MASSING, PARTI, SYMMETRY, HIERARCHY, GEOMETRY, NATURAL LIGHT & STRUCTURE
IN THIS ANALYSIS I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING UNDERNEATH THIS ROOF TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE ARCHITECTS DO THAT MAKES THIS BUILDING SO SIMPLE YET SO COMPLEX. YOU WOULD NEVER THINK SO MUCH IS GOING ON UNDERNEATH THIS L-SHAPED ROOF, BUT THERE ARE "COLLABORATION PODS" EXTENDING OUT FROM UNDER THE CANT ROOF - WHICH ARE THE VARIETY OF RECTANGLES YOU SEE WITHIN ONE RECTANGLE IN MASSING AND GEO - , A WALKWAY ON THE GROUND FLOOR BETWEEN THE PODS AND THE BUILDING, A BRIDGE ABOVE THE WALKWAY CONNECTING THE 2ND FLOOR PODS TO THE BUILDING, AND THE BUILDING ITSELF; THE ROOF IS ALSO ACTING AS A RAINWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM SINCE IT IS LOCATED IN THE SONORAN DESERT IN ARIZONA, WHERE WATER IS SCARCE. SO ALL OF THAT IS HAPPENING ON THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST SIDES OF THE BUILDING, AND THEN ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE IS WHERE THE EGRESS STAIRS ARE AND RESTROOMS, AND THEN THE SOUTHWEST SIDE HAS GREENSPACE. I JUST LOVE HOW THIS BUILDING IS MORE THAN JUST A BUILDING, SINCE I FOUND A LOT OF OTHER EXAMPLES THAT WERE JUST PLAIN OLD SCHOOLS. IT HAS A FEW SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES ALSO WHICH I'M INTERESTED IN...THIS BUILDING EXCITES ME AND GIVES ME A LOT OF IDEAS THAT I CAN USE FOR MY SCHOOL.
DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVORITE EXAMPLES.
SALK INSTITUTE WAS CHOSEN AS AN EXAMPLE FOR MY BUILDING TYPE BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH IT'S A SCHOOL FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES, EVERY TIME I LOOK AT IT ALL I SEE IS THE OCEAN, WHICH IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND MY BUILDING TYPE - A MARINE BIOLOGY SCHOOL. AFTER ANALYZING THIS BUILDING, WHAT STUCK OUT THE MOST TO ME IS THE SYMMETRY AND FOCAL POINT, WHICH IS THE STREAM THAT LEADS TO THE POOL THAT LEADS TO THE OCEAN. THE FOCAL POINT IS THE MOST INTRIGUING PART FOR ME SINCE IT CREATES THIS RELATIONSHIP FROM LAND TO OCEAN AND ALSO TO SKY SINCE OCEAN AND SKY MEET AT THE HORIZON...I WANT TO TRY TO CREATE THAT CONNECTION BUT IN A WAY THAT'S MORE SUBTLE.
THIS ANALYSIS GAVE ME THE IDEA TO ALSO MAKE MY SCHOOL A RESEARCH CENTER FOR MARINE LIFE. I DON'T WANT AN AQUARIUM IN MY SCHOOL BUT I WANT THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY TO BE ABLE TO REFERENCE TO THE LIVE SPECIES IN WHICH THEY WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT SINCE I FEEL IT WILL CREATE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING FOR THEM. THEREFORE, SINCE I WANT A RESEARCH CENTER WITHIN THE SCHOOL THAT MEANS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DESIGNATE AN AREA FOR THE LIVE SPECIES TO LIVE, AND AFTER DOING MY ANALYSIS I REALIZED THAT ONLY THE LOBBY HAS A GLASS CURTAIN WALL ON THE NORTHWEST, WEST AND SOUTHWEST SIDES AND THERE'S ALSO A SKYLIGHT FOR THE AREA WHERE THE FISH ARE. THIS MEANS THE AREA WHERE THE FISH WILL BE HELD NEEDS MINIMAL DAYLIGHTING.
IN THIS ANALYSIS WHAT ATTRACTED MY EYE WAS THE GLASS CURTAIN WALLS THAT OCCUR ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES OF THE 2ND LEVEL, AND ALL AROUND ON THE 1ST LEVEL. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT GLASS CURTAIN WALLS IS WHEN IT'S SO BIG THAT YOU CAN SEE THE PEOPLE INTERACTING ON THE INSIDE, AND IT BEGINS TO PULL YOU IN AND MAKES YOU CURIOUS ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE PLACE WITHIN THAT SPACE. GLASS CURTAIN WALLS ARE ALSO ONE OF THE BEST SYSTEMS FOR NATURAL LIGHTING ALONG WITH SKYLIGHTING, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE "NATURAL LIGHT" DIAGRAM, AND NATURAL LIGHTING IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN A BUILDING, WHICH IS WHY I CHOSE SO MANY EXAMPLES WITH GLASS CURTAIN WALLS. SINCE MY SITE IS RIGHT AT THE COAST LINE, THE ONLY THING BETWEEN THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, GOVERNOR'S ISLAND AND DOWNTOWN NEW JERSEY IS WATER. THIS CREATES ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF GLASS CURTAIN WALLS, WHICH IS A GREAT VIEW.
THIS ANALYSIS WASN'T AS STRAIGHT FORWARD AS IT APPEARED TO BE. WITHOUT THE SECTION THAT SHOWS THE NATURAL LIGHTING, I WOULD'VE NEVER KNOWN THAT THERE WAS AN ATRIUM THAT GOES FROM THE GROUND FLOOR TO THE ROOF FLOOR. WHAT ALSO ISN'T SHOWN IN MY ANALYSIS BUT SHOWN IN THE SYNOPSIS OF THE BUILDING THAT I POSTED, "OCEAN SCIENCES BUILDING", IS THE FACT THAT THE ARCHITECT INCORPORATED A FEATURE OF WATER ON THE GROUND FLOOR WHERE THE ENTRANCE/LOBBY IS. AS YOU APPROACH THE BUILDING FROM THE NORTHWEST SIDE, THE GLASS CURTAIN WALL ON THE GROUND FLOOR RESEMBLES A SMALL WAVE. THIS BUILDING IS ONE OF TWO EXAMPLES THAT I NOTICED HAD INCORPORATED WATER FEATURES, AND ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY SUBTLE IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE.
IN THIS BUILDING ANALYSIS I FOUND IT TO BE QUITE INTERESTING. IT HAS A SKIN ON THE EXTERIOR THAT ACTS AS A SHADING COEFFICIENT FOR THE INTERIOR CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT THAT ENTERS THE BUILDING. FOR SOME REASON IT REMINDS ME OF A DEFENSE MECHANISM THAT ONE WOULD WITNESS IN MARINE LIFE SPECIES OR EVEN THOSE THAT LIVE ON LAND. I ALSO THINK THAT SKIN IS A SUSTAINABLE FEATURE THAT COULD BE USEFUL IN MY DESIGN PROCESS.
