Architecture of the Air by Christopher Janney

Thought this was interesting as an Experiential Concept

Sonic Forest

Studio: Final Review Image 1

In the initial concept storyboard, I was attempting to indicate an organic flow of space and a blending of uses and zones within the store. Tightly packed space helps create the movement through the space. The calm storefront contrasts with the interior of the store, to allow the products to be the focal point and the store to act as a stage for the display of product.

Studio: Final Review Image 2

In the perspective diagram, I wanted to present an organic flow through the space, pierced by columns. The "forest" of columns would prevent direct movement through the building and instead allow a meandering or wandering course of travel.

Studio: Final Review Image 3

In this preliminary perspective, ramps and stairs on the first level can be seen pierced by the columns. Columns provide product display to create movement around them. Cuts and additions to the stairs can provide product display or seating areas.

Studio: Final Review Image 4

On the First Floor, the entries are tucked under the low space of the ribbon of circulation above. The stairs figure prominently as the primary means of circulation, and the columns allow for free movement while forcing an indirect path. Product display is cut into or added onto stairs and ramps. Light wells adjacent the elevator and the neighboring building create slots of space for views to above, and the well adjacent the building allows for views through the building and from the street to the alley.

Studio: Final Review Image 5

In the Second Floor Plan, the circulation ribbons from below extend to the exterior of the building to force a choice in the way you want to move through the space. The ribbons are reinforced through the use of wood on the floors, walls, and ceiling, while other areas are concrete. The elevator in the center of the building is not easily accessible or in any way reinforced as the primary mode of travel through the building. Columns are interspersed throughout the space to allow freedom of movement in all directions. A small light well along the side of the elevator allows light to penetrate through all levels and minimal views of spaces above and below.

Studio: Final Review Image 6

In the Boylston Street Elevation, the wood of the folding ribbons exposes itself along with the colums. The area of entry is inset from the street and under a low ceiling to create a cave-like experience. The stairs from the inside are exposed to allow for movement to the second floor from the exterior, or from the second floor to the street. A light well along the building next door allows views to the interior and upper levels as well as through the building to the alley. The louvers on the upper levels are angled to allow views from Copley Square to the roof, and to allow light and air to penetrate in both directions.

Studio: Final Review Image 7

In the East-West Section, the area just inside the entry can be seen under the stairs in a cave-like, compressed space. Upon entry one is presented with many circulation options and slots of space through which to view into the upper levels. The building is offset from its neighbor with a light well, drawing one deep into the space and presenting views in all directions, through the building and into the street and alley. The stairs here are tight treads to instigate quicker movement, but are cut through with display areas

Studio: Final Review Image 8

In the North-South section, a ribbon can be seen from the ground to the roof changing thickness and motion. The maze of columns beyond grows thinner as one moves through the space to the open roof. The stairs have wide treads to create a slower movement and ample space for product display. Below the stairs is an enclosed area for staff and storage.

Studio: Final Assignment

I am sure these will change some as I build my final model. I don't feel they were translating very well to plan and section, so I am still working on them.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Section

Section
Boyston Street Elevation
Dartmouth Street Elevation
Site Plan

Theory: Research

What I'm browsing for my theory paper:

Pre-Fab

Design Like You Give a Damn

Prefab Modern

Other suggestions welcome!

Theory: In 20 Years

What do you hope will be true for your community (at any scale) in twenty years, and how can you use your professional life to help achieve that vision? All comments, especially to the contrary, are welcome!

In Columbus, affordable housing in safe areas is deteriorating. What once were beautiful homes with manicured lawns, now have become run-down apartments in neighborhoods that aren’t safe. German Village, where I live now, has seen an enormous influx of wealth in the past 30 years, where people with the means have restored the neighborhood to more than its original beauty. But not more than a few blocks away, the neighborhood isn’t so nice; the rent is cheap and the houses are in shambles, and its all some people can afford.

So middle-income people, who can’t afford the large prices for small places near downtown either buy older houses in gentrifying areas and renovate them, or move to the suburbs, where they can get brand new houses for affordable prices. But people without cars or the means to renovate do not have these options.

I was responsible for making site visits every two weeks to a Section 8 housing project in Toledo, Ohio. The 40-ish houses were spread over a few dozen blocks of bad neighborhood – contractors were robbed on the job, neighboring houses burnt to the ground, furnaces and garage door openers couldn’t be installed until there were residents because they would be stolen in broad daylight, only to be found in a yard a block away. One house had a bullet through every window pane. The houses we built were affordable and well-built, with garages and porches and air conditioning, but they did not change the neighborhood. People wanted nice, safe homes to raise their children, but were stuck in a neighborhood where few had futures. This is not affordable housing; this is housing with a huge price.

I say people deserve to have pride in their neighborhoods; maybe people were upset that we had converted empty lots and abandoned houses into nice places, maybe they didn’t want new people moving in who might be more concerned about crime in their neighborhood, but no matter what, I think that if they had more pride in the place they lived, they might be more hesitant to destroy the good that was coming in. Just infilling a neighborhood with new housing does not make it a place that people want to live.

So the answer seems to be a whole new neighborhood of housing. Economically, multi-family buildings make the most sense, but aren’t always the best socially. Without having any street frontage, an area for curb appeal or personalization, it may be hard for families to have an area to claim and have pride in. This would be magnified by each unit being accessible only from the inside of the building; a common entrance can either foster familiarity and community, or anonymity and ignorance. And, since we are talking Columbus and families, outdoor space seems to be key, whether individual yards or larger public green space, and large multi-family buildings don’t foster the most green space. Individual spaces seem to make the most sense, as another place for people to have pride in their homes as well as a safe place for kids to play away from streets. Parking is another issue, especially in urban environments. Surface parking is sometimes the most economical, but walking a distance to the house with groceries and children running through the parking lot is not the most safe. Having a garage on the property within a few steps of the door would allow for safe vehicle storage, a place for outdoor toys, bicycles, and lawn equipment. Safe vehicle storage is most important in this scenario, as being late for work because the car is covered in ice or someone sideswiped the vehicle on the street would most likely not be tolerated.

Building a new development near downtown brings up other concerns, such as land availability and flood zones. New developments are often built on sub-prime land and separated from necessities such as grocery stores, banks and the post office, not to mention jobs and schools. Infrastructure is important, as some families would not have cars, and children will have to get to school safely. Ideally, the community would be in part self-sustaining: groceries, banks and schools would be available within walking distance.

Now we have single-family homes as part of a mixed use community. There are plenty of HUD and Section 8 websites that have a laundry list of items that make good affordable housing: covered entries, lever door handles, full basements, front knobbed stoves, minimum 10’x10’ bedrooms. While I can appreciate what they are trying to do, which is ensure that affordable housing doesn’t become cheap unusable housing, I think it takes more than a select few “luxuries” to make families feel at home, especially when someone who does not live like them has chosen which options they will have.

My goals for the year 2027 in regards to affordable housing is for there to be a choice of good-designed housing available for those who need it. I still feel the best way of accomplishing this is through pre-fabricated units, although as a goal I don’t think it is the most important thing. By good-designed housing I would say energy- and space-efficient houses that easily fulfill their intended uses and are easily adaptable by the families or individuals that inhabit them. What good is the laundry list of choices if they don’t agree with the lifestyle of those people who will be using the spaces? Schools in Ohio are identical in terms of program and square footages, because a board determined it was exactly what students of a particular age group needs. How can it be said that low-income inner city students learn in the same way as wealthy suburban school children? But to provide a list of spaces, finishes, lighting, windows, technology – rooms can be arranged to fit individual lifestyles.

In 20 years, Baby Boomers as well as young families will be in need of affordable housing. A secondary wave of development – after the first wave in the 1960s and 1970s, which probably included the same Boomers – will be center stage, as older Americans begin to sell their 2-story suburban homes and look for smaller, more efficient homes that are easily accessible. Having a mixed use development would foster community between generations, and pre-fabricated units could allow for the same pieces to be used differently in a house for a young family and a house for a retired couple.

Tax credits are available for low-income and senior housing developments in historic buildings throughout Ohio. These buildings are often in the center of town, with limited parking but plenty of walkability. However, fitting enough units into a building to make it economically viable causes spaces that often aren’t well-designed or completely useable. At this point I don’t know what assistance is available for other low-income or senior housing.

Although there has been a housing boom going on in much of the country, little has been done to alleviate the disparity between higher-income and lower-income housing, and much of the building has been in higher-income and more desirable areas. Affordable housing is in need of design just as all other housing is.

Studio: Detail

I am attempting to further break down the ribbons into thick and thin, with splits and detaching to create spaces within. I will continue to explore the ways in which this can happen in plan and section. I would like the spaces created to act as the product display, through shelving, platforms, or digital means. Because of the non-hierarchy between the floors/walls/ceiling/stairs, displaying the products this way may enforce the linearity and organic flow of the spaces.

Studio: Preliminary Element Investigation II

One of the comments to my other Element post was to disengage floor from ceiling, so they aren't parallel or linked.

My thoughts were to have the ceiling act very cave-like on the lower levels, and become less deep and rugged as you move up through the space. The peaks pierce the floor surface to create areas where light can shine through.
Or, the ribbons could further break down into rippling waves, separating and coming back together.



Just a few further investigations of how the ceiling and floor can begin to disengage and act separately.
In general, I am not happy with the sketches and I am afraid I have bitten off too much, or am behind in the thought process for my element. Failing fast! More to come as I rethink this one.

Studio: Preliminary Element Investigation

Some initial thoughts I have regarding thickness
The peeling and folding begin to create interstitial spaces that can become display areas, occupied by product or people. I definitely need to push this more - can the peeling and folding possibly inform the roof areas, or can the interstitial spaces act as the same kind of zone as the roof, for winter months? More thoughts and sketches are needed.