�The essence of architecture lies not in itsusefulness--the purely practical solutions itoffers to the human need of shelter--but inthe way it meets the much profounderspiritual need to shape our habitat.� --

Mario Bottai

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a thesis by Evelyn LuckWeddle

Thesis submitted to the faculty ofVirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University inpartial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree ofMaster of Architecture.

August 2000Blacksburg,VA

Hans Christian Rott, Chair

Donna Dunay

l i f e i n d o w n t o w n

A. Jack Davis

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abstract

acknowledgements

the site

path

Haarlemmer Houttuinen - Herman Hertzberger - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Multi-Story Housing - Herman Hertzberger - Kassel, Germany

The Cannery - Joseph Esherick & Associates - San Francisco, California, United States

beginnings

the proposal

a few thoughts

sources

vita

t ab l e o f con ten t stab l e o f con ten t stab l e o f con ten t stab l e o f con ten t stab l e o f con ten t s

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�A good buildingmust becapable of absorbing thetraces of human life andthus of taking on a specificrichness.�

- Peter Zumthor

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Customer�s viewpoint of market (1)

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a b s t r a c ta b s t r a c ta b s t r a c ta b s t r a c ta b s t r a c t

Architecture is a product of its surroundings. The response to site,program, and history of place differs everytime. How we interpret aplace is influenced by our own experiences in life. We each possess aunique set of tools which we use to construct the spaces that surroundus.A place is given life and vitality through the people that use them. Itis the architect�s job to create a place that encourages life to exist.

Everyday activities take many forms - eating, sleeping, working, playing,sitting - all forms of interaction. When these activities are set in anurban location, life begins to dictate the spaces necessary for them totake place. An urban setting needs people to thrive; and people chooseto live in these settings for human interaction, dependence on others,and a sense of belonging.

This thesis investigates the integration of urban housing and retail spacein downtown Roanoke,Virginia. It is architecture that is desperatelyneeded in order to sustain urban life in this part of town.

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Farmer�s viewpoint of market (2)

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a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

To my committee - Thank you for your guidance.Your many years ofexperience and wisdom have helped to make me a better student ofarchitecture.

To my friends - Your encouragement and criticism aided greatly in theoutcome of this thesis. Thank you for listening to all of my crazythoughts and for helping me through the past two years.

To my family -You have always been there for me. Your support and lovehave helped make me who I am today.

To my husband -Without you, I would have never pursued this dream.Thank you for sticking with me during the good times and the bad.And for the endless hours of free tech support and pep talks, I�llnever be able to repay you. I love you always.

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When a place only has a heartbeat during the hours of nineto five, the other sixteen hours can make it seem like a ghosttown. This occurrence happens everyday on Market Street.The majority of people in the market district during the dayare there for the sole purpose of work. The rest of themare shopping at the farmer�s market, boutiques, or just en-joying the day. But at six o�clock, the market and shops haveclosed and the people slowly disappear. The few restaurantsand coffee shops in the area manage to bring some peopleback in the evening, but not enough to give this place thevitality it deserves.

Martin Heidegger once said that �the relationship of man toplaces and through places to spaces is based on his dwellingin them.� To give Market Street a sense of place, the act ofdwelling must occur. By combining residential units withretail spaces, the opportunity increases for interaction be-tween both the townhouse residents and the customerswho visit the shops. The dynamic of the Market District istherefore forever changed.

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Aerial view of site / Market District (3)

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�Every new work of architecture intervenes in a specific historicalsituation. It is essential to the quality of the intervention that the newbuilding should embrace qualities which can enter into a meaningfuldialogue with the existing situation. For if the intervention is to takeplace, it must make us see what already exists in a new light.Wethrow a stone into the water. Sand swirls up and settles again. Thestir was necessary. The stone has found its place. But the pond is nolonger the same.�--Peter Zumthor

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