Site Analysis: Regional Identity
Site Analysis: Regional Identity
“Developed in the early 1920s as a streetcar suburb, “Chatham Estates,” Plaza Midwood’s
development coincided with that of Myers Park neighborhood. Two prominant local families
provided the impetus for the initial development of the neighborhood: the Van Landinghams
(2010 The Plaza) and the Victors (1800 The Plaza). Plaza Midwood’s trolley line ran along
Central Avenue to The Plaza and down Mecklenburg Avenue to the Mecklenburg Country Club
(now the Charlotte Country Club). The Oakland Land Company laid out much of the street
design.
This home built in Piedmont Park by O.M. Gardner still stands on Central Avenue.During
the Depression, Plaza Midwood underwent many phases, resulting in a diverse architectural
heritage. The urban flight of the 1950s and 1960s left parts of the neighborhood on the brink of
decline. By the mid-1970s Plaza Midwood residents began to group together to preserve their
neighborhood, and in August 1975, the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association (PMNA)
was organized.”
“One of Charlotte’s early streetcar suburbs, the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood epitomizes the
New South vision of Charlotte. Its history reflects the growing of the New South and the nation
as a whole. Plaza-Midwood, known for its architectural and social diversity, has been through
the years a proposed enclave for Charlotte’s New South elite, an “at risk” inner city area, and
ultimately an urbansuccess story. Plaza-Midwood’s current prosperity can be attributed to the
strength and vision of its “citizens,” who continue to preserve the character and history of
their community. Plaza-Midwood owes its survival to a dedicated neighborhood organization.
Through their efforts, much of the area has been declared an historic district. Plaza-Midwood
celebrated its centennial in 2003.”
Byers, Jeff. Plaza-Midwood Neighborhood of Charlotte. Arcadia Publishing. 2004 Corner of Central Ave and The Plaza
http://www.plazamidwood.org/history.html
Site Analysis: Human Occupation Patterns:
Kids
Commute Time
4
2 3
1
2
4
Corner of Central Ave and The Plaza
Site Analysis: Visual Taxonomies: Style
pedestrian circulation
points of interest
percipitation temperature
existing trees
bus stops
orientation
bus stops
traffic pattern
views
noise
PLAZA-CENTRAL
PEDSCAPE PLAN
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission
Adopted by Charlotte City Council November 10, 2003
With its rippling aluminum facade and crisp cubic form, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
is an edgy presence in Dallas’s refined brick-and-stone Arts District. Corners peel back to
expose massive X braces; floors cantilever at gravity-defying angles. Instead of flowing out
like a traditional theater, with the stage in the center and support spaces to the sides, the Wyly
pushes up, nine stories, with the lobby in the basement, the stage on the street, and rehearsal
studio, costume shop, offices, and classrooms snapped together above like a transformer. The
“vertical city” meets the Texas prairie.
REX/OMA:
Joshua Prince-Ramus (Partner in Charge) and Rem Koolhaas, with Erez Ella,
Vincent Bandy, Vanessa Kassabian, Tim Archambault
Kendall/Heaton Associates:
Rex Wooldridge, Pat Ankney, Vincent Nguyen, James Benton
Architect of record
Kendall/Heaton Associates
Interior designer:
REX/OMA
Engineers:
Structural engineer of record:
Magnusson Klemencic Associates
MEP/FP design engineer:
Transsolar Energietechnik
MEP/FP engineer of record, building controls consultant, and security
consultants:
Cosentini Associates
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/archives/1002wyly-2.asp
Dallas, TX
Precedent Analysis: Wyly Theatre
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/archives/1002wyly-1.asp
Dallas, TX
Precedent Analysis: ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance
William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.,
10 Post Office Square, Suite 1010
Boston, MA 02109
In spite of the current obsession among intellectually leading colleges and universities
with pouring money into sports facilities, some institutions, such as Williams College, in
Williamstown, Massachusetts, are admirably bolstering their arts profiles. So, while New
York City’s Columbia University boasts of a new $100 million campaign for athletic programs
and facilities, Williams is competing for top students by building a $50 million performing
arts center for theater and dance. The center’s lead donor, the New York investment banker
Herbert A. Allen, Jr., wanted to make sure that his alma mater could effectively lure students
of theater and dance away from urban educational institutions.
The ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance named, at Allen’s request, for his graduating class, was
designed by William Rawn, FAIA, whose Boston-based firm conceived the much-acclaimed
Seiji Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, Massachusetts (1994).
To consolidate its reputation as a performing arts center and accommodate the famed
Williamstown Theatre Festival held in the summer, the college needed a complex of three
theaters: MainStage, a proscenium-arched main theater that could seat 550; CenterStage, a
black-box space that could hold about 150; plus the renovated Adams Memorial, a combination
thrust/proscenium stage with 200 or so seats. In addition, it desired a large dance-rehearsal
space and the requisite number of dressing rooms, teaching studios, plus a costume workshop,
and faculty offices.
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/perform/08_WilliamsCollege/
Williamstown, MA
Precedent Analysis: ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance
Williamstown, MA
Precedent Analysis: Madden Dance Theatre/Gym
The Madden Dance Theater unifies a set of physical education and health programs through
the design of the building’s section and exterior wall cladding.
The design organizes the program in a long, slender two-story volume of space that wraps
around the double height gym volume. Diagonal views between health and athletic activities
are produced by establishing spatial and programmatic relationships between the different
levels of the building. The building section connects the Dance Theater with the Campus
courtyard and the Entry Lobby and training rooms with the Lower Gym level.
The design creates a well scaled public image for the building through the material performance
of an architectural building envelope that combines a storefront glazing system with operable
windows set in a galvanized metal shingle cladding. This semi-reflective cladding dissolves
the scale of the gymnasium, and creates a wrapper that joins the public entry to the Dance
Theater and the Campus courtyard with the Campus entry and Health Clinic programs. The
cladding system uses a single standard shingle; the installation pattern was designed to be
modified on site for the corner condition using a portable power driven metal break.
Three primary interior walls types are created for this project. Thick walls take on acoustic
linings to absorb sound or to provide locker storage functions. Thin walls, constructed of a
double layer of expanded metal screens provide security for training equipment and harvest
daylight, dissolving visual barriers between program elements. The Health Center spaces are
defined with a series of interconnected cores which provide equipment and built in furniture
formed around plumbing and mechanical infrastructure.
Design Team:
Frano Violich FAIA; Managing Principal
Sheila Kennedy AIA; Principal Consulting on Design
Eric Bunge, AIA; Project Architect
Markus Froehlin, Mila Chun, John Dooley, Bhupesh Patel, Mark Oldham
Project Team:
Architect: Kennedy & Violich Architects, Ltd
Civil Engineer: Searle & Searle Landscape Architecture
Landscape Architect: Margaret McGavin Landscape Architect
MEPFP Engineer: Wilkinson Associates
Structural Engineer: Odeh Engineers, Inc
http://www.kvarch.net/index.php#materialresearch/madden_dance_theater
Providence, RI
Precedent Analysis: The Hemenway Project
The Hemenway Project* is an ambitious plan for The Boston Conservatory to expand and renovate
the existing theater building at 31 Hemenway Street and dramatically improve the instructional and
performance space and experience for students, faculty and patrons. The project will include:
* Two new large-volume dance studios
* A new theater studio which will double as a reception area for special events
* One new music rehearsal and performance space for large ensembles
* A new orchestra pit
* New theater seating
* Improved sight lines
* Improved wing space
* Handicapped accessibility
* New climate control
* Increased ceiling height, a new control booth, new theatrical lighting and rigging, and a host of
acoustical refinements in the theater
Boston, MA
Program Analysis: Dance Studio
Plaza Midwood
Program Analysis: Vegetarian Restaurant
Plaza Midwood
Program Analysis: Apartment/Loft Living
.
Plaza Midwood
Program Analysis: Restaurant Requirements
In preliminary space planning, the “rule of thumb” for deciding the area requirements
for a restaurant is:
When originating space requirements, remember that “banquet” seating may use
as little as 10 square feet per person, while fine dining may require 20 square feet
per person. A good average for restaurant or coffee shops with general menus
is about 12 square feet per person. This will allow for traffic aisles, wait stations,
etc.
Example: A 200-seat restaurant will require 2,400 square feet of dining area. Since
this is 60 percent of the total area, the total area would be 4,000 square feet.
The traffic path between occupied chairs should be at least 18 inches wide and
leave 4 - 5 feet between tables (this includes chair space).
When determining the length for a bar, allow 1’8” - 1’10” per person (standup) or 2
feet per bar stool:
Plaza midwood has grown from its history beginning as a trolley town. It is interesting to see how
the ethnicity varies while traveling down Central Ave, from I-277 to Eastway Drive. The site I have
selected is located between these two very different areas of Charlotte. Downtown Plaza midwood is
a block of stores and restaurants lining both sides of the urban street. The site is less than a block
from this downtown and will make a great addition to the existing streetscape. The dance studio will
be used by all of the community in an effort to unite some cultures with similar interests.
Plaza Midwood
Precedent Analysis: The Program
Space Quantity Total Sq Ft
Kitchen
Dinning
Outdoor Patio
Stage for Band
Storage
Restrooms 5,400 SF
Apartments 12 14,000 SF