university of oregon - school of architecture and allied arts - department of architecture
architectural design studio – arch 484/584 fall 03 – prof.
nancy cheng
PlaceSite documentation, analysis and response Learning Objectives· To develop skills for gathering essential site information for design · To understand how tools shape our perceptions of place |
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Description
How do get to know a place?
Understanding the spirit of a place is important for generating a site-responsive design. In visiting a site, a designer collects information about physical, social and cultural conditions while perceiving nuances that may shape the future design directions. The type of inquiry, tool and environment all influence what we see. Traditionally, architects have used sketchbooks to record observations; now a whole spectrum of tools is available, including still cameras, video, tape recorders and measuring tools.
For
this exercise, we want see how different tools facilitate recording different
aspects and stimulate different perceptions.
We will organize the class to look at specific aspect of the place with
different tools. We want see how
different tools can help record different aspects and stimulate different
thoughts. Can we expediently capture a place
while enhancing a designer’s sensitivity?
PROcedure
Student groups will gather information about:
Natural Forces & Elements (sun, light, wind)
Spatial
configuration (panoramas, plans, perspective views):
Built Environment of the Region
Construction Methods & Materials (textures, colors, density, contrasts, adjacencies)
Human activities and Cultural meaning (regional)
Transportation,
economy
As you work, document the process, noting difficulties and successes, consider whether the place, the tools or the inquiry are impeding the search. If time allows, you can switch toolsets and try out the other media. See http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/arch/placetools/topics.html for subtopics.
Requirements
Each person will have different reactions to the site that lead to different design results. Your challenge is to record your intuitive emotional response in a creative way and to gather and analyze factual data so it is available and useful for the design process.
For the factual data, each
person needs to create at lest 2 annotated site diagrams appropriate to their
topic following the graphics in Edward T. White’s Site Analysis book or
summarize findings in another appropriate way.
Consider doing a SWOT analysis: noting Strengths and Weaknesses (internal factors); Opportunities and Threats (external
factors).[1]
Each person needs to contribute to one of the joint projects:
Physical site model
Computer Model
Site plan
Site sections
Video
Interview notes
To record your intuitive response, please create a beautiful image that will be part of your inspiration display at your desk. You can try creating a sculptural arrangement of materials at the site, and photograph it, or create a drawing or collage of the most striking aspects of the site.
SCHEDULE
Monday Oct. 6: Site impressions images and text complete
Friday Oct. 10: site model and analysis diagrams complete
Resources
White, Edward T., Site Analysis
Bosselman, Peter, The Representation of Places
Laseau, Paul, Visual Notes
Tuan, Yi-Fu, Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience
Nancy’s Placetool’s project
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~arch/placetools/
Site Notes
Mountain Grove Center for New Education
785 Barton Road
GLENDALE, OR 97442-8705
Oregon State Motor Pool 3233 Franklin Blvd: 7-5pm M-F (meet at 11:30a to get the vans)
DRIVING DIRECTIONS to Mountain Grove:
I-5 exit 86 Quine's Creek, left over freeway. Right on Ronchero
Road (parallel to hwy) 3 miles, left on Barton road (200 yards), At a blue and
silver Mountain Grove sign, turn left onto a dirt road. Pass a trailer house, concrete block on
right, pass Barn ½ mile Look for a sign to the community building. Meet at
the Community Building at 3:30pm.
MOUNTAIN GROVE
(see if you can find the 3 errors in this text)
Site description
Mountain Grove is located approximately 2-1/2 hours south of Eugene off of Interstate 5 at exit 83 Barton Road between Roseburg and Grants Pass. (see Page 27 of the Oregon Atlas) The land is over 400 acres, stretching North-South for about 1-3/4 miles. It comprises a valley in forested land with 4 large and small meadow clearings, and a stream that runs north-south near the west side of the largest meadows. While the land is very rural, cars can access with a simple road that runs north to south through the main meadows, with a newer access from the north, and an older northwest entry from Barton Road. While the land is 25 miles from services in Grants Pass (Glendale Junction is the closest town), it is easy to access right off the highway, the sound of the highway can be heard on the site because there is little other sound.
Aerial photos are located in the Douglas County surveyor’s website: http://www.co.douglas.or.us/surveyor/ See Township 32 Range 5W Sections 29,30 and 32
History
Mountain Grove was started as an intentional community by David Young, an educator who was a Krishnamury/ Summerhill follower in the 1970’s. He envisioned Mountain Grove as an experiment in living and education. Over the years, as many as 30 people at a time have resided on the land, mostly attracted by the idealistic vision of living in a supportive, self-sustaining community. Many former residents returned for annual reunions throughout the 80’s.
Since the early 80’s, residents have worked on cultivating the land with sustainable forestry methods. They experiment with how to work with the existing timber stands to encourage old growth characteristics: uneven age trees of multiple species. They foster native species and fight invasive weeds without herbicides. (meadow knapweed, 6’ tall canon reed grass near top of high meadow) They have worked with US. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Medford and industrial loggers who own neighboring land to jointly plan how the 2500 acre watershed would be maintained or harvested. In 95-'96 Ecoforest Institute got started, with educational programs held on the property.
A major project has been stream restoration. About 5 years ago, the group received $40,000 in grants from state, local and federal sources to work on stream enhancement. With this support, they redirected the flow of the stream to support spawning salmon. The efforts have paid off in the last 2 years when the number of salmon in Woodford Creek.
Currently Mountain Grove has 6 year-round residents that live in buildings in different states of repair and hosts a summer camp for Network for a New Culture. Up to 65 people at once attend the camp, with the majority camping out at the south end of the Lower (north) Meadow, using temporary hygiene facilities. The north half of the property has electricity; water comes from 2 wells on the property, one adjacent to the Community Hall.
In the past there was a collective ownership of the land and properties, with low rents. As this led to questions of control the Mountain Grove Board will be leasing individual structures in the future.
RESEARCH & SITE TOPICS
Natural Forces & Flows > Sustainable Design
Jesse Brew: (sustainable housing development)
Ken Li (high tech ecodesign)
Pat May (grey water, waste management)
SITE QUERY: Climate/Microclimate, water, waste,
wind, soil, sound
Rachel & Ken will use solar transit for shadow
profiles
Past lessons > Co-housing and intentional communities
Cassie Holliday
Mariko Kohno
SITE: History of the community & buildings (likes & dislikes, dynamics, native people & building types, hazards (interviews with video)
Access & transportation > Elderly housing, universal design
Rachel Weber
Mark Brenneman
Adam York
SITE: Accessibility:
Codes. Existing land,
paths & access, hazards, orientation, ? How much should be accessible? Appropriate development patterns
Spaces, Materials & Construction > Affordable Housing
Bonnie Graham
Alison Petty
Marissa
SITE: Bonnie &
Alison - Spatial qualities: sequence of arrival, land use patterns for usability in different
development, Marissa - built environment & construction with onsite
materials
Reading the Landscape > Landscape Design
Michelle Wilson (courtyards & open space in housing)
Travis Caswell-Stiles (topography)
John Howe (conference centers)
SITE: Visual Panoramas, Topography & Vegetation (sketches, imagery)
Economics, social factors & construction > Viable Program
Dave Beardsley (construction and program alternatives)
Adam Elliott (program alternatives)
Marissa (construction alternative)
SITE: Larger context:
closest town, local resources: tape interviews: attitudes & feelings, Local services and infrastructure,
farming: retirement or co-housing.
Special Roles
Librarian: Ken Li
Graphics for Web: Mark Brenneman
Physical Model Coordinator: Adam York
Computer Drawings & Model coordinator: Adam Elliott
Site Analysis Coordination: Dave Beardsley
Web Coordinator: Marissa Drucker
Banker: Bonnie Graham
Food Committee: Alison Petty & Rachel Weber
Video: Alison
GPS: Michelle
Logitech Pen: Dave
Leica Disto: Jesse
Van departs at 12:00 in Lawrence parking lot
Bonnie
Alison
Rachel
John
Marissa
Cassie going (adam coming back)
Craig going (Michelle coming back)
Nancy
Four other cars: driver name underlined
Mark Breneman & Dave Beardsley (+Mariko Kohno returning) Leave morning, return w/o dinner
Pat May, Ken Li, Jesse Brew
Travis , Michelle going (not coming back)
Adam Elliott w/ Adam York, Mariko going (Cassie coming back after camping)