michigan architecture papers 4 — site/architecture — thompson

MICHIGAN ARCHITECTURE PAPERS 4

site/architecture

THOMPSON AND ROSE ARCHITECTS

University of Michigan

College of Architecture + Urban Planning

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site/architecture

THOMPSON AND ROSE ARCHITECTS

FOREWORD

CONVERSATIONS AT MICHIGAN

SIX PROJECTS

APPENDICES

The academic setting is a privileged lookout from which it 1s possible to view !he world For the discipline of orch1tecture 1i~e the other professional disciplines housed within that settmg it provides on nvoluoble opportumty to observe the field of proct1ce. It is however a place which IS

also of he world and consequently con enable faculty and studenls to not only view rhot field of practice but to participate oct1vely in its cultivation.

RoTo BOOK MAP ONE

FOREWORD

The practice of architecture is changing

rapidly in response to an increasingly

globalized culture and, as a

consequence, the procurement and

design of buildings is becoming

increasingly generalized. As architecture

is commodified in this way so its

connections with a particular place, to a

moment in time, and with the interests of

a specific client or building user tend to

be made all the more tenuous.

In this context, the work of Thompson

and Rose is a significant exception in the

field of practice in the United States of

America. The work of this small, relatively

new yet already accomplished practice,

is directed by two young designers.

Combining the skills of architect and

landscape architect, they are developing

an approach which integrates concerns

of architecture and the detail of construction with preoccupations for the

characteristics of a particular place.

Inevitably their portfolio of work is

modest, but as the few built projects

clearly show, this is work which

demonstrates a passionate and

impressive commitment to an architecture

that is specific and not general.

It was for these reasons that the College

of Architecture + Urban Planning at

the University of Michigan sought out

Thompson and Rose. During the 1 998

Winter Semester they served as

distinguished visiting critics at the

College. As a part of this collaboration

they helped to make an exhibition of

work, met with students, gave a lecture

and, in collaboration with Michael

Grant, directed a graduate architecture

design studio. Michigan Architecture

Papers Four documents a series of

projects designed by Thompson and

Rose and records aspects of that

collaboration in an effort to make

some of the ideas, work and debate

that it prompted more accessible to a

wider audience.

The Michigan Architecture Papers seek to

present architecture of the highest quality

and provide a basis for the continuing

critical review of the discipline. They are

designed by students of architecture for

students of architecture. They seek to

record presentations and debates which

frequently take place at the College, yet

are often lost in the hectic bustle of the

academic year.

5

Collaborative studios that bring together

educators and practitioners are at the

foundation of architectural education.

The program at the University of

Michigan, first established by William Le

Baron Jenney, subsequently developed

by outstanding architects which have

included Eliel Saarinen, Emil Lorch, and

Robert Metcalf, and more recently

advanced though collaborative studios

with significant architects from practice

including Clark Stevens and Michael

Rotondi , has continued to foster that

tradition. This publication records one

such collaboration which took place

during the 1997/98 academic year.

It is made in an effort to assist in the

careful mapping of a territory of

education and to help to define a field

of practice in architecture.

Bnon Corter Professor and Choir of Architecture University of Michigan

6

CONVERSATIONS AT MICHIGAN

Based on a series of discussions at the

College of Architecture + Urban

Planning at the University of Michigan

between Maryann Thompson and

Charles Rose, Visiting Assistant Professor

Michael Grant and architecture students

Joseph Berlinghieri, Christopher

Lanzisera, Carla Swickerath, Margaret

Tomas and Kristina Winegar.

You hove worked extensively on the design of buildings and landscapes Does the consideration of 'site' toke on particular significance in your work2

CR: We are interested in creating an

architecture that 'sees' its site- an

architecture that stands in relationship to

its surroundings, heightens the

experience and effect of the natural

conditions that are at work on the site

and focuses, orients or reorients one's

perception of the site. We are exploring

an idea of site that is broad and

inclusive.

MT: We take time to understand a site and

seek to develop a poetic, even spiritual,

reading of the site. By analyzing the

specific conditions of a place - the

apparent movement of the sun, the

topography, geological conditions,

water and wind, flora, fauna, natural

phenomena and species diversity -

we attempt to develop a poetic

understanding, which in turn helps to

shape our intuitive responses to the site.

Such concerns tune the design process to

inform the concepts we generate to

create an architecture of the place.

7

How did the landscape affect your design for the Atlantic Center for the Arts2

MT: The Atlantic Center for the Arts is within

the Florida jungle. We were inspired by

the spatial qualities of this jungle -the

labyrinthine experience, the sense of

veiled layering both horizontally and

vertically, and the dappling of light

through the canopy. We were interested

in creating an architecture that would

heighten the sensory effects of this.

We created a passage through the site

which emphasized a sense of layering,

recalling the peripatetic nature of the

place. Throughout the design process

there was a constant dialogue between

the ideas of layering and revealing.

8

CR: The idea of weaving together landscape

and architecture was intriguing to us. A

boardwalk threaded through the jungle

links a series of clearings, creating

places of public gathering. The

relationship to the immediate landscape

inspired the schematic design: we did

not think of the buildings as objects. By

working simultaneously with the actual

conditions of the landscape and the

experience of the site, a labyrinthine

plan developed. The moments of

clearing which occur on the boardwalk

between the buildings are the objects;

the buildings recede. The project is a

collection of fragmentary views and

experiences, of concealed objects,

themselves whole but understood

primarily in moments of selected

recombination and integration. The

scheme is only fully understood through

movement and memory.

Ccufd > ,'u d,,~, r•bE. the? relorionshtp b£'1\V't'n tt <' bwiding.' and rhf' londsLopt'2

MT: There are shifts between subjective and

objective perceptual bias at the Atlantic

Center for the Arts. The client had

precise area requirements and the

artists needed rectangular spaces. We

could not vary from that. Because of the

nature of the site plan and because the

pavilions are set within and partially

hidden by the surrounding vegetation,

they are not presented as objects. The

volumes and planes contribute to forming

exterior spaces rather than asserting

themselves as objects. There is a sense

of revelation upon entering each

building , as the interior space is

suddenly understood as a discrete

volume. The interiors act as clearings

within the omnipresent jungle. They

become a peaceful light-filled domain

within the thick landscape. There is an

enigmatic tension between the

perceptual experience from within the

site as fragments along a promenade

and the conceptual reading from without

as sculptural objects.

CR: The buildings only reveal themselves

as objects at close range, not at a

distance . Close examination exposes

details that differentiate each pavilion -

tectonic and material changes that

respond to the specific program within .

The articulation of construction at each

pavilion , with respect to scale,

materiality and detailing , varies in

response to program. Our intention was

to make each piece of the project

particular to the activity it was designed

to serve.

Q

Could you elaborate on the way the designs for each of the studios were develaped2

CR: Our client was interested in making

each building specific to its function ,

rather than creating multi-purpose

spaces. Thi s provided an opportunity

to design a series of rooms which were

specific , both spatially and tectonically.

For instance, the client asked that the

dance space be " light and airy" -

suggesting that the spatiality of dance

be characterized by floating and

hovering . We interpreted this reading

by creating a strip of sandblasted glass

at the ceiling that encircles the room,

al lowing for a diffused, gentle light,

and placing a band of clear glass at

the finish floor, under the mirror, which

offers an immediate view of the tactile,

lush jungle.

10

MT: These two glazing conditions define a

space between the earth and the sky

which the dancer occupies. The

development of the interior spaces at

the Atlantic Center for the Arts are

inspired by what we interpret as the

'mytho-poetic ' quality of early

modernism . We believe that arch itecture

can communicate viscerally and can be

filled with meaning , not necessarily in

terms of symbol-making, but rather, in

terms of direct emotional experience.

Early Modernism is clearly on inspiration in your work Are there particular sources?

MT: We are influenced by many architects

in a variety of ways: we learned from

Aalto 's use of site-found materials at Villa

Mairea, and the resulting suggestion of

regionalism and site-contextualism.

The relationship between architecture

and site , as well as the sense of craft

and tectonic invention , employed to

create added layers of meaning is

remarkable . At Asplund 's Woodland

Cemetery the balance and duality

between the crematorium and landscape

is inspiring . The architecture forms a

wall which contains the site while

allowing the knoll and the open void of

the site to take on the primary reading.

His use of symbolism also inspired us .

CR: Le Corbusier has been an influence as

well. At La Tourette, for instance, we

were interested in the way meaning

is established through the coincidence

of structure, form and the significant

relationship to the ground plane. The

frame hovers above the sloping grade

creating an aloof home for the intellect,

while the sculptural cast concrete

bearing walls of the chapel engage

the ground and house the sacred

spaces of religious mystery.

ll

Hos art nt uenced you1 wall\?

MT: Many of our attitudes are fueled by

theories and work from the art world -

from issues of sculptural form to attempts

to create emotional resonance.

CR: We are constantly looking to the world

of the artist for inspiration. There are

moments when you discover that ideas

you are contemplating have already

been considered by others working in

another medium. Richard Serra's

Torqued Ellipses at the Dia Center for the

Arts in New York was a point of

revelation for us in its consideration of

the figured void. The sculpture addressed

the concrete relationship between the

object in space and the experience of

that space.

MT: When I was a student in Peter Walker's

studio at Harvard, the studio spent time

at Storm King, Pepsico and in galleries

in New York City. It was very influential.

Sculpture is of specific interest to us

because it requires being experienced

in the round.

12

For example, you have to move through

the installation by Serra to understand

the figured void. This celebration of the

direct human experience parallels our

own attitudes.

CR: In developing the program for the

Atlantic Center for the Arts, we had

many inspiring discussions with great

artists who were members of the

advisory board. The idea that dance

occupies the space between earth and

sky originated in a conversation with the

choreographer Trisha Brown. She

prompted us to find ways of giving a

mythic quality to that space. The design

of the painting studio developed out of

conversation with painters about light

and space. We designed studio spaces

which were visually, sculpturally, and

tectonically linked to the concerns and

aspirations of the artists.

Hmt> tssu< s, t prl'll enodt. ot'ectect

your orcf 1c TillE "

CR: Our commitment is to the palpable

experience of space and this

commitment relates directly to the

issue of promenade. In our

architecture the effect that the

building has on the body, mind,

and spirit is fundamental. The

potential for mystery in the

architectural experience is important

too . We are interested in exploring

an architecture that reveals itself

through movement and memory,

through an unfolding of visual and

spatial experiences which involve

the viewer in a process of discovery.

MT: In our work we attempt to explore

that process of discovery through

the promenade. We are interested in

creating an architecture that reveals

itself over time from different

perspectives and at different scales.

The comprehension of the work thus

involves a dialogue between the

viewer and the unfolding nature of

what is being viewed.

13

MT: For instance, at Straitsview Farm both the

location of the barn within the site and its

faceted form prevent the building from

being read as a singular object. Moving

around and through the barn yields a

transformed perception at different scales

and from changing vantage points. It

also creates a relationship of

participation between the building and

the viewer. This enigmatic and mysterious

quality is experienced through movement.

14

Con you comment on the scalar relationships of the Bartholomew County Veterans Memoriol2

MT: Scalar shifts play an important role

in the memorial's ambiguity and

emotional power. The scale of the

project oscillates. The tight spaces

between the columns can be

intimate, proportioned as they are

for a quiet yet intense relationship

with the letters that are inscribed in

the stone. Yet the very same spaces

can also be terrifying and sublime,

evoking death and the infinite.

These 'earth-bound' or 'rock-bound'

spaces, at once protected and

pressured, also are juxtaposed with

the view upward within the piece

which allows for a sense of release

and relationship to the sky. The

tapering of the columns, skyward,

helps this reading as it draws the

eye upward. Scalar shifts in this

piece address the duality and the

reconciliation of the infinite and the

individual.

CR: We wanted to work within a scale that

made sense urbanistically, marking the

new entry to Columbus and providing a

sense of relationship to the adjacent

courthouse. Yet, it was important to

create an intimate scale to accommodate

the act of private contemplation . From

the exterior, the piece addresses the

scale of the city, its rock-cut limestone

outer surface reads as a carved

monumental block, reminiscent of local

quarries.

To further this reading there are not

special bases for the columns, they go

directly into the earth . Within the grid,

however, the interior surfaces are smooth

and carefully sized to accommodate an

intimate relationship between the visitor

and the texts. The piece operates on

many scales. It is interesting to note that

these subtle devices were laborious to

work out. When you look at the project,

it seems simple. Achieving such

simplicity can be incredibly complicated.

In this proJect, as with the Atlantic Center for the Arts, there seems to be a tension between the ob;ect and the experience.

CR: The tension between the piece as

an object and the place as an

experience speaks again of the

ambiguity inherent in the project.

It can be read as both solid quarry

block and as perforated, inhabitable

space. The tension between object

and subject is inherent in the duality

between solid and void .

15

Does your 1\0rking process change fa, a

pro1ect n an urban seflmg2

CR: In the city, our response becomes more

abstract in its relationship to nature.

In the Urban Residence/ Gallery project

the envelope becomes site sensitive .

A courtyard at the heart of the project

becomes a spatially impacted distillation

of site . There are dramatic topographies

- in this case the buildings in Manhattan .

There are also solar concerns, it rains,

and we have resident populations to

consider - the artists and visitors from

the Dia Center for the Arts to the west.

There is still a natural landscape but

also a constructed landscape with

which to connect.

MT: A figural courtyard became the center

of the project. The scheme is woven

through the courtyard - the circulation

stitches back and forth , tying the

scheme together and allowing for the

presence of the court to be central to

the daily experience of the building .

Skylights at the street and party wall

further accentuate the sense of layered

encounter with the sun . The attempt is

to make the light palpable, to give it

a presence, to take what is thought of

as insubstantial void - light, air, space

-and make it visceral and solid . The

basic challenge remains the same -

how can you bring site into a project

and how can you create an

architecture which 'sees' its site.

-~- ~ . I 0-41~

~-

ATlANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

BUILDING USE:

The artists ' resource center and

residency program bring together

master artists to research and provide

instruction in dance, drama, music,

sculpture, literature and the visual arts.

The program includes a black box

theater, dance studio, sculpture building

with an outdoor work yard , painting

studio, recording studio, dark room

and library.

SITE CHARACTERISTICS:

The site is an indigenous jungle in a

climate characterized by torrential

rains, oppressive heat and bright sun .

The space of the jungle is a dense

environment of dappled light and a

variety of shades of green . In the

absence of a single visual reference

point, the jungle offers a peripatetic

space, the experience of which is

dominated by a sense of disorientation .

Existing structures on the site are wood

frame pole structures. These include

housing, an admin istrative building

and gallery, workshop space, and an

outdoor theater.

19

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library mus1c room audio room sculpture studio outdoor work area

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painting studio dance studio dressing room gallery + reception black box theater

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DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

The design intention is to intensify,

contrast and heighten the visual and

sensory effects of the site. Movement

and memory unify the experience,

rather than an awareness of the overall

structure. This pattern begins with the

labyrinth ine parking wh ich is integral to

the function of the place. Like the jungle,

there is a sense of visual and spatial

unfolding, as only small parts of the

scheme can be understood at one time.

The peripatetic space of the jungle is

amplified by the configuration of the

new boardwalk and placement of the

structures w ith respect to discrete views

and overlapping spatial moments, and

by the interwoven relationships of

bu ilding and jungle.

Each building is designed to house

a single art form -theater, dance,

sculpture, painting, music, and a library.

The interiors act as clearings within the

jungle, offering a sense of visual clarity

and relief. Within each workroom the

buildings frame, articulate and mediate

the ubiquitous vegetation, creating a

layered sense of enclosure.

23

24

The design research involved an

investigation of building in similar

latitudes - specifically ways of adapting

and tempering the existing climactic

conditions through architectural

invention, the study of precedent and

use of readily available materials.

The climactic conditions of the site

- light, wind, air, rain - and their

phenomenological effects are

reinterpreted and tempered through the

use of louvers which mottle the direct

light; large glass walls which maximize

the ambient northern light; light

monitors; hopper windows; wind

scoops; and large, linear rain scuppers.

Construction Systems:

The buildings and boardwalk are

elevated on wood columns resting on

concrete piers. The primary structural

system is a wood frame/heavy timber

hybrid . The structures are clad in stained

cedar which is fastened with stainless

steel screws. The base of the sculpture

studio is cast-in-place concrete . Roofs

are lead-coated copper, both flat lock

and standing seam . Doors are steel ,

wood, and lead-coated copper;

windows are brushed aluminum . The

adjustable louvers are cedar. Trellis

work and suspension rods are made

of painted steel.

26

FLORIDA GULF COAST ART CENTER

Pinellas County Botanical Gardens Clearwater, Florida

BUILDING USE:

The Art Center provides flexible new

facilities for a growing collection of

modern art as well as a public arts and

crafts program. The design for the

50,000 square foot art center campus

creates a community of public learning

set within a new sixty-acre botanical

garden . The program for the

interdisciplinary campus includes

galleries for the center's permanent

collection, and studio classrooms for

instruction in painting, photography,

metalsmithing, sculpture, ceramics,

printmaking, fiber arts, woodworking

and glass blowing . The center will offer

classes for adults and children taught by

professional artists.


Situated within the new sixty-acre

Pinellas County Botanical Gardens in

Tampa, the Art Center defines a

boundary between the Botanical

Gardens and the Pinellas waterway.

Across the waterway to the west is

Heritage Village, an open-air museum

of cracker architecture.

29

1. lobby looding dock 2. library kitchen 3. administrative offices gallery 4. conference room studio 5. storage gihshap 0 10 20 30 h

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

The project is organized around two

public circulation elements: a sinuous

colonnade running parallel to the

waterway, offering a promenade with

views into the gardens; and a footbridge

across the wetlands, connecting the Art

Center to Heritage Village. The public

center of the complex, with an

auditorium, library, cafe, sculpture

garden, galleries, and the museum store,

is at the intersection of these two paths.

Studio and shop bu ildings are placed

along the curving colonnade, which

becomes an outdoor 'classroom '

planned parallel to the water. It

continually returns the visitor to the

landscape. Gardens occur between the

buildings, and are viewed from the

colonnade and secondary south-facing

arcades.

31

32

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CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS:

The bu ildings are simple volumes of

concrete block with lightweight steel

joists supporting membrane roofs. Metal

clad light monitors punctuate these

simple volumes and provide ambient

north light to the studios and galleries.

Overhanging awnings provide shade to

the interiors from the intense sun from the

south, west and east. Through these

elements, the buildings transcend their

direct, factory-like volumes, admitting

controlled natural light into the interiors

allowing the unique quality of the Florida

sun to be revealed in an architecture of sculpted roof-lights and projecting

sunshades. The colonnade, a path for

pedestrians, is defined by a lightweight

steel structure.

BARN AT STRAITSVIEW FARM

San juan Island, Washington

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BUILDING USE:

Situated on a working farm overlooking

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this new,

multi-purpose barn accommodates a

farm office, wood and machine shops,

workspace for a veterinarian and

storage for a variety of large-scale

equipment and machinery. The 'L'

shaped configuration of the building

deflects the prevailing north-€astern

winds coming off the Pacific Ocean, and

shelters the adjacent work yard - a

square court defined by the building's

facade and a tall , slatted wood fence .

35


The new barn is located in a natural

clearing at the edge of a dense stand

of fir trees. This edge condition allows

for views from the work yard, through

the forest edge, out across a windswept

meadow and to the water below: the

foreground is darkly shaded, while

the distant water and mountains on the

western horizon are brightly lit. This

edge condition provides a view back

to the barn in which the reddish color

of its cedar cladding appears as a

luminous highlight against the shaded

green firs beyond .

37

38

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

This project employs the timber frame

tradition of the region in the service

of an expressive, sculptural architecture.

The resulting tectonic is dominated by

the elements of the timber frame, the

wood nailers and cedar slats of the

rolling doors. The building is sheathed

entirely in wood shingles and at the

scale of the site it is perceived as a

monolithic, faceted object. In this way,

the 'wrapped ' character of the building

allows for multiple readings at differing

scales and from changing vantage

points .

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS :

The construction system of the barn is

explicit. The structural frame of reclaimed

Douglas Fir timbers is sheathed with fir

nailers and clad with cedar shingles on

the walls and cedar shakes on the roof.

The frame rests on black pigmented

concrete column bases and a polished,

black concrete slab. Facing the work

yard, seven slatted, 16' x 9 '-6" rolling

cedar doors can be opened in fine

weather to link the interior of the barn

and the work yard to form one

contiguous space. Copper shields the

rolling door tracks and wheels from the

damp environment, and three-quarter

inch diameter painted steel crossbraces

give the frames lateral rigidity.

40

OFFICE FOR A PRIVATE INVESTOR

Bedminster, New jersey

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BUILDING USE :

The program includes a residential

apartment, which is inserted into the

second level of an existing house, and

an office space. The office occupies both

the first floor of the existing house and a

2,500 square foot addition along the

garden edge. This addition includes a

conference screening room, an office,

and spaces for two assistants, as well as

a kitchen and dining area.


The 0.68 acre site is bisected by an

existing dry-joint masonry retaining wall

that extends perpendicularly from the

access road , south to a stand of mature

maple and ash trees. An existing 1930's

two-story gambrel roofed house and a

simple garage structure occupy the plinth

formed by the retaining wall. The

remaining half of the site is currently

unoccupied .

43

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

Trad itional office spaces tend to reinforce

entrenched modes of thought and

behavior. This 'home-office' proposes an

environment that resists the expectations

implied by the existing context and by

conventional typological notions of house

and office . The existing house is treated ·

as a foil to the addition . The arch itectural

order of the addition contrasts with the

existing house. The 'L' shaped plan of

the addition is developed around a

procession between the flat, rectangular

and introverted space of the entry court,

and the theater-like, extroverted space of

the lawn and the garden . The conference

room and office spaces form an irregular

edge of shifting, nested volumes.

Elements such as the pivoting leaves of

the presentation wall and the stepped

bench engage the visitor and provide

opportunities to move out from the office

into the garden. The design seeks to

create a playful environment and

facilitate spontaneous, informal


The addition employs a pigmented

concrete base and occasional pigmented

walls . The wood frame is punctuated

with heavy timber and steel elements.

The roof and several walls are clad in

lead-coated copper. Interiors are finished

with inexpensive plywood, stone and

wood floors.

interaction with in a typology traditionally L characterized by formality and constraint. 1!:1 ===~=~

44

URBAN RESIDENCE/GALLERY

West 22"d Street, New York, New York

West 22nd Street

BUILDING USE:

The program calls for a complex loft

renovation and the expansion of an

existing three-story industrial building to

create a new gallery, workspace and a

residence . The ground floor houses a

retail showroom for the fashion house

Comme des Garc;:ons. There is a studio

apartment/atelier on the second floor.

The third , fourth and open-air fifth floor

constitute the primary focus of the project

-a 5,500 square foot residential loft

built around an open courtyard garden .


The site is in Chelsea in the heart of

New York's emerging gallery district.

The design uses the built context of the

city as its site . The project establishes

a framework for a natural precinct in

response to the urban landscape.

47

Fourth Floor

1. bedroom 2. garden 3. upper gallery 4. playroom

0 t6 h

Third Floor 1. mudroom 2. kitchen 3. dining room 4. foyer 5. study 6. gallery 7. living room 8. family room 9. courtyard

48

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

The residence weaves sculptural form

and multi-leveled courtyards with a

latticework of steel and wooden trellises .

Interior rooms are arranged en filade.

Each interior space relates to this interior

progression, as well as to the landscape

of the courtyard and sky.

The public spaces occupy the lower

level ; private rooms are situated above.

Views onto and through the garden from

various vantage points create a series of

layered spaces that fuse interior and

exterior, urban and natural, sculptural

and organic. Upper-story balconies

adjacent to the bedrooms and rooftop

terraces heighten the sense of liminal

space between interior and exterior.


The design introduces both natural and

residential materials, including stucco,

plants and grass, to the industrial urban

landscape in order to create a human

scale within the existing footprint of the

building . The exterior palette extends

into and connects with that of the

interior.

49

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL

Columbus, Indiana

BUILDING USE:

The program of the invited competition

for this memorial called for design

proposals for a monument to honor the

one hundred and fifty six veterans from

the county who gave their lives in

twentieth century wars . The winning

design included a request for the

community to submit personal letters and

journals written by veterans and their

families which were incorporated into

the monument.


Located on a public lawn alongside the

existing Bartholomew County Courthouse

- a late nineteenth century empire style

building of brick and stone- the site is

flat and expansive. Scattered deciduous

trees form a high canopy which extends

diagonally across the site from southeast

to northwest. The Courthouse terminates

a new vehicular entrance into the town

of Columbus.

5 1

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

The design for the memorial originated

in a spatial idea which seeks a deep

emotional resonance with the community.

The space w ithin the field of the grid of

twenty-five limestone pillars creates an

intense separate world which viscerally

engages the viewer. The dense solitude

of this interior space contrasts with the

open, tranquil landscape of the public

lawn and the grid of flowering trees.

The grid of pillars creates a profound

and meditative space - a place of

solemnity which engenders a powerful

sense of communal gratitude to those

who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The upward visual movement of the

columns, silhouetted by the sky, evokes a

sense of awe in response to the deeds of

others, as well as a sense of

participation in events which transcend

the individual and everyday experience.

52


The outer surfaces of the sixteen outer

most pillars are rough-cut limestone,

unmarked by text. The inner surfaces

of the outer layer of the pillars are

smooth and hold the names of the

veterans and the dates of their births

and deaths. The smooth surfaces of

the nine inner pillars carry texts which

describe the experiences of veterans

from each of the wars . They include

letters sent to fam ilies in the county,

journal entries, telegrams and articles

from newspapers. This sanctuary

solidifies past deeds within the

everyday contemporary culture of the

county and allows future generations

to understand the histories of their

families, county and country.

54

PROJECT CREDITS

Design Principals:

ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Project Team:

Construction Manager: Structural Engineer: Civil Engineer: Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: Geotechnical Engineer: Acoustical Engineer: Client:

FLORIDA GULF COAST ART CENTER

Project Team:

Construction Manager:

Structural Engineer: MEP Eng ineer: Geotechnical Engineer:

Site Engineer: Client:

BARN AT STRAITSVIEW FARM Project Team: Building Contractor:

Craksman: Structural Engineer: landscape Designer

Client:

56

Maryann Thompson and Charles Rose

Tim Downing, Michael Grant, Joe MacDonald, Francisco Theboud, Warren Van Wees, Michael Breau, Frank Dill, Lisa Iwamoto, David Martin, Patrick Maguire, Carrie Johnson Epoch Properties (Winter Park, FL), Dean Sondroni, Superintendent Ocmulgee Associates Inc. (Ipswich, MA), Wayne King, Principal

Jerry K. Finley, P.E. (Port Orange, Fl) MEngineering (Columbus, OH), Shige Moroi, Brad Shaffer PSI-Jammal Associates Uacksonville, Fl) , Don Stites, Don Budnovich

Cambridge Acoustical (Cambridge, MA) Suzanne Fetscher, Executive Director Ted PoHer, former Executive Director

David Martin, Christopher Hoxie, Heidi Beebe, Brian Bell, Samantha Pearson, Franco Ghilardi, Erin Cowhey, Lori Sang, David Whitney, Nancy Staab Peter Brown Construction Co. (largo, FL) , Tito Vargas, Project Manager Ocmulgee Associates Inc. (Ipswich, MA), Wayne King, Principal Babes Associates (Moirland, Fl), Gus Babes, Jr., Principal

BTL Engineering Services, Inc. (Tampa, Fl), David Faulkner, Engineer

DSA Group, Inc. (Tampa, Fl), Jim Bryce, Engineer Florida Gull Coast Art Center, Ken Rollins, Director

David Martin S.B. Inc. (Friday Harbor, WA), Steve Bobb, Contractor Giovanni Guistina (Friday Harbor, WA) B&B Engineered Timber (Keene, NH), Ben Brungrober, Engineer Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (Cambridge, MA),

Michael Van Valkenburgh, Principal Witheld

OFFICE FOR A PRIVATE INVESTOR

Project Teom:

Landscape Architect:

Civil Engineer: Lighting Consultant:

Graphic Designer:

Client:

URBAN RESIDENCE/GALLERY

Project Teom:

Contractor: Mechanical Engineer:

Structural Engineer:

Code Consultant:

Client:

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL

Project Teom:

Contractor:

Landscape Architects:

Lighting:

Structural Engineer:

Consulting Engineer: Client:

Michael Grant, Lori Song, Faith Rose, Dono Weeder, Kotorino Edlund.Siorsky, Samontho Pearson, Nicholas Popaelthimiou, Julie Kline, Catherine Kuhnle

Wolter S. Corell, Jr. {Millington, NJ) Gladstone Design, Inc. {Gladstone, NJ). Ron Kennedy Fisher Morontz Renfro Stone {New York, NY],

Hank Forest, Project Monoger Chermoyeff ond Geismar Assoc., {New York, NY],

Tom Geismar, Principal David Teiger

Lori Sang, Christopher Hoxie, Franco Ghilordi, Heidi

Beebe, Nancy Stoob Higgins Construction {New York, NY], Terry Higgins Reynaldo C. Prego Consulting Engineers {New York, NY),

Reynaldo Prego, Principal Voiromides Georgeopalis Engineers {New York, NY). Angelo Georgeopalis, Principal Code Inc. , {New York, NY], Beth Lochtefeld Michael Weinstein

Michael Grant, Aileen Hsu, David Whitney, Julie Kline,

Dono Weeder Dunlop and Company, {Columbus, IN),

Chris Mulloy, Project Monoger Michael Van Volkenburgh Associates {Cambridge, MA). Michael Van Volkenburgh, Principal Schweppe Lighting Design, Inc. {Concord, MA),

D. Schweppe, Principal Ocmulgee Associates Inc. {Ipswich, MA), Wayne King, Principal Erdman Anthony Associates {Boston, MA) Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans Committee

57

APPENDICES

MARYANN THOMPSON + CHARLES B. ROSE

HONORS + AWARDS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SELECTED COMPETITIONS +EXHIBITIONS

GRADUATE DESIGN STUDIO

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MARYANN THOMPSON

Education

Teach ing

1998

1998

Harvard University, Graduate School of Design,

Master of Architecture, Degree with Distinction and

with the AlA Certificate of Merit


Master of Landscape Architecture,

Degree with LeHer of Commendation

Princeton University, B.A. Architecture,

Magna cum Laude

Visiting Critic, Department of Architecture,

Graduate School of Design, Harvard University

Distinguished Visiting Critic from Practice,

College of Architecture and Urban Planning,


1997 Visiting Critic, Department of Architecture,

Rhode Island School of Design

1993-95 Visiting Critic, Department of Landscape Architecture,


1993 Visiting Critic, School of Architecture,

Northeastern University

1992 Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Architecture,

Rice University

60

Selected Lectures

1997 The Figured Void: The Recent Work of Thompson and Rose Architects, Roger Williams

School of Architecture Lecture Series

1997 Recent Work, Northeastern University

Department of Architecture Lecture Series

1 997 Five Recent Projects, The School of Art and

Architecture, The University of MossachuseHs,

Amherst

1997 Five Recent Projects, Architectural League of

New York 'Emerging Voices' Lecture Series

1992 Recent Work, Boston Society of Architects

1991 A Fresh Look at the Structural Theories of Le Corbusier, Department of Architecture,

University of California, Berkeley

CHARLES B. ROSE

Education

Teaching

1998

1998

1997

1997

1996


Moster of Architecture, Degree with Distinction

Princeton University, B.A. Architecture,

Summa cum laude

Visiting Critic, Deportment of Arch itecture,


Distinguished Visiting Critic from Practice,

College of Architecture and Urban Planning,


Mabie P. Marsh Visiting Professor, School of

Arch itecture, Renssolear Polytechnic Institute

Visiting Critic, Deportment of Architecture,

Rhode Island School of Design

Visiting Associate Professor, Deportment of

Architecture, MossochuseHs Institute of Technology

1 993 lecturer, 19th and 20th Century Architecture,

Deportment of Architecture, Northeastern University

1992 Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Architecture,

Rice University

1991 Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Architecture,

Rice University

Selected lectures

1998

1997

Six Projects, College of Architecture and

Urban Planning, University of Michigan

Process: Arlontic Center for the Arts, University of Florida Deportment of Arch itecture,

H. Dean Rowe Memorial lecture Series

1997 William Owen Jones Endowed Lecture, University of Virg inia School of Architecture

1997

1992

1992

Five Recent Projects, School of Architecture,

Renssolear Polytechnic Institute

Recent Work, School of Architecture,

Rice University

Recent Work, Deportment of Architecture

and landscape Architecture,

North Dakota State University

1990 Recent Work, School of Architecture,

Rice University

6 1

HONORS + AWARDS

1998 American lnstiMe of Architects, National 1996 Baston Society of Architects, Unbuilt

Young Architects Citation Architecture Award, Bartholomew County

Veterans Memorial

1998 Building Stone lnstiMe, Tucker Award of Excellence, Bartholomew County Veterans 1996 Boston Society of Architects, Design Honor

Memorial Award, Witchbrook Meadow House

1997 American lnstii\Jte of Architects, National, 1996 Building Stone lnstiMe, Tucker Award of

Honor Award for Design Excellence, A~antic Excellence, Dormitories at Kenyon College

Center lor the Arts

1995 American Wood Council, Honor Award,

1997 American Wood Council, National Honor A~antic Center lor the Arts

Award, Barn at Straitsview Farm

1995 American lnstii\Jte of Architects, New England

1997 American lnstii\Jte of Architects, New England Honor Award for Design Excellence,

Honor Award for Design Excellence, Dormitories at Kenyon College

Atlantic Center lor the Arts

1995 Progressive Architecture Award: Citation,

1997 American Institute of Architects: Business Atlantic Center lor the Arts

Week/ Architectural Record Business Design Award, Offices of Gemini Consulting 1994 Boston Society of Architects, Design Honor

Award, Dormitories at Kenyon College

1997 Boston Society of Architects, Design Honor Award, Bartholomew County Veterans 1993 Boston Society of Architects, Unbuilt

Memorial Architecture Award, A~antic Center lor

the Arts

1997 I. D. Magazine Annual Design Review,

Design Distinction Award, A~antic Center 1990 American Wood Council, Honor Award,

lor the Arts Horsbrook School

1997 Architectural league of New York, 1988 Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship,

"Emerging Voices" lecture Series Harvard University !Maryann Thompson)

1996 Boston Society of Architects, Design Honor 1987 Ago Khan Travel Grant, MassachuseHs

Award, A~antic Center lor the Arts lnstii\Jte of Technology and Harvard

University !Maryann Thompson)

1996 Boston Society of Architects, Unbuilt Architecture Award, Florida Gulf Coast 1987 Fulbright Scholarship !Charles Rose)

Arts Center

62

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jodidio, Philip, Contemporary American Architects: Volume IV, [Toschen : New York, 1998(.

Stungo, Naomi , Architecture in Wood, (Collman & King ,

1998(.

Stein, Koren, "Thompson and Rose's Equipment Building

in Rural Washington Stole Demonstrates thot there con be

Elegance in Utility," Architectural Record, June 1998.

Curtis, W ill iam J.R., "American Institute of Architects 1998

Honors ond Awards," Architectural Record, May 1998.

Darrow, Carl, "Borns East ond West: Straitsview Barn"

Wood Design and Building, Autumn 1997.

Nussbaum, Bruce, "Blueprints for Business: Business Week

Architectural Record Awards," Business Week, November 1997.

Stein, Karen, "Good Design is Good Business: Business

Week/ Arch itectural Record Awards," Architectural Record, October 1997.

Kroloff, Reed, "Columns of Memory, • Architecture, September 1997.

"Design Distinction: A~antic Center far the Arts, leeper

Studio Complex," ID Magazine Annual Design Review Edition, July 1997.

Kliment, Stephen A. ,"Vineyard Variations: Contemporary

Shingle Style on Martha's Vineyard," Architectural Digest, August 1997.

Stein, Karen,"Project Diary: leeper Studio Complex, A~antic

Center for the Arts," Architectural Record, June 1997.

Podjen, Elizabeth S., "Thompson and Rose Arch itects,"

Art New England, May/ June 1997.

londecker, Heidi, "Husbands ond Wives: Thompson and

Rose Architects," Architecture, June 1996.

Padjen, Elizabeth S., "The Design Process," Art New England, February 1996.

Rodriguez, Alicia, ed., "Reinventing the Square: A New

Focal Point for Columbus, Indiana," Landscape Architecture, February 1996.

"Architects Pay Tribute to Veterans with a Field of Pillars,"

Architectural Record, November 1995.

"42nd Annual P /A Awards. Citation : The A~antic Center

for the Arts," Progressive Architecture, January 1995.

"Modern-Gothic Dorms for a 19th Century Campus,"

Progressive Architecture, December 1994.

"Culture Comes to Smyrna Beach," Architectural Record, November 1994.

Hoyt, Charles K., "Dorms and Traditions: The Woodland

Dormitories, Kenyon College," Architectural Record, November 1994.

Boyes, Ke nneth, Living Architecture, (Anthrosophic Press:

New York, 1994(.

Rose, Charles and Thompson, Maryann, "Designer's Diary:

Imagining Art in the Florida Jungle," IN SITE, March 1994.

"Arts Center in the Florida Jungle," Progressive Architecture, February 1994.

Sanoff, Henry, School Design, (Von Nostrand Reinhold:

New York, 1994(.

Freiman, Zivo, "Young Architects" Progressive Architecture, July 1990.

63

SELECTED COMPETITIONS

1995 Winner, Monument lor the Town of

Addison, Texas. Thompson and Rose

Architects with M ichael Von Volkenburgh

Associates, Landscape Architects,

and Mel Chin , artist.

1995 Winner, Bartholomew County Veterans

Memorial, Columbus, Indiana .

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

"Equal Partners: Men and Women Principals in Contemporary Architectural Practice, • Smith College,

Helen Searing and Suzonnoh Fobing, curators,

Smith College Museum of Art, September 1998.

"site/ architecture: recent work by Thompson and Rose Architects, • University of Michigan, College of

Architecture +Urban Planning, January/ February 1998.

64

GRADUATE DESIGN STUDIO

Maryann Thompson and Charles Rose worked with a

graduate architecture design studio tn collaboration

with Vtsiting Assistant Professor Michael Grant during

the 1998 winter semester ot the University of Michigan.

The following students participated in that studio:

lt Mtn Ching

Sorawut Donudomki1

Kathleen Doyle

Ryu Kawai

Heather Krafka

Eric lee

jenmfer Muse

Randolph Pease

jeffrey Pretfer

Jo Ann Render

Chnstine S. Rosenberg

juthathip Techachumrean

Sophia Terrel

Ntrandorn Tongaroon

Whttney lynn Wood Whinnery

Randall Whinnery Ill

collogroph punl Rondo11 Whmnery Ill

This studio oHempted to explore strategies resistant to recent,

and essentially reductive, conceptions of architecture which

devalue the phenomenal experience of built form in favor of

a largely conceptual, languag&<lerived understanding of

meaning in architecture. These strategies reunite the intuitive

pursuit of spatial morphologies and the experiential

phenomena of architecture with an on-going and

complementary critique of the conditions of use which they

create. Central to the studio was an understanding of

architectural invention as a process which moves bock and

forth between an intuitive, empirical mode of exploration

through making, and a reasoned, critical analysis of the

artifacts thus produced.

The program for this studio was a community art center of

modest proportion, sited a short distance from the College

of Architecture + Urban Planning at the University of

Michigan. The art center was to serve both the local public

school system and the community at large, with studios for

print-making , pointing, and sculpture .

The 'hands-on' learning that takes place at such an

institution proceeds from specific experience to general

knowledge, and as such it contrasts with the more

'conceptual ' learning experience of a traditional academic

curriculum. Inspired by this observation, the studio engaged

in the production of a series of monoprints as an integral

port of the design process . The studio's first exercise was

the production of an analytic collagraph print based on an

observed site condition . These prints were then critiqued

and transformed through a model-making process which

explored a particular material, i.e. lead, wood, plaster, etc.

A building proposal and the Iorge scale development of

an element of building enclosure, a door, window, or wall

section, followed .

M ichael Grant

Visiting Assistant Professor 1997-98 Studio Critic

65

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As the design and making of architecture is only mode

possible by the energy and time that is contributed by

many different people over time so the preparation of

this document has been realized with the help and

co-operation of numerous individuals.

The Dean, faculty and staff of the College of Architecture

+ Urban Planning hove contributed in many ways

through their patience, hard work and reliable support.

Without the students however linle would hove been

possible. Many students worked to prepare the

exhibition site/architecture, Recent work by Thompson and Rose, in the College Gallery in January, 1998.

Thanks go to them all and especially to John Comozzi,

Brion Reboin, Stacy Cohill, Betsy George ond to Ph ilip

lee who rebuilt models which were reduced to

matchwood in transit. Others have worked hard in both

the studio and the seminar room to probe the details of

the architectural directions that Maryann Thompson and

Charlie Rose set out. Michael Grant, a former member

of the Thompson and Rose office who was appointed

Visiting Assistant Professor in Architecture at the

University of Michigan for the 1997/98 academic year,

helped to direct the graduate design studio with

inspiration and tenacity. Without his splendid efforts it is

also quite possible that this document would not exist.

The members of the design studio are listed separately,

as are those students who worked with extraordinary

care to develop and distill o series of long conversations

with Thompson and Rose into an important and

informative port of this publication .

66

Special thanks are due to Assistant Professor Michael

Grant and graduate student Simone GheHi for

developing some initial ideas for the book. However,

it is Caleb Clause! and Carla Swickeroth , students

from the undergraduate and graduate programs in

architecture at Michigan, who have been central Ia

the conception and real ization of th is publication .

Both hove worked tirelessly, yet with inspiration and

patience, to make it elegant, legible and coherent.

Maryann Thompson and Charles Rose have given their

time and resources to this collaboration with the College

w ith extraordinary generosity. The photographer Chuck

Choi generously made his images available for th is

publication . However it is the commitment Ia excellence

in the practice of architecture which the whale office of

Thompson and Rose has made through their outstanding

work over the last six years that has provided the

inspiration for this publication - without that work there

would have been no basis for our collaboration .

PUBLICATIONS

The Mich1gon Arch1tecture Papers

MAP 4 · Thompson and Rose Architects

MAP 3 · TEN Arquitectos

MAP 2 · Allies and Morrison

MAP 1 · Roll! Book

The john D1nkeloo i\1\emonollectures

Studio Granda

Dreams and Other Realities

Rafael Vii\oly The Making of Public Space

Richard Horden Light Architecture

Patkau Architects

lnve5tigotions into the Particular

The Raoul Wollenberg lectures

Richard Sennett The Spaces of Democracy

Michael Sorkin

TroHic in Democracy

Vincent Scully The Architecture of Community

Daniel Libeskind Traces of the Unborn

We are especially gratelulta Chuck Chai lor allowing

the College to use his photographs in this publication

and to Christopher Campbell lor his invaluable help and

line photographs.

Chuck Choi : pages 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 24, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 n, 50, 51 . 52, 54, 55, 58.

Ivory Serra : page 12. R1chard Serra, Torqued Ellipses, 1996/ 97; lnstallallon View, D1a Center lor the Arts,

New York, 09/ 25/ 97-06/ 14/ 98.

Thompson and Rose: pages 10, 26, 40 BR, 46, 47.

Christopher Campbell: pages 43, 45.

67

michigan architecture papers 4 — site/architecture — thompson

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