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Development for the proposal of a reorganization and expansion to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, in Buffalo, NY
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A GARDEN OF ACOUST ICS
christopher osterhoudtuniversity at buffalo
semester six
ARC 302Design StudioChristopher Osterhoudt, CDCurt Gambetta
Spring 2012 Portfolio
University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkSchool of Architecture and Planning
in conjunction with
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical GardensBuffalo, NY
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens 4
Development of a Concept 6
Expansion Proposal 8
THE BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENSThe Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens (BECBG) was designed and built in the late 19th Century in part by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead and glass house architects Lord & Burnham. The original organization plan was to have vegetation from various climates around the world, based on the premise of Buffalos meridian. The world would be cut vertically at the longitude of Buffalo, and the circumference of the resulting section would be known as the Buffalo Meridian. Its a simple and elegant organizational strategy, yet as the diagram to the right shows, the existing organization is arbitrary with regards to the Buffalo Meridian, more organized by climatic requirements of the vegetation.
FERN HOUSE
RAINFOREST
SEMI TROPICALDESERT
SEMITROPICAL
EXOTIC TROPICAL
VICTORIAN FAVORITESSEASONAL DISPLAY/EVENTS
PANAMA RAINFOREST
FLORIDA EVERGLADES
RAINFOREST SEMITROPICALSEMI TROPICALDESERTOCEAN ANTARCTICA COLD/ARID
PANAMA RAINFORESTFLORIDA EVERGLADES
REPRESENTEDNOT REPRESENTED
PANAMA RAINFOREST FLORIDA EVERGLADESSEMI TROPICALDESERT RAINFOREST SEMITROPICAL OTHER
BUFFALO BOTANICAL GARDENS
AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND THE WORLD
BUFFALO BOTANICAL GARDENS
EXIS
TIN
G P
LAN
- O
RGA
NIZ
ATI
ON
OF
CLI
MA
TE Z
ON
ES
BUFFALO, NEW YORKS70 W25 +612
INUKJUAK, CANADAS48 W-15 +82
SIBERIA, RUSSIAS58 W15 +(?)
TSETSERLEG, MONGOLIAS55 W-5 +5577
YINCHUAN, CHINAS70 W17 +3641
SINGAPORE, MALAYSIAS82 W79 +50
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINAS52 W76 +69
LIMA, PERUS63 W74 ~500
HAVANA, CUBAS81 W72 +40
MIAMI, FLORIDAS85 W68 +6
CITY NAME, LOCATION(Summer temp) (Winter temp) (Elevation relative to sea level)
*Summer and Winter seasons based on Northern Hemisphere
BUFFALO MERIDIAN
DEV
ELO
PMEN
T O
F A
CO
NC
EPT Upon visiting the Botanical Gardens, the visitor should
feel completely immersed in the environment being represented. Vegetation, whether temporary or not, should be planted in the ground, with integrated paths of circulation that weave throughout the exhibits, like a path winding through a forest. Information signs should be dispersed throughout the gardens, constantly keeping the visitor informed about and engaged with the exhibits. Visitors are able to walk right up to the vegetation, able to touch it if safe. There are no limitations to this sort of museum; no glass panes or walls separating exhibits; the new proposal for the BECBG should be a single enclosure that encompasses a forest of unlimited information.
The Buffalo Botanical Gardens is a space that not only simulates natural environments, but is also built in the natural environment of a park. Between the thresholds of the park it is located and the environments being simulated inside, there should exist an obscure boundary that seamlessly blurs the natural environment inside with the natural environment outside. An uninterrupted and integrated path of circulation should flow throughout the interior of the gardens and connect to the park outside so as to make the observer feel harmonized with both the environment being simulated and the existing natural environment of Buffalo.
EXPANSION PROPOSAL
concave form reects and echoes sound wavesideal for loud spaces such as rainforests
convex form absorbs and evenly distributes sound wavesideal for classrooms and quieter spaces
speaker
direct sound path
indirect sound
path
reected sound path
AC
OUS
TIC
BEH
AV
IOR
Developing an atmosphere that closely resembles the natural environment revolves around designing for more than just one or two senses. Sight and touch have already been addressed simply by the paths of circulation and integration of exhibits. Going one step further is the manipulation of sounds to mimick the environments being represented and further develop the placement of programs to make the experience more educational and visually striking.
One very important aspect of the proposal is the integration of classrooms with the plant exhibitions. A hands on experience is often the most effective way of teaching; therefore a secluded classroom off to the side of the gardens is unrealistic for this proposal. Establishing a classroom (with desks, signs, etc) in the heart of the gardens is in itself easy, the problem comes when trying to control the louder noises of the gardens with the quiet required for a learning environment. A single wall separating the classroom from the gardens solves the noise issue, but also visually separates the two. The solution comes about by establishing one massive undulating enclosure for both the gardens and the classrooms that changes in its curves based on formal requirements.
Sound waves behave in the very same way as light waves; when it hits a surface, it is reflected at the same angle it hits the surface. A concave form, such as a dome, causes sound waves to bounce back and forth multiple times before it reaches the listener. The difference between the direct sound wave reaching the listener and the indirect sound waves that bounce around before reaching the listener is known as an echo. Because of this bouncing around, concave forms are more appropriate for programs with generally loud noises.
On the other hand, when a sound wave hits a convex form, it hits it only once, bouncing in many directions but never hitting the same surface twice. The sound dissipates in energy quickly and echoes never occur. The result is a space that is comparitively quieter, and is appropriate for those programs where loud noises are unacceptable, such as classrooms or a library.
Strong (Loud)
Sound Wave Strength(Dissipation of energy due to air and reverebration)
Weak (Quiet)
WAFFLE STRUCTURE
light well?
two aisles for circulation
at Buenos Aires
pond?
speaker
direct sound path
indirect sound
path
reected sound path
one winding path for circulation
temporary exhibits planted into ground with their potsbackdrop of larger, permanent vegetation
demonstration gardens outside
glass domereective material to sound waves
wood structureabsorptive material to sound waves
concave form reects and echoes sound wavesideal for loud spaces such as rainforests
convex form absorbs and evenly distributes sound wavesideal for classrooms and quieter spaces
glass dome
glass dome
orangery?
glass dome
new structure dug into the sitefurther integrates the gardens with the park
After determining the behavior of acoustics, a formal enclosure started to develop based on the consequences of reflecting sound waves. Louder programs were developed under concave portions of the enclosure, where sound waves would be able to reflect multiple times before reaching the visitor. This mimicks the echoes that can be associated with rainforests and other densely vegetated climates. Programs requiring a more quiet atmosphere are developed under convex portions, where the sound waves would hit the enclosure just once before bouncing away from the visitor.D
EVEL
OPM
ENT
THRO
UGH
SEC
TIO
N
light well?
two aisles for circulation
at Buenos Aires
pond?
speaker
direct sound path
indirect sound
path
reected sound path
one winding path for circulation
temporary exhibits planted into ground with their potsbackdrop of larger, permanent vegetation
demonstration gardens outside
glass domereective material to sound waves
wood structureabsorptive material to sound waves
concave form reects and echoes sound wavesideal for loud spaces such as rainforests
convex form absorbs and evenly distributes sound wavesideal for classrooms and quieter spaces
glass dome
glass dome
orangery?
glass dome
new structure dug into the sitefurther integrates the gardens with the park
The ground plane is engaged in a way that best reflects the original intention of strongly integrating the botanical gardens with the park that is the site. Originally the form was located completely above grade, but with areas where the enclosure came down to be flush with the ground. The concept of integration was best exemplified, however, if the enclosure for the gardens was sunk half way below grade, so that the proposal engaged with the earth in an interlocking way. The demonstration garden would be established where the form dips below grade, where the park is sectionally embraced by the botanical gardens.
SEC
TIO
N 1
SEC
TIO
N 2
Plants and exhibits are all located under one roof, ridding the design of visually obtrusivewalls. Each climate is separated into zones made apparent by the undulating roof. Basedon an analysis of various climates on the Bualo Meridian and the average temperaturesthroughout a given year, vegetation and exhibits are organized by similar environmentalrequirements. The warmest biomes greet the visitor at the main entrance by the parking lot,and the colder and more barren biomes are located in the existing structure. The main domeand extension o of the dome are programmed with servant spaces, a gift shop, and cafe,so they would not be considered part of the colder biome representations.
BUFFALO, NEW YORKINUKJUAK, CANADA
SIBERIA, RUSSIA
TSETSERLEG, MONGOLIA YINCHUAN, CHINA
SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
LIMA, PERU
HAVANA, CUBA
MIAMI, FLORIDA
BUFFALO MERIDIANCLIMATE DIFFERENCES
PLA
N -
ORG
AN
IZA
TIO
N O
F C
LIM
ATE
S
TICKET DESK
COAT ROOM
GROW HOUSE
ORANGERY
CLASSROOMS
The majority of the proposed design is located below the existing main oor,taking up the area that is currently mechanical space in the basement. Thisallows for a direct entrance from the parking lot through the existing servicetunnel to the north.
The Growing House and Orangery are largely separated from the proposedaddition by deep structure, yet paths of circulation connect all the spaces sothat one does not have to go outside to travel from one space to another.
Circulation between the proposed addition and the existing structure isestablished by a 20 ramp sloping up from west to east, going over the mainentrance. From there it is connected to the main oor of the northern mostexisting house.
5' 10' 15' 20' 25' 50' 100'
SEED LIBRARY
FIXT_CODEFU_TOTALFU_WASTEFU_HOTFU_COLDFIXT_CODEFU_TOTALFU_WASTEFU_HOTFU_COLDFIXT_CODEFU_TOTALFU_WASTEFU_HOTFU_COLDFIXT_CODEFU_TOTALFU_WASTEFU_HOTFU_COLD
PLA
N -
PA
RKIN
G L
OT
LEV
EL
GROWING HOUSE
ORANGERY
CAFE
OFFICES
HANDS ON LEARNING
GIFT SHOP, COAT ROOM
DEMONSTRATION GARDENS
PLA
N -
MA
IN F
LOO
R