Design Development Phase II - 100%

• For the final progress point in Design Development Phase II, I finalized the form of the proposed Workers Housing according to the following aspects:​

  • Formal Entrance - The Formal Entrance has been redesigned to feature additional vertical load bearing members centered to the East and North Faces of the entrance, so as break up the entrance’s facade. These vertical load bearing members now extend upward to meet a total of two horizontal members, which was inspired by the exst. Office building’s East facade, in which vertical load bearing members extend upward and are met by two sets of horizontal members. Additionally, a solid plane, parallel to the exst. walkway in front of the entrance, has been proposed directly above the physical entrance into the exposed space, so as to emphasize the entrance’s Notion of Frontality even further. The railings have also been revised so as to meet code requirements, with regard to the additional horizontal railings. Lastly, the exterior space on the third floor has been closed off in-line with the centered column of the Formal Entrance, as the floor system progressively gets tighter as it approaches the south side of the building due to its rotation angle, which makes the section of the floor system to the south of the centered column unusable.

  • Use of Meier's Formal Language

    • Exterior walls of proposed structure to feature white panel siding  (3’ x 3’ panels to match panels of exst. office bldg.)

    • Proposed circular structure is a direct copy of the existing circular structure, with the two aligned about their centers, and of the same height. 

    • Continuous Concrete Columns @ exterior walls of proposed structure are identical (only at a smaller scale) to Meier’s Continuous Concrete Columns @ the East side of the existing office building. 

    • Mullions of Proposed Curtain Wall @ Circular Space are precisely aligned with the mullions of the curtain wall @ the exst. office building behind it (equal mullion spacing to exst.).

    • Proposed Strip Windows @ informal entrance (datum) along the West side of the proposed structure are identical in mullion spacing and overall dimensions / header height to the existing strip windows along the West side of the Office building. Proposed exterior wall of Datum @ West side is aligned to the West-wall of the exst. Office building. Such windows have additionally been included within the connection to the exst. office building, following the same mullion spacing pattern and placement. 

    • Proposed Curtain Walls along East side of connection to office building, of equal mullion spacing pattern to that of the office building. 

    • Proposed sloped hill from basement level to grade level @ South side of proposed structure (directly facing exst. Office building) is reflective of Meier’s sloped hill @ the Southside of the exst. Office building, for which the units at basement level are able to access. 

    • Play on Solids vs. Voids within floor systems with regard to proposed balcony overlooking the floor below, similar to meier’s use of solids vs. voids within his floor systems.

    • Use of vertical load bearing members (rectangular) at Formal Entrance that extend upward to meet two offset horizontal members, which is reflective of the exst. Office building’s East facade, in which vertical load bearing members extend upward and are met by two sets of offset horizontal members.

    • Use of Parapet walls at roof level so as to hide ¼”/1’-0” slope of the roof.

  • Deconstruction of Meier's Formal Language

    • Deconstruction of Sunken Courtyard: In the previous progress point of Design Development Phase II, I proposed a sunken courtyard at basement level, facing the existing efficient building. This concept of a sunken courtyard was inspired by Meier’s use of the courtyard in the exst. Office building. In this current progress point, however, I have deconstructed the sunken courtyard at the proposed workers housing by terminating the slab of the courtyard 6’-0” from the corner of ea. bottom unit and proposing a sloped hill leading up to grade level from the bottom of the slab at basement level.

    • Deconstruction of Planes: Each plane (North, South, East, & West planes) of the proposed structure has been deconstructed so as not to be continuous, through module rotations of 23 degrees @ every other floor, interrupting each plane so that none are continuous vertically nor horizontally. 

    • Deconstruction of Circular Elements: The duplicated circular structure has been deconstructed through the puncturing and creation of voids within its face @ roof level, so as to afford Northern light to the interior of the communal space within the structure. Clerestory windows have been proposed within the circular structure @ roof level in order to guide northern light into the circular/communal space below. 

    • Deconstruction of Meier's Grid and "Free Facade" Ideology: Another aspect of deconstruction within this proposed form is the deconstruction of Meier's (and Le Corbusier's) "Free Facade" ideology, which states that exterior walls are to be non-load bearing, not having any columns or structural elements within them. This proposed form, however, features load bearing elements (continuous concrete columns w/ foundations below) at the corners of each orthogonal module, continuous from their foundations to roof level. Furthermore, I have neglected to propose an interior column grid, as the walls of the proposed hallway (which are at the same location on each floor) are to feature continuous Steel W-Beams of equal spacing, extending from their foundations to roof level. 

  • Structure - The previously mentioned steel columns (located within the interior walls of the proposed hallways), in addition to the continuous concrete columns @ the exterior of the structure, will act to support Axial Loads (Compressive / Tensile) with regard to live loads and dead loads, as well as moment / bending stresses @ beam-column connections. The Steel Columns proposed under the location of the circular structure, however, are only continuous from their foundations to the floor system iof the second floor, terminating at the bottom of the perpendicular beam above. These specific columns will act to support the axial loads of the circular structure above. As for the floor system, I have proposed Pre-Engineered Timber I-Joists, which will act to further support distributed loads (live & dead loads) as well as concentrated point loads and lateral loads that will be transferred from the floor system to the load bearing elements beneath it. In addition, I have now proposed a buttress-like component at the Formal Entrance, featuring a continuous rectangular concrete column w/ notches @ level w/ the ceiling of ea. floor, which will hold steel beams that meet each floor system of the Formal Entrance perpendicularly. Lastly, I have proposed various load bearing components within the circular community space, so as to support the balcony overlooking the space at third floor level, in addition to the roof above. Three of these components are to be continuous from their foundations to roof level, while the others are to be continuous from second floor level to the balcony above, or the roof above. 

  • Departure from ​Symmetry - Proposed form rejects symmetry with regard to the rotated modules @ alternating floors, which have been designed to be of the same orientation along each of the two rows of stacked modules, rather than the modules being mirrored about the building’s center, as designed in the 10% progress point. This departure from symmetry allows for an asymmetrical formal entrance, which is more fitting to the deconstructive nature of this project, and is an aspect that the previous design, with its symmetrical layout, had lacked. 

  • Circulation Accommodation - The proposed structure utilizes Meier's established circulation paths (entrances proposed along the East and West sides of the building, accessible from exst. exterior circulation paths @ ea. side), and does not break nor hinder such paths. Circulation within proposed structure has been established in between the two rows of square units @ ea. floor. 

  • Hierarchy - Hierarchy With Respect to the Existing and Proposed Circular Structures have been established through their height, in comparison to all of the other components of the two structures. Proposed Circular Structure to be directly in-line with the center of the existing circular structure so as to emphasize their importance to each building. 

  • Canonic (Geometrical) Analogies - Proposed form utilizes pure geometrical shapes (square cubes) that have been stacked and rotated  in order to derive the proposed form, as seen within the previous progress point. 

  • Literal Analogies - Proposed form, diameter, and location of the proposed circular structure were determined by the form, diameter, and location of the existing circular structure (carbon copy). Proposed rotation angle @ every other floor has been matched to the angle of the sloped hill @ the rear of the exst. office bldg.

  • Functions - Proposed circular structure  to serve as common space (gymnasium), proposed square forms to serve as apartment units, while the recessed connection between the units is to serve as circulation (hallways).