. a space having nothing to do with rest or room. 2.connotation typ. suggests semi-private condition within privately owned"public" building. 3. traditionally public setting usually encompassespungent odors and a lack of cleanliness.8 1. not specifically a narrative or in linear terms.9 1. an identifiable grouping of more than two.10 1. of pertaining to, or comprising a metropolis. 2. (urban)having no consistent spatial characteristics

selected definitions by author

The metropolis exacts from man, as a discriminating creature, adifferent amount of consciousness than does rural life... With eachcrossing of the street, with the tempo and multiplicity of economic,occupational, and social life, the city sets up a deep contrast with thesmall town and rural life with reference to the sensory foundations ofpsychic life.

-georg simmel

Chicago grew from a wild onion patch into a dominant globaleconomic force with a population in excess of three million inone hundred and fifty years. Known as the city with bigshoulders, the metropolis gained the reputation of being a grittyand impetuous environment. The ingenuity of the citizens wasmatched only by the rate of growth that the city enjoyed. Aswith other American cities, the physical environment wassubsequently altered to solve problems as they arose. Forexample, the Chicago river's flow was reversed, a canal wascreated to enhance the connection of Lake Michigan to theMississippi river, and the city elevation was raised twelve feet(including the existing buildings). Perhaps the most prolificmanipulation of the natural environment followed the great fireof 1871. With the entire city in ruin and two hundred thousandhomeless, Chicago seemed doomed. However, the citizensrebuilt an enlarged metropolis in under ten years. The acres ofdebris were dragged into the lake as landfill thus creating milesof lakefront parks. This waterfront park system has beenpreserved to the present day for the public as open space.

With only a few exceptions, the integrity of the open space atChicago's waterfront has been retained. Developers andpoliticians have been repeatedly turned away with fierce,emotional protests and legal battles. Sensitivity to the region isso intense that any proposed physical change to the parksystem incurs tremendous scrutiny from a myriad of public/political organizations. In addition, Chicago's architectural

history figures into the evaluation of such proposals. With theghosts of Burnham, Sullivan, Mies, and Wright looming in civicminds, criticism tends to be stylistically based. New construc-tion proposals are frequently terminated for their lack ofappropriateness while "prairie style" versions are continuallysuggested (CHPD). As with the Colombian Exposition of 1893,Chicago continues to look toward the past for architectural andcultural significance.

The experience of lakefront Chicago typically falls within twopatterns; traveling to a specific location with circulationpredominately in an east-west direction and traveling along thelake shore on the pathways by bicycle, skates, skateboards, oron foot in north-south movement. These experiences overlapas in the case of the automobile which can have another typeof experience through the city toward the water or parallel tothe shoreline along Lake Shore Drive. The east-west move-ment usually coincides with the availability for parking at beachlocations and encompasses a wider range of the public fromgreater distances, while the north-south circulation tends to belocal residents who travel past many facilities during the courseof exercise. In this sense the park system becomes a recre-ational highway with rest stops at beach facilities.

As one moves along the recreational highway the dominanticon to reference one's location is the Chicago Loop. Atremendous collection of soaring skyscrapers, the Loopdemands to be referenced in any view. The landfill of the parksystem is relatively flat as the Loop's verticality contrasts withthe stark horizon over the lake. Perceptually, it is difficult todiscern subtle changes in distance from the Loop due to itscolossal scale. This means that as one travels between a fewbeaches a change in distance from the Loop may not beperceived. Furthermore, aside from some of the breakwatermarkers, there is little to signify the entrance to a new beacharea. In fact, distinguishing between the beaches themselves

becomes difficult as their identity relies on the name of thestreet that provides access.

The facilities servicing the beaches tend to be flat, non-descriptand unsightly representatives of the built environment. Ex-cused from becoming works of architecture, these structuresare prescribed to allow "nature" to dominate. However, thecivic organizations professing this directive do not account forthe effect the facilities have on the experience of the lakefront.The poor quality of those public facilities becomes etched inthe memories of the patrons. As with any building, the mostcommon memory of a place can often be of its restrooms. Inthe park system's condition, this experiential reality is intensi-fied by the lack of built environment. Patrons hapticallyobserve the park and restrooms as their memory becomesdominated with the feel of the sand, the chill of the water andthe discomfort of the restrooms.

osb

Arguably the most exhilarating beach in Chicago, Oak Streetbeach embodies the full drama of the metropolis. With a 1200'Goliath' only two blocks away, the site is supercharged withthe full intensity of the metropolis. This beach, one of the mostpopulated on the shore, sits upon a crenelation facing thenortheast. With perhaps the broadest demographic grouping,OSB draws from the entire metropolitan area. The broadbeach supports dozens of sand volleyball courts, boating andswimming. Currently, the restroom facilities and equipmentoffices are horrifically located underneath Lake Shore Drive. Inaddition to a rank odor lingering, these facilities continuallyflood from poor drainage while the fixtures back up. Therestroom facilities are supplemented by a string of "porta-potties" positioned along the beach west of the bike lanes.With intelligence severely lacking, a volatile clash betweenbicycles, skaters, pedestrians and toilet patrons is sparked due

to the portable unit doors opening directly into the bike lanes.

barriers

OSB is a prolific example of the contemporary metropolis. Thesite possesses a myriad of programmatic functions, users,movement, etc. The grotesque beauty of the metropolis, withan average building height of over 700', collides with theawesome scale and presence of the natural in Lake Michigan.The commercial strata of Chicago, the Magnificent Mile2 ,terminates at this site with the decadent Playboy building andincomparable Drake hotel. The buildings at OSB consist ofhigh profile residential and hotel with some light commercial atground floors. In addition to the Magnificent Mile, Chicago'sinfamous vehicular experience, the eight lane midwesternautobahn Lake Shore Drive, bisects the site.

Experientially the site contains three major barriers. The massof structures surrounding the site in an "L" shape is the firstedge. This mass is at such a scale that one can feel a spatialcontainment on an urban scale. Separate from the canyonquality of downtown streets, a surreal and comfortable "room"is established. The second, and much less comfortable, is theeight lane, two shoulders and median, Lake Shore Drive.Swishing through the site with provocative curves, the postedspeed limit is 40 mph and characteristically ignored. The thirdbarrier is the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. While thewaterline can also be perceived as a threshold, a definite andartificial edge has been established.3

The name "lake" Michigan is misleading to those not familiarwith that body of water. The scale of this lake is large enoughto classify it experientially as a freshwater sea. It dominateseven the mega-scale of the city and becomes physically violentwhen storms rage across it toward the beaches. To combatthis destruction, Chicago has installed a system of breakwaters

belowphoto montage of lake and metropolis

along the lakefront. In addition to these breakwaters, otherartifacts, such as pumping stations mining drinking water,reside off shore. Also consistent with the metropolis, the cityhas displaced and manicured its entire shoreline with landfilland revetments. OSB has almost 1200' of landfill as the naturalwaterline would approximately exist at the intersection ofMichigan avenue and oak street.

excess

The site also possesses other characteristic attributes of themetropolis as vehicular dominance and territorial dilution occur.Traffic islands, marginal non-spaces and other negative zonesare created by traffic lanes. With Michigan Avenue diffusinginto LSD, sections on the north end of the beach support trafficwidths of 14 lanes. Also, the "park", across from the Drake,between Oak street and LSD has evolved into a landscapeddead zone. Currently, the park is little more than a field totraverse en route to the tunnel toward the beach.

access

The beach is principally accessed in two manners. The first isthe tunnel entrance from Michigan avenue. This is convenientfor the patrons arriving at OSB via public transportation. It isimportant to note the irony of this site as it is defined andimpacted predominately by the roads but allows no opportunityfor arrival by car. Therefore users must travel to OSB by othermeans. The most common way to arrive at OSB is along theshoreline as part of the recreation highway. Whether bybicycle, rollerblade, skateboard or foot, thousands of peoplezoom onto and past the beach.

1 John Hancock building, Skidmore Owens Merril 19682 a.k.a. Michigan Avenuea important to note that the entire site at OSB is landfill

belowexisting tunnel aperture toward cityright"every thirty seconds" on lake shore drive

..

MA

belowtypical restroom stall take one-thesisright Can the design of a series of urban interventions afford small

scale construction the potency to impact experience on themegalopolitan scale?

take two-thesisExamine how the built and non-built environment can mediatebarriers common to the megalopolis by manipulating levels ofconsciousness through the tectonic, with respect to sensorialexperience.

re-thesisCan the individual be implicated in the mega-scale environ-ment by mediating the barriers and marginal zones of theurban landscape?

defining the problem

The course of this term posed a constant clash between the"project" and the "thesis". The project was confused betweenwhat was needed for a beach facility and what was necessaryfor the entire site. The initial programmatic impetus for theproject was simply a beach facility containing a lifeguard office,restrooms, concessions and a new or improved crossing to thebeach. However, this was simply inadequate to operate at astage such as OSB. My research and study of Chicago andthe metropolis, in addition to the photographic essays, allsuggested a more urban scale response. The problem was notabout the spotty beach facility, or plumbing, or social concerns.

defineThe goal of this project was termed "sensitization" by the endof February. By engaging a narrative of prescribed experi-ences, one could be re-stimulated to detail and have a more

sensitive frame of perception installed. Analogous to how theaperture of my camera trained my eyes on line, space, tonalranges, etc., this narrative could intensify and separateaudible, vision and tactile senses. The execution of this notionand its linear strategy took the form of an urban breakwaterextending into the city.

re-defineHowever, this became a narrative line about a procession fromA to B to C then to D and so on. This strategy did not reconcileitself with my attitude toward individual experience and theresponse to the metropolis. The gregarious nature of thismegalopolitan collision demanded attention. Design (e-sponses on commensurate scales had to motivate the projectwhile the "sensitization" of the individual would operate onother levels. Principally, the presence of the road would initiatethe location and mass of the responses. The city and itsexisting constructs would also motivate responses. At thispoint a marriage would be attempted between contextualurbanity and sensitization. Each piece would attempt to bepart of an array of sensual experiences. This strategy was agood match for the site as diversity of use, user, and accessdisallowed any specific processional narrative. Furthermore, Irealized that I did not value the notion of prescribing experi-ence in favor of navigating potentials for experience.

attitude

The problems of the barrier, mediation, metropolis, beach anda wide potential use group fused with a minuscule program ofrestrooms and small offices, created another tension betweenproject and thesis. Combined with a strong desire to maintainthe character of OSB, and a fundamentally contextual attitude,the solution suggested a merger between landscape andarchitecture. Not that more drastic programmatic alterationsweren't considered and tested, the project intended to support

existing potentials and uses of the site. Any major impositionthat would alter that character was discounted. Also, thisproject was never meant as a commentary, caricature orcombatant to the metropolis. In following a contextual attitude,I believe the metropolis to be an entity running its own coursewith constructs too layered and complex to be clearly defined.Therefore, attempts to develop combative strategies are notrealistic for the culture or the economic system. The resultantstrategy is to work within the metropolis on its scale and formalterms in tending to a pedestrian sense of mediation.

problem

Lake Shore Drive became the experiential focus of the project.As a formidable barrier bisecting this urban room, the interven-tions establish themselves with the road. However, simplyreinforcing the existing barrier could potentially make thesituation worse. As the interventions separate and removeitems, other experiences had to be given in return. Simply, thestrategy became to set up physical barriers, disconnecting, andthen mediate them, reconnecting, in a variety of ways....individual be implicated......mediating the barriers...The strategy attempted to follow the two part thesis in consid-ering the individual and sensitization through the barriers.Each move was conceived to influence or express certainperceptions of site or city conditions. This effectively brokedown into potential cognitive and physical realizations for theindividual. It was this arrayed notion that would offer thepossibility of sensitization.

rightinitial collage study

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second collage study concerning urbanity, the bike path, and material

20

As the design response attempted to investigate the thesisthrough cognitive and physical means, an understanding ofChicago's experiential constructs was necessary. Analogousto the concentration given to elements in the landscape ofOSB, attention had to be focused on the macro level as well.Chicago is organized and operates on a Cartesian gridemphasizing points and lines in nineteenth century fashion. Inthis system great avenues are created with monumentaldesignations applied to nodal points within the grid. Theemphasis is on the axial-visual relationships toward theelements of grandeur. The contemporary metropolis alsoworks well within this construct as towering skyscrapersbecome icons from which to orient oneself within the urbanity.

OSB offers opportunities to utilize the Cartesian strategy aswell. The points of visual intensity were identified, one on theland, one in the water. The water point was actually the centerpoint of the radius curve for Lake Shore Drive. This point alsowas on axis with northbound LSD and offered the potential tocontinue an existing system of points along the shore. Pro-grammed as a fountain, this node established itself as acounterpart to Buckingham Fountain.' Effectively, the fountainpronounces the shift of the drive similarly to the distant LakePoint Tower as well. Specifically to OSB, the fountain acts asa lure to the water. It resides one beach depth off shore andenhances the physical, in support of the Simmel quote. Onemust engage the water, the natural, to reach it. From this pointanother vantage is offered of the metropolis while the sound ofthe water gives the city the feel of a silent movie. The landbased point resides within a traffic island on visual axis withnorthbound Michigan avenue and southbound LSD. Itsspecific function, aside from being a marker, was neverrealized accept to say that it must set itself apart from thesurrounding buildings in acting as something between the

aboveview from hancock observatory in study modelrightperspective study of urban breakwater

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beach and city. Together the points extend existing off shorestructures3 into the city and lace together the other proposedinterventions. Although the points were never fully realized,their strength in binding the scheme to macro level systemsand experiences attributed to their perseverance. below

site planthe park right

existing breakwater

urban breakwaterThe park side intervention also operates on cognitive andphysical grounds. As a cognitive sensitization, it placesan actual breakwater beacon on the approximate locationof the natural waterline. this will mentally connect a scaleto the beacons on the breakwaters off shore that arenormally unreachable. The park side intervention alsoinvolves a landfill addition which subtracts LSD audiblyand visually. A gentle slope is applied and one cangradually "discover" the highway if desired. Moreimportantly, the curving retaining wall recreates the lostpark opposite the Drake hotel. Against this wall, thesounds of LSD are completely removed while only soundsfrom the south are left to impact the individual. Further-more, the retaining wall establishes a familiar focal andformal relationship with the beacon as it becomes a landbased breakwater. The possibility to connect thisexecution with other breakwaters in the city is intended tobe another means of sensitization.

bridgingThe connection to the beach side is inspired by the cablephotograph depicting two separate lines bound together.The intention is that two separate paths could be com-bined to provide a total experience. The modified existingtunnel, with assistance from a large sound attenuatingwall, erodes the sense of the city visually and audibly,thus intensifying the experiential explosion of arrival at the

beach. The opening of the tunnel is broad, inviting and in starkcontrast to the lacy, transparent bridge draped on the attenuat-ing wall. The net effect is that crowds would be more apt toenter the tunnel and experience the prismatic beach arrival.However, the footbridge is more evident on the beach side as itconnects itself to the undulating intervention and hovers overthe concession stand. Again the intention is that individualsmight be apt to return on the bridge and be focus on the city.The system also works in reverse as the tunnel opening on thepark side would concentrate on the verticality of the Drake,Playboy building and Hancock Center. The bridge also offers aprecipice over the road as its transparency heightens itsvertical sense and bridging experience. The combined systemintensifies the movement between the barriers, with oneremoving the city and one engaging the road and skyline.

the beach

The beach side was strategized similarly to the park side butexecuted differently. As the beach side also walls off the roadwith a filled retaining wall, it is about openness, layering andactivity. These interventions key from the need for a separatedbicycle path, the rhythm of street furniture, and the potential ofbeach activities.

screenpete sAn urban sized projection screen was proposed as the onlyfar right programmatic imposition of the project. It capitalizes on itsstudy model showing screen, seating (tunnel), brigde relationship eastern position and the broad expanse of the sand. An irony

is achieved with a vehicularly inaccessible "drive-in" adjacentto a major roadway. More importantly the screen's placementon the threshold of the beach empowers it to become aphysical analogue of the tumultuous waterline. As lake levelsseasonally, and temporarily during storms, shift the malleabilityof that line is communicated. The screen also operates as anaperture for the tunnel. As one twists through the tunnel aperspectival focus is trained on the screen. Especially during a

25

leftaerial view looking southrightseating, tunnel, path, bridge

film, this would translate into the image filling the entire tunnelview. Again scale is used toward a cognitive sensitization. Asone exits the tunnel and occupies the beach, the previouslymassive and dominate screen is now dwarfed by the expanseof the horizon line over the lake.

theaterThe amphitheater that polarizes the view toward the screen isintended to be an object on the beach. Functionally, it providesthe opportunity for other performances and activities. It alsomaintains a similar focal ability as the park side niche, whilepossessing a comparable formal inspiration.

undulationThe main experiential element on the beach side is theundulating paths. This active intervention synthesizesarchitecture and landscape, mediation and sensitization.Formally and experientially it takes a cue from the wispy sandretention fence. It meanders alongside the road, giving thedriver a rhythmic visual experience. For bicycles, rollerbladers, skateboarders and runners an intense physiologicalexperience is offered. Unlike anywhere else along theshoreline, one can feel a rhythmic shift in elevation.4 Visuallyand audibly, the rider is constantly passing in and out of theroad and the beach. Here the sense of touch is invigorated inthe spirit of exercise and motion.

The undulations also become architecture as the beleagueredprogram is accommodated by much needed shade. As speedis layered from road to beach, the syncopated paths offer amyriad of views and annals toward the city. Much like the slatsof the wispy fence, the railings above are shadowed below inan excitingly unpredictable manner. The urban eclipse of theHancock 5, can be felt from within this layered screen as againthe individual's attention is refocussed. The totality of thisintervention operates on the urban scale. Hopefully itembodies increments of the individual's experience and

leftsand retention fencerightground floor plan of beach side

below projects them back at the metropolis. Syntactically, it identifiesbicycle path elevation with the segmentation of the roadway but is able to redirectfar below that separation into an amenity.bridge/umbrella relationship

The layered structure promotes the application of veils towardthe beach. The changing room/restrooms are imbedded withinthe anchoring wall along the road under the bike path. Atraditional beach notion is recalled in preference to typicalconcentrated restrooms. The idea is to allow the individual orgroups to choose spaces ranging in size from that of a largestall to that of a room. The spatial differences between roomsis communicated by the size of the door enclosing it. Thesedoors also obscure and filter vision and sound while collec-tively creating another veil of experience. From a distance, theactivity, or lack thereof, can be observed.

Other layers are also established toward the beach. Theshower pipe acts as a displaced railing and rains a misty veil ofwater for those exiting the beach. Again physical experience isaltered by this element as it creates rainbows and cools theheat of the beach. Furthermore, temporary elements such asbeach umbrellas and volleyball nets become involved as amultiplicity of layers and experiences is achieved.

threadingFinally, the mediation between interventions is attempted inseveral ways. As stated in the problem definition, new barrierswere created and subsequently required alternate means ofrelationship. On the urban level, the angular revetments andretaining walls invoke a material and formal continuation fromthe park side intervention. This mediating line can also befound in the section of the beach side as the ground plane issculpted similarly. Furthermore, the cable attaching thecounterweight to the changing room scrims operates in a likemanner. Even the structures supporting the paths and creatingthe seating embody this principal of mediation.

leftperspective study of beach facilityrightsite plan

A 4

29

----- ----- -------

30

This tectonic and formal strategy is not specifically intended tobe found by the individual, but considering that the site plan isvisible from the Hancock, anything is possible.

1 Buckingham fountain is a large and inaccessible pool surrounding amassive jet of water within the Beaux Artes planned Grant Park.2 Lake Point Tower was schematically designed by Mies Van DerRohe. The sixty story structure stands as the only skyscraper east ofLSD. Similarly to OSB, the drive swivels inside the tower toward thecity.3 two breakwaters and a pumping station4 not intended as in a roller coaster intensity. merely separate fromtypical movement.5 see photo from Hancock center observatory

leftsections a-drightaerial view looking south

32

The final review on May 20 reinforced several notions I haddeveloped concerning this project. Primarily, that materialshould have played a vigorous role in the project and thethesis. Furthermore, physical speed and program could haveoffered liberty to the undulations and an increased level ofsensitization. Finally, I understood that the proposed cardinalpoints were intimately linked to the project and may have beeneasier to realize than I had expected.

Thesis did not deliver what I desired most. As thisinvestigation was never about an intrinsic question, or aproject, I sought a fixed point. I was looking for something thatcould provide a frame of reference clarifying design decisionsand making the evaluation of architecture discernible. Iunderstand that this point is not a higher truth. I alsounderstand the elusiveness of this point as evidenced by thecontinual stalling of this project. This point is not somethingthat can be realized by searching for it exclusively. I expectthat the education endured this term will be pertinent for therest of my career.

leftmacro planrightcontext plan

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all photographs and illustrations are by authorunless otherwise noted

38

I thank Duke, Ellen, and Goeff for their advice and criticismthroughout the term.

I thank my friends for their time and support.

I thank my family for their continued support and especially mymother for parenting me once again.

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