Cross Trans Dis PDF
Cross Trans Dis PDF
social emancipation
a medical magnet high school for dallas, texas
masters of architecture design thesis by Edward Magee
Dr. Hendrika Buelinckx, thesis faculty
Dr. Ian Mac Burnie, thesis adviso
Transprogramming as Social Emancipation
a medical magnet school for dallas, texas
by
A Thesis in Architecture
-~
D~ " r4i '2..ooL.--
Thesis Advisor
acknowledgements
I would like to thank: ;..Jo. ;r I
Dr's Ian MacBurnie and Hendrika Buelinckx, for their infinite patience and refusal to accept mediocrity
;;
preface
influences: J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Bob Dylan, 1957 Fender Stratocaster,
Rem Koolhaas, Enrique Norten, Stanley Kubrick, Paul Virilio, Franz Kafka, Calvin and Hobbes, B.B. King,
Texas beer, Eric Clapton , MS-DOS, the window of my apartment in Montreal, Jane Jacobs, David
Letterman, Dennis Miller, Cuba Libras, patio hammocks , reading in the sun, the swing in the backyard, the
wind in your hair, the Mississippi River, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, bare feet, and convertibles
Dallas is not the extreme example that I'm looking for. or maybe it's not the example of the extreme I'm
looking for. gut reaction says that a city like Dallas has to be at the extreme of something. a different
dimension or spectrum, mayhap. a different vector. the Major Problem is that the extreme I'm looking for
could be located anywhere , for all I know. I don't even know where to begin looki ng.
which leads me back to the fact that I know Dallas better than any other city. I've read not one book
about the city, but for 18 some-odd years I've been swimming around in its soup. what book could give me
the knowledge I've gained in those years? hell, the whole idea for this trek was put into my head on a trip
down a street that I've driven countless times, seeing a building that I've seen and even been in often.
" ... I say that the true artist-seer , the heavenly fool who can and does produce beauty, is mainly dazzled
to death by his own scruples, the blinding shapes and colors of his own sacred human conscience."
-J. D. Salinger, "Seymour-An Introducti on"
abstract
A prominent sociological perspective asserts that a diminished tax base leads to poor education and job skills
training; poor job skills creates a population that cannot participate in the New Economy, forcing it to settle
instead for less-skilled, lower-paying jobs; the result is a lesser influx of capital into the area, which again leads
I~·
to a diminished tax base, and the cycle is repeated ad infinitum.
The poverty cycle in south Dallas and East Oak Cliff is alive and thriving ...
For decades, major businesses have left the area to ruin, crippling a new and growing economy at its very
beginning. Wealth and privilege fled to the suburban oases to the north, east, and west of the downtown core.
As tax revenue and land values plummeted, so did the funding for the schools in the area, creating conditions that
make the Dallas Independent School District one of the most notoriously inept urban school districts in the nation .
Social welfare programs have created a local population that exemplifies urban decay: dependent on federal (and
other, less glorious) means of income, mired in a cycle that offers no opportunity for escape.
The social reform model has failed . Conversely, the economic model of social betterment lies stagnant and
immobile. Economic investment in South Dallas and East Oak Cliff must take on a new direction: that of an
investment in social infrastructure. Instead of the traditional injection point in the poverty cycle (direct private-
sector investment and commercial growth), investment in the area must begin with the education system.
Bettering the educational infrastructure creates a new breed of local citizen: one prepared and educated to deal
with and excel at higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs.
The Veterans Administration Hospital in south Dallas / East Oak Cliff provides a unique opportunity: the creation of
a high school adjacent to its campus that serves as both a medical education magnet school and a physical
rehabilitation clinic for the hospital. Instead of drawing its population from other areas of the city, this magnet
school will instead have a student body drawn from surrounding neighborhoods.
Contemporary architect and theorist Bernard Tschumi asserts that the application of transprogramming,
disprogramming, and crossprogramming allows architects to come to grips with and control the paradoxes that are
inherent in the conceptualization of space and function.
Paradoxes are not the intended effect of transprogramming in South Dallas: progress is. Transprogramming is not
merely an exercise in playfulness, but rather a tool to facilitate and justify a physical and social intervention.
table of contents
I'
background I
transprogramming..... .. . . . . .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 3
schools/education.................................... ........................................ ...... ......................... 7
learning .. .. ........ ....... .......... ............. ... ................... ......... ... ....... ........... .............. ...... ..... 1O
user analysis ....... ..... .... ............................................................ ....................... ......... .... .. 12
activity analysis ... .. .. ..... ........ ................ .... ... .. ............ ...... ............... ........... .... ........ ..... ... . 13
dallas .. .. ... ....... ...... ........... ..................................... ...... ............ ... .... .... .... ........... .. ........ 17
dallas independent school district ........ ............................................................ ..... ............ ... 19
dallas area rapid transit ............. ....... ... ......... : ..................................................... ... .......... . 21
design response
aside .... .. ........................................ .... ................................. ... ............... .. ........ .... ... ..... 23
transprogramming ............................ .......... ............. .... .... .. ....... ............... .. .......... .......... .. 24
social. .................................... .. ............................................................ .................... ... 25
emancipation .. ............................................................ .......................... .... ......... ...... ..... 26
precedents. ... .. ........ . .... . .......... ........... ............... ... ..... .......... ............. ....... ....... ... ........... 27
mappings....... ................. .. ............................................................ .......................... ... . . 29
territory analysis............ .. ... ......... .. .. ............. ... ..... ......... ........... .......... .... ............ .. .... .. .. . 34
area plan........ ..... .... ... .... ...... .......... ........... ..... ... .... ...... ... ................. ........ ... .......... ....... 37
schematic layout ....................... ................. ..... .......... ..... ............... .... ..... ............ ............ 40
aside ... .... ..... .... . .. . ................ ............................. .... ........... .. ...................... ........ ...... ..... 41
paths .............. .. ........ ...... ...... ... ............................. .. ...... ...... ............... ... ....... ...... .. ........ 42
roof .................. ............ ........ ...... ............ .. ... ... .... ............ .... .. ........... ............... ............ 43
commons area ........ . .............. ... ............. ....... .... ... .. .... .......... .......... ......... ........... ...... ..... . 45
gymnasium/pool. ............................. .. ................................................ . ........ ..... ...... .... ..... 47
landscape .. ... ................ .... .... ......... ..... ..... ......... .... .. ....... ....... ........................................ 49
presentation layout .................... .... ........................................................... ......... .. ..... ... ... 50
model images ......................................... .... ... .... ........ .... .... .... .......... ........... ... .. .... ... ....... 51
appendix: annotated bibliography... ..... .............................. .. .......... ... ............ ... ............. ........ ....... 52
I'
Dining (function) in the Rotunda (form) is not quite equivalent to
reading or swimming in it. Here all hierarchical relationships
I
between form and function cease to exist. This unlikely
combination of events and spaces was charged with subversive
capabilities, for it challenged both the function and the space.
Such confrontation parallels the Surrealists' meeting of a sewing
machine and an umbrella on a dissecting table or, closer to us,
Rem Koolhaas's description of the Downtown Athletic Club:
"Eating oysters with boxing gloves, naked, on the nth floor."
background
back round
transprogram ming
~ ~-~-~-··9 •
collaged together after a the Modernist-inspired buildings in space, but was instead a
...:J
trip to a Copenhagen
newsstand by the pair,
intended as an attack on
~r . .. ..
... . •• ..
.. .. recognition of the possibilities and potentialities that lay within
human play and activity.
In an article that he wrote for Architectural Design in
modernity.
June of 1964, Constant postulates an environment that ties in
directly to the aforementioned problem with existing
educational facilities of the present day:
"For it should be clear that the functional cities erected during the long
.
Fig. 1 . 3 - "Life continues to be free and easy", Guy
.. period of history in which human lives were dedicated to utility will by
no means suit the totally different needs of the creative Homo ludens .
The environment must, first of all, be flexi ble, changeable, open to any
Debord movement, change of place or mood, and any mode of behaviour. " 1
These words make it quite clear that, as early as 1964, there
were thoughts and ideas circulating within intellectual circles
pertaining to the lifespan of buildings and how fit they will be
to deal with radical changes in function and program.
The architectural manifestation of these ideas came with
Constant's design proposals for New Babylon. Constant
envisioned a new city suspended on light-weight structure over
the old cities of the world that could respond freely to changing
lifestyles and technology. Basically, New Babylon was a utopian
space frame, a jungle gym that allowed anything to go on
within i ts structure . This new architecture would concern itself
with "emotionally moving situati ons, rather than emotionally
moving forms, as the material it works with. " 4 It is at this point
that a direct connection to Bernard Tschumi's work can be
drawn, as he takes the idea of using program and function as
the fundamental elements of design and moves forward to his
theories of transprogramming.
Therein lies the starting point for transprogramming.
I
background
--
-l
notes
1. Tschumi, Bernard. Architecture and Disjunction. Cambridge: MIT
Press, 1994. pg. 205. Crossprogramming i nvolves using "a given
spatial configuration for a program not i ntended for it", a concept
that Tschumi likens to crossdressing. Disprogramming is the
combination of two programs , whereby one program "contaminates"
the program of the second, changing the spatial configuration of the
second .
2. Sadler, Simon. The Situationist City. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1998.
pg. 1. " ... situationists did not want to be just another avant-garde,
but the last avant-garde, overturning current practices of history,
theory, politics, art, architecture, and everyday life."
3. Constant. New Babylon: An Urbanism of the Future . " Architectural
Design. June 1964. reprinted in Architectural Design . 71.3 (2001 ):
pg. 14.
Fig. 1. 7 - Centre Georges Pompidou, Piano and Rogers 4. Debord , Guy, quoted in Sadler. pg. 107.
I
background
schools
notes
1. Graves, Ben E. School Ways: The Planning and Design of America's
Schools. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993. pp. 3-1 1.
2. Ibid. pp. 7-8.
3. Probst, Robert. High School: The Process and the Place. New York:
Educational Facilities Laboratory, Inc. , 1972. pg. 66 .
4. Ibid. pg 66.
1~10 1910
~~ _,,.....·
I
back round
learning
In order for one to justify the creation of a school that is capable of adapting to changing needs, one must
also accept the premise that the concept of learning itself is going to be a changing factor. This has been shown
in the way that educational facilities have evolved along with teaching methods through the past century.
Perhaps this is a logical equation. Assuming that a implies b, if bis found to be true, then a must also be true
to follow the logic. Educational facilities have changed (b), so therefore learning has evolved as well (a).
It would also seem prudent to discuss the nature of learning itself. Learning as a process is indeed
nebulous in its form, difficult to describe and classify. But for all intended purposes, one can assume that there
exists two different types of learning. They will be referred to here as lecture and interactive.
Lecture-based learning involves some of the most traditional principles of education, couched in the
origins of schools in America (one individual lecturing to a number of students). This type of education is most
suited for non-analytical and empirical types of subjects; it is concerned with data and information as opposed
to synthesis and evaluation. Because of the nature of the teaching process involved i n lecture-based classes,
they can numerically grow to be quite large--no interaction is needed in order to list the causes of the American
Civil War. Typical examples of lecture-based classes are the lower-level college classes that are to be found in
most any college or university in the United States.
Conversely, interactive learning is not suited for large classroom sizes. Interactive classes are based on
the establishment of a dialogue between the student and the teacher. Rote memorization and hard data is not a
concern of interactive learning. Instead, learning is facilitated through the fluidity of interaction between
teacher and student. Therefore, interactive learning is able to deal with the differences between individual
students (their needs, abilities, habits, talents, etc.). Examples of interactive learning include fine arts classes
in primary and secondary schools and studio-based classes in art and architecture colleges.
Traditional theoretical discussions might characterize the difference between these two learning types as
synonymous with the distinction between multitudes and magnitudes. Loosely speaking, this is a difference
between viewing the world as a discrete set of units that are quantifiable (the distribution of data or
information) versus seeing things as a fluid continuum that isn't easily understood (teaching someone to play.
the guitar).
The relationship between lecture-based and interactive learning is one of oppositions (though not
necessarily in a negative sense of the word). One implies a highly structured and quantifiable process (lecture,
magnitude) and the other takes a fluid approach to the learning process (interactive, multitude). This
relationship can be translated in~o spatial term~ when defining and desi?n~ng ~paces. It follows that any .space
designed for the process of learning should retam each types' characteristics i.e. the space should be flu1d and
adaptable, and yet at the same time quantifable and structured. Therefore, space designated for the process of
I
1
back round
learning should take the form of a large volume that has no inherent order (multitude) , but that can be
subdivided with the addition of partitions (magnitude), thereby transforming it into a space that is made of
discrete (although changeable) units.
I
back round
user analysis
students
The student body will be the most fluid and dynamic of the user groups for the facility. Student population
will change over time, both increasing and decreasing, in relation to issues such as technology, suburban
population shifts, and changes in educational theory.
patients
Patients of the cl inc will come in two types: 1) inpatients - people who are staying at the clinic for a period of
time, possibly in a transitional care situation or permanently and 2) outpatients - patients who visit the clinic
regularly for physical rehabilitation sessions, counseling, and / or therapy.
Faculty, administration, and staff levels will obviously vary according to student population. A large student
body requires more teachers and principals and their accompanying staff. Support staff (janiotorial,
maintenance) will vary less proportionately with student population levels, but will still be somewhat affected
by them.
I
back round
activity analysis
learning
Learning is of course the most important activity that goes on within an educational facility. All other
functions can almost be considered subservient and secondary to it. After all, when one deconstructs the
concept of a school, one finds that it is at its core a place to facilitate learning. (NOTE: A school is a place to
facilitate learning, not a place where learning takes place. This articulation is intentional.)
The spaces of the building that are dedicated to learning should be able to adapt to changes and advances in
teaching method / technologies and fluctuations of student populations.
I
back round
school administration
Every school has its own comp lement of administration and support staff. Principals and assistant principals
are usually located in a central office area, surrounded by secretaries, aides, and counselors. The number of
these users is directly related to how many students and faculty members are in the school.
school support
Educational facilities require a team of maintenance and janitorial staff that keep the infrastructur e of the
school running smoothly. Maintenance and clean-up activities require janitorial and storage spaces, and
sometimes special infrastructur e in those spaces (drains, wiring, etc.). Numbers of maintenance staff is not as
dependent on student population as administration levels, but still is connected in a basic way.
I
back round
food consumption
user groups: students, teachers
time period/ duration: approx. 2-4 hours, centered around noon
While not immensely affected by technological advances, cafeteria space will have to fluctuate according to
student and faculty population size. Technology can affect the support side of the cafeteria (kitchen space,
employees, etc.), but not so much the actual eating area in a direct way. An opportunity exists to combine
cafeteria space with social space.
social interaction
Children of school age are at a crucial point in their lives. Years spent in educational purpose serve a dual
purpose: education and personal definition. Youths learn to interact in a social public realm, under the
"tutelage" of their peers and friends. Therefore, space will be required to facilitate the sort of group
activities and interactions that comprise a student's social education outside the classroom. It is also possible
that these spaces could be combined with the cafeteria areas.
I
back round
athletic activities
user groups: students, teachers
time period/duration: various, depending on situation
It is highly unlikely that organized sports will ever be eliminated from the educational arena. It is also highly
unlikely that technological advances will have a great impact on spatial requirements pertaining to athletic
activities. Consequently, spatial allowances must be made for traditional athletic programs involved in
educational institutions (football, basketball, baseball, physical education, weight training, volleyball, etc.).
parking
More often than not, youths of high school age start to drive themselves to school by sometime during their
sophomore year of school. Parking then becomes a very major spatial component on high school campuses.
Two options remain to deal with parking in this facility : one, set aside ample space for student parking; or two,
provide for limited employee parking, thus forcing students to make use of the transit station .
I
back round
dallas
I
.
1
back rou nd
dallas indpendent school district
I
back round
dallas area rapid transit
CURRENT & FUTU RE SERVICES
'"_
. , •• _
• n. .. _ ,,,,,. -
-.~-
.. ..,...
..... ,.
_ _ f!oo(IV)_
parallels Central Expressway, there has been an explosion of
technology-related businesses and retail areas. By 2004, the
line will be finished out and give service to outlying suburbs
such as Rowlett and Rockwall. The Northwest Line has just
begun , and is planned to stretch up through west Dallas (past
the new Vict ory / American Ai rlines Center development) and
into Farmers Branch and Carrolton. The Southwest and
Southeast lines fill out the system , and at this time pass through
DART Rail System traditionally under-developed and poorer sections of Dallas and
I: .... . . . .""9•---
llgn
«>
_,_
MllUW"f ...
surrounding cities. These lines could provide ample opportunity
for development in areas that are needing new school
I
I :::~=-- __
_ ...,...,.. alternat ives.
..........
.,.~
b~~~~[i) t
" I
..
iI'
design response
aside
this investigation was interrupted. halfway through the discussion, I realized that my focus was not, in fact, in
creating what amounts to a prototype school for the 21 't century. I had done significant background research on
school design, transprogramming as it relates to time (through the Situationists) , and the concept of learning
itself. but at some point, I realized that I had fallen into much the same trap that Tschumi had: the utilization of
transprogramming was becoming a playful exercise, something to toy with, and was not serving a larger purpose.
it was almost as if I had decided that I was going to transprogram something, no matter what it was and what
purpose it served.
this was not my intent. there had to be a larger goal, something that was the Big Idea on the conceptual level, or
I was wasting my time.
originally, the Big Idea was to create a school that could react and deal with the passage of time. a school that
would never become obsolete, perhaps.
Tschumi did not develop a worldview based on wired classrooms and flexible facility types.
upon further contemplation, I found that the particulars of school design itself was not what I was in fact
interested in. I had gotten bogged down in the details, so to speak. the larger issue was how to use a school as a
vehicle or catalyst for something more, for a change in existing conditions.
could one develop a school that was proactive instead of reactive? the school as an entity then takes an active
role in the discussion, instead of being a passive participant.
transprogramming
a facility that combines a rail station with a school proved to be an interesting proposal, but also one that didn't
have the substance that I was looking for. there were opportuni ties to be playful, perhaps; possibilities to create
some interestin g spaces, facilitate some interesting interaction s. but in the end, such a facility would only be
half-effec tive: transprogr amming an education al facility with a transit station generates a facility with one strong,
active program (the school) which is only marginally improved by its relationship to the other (transit station) .
weaknesse s:
granted, a transit station that is paired with a school would help connect the school to the rest of the city;
but what else could it really do? the transit station does not have enough "meat" to bring to the table, so to
speak. therefore , a question is immediate ly raised: can the transit station even qualify as a separate, distinct
program; or is it merely infrastruc ture?
pairing the two programs does not create a site- or area-speci fic discussion. one could propose a facility of
said nature anywhere along the transit rail line. why south dallas? why not north dallas? why not farmers
branch?
there's another weakness here that I just can't remember .... slipped my mind
racial residential segregation leads to property value inequality: when the privileged, traditionally white upper
and upper-middle class leaves an area, that area is left to the lower class, traditionally black population. the
upper classes have left, so there is, by definition , less money in the area. tax bases shrink and property values
decrease.
property value inequality leads to educational inequality: since educational funding in the United States comes
from property taxes, schools in the area are forced to operate on smaller budgets, decreasing their effectiveness.
educational inequality leads to occupational inequality: the decline of the educational system in a specific area
creates a local population which does not have adequate job skills and training, forcing them to work in less
specialized jobs (mainly service-oriented)
occupational inequality leads to income inequality: the jobs which a less-educated population are forced to take
are lower-paying, with little or no benefits
once incomes in the area drop, the cycle is renewed: less money is entering into the system , poverty is increased,
and property values drop, making the educational system one step worse.
____
.. "'"""'4" t .....,. ••
)A f., ....... .,C~1 • • ..,...,.,,.......,..
>.
.,. ,.._.................
R.clal tft .... c ......... ,....., ,...,...,. _ __.... •tf'ftt ,....,...., ..
F1111her TechnoloQy __. Rnldant1al _ _ __. EOU lnequ1hty ~
•• h• , • .,._.
~;;:- ~LS.9reg1do~
'"' Cifu " ....... ..,.. ,.,.0...,..1•·--~
i
t I \MA 111 ... , _ . . I• H_C ... lle ftttooll_.1
.,. l.-e ...... ~............. 11•'--~ •• ~..,.. · - -... , a ....... "••·••uo
,,.~ .. ,_....._....., _ _..,......,.c .... ....., ,,.. c"'" ..
~·'*
Jt , •......,, .. _,,.~t• •~1 .. JIN'Ht
OcQlp.. lnequalrly o,.. ..... ,,~~.. "~·
~
• • ... _... .. _N...,Q ...... ,.....,,,
~
l
0-..t>t'G,,.. .. ·~,..__--~
Govemmen111 .
Polley Rada lenslon
. __ _ _ _ Income lnequalMy
Redal connld
,.,.,., S.....<.... C:..., .... ~ .c.M -~y
emancipation
sociologists refer to racial residential segregation as a social pathology. quite literally, it is somethin
wrong with society, a sickness. to deal with social pathologies, there are two models of interven
g that is
tion :
II'
social model: the social model of interven tion includes things such as welfare and government-spon
sored help
programs. a social program focuses on supplementing the income of a population . they are usually
implemented
under the auspices of the federal government because a) it is t he only entity with enough power
and resources to
impleme nt them and b) it represents society as a whole (social model)
economic model: the economic model proposes direct economi c investment in an afflicted area.
an economic
model of help focuses on raising the property values i n an afflict ed area through redevelopment,
and is usually
undertaken by private corporations / entities or individuals.
~ 0cnPly
EFFECTS AND~ a> RACIAL RESIDENJlA L SEGREGATION
Modcl l Social SIOJcturaJ P11hok>gy
Varublts /
D<iuny • lladal I
VlalWlily
b:la1 lncocnc
Tawloa Ir-- lncq.wiry
Subjec1i\'e vs Objccti~ spa11al need c-tUd
lntcnuJ YJ uleln.al density
Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary
Arts
Tourcoing, France
Bernard Tschumi
infrastructure
sout h Dallas has a more than adequate infrastruc ture to accommodate new growth and development. The area is
well-connected t o the rest of the city through both automobile arteries (below, left) and the DART rail system
(below, right) .
analysis
'{
school system J
there is an adequate number of elementary and middle schools (below, left) in south Dallas and east Oak Cliff to
feed students into a new magnet high school. Student population can also be drawn from three high schools
nearby, as the proposed site sits near the intersection of three high school attendance boundaries.
analysis
underdevelopment
South Dallas has been consistently underdeveloped over the years. This is attested by the fact that most magnet
schools in the Dallas Independent School District are located south of the downtown core (below, far right). As
economic developmen t tends to be closely associated with areas of higher concentration of upper classes, one can
also surmise that north Dallas is more prosperous (below, far left). Synthesizing these two mappings, one
concludes that richer, more-priveleged students have been drawn from the north to magnet schools in the south.
The proposed magnet high school presents a unique opportunity: an alliance with a local hospital (below, center) ,
and generation of student population from the south, instead of the north.
area analysis
a closer examination of the area around the Veterans Administration Hospital shows that the area has two very
distinct qualities: the hospital campus, characterized by objects (buildings) in space (above, left) and hard
parking lots (above, right); and the area around the hospital campus, characterized by open green space (below,
left) and schools situated within the green space (below, right).
analysis ,
3. A large parking lot lies between the hospital buildings and the
proposed site, hindering pedestrian access to the magnet high
school. Intervention in this area should consider traversing the
lot and service road using a raised bridge structure. Since the
major path across the site starts out raised 15ft. above grade, a
design element that begins at the open space mentioned in (2)
and slopes upwards to the site would be desirable.
I
southeast side of the building. The school currently has an
outdoor eating area there, which is blocked off by a fence. This
fence should be removed, allowing free-flowi ng access from the
path, and the area could be covered to shield itself from
inclement weather. :
area/ territ ory
5. Between Young Elementary School and the proposed site is a
service parking lot. Any interve ntion in this area should attemp t
to bring the two facilitie s (Young and the proposed magnet
school) closer togethe r conceptually.
I
Plan layout is driven by two factors:
Function: The two programs, magnet school and physical rehabilitation clinic, are seperated spatially. The space
between these two functions becomes an environment that is used by members of both user groups.
Grids: The plan shape, arrangement, and articulation of the various components are derived using two seperate
grids (for two seperate programs). One grid is generated from the movement of the path through the site; the
other from the cardinal directions.
transprogramming
It should be noted here that my energies in this exploration did not focus on the specifics of school and
rehabilitation clinic design. At some point, I realized that the design of these two types of facilities is very
detailed and developed; one could spend just as much time on one program as on the other, and still not have
a developed , comprehensive design.
That being the case, I began to treat the two programs generically. The facility contains adequate space for
the various functions of each program , but floor plans and sections of the classroom wing and the clinic wing
were not generated. Indeed, the wings of the facility that are devoted to each program are usually
represented by a blocked mass, uniform in color (blue for classrooms/ high school, red for rehab . clinic).
Specifics of their layout, beyond positioning, were avoided on purpose.
There are mountains of information , codes, prototypes, etc. that exist pertaining to classroom and clinic
design. But to focus on the actual layout of these two elements would lose the Big Idea: the combination of
the two programs as a means to facilitate social emancipation. Therefore, my design efforts centered on the
common elements that lay between and around the two programs (roof, commons, gymnasium, landscape) ,
the elements that could successfully bring the two programs together in a functional and productive harmony.
paths/site
Access to the site can come in two ways: from the two crossing pedestrian paths or from Ann Arbor Avenue to the
east (vehicular). The facility itself is located towards the northwest corner of the site in order to cut down on
walking time from the hospital and to accomodate the spatial and orientational requirements of the playing
fie lds. Vehicular traffic enters through a path that is cut through a ordered (and yet still playful) landscape. This
vehicular approach also allows service vehicles to access the service corridor in the commons area.
The roof structure that envelops the entire facility is employed to join all of the various components and
programs. It never completely covers any program (school or clinic); it instead merely blurs the lines between
them, reaching out and drawing them together. The shared common spaces and functions (gym, commons area,
cafeteria) fall completely under the roof's spread, furthering the idea that the roof is a tool to pull the two
functions closer together.
Articulation of the roof planes is meant to mirror the planar nature of the surrounding landscape. The roof acts
as a vehicle that keeps the facility below it from being viewed as a collection of objects in space, metaphorically
extending the landscape to the building and tying the facility back to its site
The commons area is defined by the
space that lies between the two
separate programs. It lies along the
main circulation spine, and is crossed
by the minor circulation path .
A large portion of the functions contained within the commons area are at least in some fashion shared by the
school and the clinic . Example: the cafeteria and kitchen serve both user groups. To a lesser extent, the
examination and evaluation rooms can also be shared (students can be allowed to work a basic clinical rotation, o
to observe patient evaluations).
The commons area is raised on an earthen fill 15 feet above grade. This effectively raises the "ground level" to
what would traditionally be the second floor in most buildings.
Two linear elements pierce the commons fill : the service trench, and a linear courtyard adjacent to the classroom
wing. Reinforcing the effort to tie things closely toget her, the running track slips under the main pedestrian path
and up to the gymnasium.
commons area
The commons area is raised
on an earthen fill 15 feet
above grade. This
effectively raises the
"ground level" to what would
traditionally be the second
floor in most buildings.
The roof structure wraps around the northwest facade of the gymnasium, at the same time enfolding the
gym/pool spaces and seeming to spring from the ground around it.
The main pedestrian path bisects the athletic building, separating the basketball court and the lap pool. Men's
and women's locker rooms and showering facilities are located below grade, underneath the entrance to the site.
The main pedestrian
path bisects the athletic
building, separating the
basketball court and the
lap pool. Men's and
women's locker rooms
and showering facilities
are located below grade,
underneath the entrance
to the site.
presentation layout
annotated bibliography
Borden, lain , et al. editors. The Unknown City: Contesting Architecture and Social Space.
Cambridge: MIT Press, 2001 . pp. 370-386.
Contains an interview with Bernard Tschumi that has very scattershot topics. A good insight into what is currently
on his mind.
Brubaker, C. William. Planning and Designing Schools. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. pp. 151-
154, 160-161, 165-167, 181-183, 186-194.
This review of school design issues is a little more heavy on the precedent/case-study side, but the little text
that it provides at the front of the book is actually quite informative. Asmall history of school design says a lot in a
little space, as does the survey of current school issues. The most important thing to be found here is the chapter
entitled "How to Prevent Obsolete Schools". Seeing as this is one of the main focuses of my investigation , this stands as
proof that my ideas might have credence at this point in the discussion.
De Chiara, Joseph and John Hancock Callender, ed. Time-Saver Standards for Building Types.
Third Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990. pp. 212-272.
Invaluable checklist of guidelines for designing and managing the various functions involved with the design of an
educational facility. Far from just a mere table of figures , the text even goes into surface-level analysis of the means in
which the standards were derived.
Constant. "New Babylon : An Urbanism of the Future." Architectural Design . June 1964. reprinted
in Architectural Design. 71 . 3 (2001 ): pp12-14.
This article was originally published in Architectural Design in 1964. It comes a few years after Constant had
basically left the Situationist International, but still carries many of their themes. As with most of his work from the
period, the article describes the new city environment that Constant had devised for a new age, New Babylon .
Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. Community Use of Schools: Facility Design Perspectives. 1995.
While the book seems to actually focus on using communities to help in the designing of schools, it nevertheless
provides some valuable insight into the issues that are currently vital to school design. It seems that issues like
flexibility and sustainability are quite large in education design arenas right now. While not as scholarly as some of the
other texts (it's written by a firm) , the window into the professional side of the debate is quite informative.
annotated bibliography
Graves, Ben E. School Ways: The Planning and Design of America's Schools. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1993.
Invaluable as an excellent survey of school design, both in reference to past trends and in dealing with issues that
will become important in the future. Provides case studies, both from the past and present, perhaps allowing a careful
juxtapositi on of historical trends and their effects with the responses to those effects in the newer projects. Brubaker's
introductio n is quite informative.
Hughes, Jonathan and Simon Sadler, ed's. Non-Plan: Essays on Freedom Participation and
Change In Modern Architectu re and Urbanism . Oxford: Architectu ral Press, 2000.
A collection of essays that are very much in keeping wi th the spirit of the my investigations. The works deal with
the issue of learning to cope with the structures, physical, political, and intellectual, that inform one's experience
in the
urban world and any attempts to change that world. According to the editors, the works don't necessarily proscribe
the
transgression of all these structures, but definitely call them into question . Sort of an awareness-raising.
Miles, Malcolm and Time Hall and lain Borden, editors. The City Cultures Reader. New York:
Routledge , 2000. pp 327-329.
The essays and articles in this volume cover many aspects of urbanism, from philosophical underpinnings to
cultural manifestations. In particular, it contains an essay entitled "Whatever happened to urbanism?", written by
Rem
Koolhaas. The editors attribute the essay to Koolhaas' book, "SM L XL", which I thought was mainly graphics, not
text.
This may require either adding Koolhaas' book, or rejecting this reader in favor of the primary source. In either case,
the
thoughts in Koohaas' brief essay stands as an influence on these writings, if not a cited source.
Miller, Ross. "The Situationists: Resurrecting the Avant-Garde." Progressive Architectu re. 72. 9
(1991 ): pp. 139-140.
Low-level, very brief summary of the Sitationists and their influence in the mid-twenti eth century. Points out the
obvious debt that people like Tschumi and Eisenmann owe to Situationist ideas. Very good as a brief article, sort of
an
introductio n, but doesn't go much beyond the surface. ·
annotated bibliography