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Copyright © by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo 2007 All Rights Reserved LIESIL ALDERFER ARREDONDO THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON May 2007 of the Requirements Presented to the Faculty of the Honors College of A Creative Project The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of by
Citation preview
Copyright © by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo 2007
All Rights Reserved
SANTA MONICA CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM OF ART
A DOCUMENTATION OF THE DESIGN
PROCESS AND EVOLUTION
by
LIESIL ALDERFER ARREDONDO
A Creative Project
Presented to the Faculty of the Honors College of
The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of
HONORS BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON
May 2007
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fond regards to Professor Martin Price for his wealth of insight and for allowing
me the opportunity to see architecture through his eyes. I would like to thank the
Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, David Jones, whom has earned
my trust and admiration. As my Honors College Mentor, numerous times David Jones
has been willing to lend his professional advice and recommendations. My deepest
gratitude goes to Associate Dean David Jones for his assistance in making this Honors
distinction possible.
The spirit of the Honors College has been parallel to that of the School of
Architecture. That is, to push one’s self beyond where you first thought you could.
Having gone farther than first imagined, feels great! The time and effort that UTA’s
professors, Honors counselors and staff have invested in me is much appreciated.
May 08, 2007
iii
ABSTRACT
SANTA MONICA CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM OF ART
A DOCUMENTATION OF THE DESIGN
PROCESS AND EVOLUTION
Publication No. ______
Liesil Alderfer Arredondo, HBS - Architecture
The University of Texas at Arlington, 2007
Faculty Mentor: David Jones, Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture
The presentation includes the investigation of a given site and the process of
developing a design for a museum of contemporary art that will engage the complexity
of the context in which it would sit.
The chosen site is the Santa Monica Pier. The Pier is a rich fabric including a
mix of cafes, shops, vendor carts, aquarium, carousel, arcade, Ferris wheel and parking.
The solution takes into consideration the important role and unique spirit of the pier.
Contemporary art comes in all shapes and sizes, which requires versatile spaces
in which to be displayed. Folding spaces into horizontal floor planes and roof planes
that are in communication with the site is a focus that when tempered with a reminder
iv
that the simpler the form the more powerful, proves to be an exciting challenge. One
philosophy being considered is that a contemporary art museum might contain galleries
to confront art, because many contemporary artists prefer confronting spaces not neutral
ones to display art.
The project includes several different media in expressing the architectural
concepts of the design. Plans and sectional drawings and a sequence of
parti/developmental drawings will be shared along with small, abstract, conceptual
physical models to express pure form. Large physical models will be shared to express
feelings in three dimensions.
The solution involves a spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and
spatially exciting to move through. The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though
space, to involve a relationship between art and architecture.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS................................................................................................ viii
Chapter
1. SANTA MONICA ……................................................................................ nn
1.1 Santa Monica Pier…………...................................................................... nn
1.2 Program for a New Museum.................................................................... nn
2. CONTEMPORARY ART............................................................................. nn
2.1 Contemporary Art ............................................................................... nn
2.2 Understanding Contemporary Art............................................................ nn
2.2.1 Tim Hawkinson………………………………………………………….…… nn
2.2.2 Brice Marden............................................................................ nn
2.2.3 Bruce Gray................................................................................ nn
2.2.4 Frank Stella.............................................................................. nn
3. THE PIER - SITE ANALYSIS..................................................................... nn
3.1 The Pier – Site Analysis........................................................................... nn
3.2 The Santa Monica Pier and Context........................................................ nn
vi
4. DEVELOPING FORM ............................................................................... nn
4.1 Developing Form ............................................................................... nn
4.2 The Evolution of the Form.................................................................. nn
5. DEVELOPING SPACE ............................................................................... nn
5.1 Developing Space ............................................................................... nn
5.2 Developing Space ............................................................................... nn
6. CIRCULATION………................................................................................. nn
6.1 Circulation……….................................................................................nn
7. ORGANIZATION ……................................................................................ nn
7.1 Organization …................................................................................... nn
8. PLANS AND SECTIONS............................................................................. nn
8.1 Plans and Sections...............................................................................nn
9. FAÇADE DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................ nn
9.1 Façade Development........................................................................... nn
10. OVERVIEW……………............................................................................. nn
10.1 Overview………............................................................................... nn
CREDITS................................................................................................................... nnn
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION......................................................................... nnn
vii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
2.1 Tim Hawkinson: “Uberorgan”......................................................................... 6
2.2 Brice Marden: “Cold Mountain 3”.................................................................. 7
2.3 Bruce Gray: “Angry Dog”............................................................................... 8
2.4 Bruce Gray: “Triad Chair”............................................................................... 8
2.5 Frank Stella: “Moby Dick”.............................................................................. 9
2.6 Frank Stella: Berlin Exhibition........................................................................ 10
2.7 Frank Stella: “Prairie, (incorporating the ship)”.............................................. 10
3.1 Google Earth: Santa Monica Pier ................................................................... 12
3.2 Santa Monica Pier Site Detail.......................................................................... 13
3.3 Autocad Drawing of the Santa Monica Pier.................................................... 14
3.4 Santa Monica Hippodrome on Opening Day 1909.......................................... 15
3.5 Google Earth (Hippodrome highlighted)......................................................... 15
3.6 Current Day Photo of Hippodrome.................................................................. 15
4.1 Initial Idea Sketch............................................................................................ 17
4.2 Sean Townley: “Wave”................................................................................... 18
4.3 Study Model of Initial Form............................................................................ 18
4.4 Waves of the Pacific Battering the Pier........................................................... 19
4.5 Crowds that Frequent the Pier......................................................................... 19
viii
4.6 Sketch Developing Preliminary Form............................................................. 19
4.7 Study Model of Preliminary Form .................................................................. 19
4.8 Simple form studies considering Movement and Accentuation of Pier.................................................................................. 20
4.9 Study Drawings: Accentuation of Pier............................................................ 20
4.10 Model: Accentuation of Pier............................................................................ 21
4.11 Study Drawing: Movement of a Wave............................................................ 22
4.12 Movement of a Wave....................................................................................... 22
4.13 The Study of Motion to Develop Form........................................................... 22
4.14 Progressive Models: Developing Form........................................................... 22
4.15 Progressive Model: Developing Form............................................................. 23
4.16 Long figure titles should not extend too close to theright margin, break the line and single space the entry like this................................................................................................... 23
2.4 Be sure to align all page numbers against the right margin............................. nn4.4 Long figure titles should not extend too close to the
right margin, break the line and single space the entry like this................................................................................................... 19
2.4 Be sure to align all page numbers against the right margin............................. nn
ix
x
SANTA MONICA
CHAPTER 1
1.1 Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier, home to the historic Hippodrome and its carousel, is
finish line to the famed Route 66. It is a 1,600-foot-long wooden pier that acts as
carnival, market place, amusement park and fishing wharf. All of its hats are worn
simultaneously and all work together as an artistic collage. The fluid and multifaceted
environment of the Pier screams at a chance to be home to a contemporary museum of
art, in a sense it already is the museum. Located 16 miles due west of Los Angeles, the
Pier draws large crowds all year round.
To assess the needs of the future museum a visit to the existing Santa Monica
Museum of Modern Art at Bergamot Station was valuable. The visit brought to my
attention the need for a flowing gallery space, in which to view art. Versatility of space
is important for different Contemporary Art offerings. Some modern art requires the
placement of walls to be an integral part of the works themselves while certain
collections require no walls at all. The requirements and open concepts needed to
1
insure this versatility is what will be studied and developed as the form and space of this
contemporary museum of art evolves.
1.2 Program for a New Museum
The current museum director, Lisa Malandry, shared that the entire gallery
changes its collection on display every three months. Reconfiguring the space is a
necessity and the new museum must allow for the ease of continual reconfiguration.
The director’s wish list for the new museum includes a need for space not to
compete with the art. She communicated the need for a neutral space with a program
that includes 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of:
galleries
book store
administrative offices
food area
loading
parking
The square footage may be added to if eliminating existing functions to be
replaced within the new concept. The existing museum is 10,000 square feet.
The project includes the investigation of the given site and the process of
developing a design for a museum of contemporary art that will engage the complexity
2
of the context in which it will sit. There are several expressive locations at the pier to
choose from. The pier is a rich fabric which includes a mix of cafes, restaurants, shops,
vendor carts, aquarium, indoor carousel, play land arcade, ferris wheel and parking.
The solution takes into consideration the important role and the unique spirit of the pier.
3
CHAPTER 2
2.1 Contemporary Art
To begin, it is necessary to understand the many different shapes of
contemporary art and what it includes. Developing a design for a museum of
contemporary art involves a process that includes acquiring an understanding of what
contemporary art is. Viewing and conceiving the depth of shapes that contemporary art
takes on is the crux of understanding the requirements of a contemporary art museum.
A study of well known artists of the 20 th and 21st centuries is necessary to understand
the mindset and requirements of displaying their art appropriately. Contemporary art
comes in all shapes and sizes, which requires versatile spaces in which to be displayed.
2.1.1 Understanding Contemporary Art
Professor Martin Price suggests that the “philosophy should come from an
architectural concept that has a point of view, containing galleries to confront art,
because artists prefer confronting spaces not neutral ones to display art”. He states
“perhaps a museum can be an art work as well as merely a container for art”.
2.1.2 Tim Hawkinson
Looking at a few of my favorite contemporary artists’ works will show the
breadth of art work available to museums today. Tim Hawkinson works with a varied
medium. One of his most written about pieces is the Uberorgan. It is a massive
4
musical instrument that fills any gallery it visits. Each site it goes to changes its size
and complexity. A quote from Tim Hawkinson shows his thought process,
“I made really basic shapes and then really crude drawings or patterns of the shapes. It's good that they were so crude because it really allowed for a lot of play in the actual fabrication when we started sewing them together. I mean these balloons are huge. Like the size of a small school bus. To sew them there was one person on the sewing machine and two other people that were there just to feed the material through. There was a lot of mass to deal with just in their uninflated state. Well using the materials, just these thin membranes filled with air, it had a very attractive quality for me. Thinking of sculpting with air. In a lot of my work I use transparent materials, especially in mechanical pieces, because I like to be able to see what's going on and keep everything very light and visible. This had kind of an ethereal quality that really appealed to me. And also, it was a really economical way of filling the space and I liked the idea of traveling light. This thing that could really go up in a week and it's just so expansive and organic also.”1
A paragraph from Moshun Jacker’s essay about Tim Hawkinson explains more
about his work and inspiration process and how the viewing leaves the observer.
“His work often engenders an element of performance, highlighting an interest in surrogate interaction. The fact that much of his work deals with elements of time be it music, clockwork gears, thumbnail growth, or machines recreating his signature, alludes to the artist’s desire to somehow live and interact beyond his mortal limitations. Much like the engineers and designers making products that seem to live autonomously among us (ie: Prague’s clock tower, a Mercedes Benz, ATM’s, this computer I am typing on). Time and space always have hovered as themes in his shows but this show is more concise. The time it takes a normal reader to finish Moby Dick, the time it takes to sail across a sea or the time it takes to digest a Hawkinson piece in our own Uberorgan all deal with prolonged periods of time.”2
1 http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.html2 http://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.html
5
Figure 1.1 Tim Hawkinson: “Uberorgan”
2.1.3 Brice Marden
Brice Marden is another favorite artist of mine. His Calligraphic line paintings
are gorgeous, and require very large wall area. William Ganis writes about his works:
“In 1987 Brice Marden astonished the cognoscenti with his calligraphic line paintings. These new works, though understated, seemed brash compared to his signature monochromatic panels with nuanced beeswax and pigment. For three prior decades Marden’s work was grounded in layered physical materials whose surface often took on the sensuousness of human flesh….
Marden’s first major linear painting series, “Cold Mountain,” extends the ailanthus drawing technique to oil paint, linen and monumental scale. Cold Mountain 2, 1989-1991, shows an organic scaffold of somber blues, blacks and whites on muted warm ground. Like the drawings, the lines are expressionistic and prone to accidental occurrences. The marks constantly shift weight, direction, and trace hard angles along with liberal curves….
As the decade progressed, Marden’s palette became hotter and more vivid while his lines became more controlled. Painterly nuances once derived from paint layering now in the nineties come from a material paucity in thin washes and flat paint application. In dematerializing his already spare
6
technique, Marden sometimes sands the paint to the canvas’ nap, thus literally leveling the hierarchy of support and medium.” 3
Figure 1.2 Brice Marden: “Cold Mountain 3”, oil on linen, 9’x 12’
2.1.4 Bruce Gray
Bruce Gray, who has a broad variety of work including furniture pieces and
sculpture, speaks of his art in an interview with Robin Emerson of Strobe Magazine:
"I like to avoid pretentious art scenarios. I'm not really too much for that; I think my art speaks for itself. If I was going to glue a cement brick to a wall, I'd have to come up with a major line of bullshit for it." His work is frequently very humorous, and he says he likes to make "...stuff that can cheer you up. Why shouldn't you have things in your home that make you smile or brighten up your day?" he asks. "I'm not really into depressing art. I appreciate some of it, but I can't really picture having it in my house where I'd see it all the time." 4
3http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/BM.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/brice_marden.html&h=377&w=500&sz=279&tbnid=6j6A7_iwIwGyYM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrice%2Bmarden&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3
4http://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.html
7
Much of Gray’s work is constructed by hand in welded aluminum. The "Angry
Dog": (16x48x16) functional art table is fabricated in steel and painted with high quality
automotive enamels or powder-coated.
Figure 2.3 Bruce Gray: “Angry Dog” Figure 2.4 Bruce Gray: “Triad Chair”
Bruce Gray created his Triad Chair completely by hand. The individual pieces
of aluminum sheet were cut with a 40 amp plasma cutter and MIG welded with a 1 lb
spool gun. Gray chooses to use aluminum for its shiny appearance, easy workability,
corrosion resistance, and the light weight material makes his limited edition sculptures
easier to handle and ship than other materials.
2.1.5 Frank Stella
The final contemporary artist that I will share is by far my favorite. Frank
Stella’s range of work is broad. The early works known as the “black paintings” show
8
precision and rationality that characterizes minimalism. Although those early works are
minimalist in nature, his more recent work has evolved over the years into something
very different.
Figure 2.5 From Stella’s “Moby Dick” exhibition
“His innovative and influential use of irregularly shaped canvases first appeared in his metallic series in 1960. Later examples of his work stress color in decorative curved motifs. In the 1970s and 80s, Stella abandoned the studied, minimalist aesthetic in favor of a more improvised, dynamic, and dramatic idiom in mixed-media. During that time he abandoned flat paintings and instead created large, jutting, multipart, three-dimensional painting-constructions that often incorporate bright colors, enlarged versions of French curves, and lively brushstroke patterns.”5
5 http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0846629.html
9
Figure 2.6 An exhibit of Stella’s work in Berlin
As Stella has changed, his work has also grown in size. An example of this is
his Prairie collection of sculpture.
Figure 2.7 Stella: “Prairie, (incorporating the ship)”
This brief look at Contemporary art is meant to communicate the size
requirements and diversity of spatial needs in Contemporary Art Museums.
10
CHAPTER 3
3.1 The Pier – Site Analysis
11
Every site has its strengths and weaknesses. The Santa Monica Pier is an
amazing draw to people, and because of this will be far more lucrative a site than the
current Burgamot Station. In addition to this strength, the Pier has a built in character,
an entertainment district in its own right. While being the right sort of environment for
a Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pier does have some flaws to address. While
looking for possible flaws, the layout and existing circulation of the site must be
analyzed. Ultimately, the site analysis looks at how the Santa Monica Pier will
influence form which in turn affects gallery space.
3.2 The Santa Monica Pier and Context
Because the Pier is the primary element of the site, it must remain hierarchically
most important. Nothing on the site should steel away the importance of the Pier. The
goal therefore is to engage the pier with the new museum design.
Figure 3.1 Santa Monica Pier
Taking a look at the existing site layout brings some problematic areas to my
attention. Site improvement observations:
12
• Parking lot overwhelms the site
• Difficult transition from parking to pier
• City storage trailer and work yard an eyesore
• Continuity lacking along the ground level pedestrian walkway
• Walkway loses effectiveness when confronted with parking lot
There are three elements to focus on:
Figure 3.2 Santa Monica Pier Site Detail
• Major pedestrian path from parking and the beach. (green)
• Building housing shop, café and two apartments up stairs. (orange)
• City storage trailer and work yard. (red)
As the primary goal is to engage the pier, my chosen site takes cue from the
pedestrian path, following the meandering curve it makes, connecting the beach and
parking to the Pier.
13
The building housing shops, a café and two apartments on its second floor,
appears to be haphazard, a building that has been added onto for each new function. To
engage the pier on both sides, the new museum will utilize this land and include the
existing building’s functions into the museum’s plans, as required in the program.
The land now used as a Santa Monica City work yard and storage facility will
also be used for the new museum, creating a rectangular swathe surrounding the Pier.
Its storage and City work area will be incorporated into the new museum plans.
Figure 3.3 Autocad drawing of Santa Monica Pier
The solution is a contemporary art museum that connects, in a multi level way,
the beach, walking path and parking to the pier.
The site has one building that is considered precious to the history of the Pier
and the Santa Monica community. The Hippadrome, an oddly shaped building is
protected by the local Historic Society. The building, directly across from our building
site, takes its shape from the famous carousel it houses. Its cone shaped roof is one of
the defining elements of the Pier.
14
Figure 3.4 Picture of Hippodrome in 1909 Figure 3.5 Hippodrome on site (highlighted aqua)
In developing the form of our new museum, the Hippodrome must be
considered. Because of its unique shape and historic preservation, competing for
dominance of form is inappropriate. The form chosen must not match the Hippodrome
in oddity; rather it should minimize itself, leaving the stage for the building that has
held its ground for nearly 100 years.
Figure 3.6 Current day view of the restored Hippodrome
15
To recap, the site’s advantages are:
• The chosen site connects the beach via the walking path and parking to the pier.
• The new museum will be located at the main entry of the pier and will be the first pier attraction available to visitors.
• The museum will serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level and the lower beach level.
Having the site chosen, naturally leads into the development of form. The curve
of the pedestrian pathway, as well as the meandering of the beach, both play a part in
the evolution.
CHAPTER 4
The challenge set before me was to develop a design that involves the land.
Professor Martin Price suggested that, “the land should not just be sat upon but
integrated into the concept fold. A simple composition of oneness of form down into
the ground and up into the sky. Lift the ground up into the sky and bring the sky down
into the ground.”
16
Figure 4.1 An initial idea sketch
The concept of bringing the sky into the ground along with the contributing
oceanic environment surrounding the Pier lead to incorporating the movement of a
wave into the form. The nature of a wave stirs up and mixes earth with air, this initial
idea was a place to begin.
4.1 Developing Form
17
Figure 4.2 Sean Townley’s “Wave”
The ebb and flow of the incoming and outgoing waves creates movement that is
emulated in the initial form. Study models worked with the idea of this tidal movement.
The project includes several different media in expressing the architectural
concepts of the design. Small, abstract, conceptual physical models express pure form.
Large physical models express feelings in three dimensions. Developing a sense of
movement in the initial model helped later models find their form.
Figure 4.3 Study model of initial form
The dominate element is the Pier, enveloped by the movement of the ocean and
the goings and comings of the people who frequent it. The pier is the only thing that
remains stationary while a world of movement surrounds it’s every member.
18
Figure 4.4 Waves of the Pacific battering the Pier Figure 4.5 Crowds that frequent the Pier
That movement will be reflected and will encompass the new museum, as it will
be a connector between the beach at the lower level and the Pier.
Figure 4.6 Sketch Developing Form Figure 4.7 Form evolving into geometric shapes
The Pier, being the primary element, must be accentuated.
19
Figure 4.8 Simple form studies considering movement, while accentuating the Pier
• In this exercise the Pier is cradled by the form. Initially the Pier would have
appeared to be resting on the form, yet after considering other options; the act of
touching the pier lessened its due place in the hierarchy.
Figure 4.9 Study drawings toying with accentuating the Pier
• Surrounding the Pier, yet leaving a void between the form and it, accentuates its
importance.
20
Figure 4.10 Study model considering the accentuation of the Pier
Interacting with the Pier becomes the focus, keeping in mind the abstract form
of a wave.
The essence of a wave is defined by its movement; pulling up, pushing down
and stirring up. Positives and negatives come into play, creating a rotation of angles.
The rotation of angles is in essence the rotation or planes. This movement, like a wave
can be repetitive, yet at the same time is so unique in its every individual motion.
The idea of consistency of inconsistency is exciting. This concept is complex to
confront, while keeping in mind that simple forms are most powerful. Creating a form
that emulates this idea in a simple way is a challenge. Because of the depth of meaning
behind movement being transformed into a stationary form, the evolution takes on a life
of its own.
21
Figure 4.11 A study of motion Figure 4.12 a churning wave coming in
and then going back out to sea
Figure 4.13 Sketch using movement to develop form
From the initial form a quite different creature evolves:
Figure 4.14 Progression of Study Models Developing form
22
Figure 4.15 Progression of study models developing form
Studying the site shows the importance of the pedestrian pathway leading from
parking to the beach, and indirectly to the Pier.
Fugure 4.16 Initial study drawing of the footprint embracing the pedestrian pathway
The walking path allows for access to the museum from the lower level as the
Pier is linked to the upper level.
The museum will serve as a means of circulation between the two levels.
Figure 4.17 Geometric form follows the grade of the hillside
23
Figure 4.18 Figure Ground view from the Pacific
• The curve of the beach is a guide for the contour of the form.
• The Pier pierces through the heart of the form creating a separation, an
opportunity to distinguish service from served.
The context determines the placement of the form on site. Our main concern is
to work with and not take away from the historic Hippodrome, while still accentuating
the pier. This is done successfully by allowing the narrow end of our form to rest on the
side of the Pier where the Hippodrome is dominant. The form is therefore not
competing with the existing context, but in an indirect way, allowing the Hippodrome to
remain the dominate member on the entertainment side of the Pier.
The form has been developing. Interior space and circulation naturally are the
next step in the process of designing the museum.
24
CHAPTER 5
One of the challenges set forth was the concept of the need for a flowing gallery
space, in which to view art. Versatility of space is important for different
Contemporary Art offerings. Some modern art requires the placement of walls to be an
integral part of the works themselves while certain collections require no walls at all.
The requirements and open concepts needed to insure this versatility is what will be
studied and developed as space and circulation of this contemporary museum of art are
conceived.
5.1 Developing Space
The possibility of art being of immense size, as in Tim Hawkinson’s Uberorgan,
requires a flowing space and varied volumes of height to be available. To achieve a
continuity of space and circulation, different studies toyed with the use of planes as
circulation. Floor planes becoming larger ramps in which the whole floor moves the
visitor through the collection.
25
Study exercise of floor planes acting as ramps
Space and circulation in this instance are one and the same. Though the
exercise above explains the concept of rotation of planes to serve as circulation, fitting
all of the ramps within a box limits our space versatility. Rather than spiral circulation
the next exercise is an attempt to use different combinations of ramping with as little as
possible being parallel.
Sketchup study of planes
Exhibition space is also acting as interior circulation, while creating level
changes as it flows. This space is creating different vantage points in which to view art.
The museum goers will be looking down and up at art displays on multi-levels as they
move through the space.
26
Study models exploring spatial sequences
Objectives of spatial sequences
• Utilizing gradual ramps to guide the viewer through the collection.
• The ramps are not merely corridors of circulation but spatial planes housing art.
Professor Price describes the dynamics of the spatial planes that should be
sought. “Create and think in cross section. Fold spaces into a fluidity of horizontal
floor planes and roof planes that embrace and envelop the site. Dynamically push out
and pull in transparent and opaque surfaces.”
Preliminary study model working with ramping planes
27
One discovery from such exercises was that space is more exciting when
looking down on it, than when looking up. This discovery brings us to the point of
developing circulation.
Sectional model of exhibition spaces
28
CHAPTER 6
The main entry has a very important role to play in creating a dynamic first
impression of the space. The elements that can help entice the viewer’s senses are
multi-levels on one floor, interesting volumes of space, double and triple volumes, and
circulation entering in and out from interior to exterior and back again. It is a goal to
touch on each of these points in determining the entry sequence, and the ultimate
architectural promenade.
Study of entry ramping and planes
The pier is the primary line of motion:
29
The crowds that frequent the Pier
6.1 Circulation
While there are two major circulation routes on the site, the Pier is the primary
line of motion. It is important to vertically have the main entry closer to the level of the
Pier than to the lower level Pedestrian path.
Section showing pier level in relation to museum main entry level
30
Diagram showing main entry from the Pier
The museum will serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level
and the lower beach level, connecting the beach and parking to the Pier. Because of the
dynamic quality of the pier, and the reputation of being an entertainment district, the
appropriate mode of circulation should be a leisurely one. In keeping with the gradual
movement through space it is important to continue using ramps to create spatial
interaction even in those zones that are strictly circulation, appose to stairs. To
accomplish this, the continuity of the ramps from interior to exterior will be used to
network the pedestrian pathway to the Pier.
Diagram showing the sequence of exterior
circulation from the Pier to the main entry
and on to the pedestrian pathway below
31
Entry from the Pier – orange / Entry from the walking path – green
The pier is the primary line of motion, as the primary goal is to engage the pier,
the ramping from the pedestrian path moves in and out between the interior datum wall
of the museum, and the imaginary zone created by the meandering curve of the walking
path it rises from.
Datum wall (red) / pedestrian pathway (green)
The system of exterior ramps connect the beach and parking to the Pier, with
museum entry accessible from both.
32
From the entry we move to the challenge of developing a successful interior
circulation. Professor Martin Price suggested that the solution will involve a “dynamic,
spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and spaciously exciting to move through.”
The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though space, to involve a relationship
between art and architecture.
CHAPTER 7
7.1 Organization
A system of hierarchy is apparent when studying the final form. The larger and
more dominate wake of the tidal form is reserved for the dominate function of the
building. That is, the Exhibition Halls and Gallery are housed on the right hand side of
the building, the taller end of the proverbial wave.
Cross-sectionally, one can view the Exhibition Hall cradling the auditorium.
This placement is a metaphor referring to a space reserved for lectures and educational
offerings, where the artist expounds upon the works surrounding those in attendance.
33
Spatial organization charts:
Exhibition Hall cradling the Auditorium (a gem, the source of knowledge)
Function is separated by the pier, service functions placed on the left Those functions to be celebrated and served are placed to the more dominate right
Celebrating the exhibition and gallery space is important, and the chart above
depicts a hierarchical order. The Pier is accentuated by the careful enclave created by
the surrounding museum. Second only to the Pier is the exhibition space, leading to and
cradling the auditorium. Administrative function, acting as literal land-lord, is placed
on the highest floor, symbolically reining over the apartments and retail space below.
Developed model
Organization of each individual floor goes into much greater detail, yet for the
most part the individual floor plans follow the organizational diagrams on page 33.
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CHAPTER 8
8.1 Plans and Sections
The ground floor is accessible from the pedestrian pathway and the parking lot.
Directly across from the Hippodrome are spaces reserved for retail and café usage (blue
on the first floor plan, next page). The scooping down of the form on this side of the Pier
brings the building down to human scale, offering services to the pedestrians at ground
level.
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Also at ground level is the Santa Monica City storage area and work shop (teal on
the first floor plan, next page). This being replacement space for the eliminated work yard and
storage trailer on the current site. Access to the work shop is recessed under the main
entry of the museum, acting as a subservient service area to the public domain. This
area may also serve as an annex to the city parks department, a ‘behind the scenes’
beautification office.
A covered loading dock leading to the museum is also intended to conceal the
City service vehicles gaining access to the work shop.
8.1.1. Plans
8.1.1.1 First Floor
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Blue – Retail/Café
Aqua – City use (Replacing storage trailer and work yard)
The second level houses three apartments that may be kept to offer
accommodations to the visiting lecturers or to be leased on a monthly basis to bring in
revenue for the museum or City (yellow on the second floor plans). Each apartment has access
to a balcony acting an exterior leisure area.
Exhibition and gallery space (tangerine on the second floor plan) is accessed by way of a
wide ramp coming from the floor above. The way of egress, in addition to the
emergency exit that leads to stairs and elevators on the left side of the building, is
through another wide ramp leading up to the exterior patio beneath the Pier (the exit doors
of this ramp are shown on the third floor plans).
Also on this floor is the Auditorium, the culmination of the Museum tour.
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8.1.1.2 Second Floor
Tangerine – Exhibition Hall
Peach – Auditorium
Purple – Public Restrooms for the Gallery
Aqua – Storage and Art Prep rooms
Yellow – Apartments
Entering the third floor by way of a wide ramped plane leading from the main
entry on the forth floor, allows the visitor to view the second floor double volume space
below and any large scale sculptural works on display from both levels. The exhibition
space is also acting as interior circulation, while creating level changes as it flows. This
space is creating different vantage points in which to view art. The combination of
interesting volumes of space, double and triple volumes, and circulation ramping on the
inside and outside of the main exhibition space creates multiple ways of viewing the art
on display. The museum goers have the opportunity to experience art on a variety of
levels as they move through the space.
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The primary entry to the administrative offices is from the “patio” directly
beneath the pier. The patio is accessed by way of a ramp leading down from the pier.
The patio acts as a lounge area that has ample room for cart venders and may be a
favorable location for an outdoor market. The patio is also the main exiting point for the
museum, and will support ample traffic for venders.
To the left of the offices is a large interior reception/waiting room that is flanked
by a private conference room.
8.1.1.3 Third Floor
Tangerine – Exhibition Hall
Green – Administrative Offices
As stated earlier, space is more exciting when looking down on it, than when
looking up. On the forth and entry floor, the element that helps entice the viewer’s
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senses is the multi-levels spawning from one floor. The architectural promenade begins
on the median level and allows the meandering spirit of the visitor to take charge. The
visitor has a vantage point of planes leading up and down to choose from, a dynamic,
spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and spaciously exciting to move through.
The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though space, to involve a relationship
between art and the viewer experiencing the art in multiple space offerings.
The ticketing and entry foyer is culmination to an entry corridor created by a
cantilevered wall that marks the arrival from the pier. The entry foyer enables access
to the museum gift and book store (blue on the forth floor plan). An angled wall defines the
separation of the gallery from the circulation zone; this wall also separates the retail
function of the museum (book store/gift shop) from the art itself, keeping the spirit and heart
of the museum pure and unadulterated.
A contemporary mural painted on the entry corridor wall would be visible from
the Pier and would act as a draw to ramp goers entering from both the Pier and the
pathway ramps.
Model showing possible mural on the interior entry corridor wall / red indicates possible location of digital screen
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Another appropriate place for a mural or possibly a digital screen, advertising
the collection on display, would be the exterior wall of the gallery flanking the Pier
(shown in the model on page 32), a visual offering for those commuting through the causeway
created by the museum building surrounding the pier.
8.1.1.4 Forth Floor
Tangerine – Exhibition Hall
Blue – Book Store/Gift Shop
Green – Ticketing and Entry
Reviewing the sectional drawings helps to visualize movement through space
vertically.
An exterior circulation zone (denoted in pink) is broken up into two parts. The
literally exterior portion of the zone is to the right of the datum wall, and the interior
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portion of the circulation zone sits between the two great load bearing walls. This
interior zone of circulation is intended to act as the “safe zone”, to withstand heavy
loads that may persist in the case of an earth quake or tidal storm.
8.1.2. Sections
Tangerine – Exhibition Hall
Pink – Circulation
Aqua – City use – Storage
Green – Administrative Offices
Yellow – Apartments
Peach – Auditorium
Blue – Retail/Café
Knowing the layout and organization of the interior sheds light and
understanding on what is required to develop the Façade.
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CHAPTER 9
9.1 Façade Development
Many factors contribute to the evolution of a façade. Allowing interior function
to be readable from the exterior is one way to begin the process. In the case of a
contemporary art museum, lighting must be factored in. Contemporary art museums
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must be versatile in the ability to produce natural and artificial light. The roofing panels
on the Santa Monica Contemporary Art museum would be fabricated in a way that they
are easily retracted into the upper roof to be stored in order to allow for natural lighting
should the current display call for it. When the panels are shut, the interior is
completely void of natural light and lit by artificial means, as many art works require.
A sculptural composition by Frank Stella grabbed my attention while searching
for inspiration regarding the museum’s façade.
Study of Frank Stella piece Model showing façade negative and positive form
The forms and voids that Stella pushed up and down, communicated a
movement that was related to the movement of the ramps of the museum design. The
roof façade adopted the movement of the gradual dissolve of the entry ramp into the
form. The balcony zone for the second floor apartments mimicked this void while the
Pier acted as a protrusion as if playing a game with additive and subtractive elements.
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The front façade, visible from the pedestrian pathway and sea side of the Pier,
also plays a game with positive and negative voids, reflecting the inner workings of the
circulation ramps. The stationary rise and fall or the ramps appear to be in motion,
much like the workings of the entrails of a machine with people as the conduits.
Model showing undulation of the ramps reflected in the front façade
A review of the elements that are echoed in the façade:
• The rising and falling of form and void
• Positive and negative space
• Contemporary art museums must be equipped for natural and artificial lighting depending on the collection’s specification
• Fenestration is hidden until needed
• Entry void draws visitors into museum
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Lastly, yet most importantly, the museum must fit into the context. As stated
previously, the presence of the Hippodrome must be considered. Because of its unique
shape and historic preservation, competing for dominance of form is inappropriate. The
form chosen must not match the Hippodrome in oddity; rather it should minimize itself
allowing the Hippodrome its earned status.
To accomplish this contextual unity our form narrows as it transfers functions
from the gallery side of the Pier to the administrative office side. This narrowing of
its stature decreases the importance of the form on the side of the Pier where the
Hippodrome is dominant. The form is therefore not in competition with the existing
context.
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The main entry into the Santa Monica Pier with a model of the museum design inlayed
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CHAPTER 10
10.1 Overview
The Santa Monica Pier is a dynamic site that is a rich fabric that can sustain a
contemporary art museum successfully. The new museum proposed would be located at
the main entry of the pier and be the first pier attraction available to visitors. The
museum would serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level and the
lower beach level.
Objectives Met:
• Fits into the context of the Pier
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• The solution connects, the beach, walking path and parking to the pier.
• Surrounding the Pier, yet leaving a void between the form and it, accentuates the importance of the Pier.
• Contains galleries to confront contemporary art, multi-levels on one floor, because space is more exciting when looking down on it.
I will leave you with a quote that has everything to do with a museum of art and
its spatial requirements. The ability to experience art in diverse settings, allowing for
several different views while moving through dynamic spatial sequences, is what I
strove for in designing the Santa Monica Contemporary Museum of Art.
“The form in which space is presumed to exist is the framework of our perception of the world. Space, as idea, is the intangible qualifier of our vision of form, of location and dimension, establishing the relative measure among physical things.”
Steven Kent Peterson“Space and Anti-Space”Harvard Architectural Review
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Figure : Model inlayed into aerial site photo
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APPENDIX A
TITLE OF APPENDIX HERE IN ALL CAPS
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Appendix A Content
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CREDITS
Photo Sources:
Thanks to Nelson Cuellar for sharing his photos from Santa Monica, taken Fall, 2006.http://www.isama.org/conf/isama00/wlms/moca-org.htmlhttp://www.gardendome.com/uberorgan/Uberorgan.htmlhttp://the-artists.org/ArtistView.cfm?id=8353EA24-BC89-4188-B90A29438F1955ABhttp://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.htmlhttp://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/latest3.htmlhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E3DE123DF930A15756C0A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fStellahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_StellaPhotos of models and drawings taken by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo
Models and Drawings:
All models were constructed by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo
All drawings by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo
Quotations:
Quotes from Professor Martin Price were from personal notes taken from lecture and from course syllabus.
Peterson, Steven Kent, “Space and Anti-Space”, Harvard Architectural Review
Websites consulted for Artists’ background and interviews:
http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0846629.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.htmlhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/BM.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/brice_marden.html&h=377&w=500&sz=279&tbnid=6j6A7_iwIwGyYM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrice%2Bmarden&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3
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http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.htmlhttp://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.html
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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Liesil Alderfer Arredondo’s professional goals are clear and they have
everything to do with Architecture. Her goals revolve around becoming a Licensed
Architect. Upon becoming licensed, she plans to form her own firm. The firm will be
defined by a concentration on sustainable design. Her interests are focused on
designing eco friendly living and working environments. In addition to an Honors
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Liesil Alderfer Arredondo has a minor in History.
This distinction was earned in order to set a foundation for a professorship in
Architectural History if so desired in the future.
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