An Outdoor café and landscape transformation of the Christian Science Center

Despite the formal strength of the rows of linden trees and the reflecting pool that align with Huntington Avenue at the Christian Science Center, the space is usually empty and forlorn. In order to invite more people to congregate on the Huntington Avenue edge of the complex, the Church has decided to explore the possibility of building a small seasonal café. The intent is to create a second gathering place to balance the popular circular fountain at the north-east end of the site.

This café will have primarily exterior seating, with a small glass enclosed interior seating area and service counter. In addition to the design of the café structure, the landscape of the site will need to be transformed to better accommodate outdoor café seating. These transformations will include both additive strategies additive strategies - new structures, planter and seat walls, and pavements - and subtractive strategies - removal of trees, planter and seat walls to affect the larger setting for the café.

The location of the café, its form, and the landscape transformations should be considered within the framework of the following design intentions:
To open up views, to encourage people watching for those who do not elect to sit at the café, to create alternative movement patterns across the site, and perhaps to encourage other kinds of public activities around the structure.

SITE

Under or adjacent to the bosque of linden trees located along Huntington Avenue. The café structure must be located at least 10′ from the street curb line and must maintain the pedestrian access along the edge of the pool (slight detours are possible).

PROGRAM

Indoor seating 400 sq. ft.Indoor seating should have at least one wall of glass that opens up to the exterior in good weather.

Outdoor seating for 50 patrons
The outdoor seating area(s) should be clearly defined (garden walls, landscape elements, changes in level or material of ground plane, etc.) The proposed location of the seats should give visitors the option to sit in either the shade or sun. Shade can be accomplished with trees, roof overhangs, or freestanding structures.

Food service area 200 sq. ft
Food preparation will be offsite; food service area will consist of a 3’ deep service counter.
Service area should be clearly visible from the exterior and easily accessed from exterior seating areas.

Storage/prep room 200 sq. ft.
Adjacent to food service area. Provide delivery and employee entrance.

Trash room 50 sf

Mechanical room 75 sf

2 Restrooms 110 sf

Refer to Architectural Graphic Standards – a standard architectural reference book – to get an idea of the appropriate scale and layout of the kitchen service area and the café seating. You need not worry about the precise arrangement of equipment in the kitchen.

MATERIALS

You can choose from the following list of materials. No other materials or finishes will be accepted.

• Concrete
• Masonry
• Metal
• Wood (unfinished)
• Glass

Rules for transforming the existing landscape.

Linden trees can be removed from the grid (subtractive operation). Additional trees can be added

Sections of the seating and planters can be removed to provide a site for the café (subtractive operation). In addition to removing sections of existing planter walls and benches, new architectural elements (including extensions of benches and planter walls) can be grafted onto existing conditions (additive operation).

New walls, benches, and other landscape elements may have different profiles and details than existing elements but should be complimentary.

Please pay special attention to resolving the interface with the existing lanscape elements and paving when manipulating the site to accommodate the café building.

Small changes in level are encouraged but not required. Changes in elevation of the ground plane can be no more than 30” from the dominant elevation of the general site. All changes in plane require ramp access. Ramps can be no steeper in pitch than 1:12 (a ramp has to be 12’ long for every 1’ change in grade). Ramps required handrails at 36” from the ground (guardrails are not necessary). Ramps that are less than 1:20 do not need railings.

It is strongly encouraged that all new architectural and landscape elements be on the same orthogonal (right-angle) grid as the existing site elements. Exceptions can be made with approval from the instructor, but they must be a relatively small part of the overall design.

No pitched roofs, mansard roofs, domes, cupolas, etc. Flat roofs are recommended.

Reading

ANIMATION RESOURCES
Animation in Kerky Link
MAC FramebyFrame
WIN VirtualDub

8-House by BIG
Uniform
squint/opera
Arch Videos

Each of the sites requires radical modifications to the plan, section and elevations of the house. Still, the reconfigured house should preserve the critical design concepts, elements and organizing principles discovered through your research and diagrams. Your design must accommodate all the programatic elements  of the existing house. While the area of all rooms should be as close to original as possible (within 10%), the proportion of the rooms may be changed.

On each of the sites described pay careful attention to adjacent buildings, which will limit  the location of windows and determine the possibility for light and views. All sites will require vehicular access, located either from the road to the west or as indicated in the image below.

Site

Below you will find a PDF of plans, sections and elevations of the Carpenter Center, and a reading that discusses the conceptual and architectural intentions of Corb.

Taking the Villa Savoye assignment as a basis, you will develop a series of ten iterative diagrams that explain the specific conceptual, architectural, geometrical, and material conditions that you discover through both the reading and visiting the site. Unlike the Savoye assignment, you will produce these diagrams by hand, using pen on trace. We will then scan your drawings, and use Photoshop to further enhance the final drawings.

Drawings

Reading

The villa was designed for a rich insurer, Mr. Savoye, and was the result of several years of formal research which revolutionised the traditional codes of residential architecture. The building was constructed in the form of a white parallelepiped with a smooth exterior surface punctuated by a row of windows. It is supported by thin pillars and topped by a roof-terrace. The house sits in the middle of a field, a prime example of a new architectural vision.”1

You have been given an archicad .pln file of the Villa Savoye, complete with a worksheet set up for use as an underlay. You are to build an archicad model of the house by setting up the appropriate stories and using the plans and sections provided.

In order to complete the drawings and diagrams, you will need to research additional photos, drawings and text. Research should be done offline, and although Northeastern’s Snell Library is nearby, the Boston Public Library, MIT’s Rotch or Harvard’s Loeb are excellent resources, the latter two being dedicated solely to architectural subject matter. This being one of the most iconic houses of the twentieth century, there is a wealth of reference material available to augment your exploration of the house.

RESOURCES

Savoye Plan Archicad file.
Savoye Images
Orthographic Projection
Orthographic Projection 2
Diagrams
Diagram Template

The course will also re-emphasize and re-examine the relationships between design decisions made in the computer and those made in sketch and diagram form. All assignments will include manual and digital components, and there will be a concerted effort to examine the role of objective drawing in the design and decision making process. Emphasis will be placed on the design process, and the student will be required to maintain a presence on a collective class blog. In addition to scanning and discussing your drawings, we will use them as a collective resource for other projects, interesting research, and as an extension of your physical sketchbooks.

In addition, we will begin to look at issues involved once time is introduced as a representational tactic. Short exercises will look at how animation and time based presentations can be an informative part of the design process.

Finally, we will continue to examine issues of graphic and information design as it is applied to the architectural practice.

SESSIONS

Course sessions will typically begin with a lecture or software tutorial followed by individual desk critique by the instructor. The emphasis of this course is framed around the understanding of the technical skills needed as a design student, the application of those skills, and the ability to comprehensively communicate your ideas. While you must learn the software to complete the design projects, your work will be evaluated on its intellectual, aesthetic qualities, and your understanding of the software.

You will complete many projects over the course of the semester. Be prepared to discuss these projects in a pinup the day that they are due. All output will be the responsibility of the student, and the instructor will expect each student to complete the assignment in the format and size specified.

ATTENDANCE

Class will meet twice times a week, on M/W, or T/F. Class attendance and completion of all assignments are mandatory. Four absences will constitute an automatic failure, three will result in a full letter grade penalty for the course, and two may result in a partial grade deduction.

GRADING

In accordance with Northeastern School of Architecture grading policy, grades will be distributed according to the scale found online here.

Assignment grade breakdown is as follows:

• A1 Ville Savoye Analysis 10%
• A2 Carpenter Center Analysis 10%
• A3 Savoye Interpretations 25%
• A4 Courtyard House Analysis 15%
• A5 Café on the Christian Science Plaza 30%
• Readings, effort, attendance and class participation 10%

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

There are several texts that are recommended for this course. The student is responsible for obtaining these books, as they will be referenced throughout the semester.

Thinking with Type Ellen Lupton

Basics: Modelbuilding Schilling

Basics: Design Ideas Bielefeld

RESOURCES

The student is responsible for completing each assignment in a timely manner and is also responsible for the output of the work and the costs involved. The instructors rely on eMail as a form of communication with the class. Important information about class events, assignment hand-ins, and general queries will be handled in this manner. As such, the student is required to check their eMail accounts at least once a day for such information. In addition, we will be using this web site to post items such as assignment PDF’s, links to readings and other items of interest. Students should be sure to keep track of information as it is posted to the site, even if it is not specifically by their instructor. You may want to subscribe to the RSS feed for the site in order to keep on top of when things are posted.

In addition to course readings, it is an essential part of this course that the you become familiar with several on-line sources for information on both computer-aided design and architecture. The internet provides many directories and resources that can both inform you and answer questions in times of need. A select few of these will be linked to on the course web site.

USE OF ONLINE RESOURCES

All research done for the course should be through the various libraries that Boston has to offer. Any research done on the internet—unless explicitly encouraged by the instructor—will not be accepted in this course. Also, Instant Messaging (IM) during class time will not be tolerated, nor will viewing any kind of media that falls outside the content of the class. This time spent in class is intensive and should be spent on class assignments. If the instructor observes any IM sessions, or the like, in class, the student will initially be warned, any further reprimand will result in a grade deduction for that particular assignment. In order to facilitate this, each session will be instructed to disable their wireless connection to the NUWave system 15 minutes into class, or after an introductory lecture.

SOFTWARE

Most of the software we will be using in class will be distributed on a DVD. The student is responsible for the purchasing the Adobe Creative Suite, and Parallels with Vista (refer to the link here). In addition, the student will need to register both with the Autodesk and Archicad student communities to gain full access to each application. You should do this during the first class of the semester.

DIGITAL STORAGE

Any information that you create on the computer is susceptible to erasure. It is therefore in the students best interest to invest in at least two methods of backup. Northeastern’s MyFiles offers 2 GB for this use. In addition, the purchase of a USB flash drive for the storage of digital files, and transfer to the printers is recommended. Image files can be large, so the more storage space on the drive, the better. Pantone offer monogramming on the drive for easy identification. iPods can also be set to operate as external drives. Information on how to do this is here.

It is also advisable to keep a backup copy of your files on a CD or DVD. Loss of information relating to a project due to lack of backup will not be considered an acceptable excuse.

PRINTING

For each assignment, you will be required to submit both paper and digital files. This course relies on a number of output options for final hand-in, but also as an ongoing requirement during the assignments.
The student is responsible for the printing of your work and the costs involved. The following are the available options for printing:

Inkjet Printers Small inkject printers are a good option for day-to-day prints. Sharing the cost of a printer with fellow classmates can be a cost-effective solution to output.

School of Architecture There are two large format plotters, and an 11 x 17 color laser in the Ruggles Studio. You may use them yourselves on a first come, first serve basis. This is the easiest and most convenient method for large scale plotting. See the instructions here for printing information.

Off-Campus Printing There are multiple off-campus printing services that will plot PDF files, such as Copy Cop, Gnomon Copy and Kinko’s. Many times these chain-service centers are open 24-hours a day, however in most cases they require a 24-hour period to process the print and are extremely expensive.

FILE NAMING

You will be required to submit files along with prints for each assignment. These files should be named as follows: assignment number-lastname.filetype (for example: 01-yourname.pdf). Files named incorrectly will not be accepted.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Northeastern University is committed to the principles of intellectual honesty and integrity. All members of the Northeastern community are expected to maintain complete honesty in all academic work, presenting only that which is their own work in tests and assignments. If you have any questions regarding proper attribution of the work of others, contact your professor prior to submitting work for evaluation. More information is available here.

The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
John Singer Sargent, American 1856-1925
Oil on canvas; 87 x 87 in.

Plan and Section

The attached plan and section diagrams represent three spaces in a small university art museum. A new stair will be added to connect the spaces and serve as the major vertical circulation route for the museum. Your assignment is to design the stair that connects the two levels depicted in the drawings. The stair must be a subtractive spatial volume that runs up into either of the upper level galleries. In addition to the design of the stair, you will need to locate the various openings, windows, and skylights that will allow the only light into the rooms. Options for the placement of these elements are included in the attached drawings. You will also need to locate two paintings in the spaces linked by this stair.

An important decision that will need to be made is the location of the two (or more) entries into this particular sequence of spaces (other galleries exist on both levels of the museum that are not included in this design assignment). Pay attention to the intended ‘perceptual performance’ of your design proposal. For example, ‘how does the stair first present itself to the visitor,’ ‘how can light be used as a design tool,’ or ‘how do views of the paintings unfold as I move through the stair and rooms.’ Precise decisions linked to movement and views should be emphasized over symbolic or metaphorical narratives. Decisions about the arrangement of spaces and the elaboration of elements will build from a single (but not simplistic) story line.

Rules

Minor transformations to the plan and section are possible if they are supported by decisions that grow out of development of the design. The following rules apply:

• The volume of the stair can penetrate spaces on the first floor that are not included in the plan and section diagram (within the zone qualified in the attached drawings).
• The design of the thresholds between the three spaces is a matter of design interpretation (i.e. you can design these connections).
• At least one door must be provided ‘out of the system’ on each level of the project (therefore at least two doors must be provided).
• The main entrance to the museum is on the first floor.
• All new architectural elements should be primarily organized on the rectilinear grid of the existing spaces.
• Assume that a handicap accessible elevator is located in a space immediately adjacent to the double-height space depicted in the attached drawings.

Stair

• The rise of the stair should be between 4” and 6”, the tread width should be between 12” and 17”.
• Stairs that transverse more than 12’-0” in elevation require an intermediate landing. Landings typically need to be at least as deep as a stair is wide (for example, a stair that is 4’ wide should have a landing that is at least 4’ x 4’). For stairs that are wider than 5’, landings do not need to be deeper than 5’.
• Handrails on stairs need to be 34” high. Guardrails at stairs, landings, and balconies need to be 42” high.
• Guardrails must meet the ‘baby-head rule’, which means that a 4” diameter ball cannot fit through any opening in the guardrail. In addition, guardrails cannot create a ‘ladder effect’, ruling out horizontal railings.

Requirements

To be determined

Due

December 12th

Using those perspectives as a base, you will create four analytic diagrams that illustrate the spatial and perspectival concepts that you have discovered. These diagrams can can address any of the following concepts—singularly or combined.

• LIGHT
  OVERLAP
  FRAME
  DIRECTION
  MATERIAL
  ELEMENTS
  POSITION
  SURFACE
  LAYERING
  PATTERN
  FORM
  GEOMETRY
  SCALE
  PROPORTION

One the diagrams are complete, you will build two conceptual models (physical) demonstrating your understanding of the paintings (one of each space). The material of the model should be foamcore, and the scale is at the discretion of the student.

Rogier van der Weyden, Flemish. ca. 1400-died 1464
Oil and tempera on panel; 54 x 43 in.

John Singer Sargent, American 1856-1925
Oil on canvas; 87 x 87 in.

On a defined field, you are to use the kit of wall elements to define at least three spaces on that field.  You are to carefully consider the relationships between these spaces, the quality of these spaces, and the sequence of movement through them.

The Field

The field is defined as a 27’ x 42’ upon which a 3’ x 3’ grid has been placed to define location and placement of walls.

 

Kit of Walls 

Use the following kit of 6” walls to define space on the field:

In addition, you can use 6” roof planes at 9’ and/or 15’

The Rules

Use as many or as few wall elements from the kit as necessary.

• All walls must be positioned along the 3’ grid. The inside or outside edge of the wall (not the center of the wall) is to align with this grid. 
• At least one edge of each wall must touch the outside edge of the field.  Walls cannot extend outside the field and must be located within 6’ of the edge of the field.  
• One wall may violate the rule above. This wall need not touch the edge of the field and can be located anywhere on the field. It must, however, remain within the edges of the field.
• Wall elements may touch.  One edge of each wall element may be no more than 6’ from an adjacent wall element.
• Roof planes must cover at least two-thirds of the field.  Roofs can be at 9’ or 15’.  Roof planes must share and edge (touch) and may overlap.  Roof planes cannot extend beyond the field.

Walls must support the roof plane and must be at least 9’ tall.  Walls may be no taller than 15’.

Relationships

Explore at least one of the following spatial or compositional concepts in your design:

• Shear
• Overlap
• Nesting
• Transparency
• Layering
• Rotation
• Spiral
• Tension
• Compression

Sequence

A narrative should describe the movement through and occupation of the spaces you’ve defined.  Because the space has no program or function, this will be an abstract narrative. Think about the quality of the spaces you are creating: scale, light, degree of openness, etc. How does each space prepare you for the experience of the next?

Software and Tactics

We will begin to use Archicad for this assignment. Archicad is a Building Information Modeler—in essence a database of information that can be used to look at a project in a variety of ways (plan, section, perspective, etc). We will use this as our primary documentation tool. In addition, you will be asked to use sketches and diagrams to document the design process. These can be done in a small sketchbook or as a series of well kept trace sheets.

Physical Modeling

This assignment will require a series of sketch models and a final model to explain the narrative. For this you are asked to have the Modelbuilding Basics book at your disposal, and the instructors will inform you of any materials that are to be purchased for each class session.

You each have been given the plan of one of first of Wright’s Usonian houses from which you will produce sections and analytic diagrams to illustrate the fundamental architectural concepts of the Jacobs House.

In order to complete the drawings and diagrams, you will need to research additional photos, drawings and text. We have provided an initial text regarding the Jacobs’ House, in an essay by Michael Caldwell entitled The Jacobs House: Burning Fields. This text will form the basis of your chosen diagram. Additional research should be done offline, and although Northeastern’s Snell Library is nearby, the Boston Public Library, MIT’s Rotch or Harvard’s Loeb are excellent resources, the latter two being dedicated solely to architectural subject matter. We will also be using the Avery Architectural Index—a online resource that searches architectural journals and magazines.

PLANS AND SECTIONS

Plans and sections are types of drawings that architects and other designers use to transmit their thoughts to a specific audience. These types of drawings are referred to as orthographic projections, where the location of a cutting plane is projected onto a parallel surface. Plans are typically cut at 4′ above the floor that they are on, while sections are be placed at their most advantageous location to explain a spatial idea or concept. For further information refer to the Projection Types chapter in the Technical Drawing book. 

PROCESS

You will draw two sections of the house using AutoCAD. Do not trace the drawing. Instead, begin your drawing with grid lines. Since each of the houses were designed using a rigorous grid system, beginning your drawing with this grid will result in dimensionally and proportionally accurate plans. Once you have completed the section, you will choose an element of the house to develop as a axonometric study.

Once the plans have been completed in AutoCAD, you will export them into Illustrator to produce analytical drawings. All final section drawings will be printed at 1/8” = 1’-0” scale, centered on Tabloid (11” x 17”) paper, axonometric drawings will be at the discretion of the student. For this assignment, you will be using the laser printer in the computer lab. It is your responsibility to obtain printing credits for test and final prints.

RESOURCES

Jacobs_House Autocad file.
Plotting Screencast
Analytical Drawing
 

LINEWEIGHTS

For this exercise you will use three lineweights. In AutoCAD, lineweights are typically specified by their color. The heaviest line you will use will be green at 0.30mm, blue at 0.15mm and grey at 0.05mm. These colors will correspond to the following layers: GRID (red), DARK (green), MEDIUM (blue), and LIGHT (grey). In a CAD program you typically draw objects at full scale (i.e. actual size), drawings are formatted to print at a specified scale (e.g. 1/4’=1’, 1/8”=1’, etc.).

CLASS SCHEDULE

JANUARY

• Week 02 Assignment Handed Out. Tutorial:Intro to Autocad, Plan and Section discussion.
• Week 03 Preliminary Section complete. Plotting from Autocad Tutorial.
• Week 04 Section Complete.
• Week 05 Tutorial: Importing to Illustrator. Diagram lecture.
• October 08/October 10 Assignment Due.