Thesis

Investigation and Development of Architectural Process through the Adaptive Reuse of "Big Box" Architecture.

Abstract
Through the exploration of adaptive reuse of residual, no longer viable, commercial buildings in economically challenged urban zones develop an over arching guide and process upon which to base future architectural practice, solidifying design principles that have the potential to define specific approaches to architectural strategies and form making. The adaptive reuse of architecture, specifically "big box" architecture, in a form that captures and utilizes natural daylight, artificial light, and inspires the human spirit addresses many key issues prevalent in today’s practice and design discourses. The notions that the proper lighting of space effects its occupants is not new, but one that is very seldom maximized in the built environment that we occupy. In addition, the importance of recycling building products and materials is at a peak in the world today. The building industry is one of the largest contributors to the degradation of our planet. Adaptive reuse of buildings is quite simply the recycling of architecture.


fracture of rigid form
thin outlines of light
natural and artificial
of worlds on a journey
who grin at the day
to the evening breeze

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

site strategy: focus on existing box


Update on site strategy:

"I pretty much know what I am going to do to the box. The motion mapping will
serve as a form generator of an object (dojo) that is set within the box and its grid... I really want to say "to hell" with the larger contextual site and focus on the box and its fascade/wrapper. Some of the feedback seems to point to me addressing the large site... but I don't really care about that actually. It's a parking lot that serves an existing strip mall. Fine it has its use. To pretend that people do not rely on cars in the Midwest and utilize large areas of surface parking seems to be a bit on the utopian side of things, which is a philosophy that is at one point provactive but at the same time limiting.

In reality, to me the box is the site. I think that I am more interested in focusing on this as an installation into the retail fascade. An object form that is generated from its program motion map and injected into the failing big box. Some of the feedback from the intensive discussed the size of program being too small. At that time I saw the point, but now I am thinking more along the lines of it becoming smaller... one room, maybe two or three at most. Sam's point about most martial arts studios being one small space in a shopping mall is interesting... there is a certain power there in the small...exaggerated. The potential to be any fascade with any program.

The wellness kiosks could be other small indoor/outdoor spaces that help to fill out the other edges of the box and become interactive with thepublic. Opening and closing with the seasons.

This focuses everything to the exterior bays of the box grid. The interior then becomes garden ruins by pulling up the concrete slab and removing the roof to allow nature back in, an artificial ruin of sorts. But it becomes an interior backdrop to the program that inhabits the outer ring of use.


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