Library:: Jamaica Pond, Boston, MA

Wow. It sure has been a while since my last post. I have been through Christmas and New Years back in California, and now I am back in Boston studying and keeping really busy. Nowadays, I should have some more time to blog because Starbucks has been cutting my hours, providing me more time to spend on school and have the ability to blog. So... We have a lot of catching up to do. We'll start with the final project of last semester: 

The Project:: Library in Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA

In building a library, the first concept that comes to mind, is Louis Kahn’s idea of ‘get a book and take it to the light’. In such a great site as ours, we can capture much more than ‘light’, but still carry that concept throughout.  What I want to do with my library is have the ability to take a book from the stacks, and either takes it to one of two places. Place one being, the light. I want to frame different views of both the pond and the trees. Place two, being a very private study carrel where the reader can read in a closed, quite and private area, where it would still abide by the concept of light via skylights. 

On the site, many trees, so I want my library to feel like a tree house. Hovering above the ground, and the views to be seen as if one were in the trees looking out, beyond the leaves and broken places in the dense leaves and branches separate to allow a place to see sky, other trees and the rest of the scenery. 

On the site, many trees, so I want my library to feel like a tree house. Hovering above the ground, and the views to be seen as if one were in the trees looking out, beyond the leaves and broken places in the dense leaves and branches separate to allow a place to see sky, other trees and the rest of the scenery. 

I also want this library to have the feeling of warmth and a place that you can take off your shoes, get comfortable and read a book. I hope that this library is a place that you want to frequent and as you frequent, you see and experience all of the seasons changing and it will inspire you in what you read, write and do. 

On the first level, located below grade, is an exhibit space to allow for local artists to display work, a media room, archive space, and the library offices and a conference room. These are all things that I saw reason to putting in the darker, quieter and less populated spaces. 

The ground floor was derived from the path in which people take to the desired spaces. The middle floor is completely open to the elements, with the hovering level above it. The lines that you see in the plan are where pre-fab concrete slabs will merge with the landscape of a grass feature, as if the ground level were covered and camouflaged by the spilling landscape. The concrete slab provides for a complete merging from the landscape to the walkway. The columns provide for the trunk-like space in the concept. 

The top floor is the place where the tree like figure is most evident. Via a series of ramps, the floor differentiates to provide for a very treehouse-like feeling. On this floor, program is book stacks, reading space, computer and reading carols. The shape of the space was derived from a square and where focal points to the trees and to the pond are in this space.  

If This Doesn't Change Your Mind, I Don't Know What Will

Phoenix Central Library: Thinking in Section

Phoenix Central Library, originally uploaded by postpanglossian.

So it's been a while since my last post, and I thought that I would jot down some thoughts.

As I sit here in Phoenix Airport, I am reminded of the Phoenix Public Library and how that library works as a whole. As thoughts run through my head as I design my own library, I think of my largest issue: thinking in section. In this building, Bruder uses section to accomplish the following: "structural light", double height ceilings, light entering the building, and a general idea of space. I was trying to find a section of this building, but I can't seem to find one in the google-world. From what I remember, the entrance is on the south side, which is completely closed off to the southern directional heat. The northern side is where the reading room and a large curtain wall with sun shades is located. As far as other orientation of staff, and other library needs, I am not so sure as to how the building functions. I do know that the structure of the roof is a very interesting. Bruder's idea of "Structural Light" is something that can only be discovered in section. As seen in the image above, the columns clearly do not touch the roof. Instead, there is a circular window which allows light into the building and enhances the concept of these columns that do not touch the top. In order to make this column work, Bruder splits the load into four sections a long a grid, and in the middle, in the column which receives all of load of the roof above.

The idea of this "Structural Light" is very similar to my concept of floor "sky-lights". Where the column comes up, through the study carrel, the floor turns to glass, allowing light to the lower level and also a feeling of lightness in the same area of structure.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I have here in Phoenix.

Charles Renfro: Humor In Architecture

Last week I went to see Charles Renfro speak at MIT as a part of their lecture series. Honestly, one of the best lectures that I have ever been to.  I have been to quite a few, and this was by far the best. He was a very nice, humorous and light hearted guy. Very well spoken, and definitely knew what he was doing. I have tremendous respect for this man. 

Anyways, after the lecture, I went up to talk to Chuck about some of his designs and concepts. Due to the fact that he was so light-hearted, I thought to myself, does humor play a part is their designs? So that's what I decided to ask him... His response was something that pleased me because I like to think I am pretty funny... He mentioned that the firm was looking for an architect a few years ago, and they put an ad out that simply said, "5 years experience. Funny". He talked about how somethings that seem impossible, they make possible through design. Chaz also said that, yes humor does strive them to create something beautiful and something that may not be seen by everyone else. Very interesting. 

An example of this is the Blur building expo. He said that there are so many buildings concerned with facades ad oriented to certain views, and they wanted to do something very different: No Facade. No views from the interior. you walk onto the lake to see nothing but mist. 

I was looking at some of their other stuff trying to find a little bit of humor and the first thing that I came across was this: A light sock. Full of crystals. Taking the place of a chandelier. In the shape of genitals. Balls. 

Storrow Lines

Storrow Lines, originally uploaded by termeern.

This was my spiral bridge

This was my spiral bridge, originally uploaded by termeern.

This was a final model of my bridge project. There will be more to come. it's a conceptual model at 3/32"= 1' scale. Check it out. There will be more to explain later.

Lightline

Lightline, originally uploaded by termeern.

So, Today, I was looking through my photos and I came across this one.

This was taken nearly 5 years ago, and I must say that it was this photograph that inspired me to get more into photography. I took this not knowing exactly what I was doing, but just being experimental. I was 15 years old, messing with a point and shoot Konica Minolta.

This was taken as I was volunteering at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Tijuana, Mexico where I was a counselor and a part of the worship band. I actually took this on a day trip to Coronado Island while waiting for the driver to get gas in the van. As a tripod, I used the sill of the window in the van, rolled down the window and took this. There was no Photoshop used to enhance the image, but I do think that it was an amazing photo, and one worthy of being noted as the photo that inspired me to become the best artist possible.

This photograph was actually published in a photography quarterly magazine under the category "use of lines".

I think that this is a great composition that I just stumbled across because of the bright colors, use of horizontal lines, the "ghost" of the car, the diagonal lines off to the right, and the depth of the telephone poles and sense of a horizon.

This is me saying how I am in awe of how the amateur, young and naive artist in me, still inspires the thought and urge for me to become ever better to try to accomplish this same thing.

n.tm