Site Analysis and Parti Development

32_43 06.11N, 117_09 25.15W

Dean Sartain

Assignment # 4

AR 650: Programming

Instructor: Mirkovich

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1. LOCATION within the city.

- The site is located between A St & B St and 8th Ave & 9th Ave, San Diego, CA, 92101. Symphony Hall is located directly next to the site on the Western side. In the diagrams below, the site is indicated in red.

Figure 1

Figure 2

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2. LOCATION within surrounding neighborhoods.

- The site is situated at the intersection of three downtown neighborhoods, the City Core, Upper West East Village, and Cortez Hill (as represented in the diagram below). The red box indicates the location of the site at the intersection of the three neighborhoods.

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Figure 3

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By positioning the proposed building program (performing arts center) at the convergence of the three surrounding city neighborhoods, an opportunity exists to blur the neighborhood boundaries to create a more cohesive urban area. Below, each neighborhood is described.

Cortez Hill:

“Named after the historic El Cortez Hotel, this district is one of San Diego's oldest residential neighborhoods. North of downtown's Core and south of I-5 between Tenth Avenue and Union Street, the 111- acre Cortez Hill is two neighborhoods in one. East of Sixth Avenue rises downtowns highest land mass, the hill dominated by the El Cortez Condominium (formerly El Cortez Hotel). West of Sixth Avenue the flatter area is known as Cortez West. The hill has drawn residents for over a century, and some of the original Victorian style dwellings of the first settlers are still present.

In 1992, the Redevelopment Agency envisioned reviving this district by further developing the hill for residential use, and encouraging a mix of residential and commercial infill. Schools, churches and a pedestrian-friendly environment now characterize the western portion of Cortez Hill. Commercial shops and sidewalk cafes line Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and Ash Street provides a gateway to the waterfront. As the highest land mass in the Centre City Community Planning area, Cortez Hill boasts views of urban San Diego, Balboa Park, the bay and Pacific Ocean. New developments include 6,000 square feet (600 m2) of retail space, 758 residential units and the Cortez Hill Neighborhood Park/Tweet Street. Also in place is a plan to reduce non-resident parking. “1

East Village Upper West:

“East Village is a neighborhood in San Diego, California. It is the largest district in the downtown of San Diego, and is located east of the Gaslamp Quarter and southeast of the Core district and Cortez Hill. East village has gone through extensive and rapid redevelopment, especially near Petco Park, which opened its doors in 2004. Out of the eight neighborhoods in the downtown area, East Village is the largest.

The East village was traditionally a series of warehouses and vacant lots. It wasn't until the 1990s that it became a community for artists and social services. Residential aspects of the East Village became a reality in 2005, after Petco Park was established.”2

Core District:

The Core district is the central business district in Downtown San Diego. 1 " C o r t e z H i l l , S a n D i e g o . " W i k i p e d i a . N . p . , 2 0 1 1 . W e b . 1 4 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / C o r t e z _ H i l l , _ S a n _ D i e g o > . 2 " E a s t V i l l a g e , S a n D i e g o . " W i k i p e d i a . N . p . , 2 0 1 1 . W e b . 1 4 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / E a s t _ V i l l a g e , _ S a n _ D i e g o > .

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3. CONTEXT

a. Surrounding building uses (site outlined in red). As evident in the diagram, the building uses surrounding the immediate site include mostly office and residential buildings with ground floor retail components.

Figure 4

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b. Immediate Site with surrounding building heights and street directions (site outlined in red).

Figure 5

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c. The actual site itself has a significant grade change from the North side of the site to the South side. The NW corner stands at 20 feet elevation, the NE corner at 10 feet elevation, and the southern corners are both at grade with B Street. (The existing structure positioned at the SE corner of the site will most likely be demolished in order to be able to utilize the entire site.

Figure 6

4. Ecological Factors

-Due to the existing high-rise buildings surrounding the site, careful attention should be paid to building orientation to achieve the maximum amount of natural daylighting. Below is a diagram showing the optimum building orientation specific to San Diego.

Figure 7

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- Wind directions and magnitudes will also become very important as the design of the building evolves. Below is a chart indicating the annual wind directions and magnitudes specific to San Diego.

Figure 8

- Average weekly temperature specific to San Diego.

Figure 9

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5. PLANNED DEVELOPMENT

CCDC has plans for a park development on the block directly south of the site. This proposed development has the potential to tie into the overall design of the performing arts center, and help invigorate the area surrounding the site. The park and site to the north are outlined in red in the diagram below.

Figure 10

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6. ZONING & CODES

Zone: CCPD-R

Council District: 2

Community Plan/Designation: Centre City Residential Emphasis

As it stands now, the area in which the site rests is designated as a CCPD-R zone,

which is a Centre City Residential Emphasis zone. According to San Diego’s Municipal

Code, “The Residential Emphasis areas will accommodate primarily residential

development. Small-scale businesses, offices, and services, and ground floor commercial

uses are also allowed, provided they do not exceed 20 %of the overall building area.”3

In order to proceed with the development of the project, a request for a zone

variance should be processed to convert the site from a CCPD-R (centre city residential

emphasis zone) to a CC-5-5 commercial zone. A CC-5-5 zone allows “a mix of heavy

commercial and limited industrial and residential uses,” and is “intended to

accommodate development with a high intensity pedestrian orientation.”4

Under a CC-5-5 zone, “Assembly and Entertainment” facilities are permitted,

which would allow the construction of the performing arts center. This most likely will

not be a major issue, as Symphony Hall occupies the site immediately to the West of the

3 San Diego Municipal Code. " O f f i c e o f t h e C i t y C l e r k . " . N . p . , n . d . W e b . 1 3 N o v 2 0 1 1 .

< h t t p : / / w w w . s a n d i e g o . g o v / c i t y - c l e r k / > .

4 Ibid.

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proposed site and most likely utilizes similar zoning and code restrictions to what is

necessary to proceed with the development of the performing arts center.

Figure 11

Figure 12

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Figure 13

Figure 14

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Figure 15

PARTI DEVELOPMENT

The preliminary concept for the design of the performing arts center is based upon the research gathered from the typological analysis of a PAC. The two story grade change on the site presents an opportunity to bury program components into the site. Below are some concept sketches of the preliminary parti.

Figure 16

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Figure 17

The majority of the program is almost deceptively hidden from view, creating an opportunity to dig into the site for primary circulation needs.

Figure 18

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Similar to the typological case studies which were analyzed, the modularity of the interior program is blanketed by a unifying structural system.

Figure 19

Image and Photo Index

Figures [1 & 2] for this paper were generated using:

Google Earth. 5.2. (2010). San Diego, CA, 32_43 06.11N, 117_09 25.15W, 80 ft. City Block Image. [Accessed 13 November, 2011]. Available http://www.google.com.

Figure [3]:

" D o w n t o w n S a n D i e g o M a p . " H o m e R e a c h R e a l E s t a t e . N . p . , 2 0 1 0 . W e b . 1 5 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / h o m e r e a c h . c o m / b l o g / ? c a t = 4 > .

F i g u r e s [ 4 - 6 ] :

S a r t a i n , D e a n . “ D i a g r a m s . ” 2 0 1 1

Figures [7-9] for this paper were generated using:

[Ecotect Analysis] software, Version [0.02] of the Revit System for [Autodesk]. Copyright © [2011] Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk and all other Autodesk Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk Inc. USA.

Figure [10]:

" P a r k s a n d O p e n S p a c e . " C e n t r e C i t y D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n . N . p . , 2 0 1 1 . W e b . 1 4 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / w w w . c c d c . c o m / p r o g r a m s / p a r k s - a n d - o p e n -s p a c e / p a r k s . h t m l > .

Figures and tables [11-15]:

. " O f f i c e o f t h e C i t y C l e r k . " . N . p . , n . d . W e b . 1 3 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / w w w . s a n d i e g o . g o v / c i t y - c l e r k / > .

F i g u r e s [ 1 6 - 1 9 ] :

S a r t a i n , D e a n . “ S k e t c h e s . ” 2 0 1 1

Bibliography

1 . " C o r t e z H i l l , S a n D i e g o . " W i k i p e d i a . N . p . , 2 0 1 1 . W e b . 1 4 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / C o r t e z _ H i l l , _ S a n _ D i e g o > .

2 . " E a s t V i l l a g e , S a n D i e g o . " W i k i p e d i a . N . p . , 2 0 1 1 . W e b . 1 4 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / E a s t _ V i l l a g e , _ S a n _ D i e g o > .

3-4. San Diego Municipal Code. " O f f i c e o f t h e C i t y C l e r k . " . N . p . , n . d . W e b . 1 3 N o v 2 0 1 1 . < h t t p : / / w w w . s a n d i e g o . g o v / c i t y - c l e r k / > .