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Cameron Cunneyworth Thesis Prep Book Syracuse University School of Architecture 2012
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CAMERON JAMES CUNNEYWORTH
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MORANPROFESSOR BRUCE ABBEY
THE JUNIOR FELLOW A C A D E M Y
“The Junior Fellow Academy of CIFAR is an elite fellowship program
designed to build research and leadership capacity in gifted
young scholars. Having just completed their PhDs, Junior Fellows...
participate in both an innovative CIFAR research program and the
leadership-building Junior Fellow Academy, Junior Fellows learn to
embrace CIFAR’s core values: to think broadly and imaginatively
across disciplines and to collaborate on a deep level with
colleagues.”
-CIFAR website
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THESIS STATEMENT
CHAPTER 1. SPECULATION
CHAPTER 2. COLLABORATION
CHAPTER 3. THE PURSUIT of COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE
CHAPTER 4. INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTS
CHAPTER 5. RETREAT
GLOSSARY
PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION
DESIGN BEGINNINGS
LAB STANDARDS
LABORATORY PRECEDENTS
Barcelona Botanical Institute
Sainte Marie de la Tourette Monastery
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Max Planck Institute of Biophysics
Atlantic Center for the Arts
SITE TYPOLOGY PRECEDENTS
SITE DOCUMENTATION
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
5
9
13
16
20
24
30
34
39
40
43
54
58
64
68
72
74
78
102
4
To what extent should architecture affect the scientific
process? At what point does a work environment become
intrusive or limiting? How invisible can design become?
Should it even be considered? I contend that contemporary
scientific methodologies necessitate a deeply collaborative
and interdisciplinary environment, because scientific
workplaces needs to accurately reflect the complex social
dynamic of science. This is in order to catalyze the scientific
method, prompting new understandings and innovations,
raising more questions and therefore furthering humanities
collective knowledge toward the betterment of humankind.
Scientists and researchers today work collectively as
much or more than they do individually. Research teams shift
and change rapidly within institutions, sometimes between
and even during projects. The architectural consequences of
this social dynamic is a need for a flexible work environment
for all, with a deep integration between the individual
spaces of retreat and reflection, and the collective spaces of
collaboration and community.
Does an infinitely flexible architecture leave too
much room up to the imagination? Do humans crave some
level of controlling factors in their life? This is a speculative
architecture, an explicit manifestation of the nature of
scientific research. Asking as many questions as answering;
about the role of science, the image of science and scientists
in the public eye, and the degree to which science and art
intersect, within the frame of architecture.
THESIS STATEMENT
Top: Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Foster and Partners. Source: Research and Technology Buildings, A Design Manual.Bottom: Source: Henze, Anton. La Tourette, The Le Corbusier Monastery. 5
The process of the scientific method requires an
environment which facilitates the fluid communication of
ideas between colleagues. Ideas are primarily generated
by this discourse, whether it is through planned meetings
or spontaneous conversations. The ability to exchange
ideas quickly and efficiently across disciplines drives
and furthers the scientific process. The architecture
of this institution becomes the framework of science
by maximizing, highlighting or augmenting the social
organization.
I propose a scientific research institute existing
on the fringes of an urban condition, removed from
society but deeply communal. A place where scientists
from various fields can study and collaborate on diverse
research problems. A quiet remote place where they can
focus their efforts intensely and efficiently. A place where
the stresses of everyday life are removed, enabling a deep
focus into the fundamental questions of contemporary
science. Twelve individual dormitories provide residence
in a comfortable but austere setting, a private space
augmenting the communal life of a scientific institution.
The addition of residential programs changes the dynamic
of the institute, allowing scientists to fully immerse
themselves in their work, (not dissimilar from monks
in a monastery). Contemporary scientific architecture
creates a community of self-serving individuals, but with
a deep committal to scientific progress achieved through
collaboration across disciplines and innovative thinking.
THE PLACE OF SCIENCE
6
FELLOWSHIPGRANTED
SPECULATION
INITIAL QUESTION
CELLS/OFFICES
LIBRARY
CLO
IST
ER
/ Q
UA
DR
AN
GL
E
NEWQUESTIONS
MEETING
LABORATORY
NEW KNOWLEDGE
FAILURE?
EXPERIMENT
SUCCESS?
READING
COLLABORATION
SPECULATION
Speculation on the process of science within architecture 7
Next Page. Salk Institute, Louis Kahn. Source: Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style : a Life in Architecture.
1 Form a theory or conjecture about a subject
without firm evidence.
2 Invest in stocks, property, or other ventures in
the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.
8
CHAPTER 1. SPECULATION
Speculation as a form of questioning is an essential part of the
scientific process. It is the first mode of inquiry into any given question, as one
must speculate in order to come up with an original hypothesis. It is in essence
an unscientific action, built on thinking or presuppositions that may or may
not be true. Paradoxically so, it is the foundation of all knowledge, in that one
must speculate or hypothesize before beginning to answer any question or
finding truth. Speculation is the primordial first step in acquiring knowledge.
The act of speculation precedes both scientific and artistic endeavors.
Architecture too, begins by asking questions. What is the effect of space on
the people within it? How does it affect them? How does the organization of
spaces (individual and collective) begin to address the question of architecture
in service of science? Speculating with architecture creates opportunities
to raise more questions than one might even be able to answer. That is the
dynamic which drives this speculative architecture. One can presuppose the
effects or intentions of a built space, but the truth remains unknown until it is
built and occupied. Speculative architecture aims to question the abilities and
limits of the practice, spawning new understandings of our current condition.
Architecture can and should be a vehicle for testing new ideas, in the same
sense that scientific experiments are tests and experiments of reality; all in
pursuit of truths.
A speculative architecture is subjective, instincts replace facts and
objective answers aren’t guaranteed (or maybe even possible). However,
the act of speculating about architecture is in many ways no different than
scientific research. A mode of architectural inquiry which closely mirrors the
scientific, but borders on the side of dogma is an aphorism about the Bartlett
School of Architecture at University College London, “a simple yet profound
and constant questioning as to what architecture might be.” 2
9
10
11
Architecture has long existed in the realm of both the arts and the
sciences. Architecture also has a long history of finding inspiration from the
sciences. This makes designing architecture for science that much more complex.
The matter in question is that scientific architecture must to some degree become
a manifestation of the scientific process itself, while also being an inspired and
creative (and therefore not scientifically rigorous) act.
The tenet that “research challenges established knowledge,” which
occurs naturally through the scientific method includes a healthy skepticism
of even “proven” knowledge.3 Questioning the status quo is essential for the
generation of new knowledge, which is both created and expanded through this
process. Architecture provides the framework for this act of speculative, skeptical
thinking, contingent to the scientific method researchers dutifully abide by. Just as
new discoveries in science can contradict previous understandings, (heliocentrism
over geocentrism, evolution over genesis, etc. ) can new architecture challenge
existing architectural knowledge? What are the sacred “truths” in architecture?
Can new architectural ideas flat out contradict old ones as in science? Or does the
subjective nature of architecture even allow for such contradictory changes? Are
new ideas limited to being addenda to the “truths” of architecture?
By questioning architectures role and abilities, we create the possibility
to reinvent and restructure the social organization of people. This creates new
potentials to be exploited, tested and refined within the framework of architecture.
The social order of people within a building can and should become a point of
contention in architecture, with consequences or opportunities that may or may
not be expected or even predictable.
Right: Source: Factory, Laboratory, Studio: Dispersing Sites of Production. Peter Galison & Caroline A. Jones12
By making space for creative, innovative thinking, the scientific
workplace becomes a framework for scientific progress. The provision of a
space that is designed for efficient communication between peers defines
contemporary scientific architecture. Laboratory buildings today need to have
spaces for both spontaneous conversations and planned meetings. Meeting
rooms, large atria, and ample circulation space all allows for an efficient
exchange of ideas between colleagues, perhaps leading to new breakthroughs
or a new way of looking at a research problem. Svante Pääbo might have
stated the need for collaboration and communication best: “Criticism and
revision of scientific goals and strategies ensure that dead-ends are identified
and abandoned quickly. In this process social interaction between all members
of the team is essential.” 4 The refinement of ideas is as crucial as the formation,
and the communal spaces of a scientific institute can influence and catalyze
this process.
CHAPTER 2. COLLABORATION
Scientific research is no longer an individual effort. The romantic
image of a solitary intellectual writing furiously on a blackboard, or a mad-
scientist slaving away in his high tech laboratory; couldn’t be farther from
reality, at least in current scientific practices. The chances are incredibly slim
that any major contemporary breakthroughs in modern science could be
attributed to any single person. Even Nobel Prizes are almost always awarded
to a team of colleagues working collectively on a single research problem.
Collaboration within the scientific community is now an essential aspect of
scientific research, and an architecture for science needs to respond and
provide for this social dynamic.
Nikola Tesla in his laboratory in Colorado Springs, he “did everything he could to ensure a romantic isolation for his research.” A near laughable (and
testament to his genius) act today. Collaboration drives innovation.
13
However, it is not only the communal “public” spaces that can strengthen
the research process. How scientists work is a crucial point of consideration in this
thesis, and a close study of the methodology and processes is necessary so as to fully
understand the consequences of architectural decisions. Standards of laboratory space
design ensure efficient use of material and furnishings, but also keep work-spaces
functional. The integration of personal and collective spaces within the laboratory itself
is crucial to ensure a fluid workflow for the scientists, allowing for rapid publication and
distribution of information and results. The form of the laboratory also carries social
implications which can greatly influence the dynamic of the institute.
The bar format puts limits and controls on the level of communication between
colleagues. Having only two immediately adjacent lab modules, interaction is sufficient
without being overbearing. The linear form also acts to integrate and align circulation
and work space, increasing the possibility of spontaneous conversations. The lack of
hierarchy between lab modules, offices, and cells is also crucial for equality between all.
Top: Lebbeus Woods and Raimund Abraham sit down and discuss their visit to La Tourette monastery. Source: Lebbeus Woods Blog
Bottom: Monks in a cell at La Tourette Monastery, Le Corbusier Source: Henze, Anton. La Tourette, The Le Corbusier Monastery.
TOWER BARSLAB
Variable interactions due to limited number of scientists
within a specific area.
∞ X axis
Excessive interactions due to too many scientists within
unlimited floor space.
∞ XY axes
Zero or few interactions due to few scientists within finite floor
space.
∞ Z axis
OFFICES
LAB
CELLS
14
15
CHAPTER 3. THE PURSUIT of COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE
Effective communication and information sharing essentially
occurs on two scales; globally, through an extensive worldwide network of
like-minded research institutions; and interpersonally between colleagues.
The fluid and rapid dissemination of information throughout scientific
communities has a profound affect on the way knowledge accumulates.
Technologic advances now allow for seamless communication
between any two people on the planet. Along with this, information is now
accessed and distributed freely. Humans are becoming more connected,
regardless of their geographic location. Scientific research is in no way
immune to this condition; in fact quite the opposite is true. Paul Barans
ground breaking work for the RAND corporation in the early 1960’s led
to the development of distributed computer networks, which eventually
led to the internet as we know it today. The decentralization afforded by
computer networking has changed how and where scientific research
operates.
The place where science occurs is not a simple answer. Experiments
can happen in one place, be controlled from another, and the results
analyzed somewhere else, all thousands of miles away. The diagram at
right is a perfect example of this. Computer networks between educational
and institutes allow for the instant dissemination of data. Results from
experiments done at CERN5 in France can be transmitted across the globe
to international universities and institutions to be analyzed. Science is no
longer dependent on geography or physical adjacencies, and as a result,
scientific methodologies have changed dramatically.
Put simply, scientific progress is a consequence of efficient
and rapid communication and dissemination of information. The global
accumulation of knowledge has been occurring for millennia, and thusly
humankind now knows more about the universe than ever before. This is
directly a result of the ability to record and preserve knowledge across
generations. The mentorship of young scientists is another way to both
sustain and take an active step to furthering scientific practice and
methods.
16
Top: Paul Baran, diagrams from “On Distributed Communications”
Bottom: CERN networking diagram from LEP3NET experiment. 1990. Source: Factory, Laboratory, Studio: Dispersing Sites of Production. Peter Galison & Caroline A. Jones 17
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, CIFAR is a non-
profit research think-tank which holds a two year Junior Fellowship
Academy for recent doctoral candidates. The goal of the academy is to build
research and leadership capacities of twenty-four post doctoral fellows. By
working directly with CIFAR members, the junior fellows receive first-hand
training and learn to work in a deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary
environment.
“By pairing early-career researchers with leading
scholars worldwide, CIFAR is helping the next
generation of thinkers to advance research and
enrich human life.”
- Peter Allen
CIFAR Donor
18
Top: CIFAR Junior Fellows, Source: http://www.cifar.ca/junior-fellow-academy
Bottom: Source: The End of Architecture?: Documents and Manifestos: Vienna Architecture Conference
Architects Lebbeus Woods, Wolf D. Prix, Thom Mayne, Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Eric Owen Moss
and Carme Pinós hold a roundtable discussion primarily about the future of architecture (among
other topics.) This kind of severe questioning of the practice seems unique to architecture, but
should it be? What if scientists were to hold this kind of discussion about the state of science?
19
CHAPTER 4. INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTS
Contemporary scientific practices require both a wide range of knowledge
as well as exceptional specialization. In order to sustain and further our collective
knowledge, scientists are increasingly tackling interdisciplinary research problems.
This requires teams of highly educated scientists, working collaboratively on a single
research issue, which may or may not be directly related to their field. Discoveries made
in one field may easily be applied to another, and a wide breadth of knowledge in all
fields is necessary to understand this. For example, the mathematical principle of game
theory has been applied equally to concepts of biology and economics. There is a need
for scientists working on such interdisciplinary projects to have ready access to the
most current understandings of related fields.
Scientific research teams consist of representatives from fields relevant to
the research problem, and the ability to work well with these scientists of differing
fields and educations is essential. Architecturally, the laboratory and other working
spaces must be flexible enough to accommodate the methods and tools of nearly any
scientific field, and easily adjustable based on the ever changing projects. All bases
must be covered, so that the architecture does not become a limiting factor to the kind
of science that can be done. The built environment must promote innovation, rather
than inhibit it.
The question of flexibility in scientific laboratories is not a new one. The Salk
Institute utilized full height floor levels for services, and a grid of regular openings in
the ceiling to accommodate new services needed for specific experiments. The wide
range of science tackled in most interdisciplinary laboratories means that not just the
work spaces should be flexible. Increasingly, research laboratories comprise multiple
disciplines of scientists, and in order to appeal to each, the architecture must be both
flexible and forgiving; as ensuring their peaceful coexistence within the institution is
crucial.
The 12 research programs of CIFAR are studied by nearly 400 scientists in 16
countries. The Junior Fellow Academy is only a small part of CIFAR. Funded by individual
donors, corporations, the government of Canada and the provincial governments of
Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, CIFAR supports multidisciplinary research teams
who study varying research problems. Meetings within research programs occur two
20
or three times per year, and CIFAR wide meetings occur annually. CIFARs research
teams consist of scientists from varying backgrounds and disciplines who work
collaboratively on long term research problems while also working full time at their
respective institutions.
Source: http://www.archdaily.com/167240/le-corbusier-meets-albert-einstein/
“A community of scientists that... celebrates the pro-cess of doing good science, and bringing it to the
public.”
-Alexander HaslamCIFAR Researcher
21
The 12 CIFAR research programs fall into many disciplines of science.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS,
& GROWTH
NEURAL COMPUTATION
& ADAPTIVE PERCEPTION
SUCCESSFUL SOCIETIES
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS,
IDENTITY & WELL-BEING
EXPERIENCE BASED BRAIN &
BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
INTEGRATED MICROBIAL
BIODIVERSITY
GENETIC
NETWORKS
EARTH SYSTEM
EVOLUTION
NANO-
ELECTRONICS
QUANTUM
MATERIALS
COSMOLOGY &
GRAVITY
QUANTUM
INFORMATION
PROCESSING
NATURAL SCIENCES
SCIENTIFIC FIELDS
PHYSICS CHEMISTRYEARTH SCIENCES BIOLOGY SOCIOLOGY
22
SOCIAL SCIENCES
INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS,
& GROWTH
NEURAL COMPUTATION
& ADAPTIVE PERCEPTION
SUCCESSFUL SOCIETIES
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS,
IDENTITY & WELL-BEING
EXPERIENCE BASED BRAIN &
BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
INTEGRATED MICROBIAL
BIODIVERSITY
GENETIC
NETWORKS
EARTH SYSTEM
EVOLUTION
NANO-
ELECTRONICS
QUANTUM
MATERIALS
COSMOLOGY &
GRAVITY
QUANTUM
INFORMATION
PROCESSING
NATURAL SCIENCES
SCIENTIFIC FIELDS
PHYSICS CHEMISTRYEARTH SCIENCES BIOLOGY SOCIOLOGY
23
CHAPTER 5. RETREAT
Scientists retreating to an ideal natural setting in monastic like
isolation to study and reside was Jonas Salks dream for his namesake
institute. While the residential buildings were never realized, Salk likened
the personal studies of the institute to cells in a monastery, a place for the
scientists to get away mentally and spatially from their experiments in the
lab during the work day. The shift in section settles the separate but equal
relationship between the studies and the laboratories. Both have direct
views of the central plaza and the Pacific, while views between them are
impossible.
The siting of the Salk Institute in the landscape also has much to
do with the qualities of retreat. The Salk Institute is an ocean-side retreat,
high up on a bluff above the beach and away from the large urban centers
of southern California. Being partly removed from partnered and subsidiary
institutes were allowed by advances in computer networking, which
permitted the location.
As stated earlier, the place of science has become more ambiguous.
Research is no longer entirely dependent on local environs or geography
in relation to data or sample collection. The proliferation of computer
networking allows for setting a highly technological and precise building
almost anywhere on the planet, without affecting the type or quality of the
work. The place of science can now be in the most ideal setting, away from
the stresses of urban and institutional life, allowing a sense of respite to the
weary researchers.
24
Source:http://www.stephenlrosen.com/ 25
Discipline-wide changes to the edifice of science became apparent
in the early 1800’s when traditional European research institutions like the
Sorbonne and the Muséum added “annexes” and “colonies” to their institutes.
Redistributing the place of scientific inquiry had profound effects for the
process of natural science, as well as the architecture of science.
The Muséum had become “a great collector of dust... no place to study living
nature.” 7
This practical change and necessity led to field research outposts
which were considered autonomous institutions pursuing research apart
from their parent institution. The idea that the place of science can change
the process of science is interesting, but perhaps less true in contemporary
science.
While monasticism is the classic example of withdrawing oneself
from society to the benefit of religious study, the same ideas can be applied
to scientific and artistic endeavors. Monasteries provide respite in two
ways. In most orders, monks are given personal private cells to study, pray
and sleep in, (often with a personal garden to tend, as well) and secondly,
monasteries are often set in remote environments, limiting distractions and
providing a tangible divide between a monks life and the general public.
The characteristics of retreat exemplified by monasticism can
be amplified by site location. For example an island site creates layers of
separation which further isolate and disconnect. A unique case is the
monastery at Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy France. Set on a granite
outcropping in the Héaux de Bréhat, Mont Saint-Michel utilizes a geologic
formation to intensify its own isolation. While a causeway was built in the
19th century, a multi-million Euro project to replace it with a bridge and
restore the maritime qualities of the island has been commenced.
MAINLAND
OCEAN
ISLAND
MONASTERY
CELL
26
Mont Saint-Michel Monastery at high tide. Normandy, France.
Source: http://bucketsandbaguettes.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/mont-saint-michel/ 27
28
FOOTNOTES1. Definition from Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Ed.
2. Iain Borden, Bartlett Designs, Speculating with Architecture, 8.
3. Svante Pääbo, “What is Research?” in Research and Technology Buildings, a
Design Manual, 10.
4. Ibid.
5. European Organization for Nuclear Research
6. Edward Eigen, “The Place of Distribution,” in Architecture and the Sciences,
Exchanging Metaphors, 62.
7. Ibid, 57. 29
GLOSSARY |ˈgläsərē| noun
an alphabetical list of terms or words found in or relating to a specific subject, text, or dialect, with explanations; a brief dictionary.
All definitions from the New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd Edition.
Speculate |ˈspekyəˌlāt| verb form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence.
Collaborate |kəˈlabəˌrāt| verb work jointly on an activity, esp. to produce or create something.
Collective |kəˈlektiv| noun a cooperative enterprise.
Interdisciplinary |ˌintərˈdisəpliˌnerē| adjective of or relating to more than one branch of knowledge.
Retreat |riˈtrēt| verb withdraw to a quiet or secluded place.
Academy |əˈkadəmē| noun a place of study or training in a special field.
Science |ˈsīəns| noun the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
Experiment |ikˈsperəmənt| noun a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
30
Refectory |riˈfekt(ə)rē| noun a room used for communal meals, esp. in an educational or religious institution.
Cloister |ˈkloistər| noun a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other.
Quadrangle |ˈkwäˌdra ng gəl| noun a square or rectangular space or courtyard enclosed by buildings.
Cell |sel| noun a small room in which a prisoner is locked up or in which a monk or nun sleeps.
Laboratory |ˈlabrəˌtôrē| noun a room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching, or for the manufacture of drugs or chemicals.
Research |ˈrēˌsər ch| noun the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Idea |īˈdēə| noun a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action.
Hypothesis |hīˈpäθəsis| noun a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
Knowledge |ˈnälij| noun facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.
31
32
CURRENT PROGRAMS
-COSMOLOGY & GRAVITY
-EARTH SYSTEM EVOLUTION
-EXPERIENCE-BASED BRAIN & BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
-GENETIC NETWORKS
-INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS & GROWTH
-INTEGRATED MICROBIAL BIODIVERSITY
-NANOELECTRONICS
-NEURAL COMPUTATION AND ADAPTIVE PERCEPTION
-QUANTUM INFORMATION PROCESSING
-QUANTUM MATERIALS
-SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, IDENTITY AND WELL-BEING
-SUCCESSFUL SOCIETIES
POSSIBLE FUTURE PROGRAMS
-ASTROBIOLOGY
-OCEANS
-ULTRA-COLD MATTER
-CELLULAR DECISION-MAKING
-HUMANITIES INTITIATIVE
-HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS
33
WORK SPACES
LABORATORIES
Primary working space includes standard lab benches and writing areas for publication of work.
OFFICES/ STUDIES
Individual studies for each scientist.
LIBRARY
Comprehensive collection of books, newspa-pers and current science journals, computer stations and a reading room.
PROGRAM DEFINITIONS
34
LIVING SPACES
DORMITORY
Individual cells for each scientist. Just the bare essentials, (as in monastic life) an austere space for reading, sleeping and eating.
CAFETERIA
A space for eating meals during the work-day and interacting with colleagues in an informal setting.
CLOISTER
Circulation system connecting various parts of the program.
QUADRANGLE
Primary outdoor space of the institute, providing space for special events and recreational activities
35
Infinitely flexible -services easily adjustable between projects -services out of the wayStandard Laboratory benches and writing desks -pure function12 lab modules12 writing stationsAdequate service support space at 2:1 ratio
LABORATORIES
Cells for 12 junior fellowsAmplifies idea of isolation. Provides respite from work lifeRetreat into natureView of natureSimple, essential provisions -bed -small kitchen -desk -washroomAustere materiality
CELLS
Private studies for preliminary, speculative researchView of Québec CitySimple, essential provisions -desk -bookshelvesAdjacent to laboratory, library for easy access to resources
OFFICES
36
Program study of the Lewis Thomas Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Princeton Uni-versity. Source: The Design Process for the Human Workplace, James Collins Jr. 37
Primary research gatheringIndividualistic, but among peers.Collection relevant to CIFAR programs -current peer-reviewed science journals -extensive book collection -6 computer stations with access to databasesReading room - primary reading space -view of sky to focus attention on work
LIBRARY
Simple lunch caféSeating for 24Adjacent to Quadrangle for outdoor seatingInformal place to meet, discuss work
CAFETERIA
Reconstitutes siteDeep surface, houses some programs withinField readingMediates transitions from all other programsSpatially defined by other programsSpace to enjoy outdoors during dayFlexible use, events, receptions, lectures
QUADRANGLE
Primary circulation space -backbone of project
Conducive to spontaneous conversations
CLOISTER
38
DESIGN BEGINNINGS
The architecture is monastic in scale, character, and spatial or-ganization. The work spaces are high-tech, functional, flexible and clean. Circulation systems direct and offer opportunities for spontaneous con-versation during the work day, and the personal cells provide a retreat at the end of the day.
The people who work here are both driven and heavily focused and invested in their work, and the spatial and social characteristics of this academy will catalyze their work and their careers.
Their lives are not all work, however. The outdoor quadrangle space of the academy provides leisure and respite from the lab benches.
LIBRARYREADING ROOM
AD
MIN
IST
RA
TIO
N
RE
FE
CTO
RY
CLO
IST
ER
LABORATORIES
CELLS
OFFICES
QUADRANGLE
CA
FE
TE
RIA
39
LABORATORY STANDARDS
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LAB
CHEMICAL LAB
PHYSICAL LAB
40
Left: Three different laboratory types and their required work areas. Source: Research and Technology Buildings, A Design Manual
Right: Requirements for architecture due to changing tendencies of research practices.
41
LINEAR
COMB
CENTRAL
42
LABORATORY PRECEDENTS
Basic typology diagrams. Linear, Comb, and Central. Source: Research and Technology Buildings, A Design Manual 43
BARCELONA BOTANICAL INSTITUTE
BARCELONA, SPAIN CARLOS FERRATER, JOAN GUIBERNAU, ELENA MATEU
2003
3,800 m2
The relationship between the public and private functions are integrated seamlessly. Each level contains its own program The landscape flows into the fully glazed public level containing galleries, a café and an auditorium. The research offices and library hover above, while the herbarium exists as a concrete shell to keep the botanical samples at constant temperature and humidity.
OFFICES, WRITING SPACE
LABORATORY
CIRCULATION
MEETING (CAFÉ, AUDITORIUM, ETC.)
LOCATION ARCHITECT
YEAR COMPLETED
AREA
44
STATE OFFICE for CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS
KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
DIPL.-ING. MICHAEL WEINDEL FREIER ARCHITEKT
1996-1999
3,500 m2
The varying programs of this building are stacked and separated by a long, double loaded corridor. By stacking laboratories, offices and service rooms, an efficiency of services is ensured.
NEUROSEARCH A/S HQ
BALLERUP, DENMARK
HENNING LARSENS TEGNESTUE A/S
1997-1999
6,000 m2
The large, linear atrium defines the social dynamic of this laboratory. The labs act as separate wings with individual research groups in each. This probably limits interactions between research teams. The café acts as a node at the end of the long circulation space. Large glazing to the north provides plenty of light to the thin volumes without harsh direct light.
45
FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE for APPLIED POLYMER RESEARCH
GOLM NEAR POTSDAM, GERMANY
BRENNER & PARTNER ARCHITEKTEN UND INGENIEURE
1998-2000
5,300 m2
The western wing is a simple double loaded corridor, while the remaining programs are arranged around the central lobby space. The eastern wing splits into a triple loaded corridor, with the central zone houses dark laboratories.
DONALD DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
NICHOLAS GRIMSHAW & PARTNERS
2001
15,500 m2
The large central void of this building is spatially defined by a pair of laboratory wings and their accompanying circulation systems. A classroom and an auditorium are read as volumes within this central void, either floating above or dropping below the atrium level. The offices are pushed to the exterior to help mitigate light reaching the laboratories.
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CENTRE for CELLULAR & BIOMOLECULAR RESEARCH
TORONTO, ONTARIO
BEHNISCH, BEHNISCH & PARTNER ARCHITEKTEN
2005
20,500 m2
The office and classroom spaces spatially separate the main circulation from the lab spaces, and the zones for theoretical research are placed near the south façade. The public programs flow through the first two floors, below the elevated lab suites. The upper lab zone sends its services to the roof, while the lower labs send them to service level lodged between the two volumes.
CENTRE for ENERGY & TECHNOLOGY
RENDSBURG, GERMANY
KNOCHE ARCHITEKTEN
1998-2000
3,400 m2
The simple plan is reinforced by the simple volumetric reading. Four programmatically separate volumes with circulation routes lining the inner atrium make up this research center. Each of the slots provide lounge space for researchers, while the main one to the north is a full height glazed wall signalling the entrance.
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PANTA RHEI RESEARCH CENTRE for LIGHTWEIGHT
MATERIALS
COTTBUS, GERMANY
KLEYER.KOBLITZ.ARCHITEKTEN
2001-2002
4,000 m2
A single roof makes up the form of the building, with the offices and meeting room becoming a separate volume. The roof arches over the office spaces, and the remaining space is left to a factory like lab floor, and circulation tucking behind the office volume.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY
AUER + WEBER + ARCHITEKTEN
2000-2003
5,800 m2
The central, linear atrium connects the office/ meeting wing, with the laboratories. Bridges cross this narrow cavity, providing opportunities for spontaneous conversation. The meeting rooms are glazed and lit from the sky lit roof. The gaps between the 3 primary volumes of laboratories serve as informal lounge or meeting spaces.
MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE of BIOPHYSICS
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COLOGNE, GERMANY
HEINRICH WÖRNER + STEGEPARTNER
2004-2005
14,500 m2
Two primary circulation paths define this building. A public path splits the ground floor in two, connecting opposite sides of the campus, and a series of corridors connects the varying lab volumes. The seven story lab building houses dark labs and access corridors within the interior of the building.
LABORATORY BUILDING of COLOGNE U. HOSPITAL
RESEARCH & LABORATORY BUILDING, BEIERSDORF AG
HAMBURG, GERMANY
HHS PLANER + ARCHITEKTEN AG
2002-2004
16,000 m2
The functional programs are stacked and separated, with the sculptural auditorium becoming the focal point of the architecture. The lab spaces are by far the largest piece of the program. A series of small offices lines the northern façade of the one laboratory wing.
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PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY LABORATORIES, LEIDEN U.
LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS
ERICK VAN EGERAAT ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS
1995-1997
6,700 m2
The laboratory space is split in the middle by a central access corridor, while 5 stories of offices become a tower. The auditorium rests under the office floors and provides a spatial hinge between the two programs.
ROSTOCK, GERMANY
VOLKER STAAB ARCHITEKTEN
1997-2002
9,000 m2
The building complex is organized around the central, outdoor courtyard. The auditorium defines the corner, marking the primary entrance direction. The remaining U shaped lab and office building is a typical double loaded corridor. Service cores are pushed to the south to help protect the labs from harsh sunlight.
INSTITUTES & LECTURE HALL for CHEMISTRY, U. of ROSTOCK
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LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA
LOUIS KAHN
1962
19,500 m2
Fully open and reconfigurable labs have views that are unrestricted to the central plaza and the ocean to the west. The office towers provide individual studies for the researchers, purposefully disconnected from the laboratories in both plan and section. Meeting and conference rooms are pushed to the gable ends, while the below ground plaza is utilized as an informal meeting space adjacent to the library and administrative programs.
SALK INSTITUTE for BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
CHONGQUING, CHINA
ATELIER FEICHANG JIANZHU
2000-2001
8,100 m2
The simple organization of large lab spaces stratified by access perpendicular to the length of the building. At either end, offices, classrooms and dormitories provide necessary separation from the labs. The thin slots provide daylight and the largest slot also accommodates a circulation path through the building addressing the change in section.
SOUTHWEST BIO-TECH INTERMEDIATE TEST BASE
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PRECEDENT STUDIES
BARCELONA BOTANICAL INSTITUTE Carlos Ferrater, Joan Guibernau, Elena Mateau
SAINTE MARIE de la TOURETTE MONASTERY Le Corbusier
SALK INSTITUTE for BIOLOGICAL STUDIES Louis Kahn
MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE of BIOPHYSICS Auer + Weber + Architekten
ATLANTIC CENTER for the ARTS Leeper Studio Complex Maryann Thompson + Charles Rose
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BARCELONA BOTANICAL INSTITUTE Carlos Ferrater, Joan Guibernau, Elena Mateau | 2003 Barcelona, Spain
ELEVATION
SITE PLAN
CROSS SECTION
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BASEMENT PLAN
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
The Barcelona Botanical Institute consists of two very separated programs. The public programs at ground level and the private office suite. The public spaces can be accessed from the landscape of the Botanical Gardens, and the fully glazed curtain wall provides complete transparency between the exhibition hall, café and auditorium; and the landscape. A retractable curtain provides darkness for the auditorium. The private offices and library for the institutes faculty are housed in a seemingly floating volume above the public programs. The archive and
climate-controlled herbarium are housed in a concrete shell below ground, which helps keep the required temperature and humidity of the herbarium. Sited at the top of the Mt. Montjuïc, the institute has commanding views of Barcelona and the garden, especially from inside the private offices. The structural cross walls reinforce the view down the landscape to the city.
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EXHIBITION HALL
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LIBRARY
OFFICES
HERBARIUM
PREP ROOM
AUDITORIUM
EXHIBITION
LIBRARY
Images source: Research and Technology Buildings, A Design Manual 57
SAINTE MARIE de la TOURETTE MONASTERY Le Corbusier | 1960 Lyon, France
EAST WEST SECTION
WEST EAST SECTION
Sited between farmland and small towns, La Tourette pulls apart the traditional piec-es of a monastery while reinterpreting the functionality of each part. Cells provide living quarters for 100 monks. The central quadrangle is split by the cloister, atypical from traditional monasteries. The interest for my project lies in the social life of mo-nasticism, and the spaces which amplify and highlight that ideal lifestyle. Peter Sere-nyi describes monasticism as when “indi-vidual will and general will are in complete accord with one another.” This harmony is reflected in the architecture, where spaces of very differing scales meet.
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GROUND FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
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The collective and the individual.62
LIBRARY
CELLS
ORATORY
REFECTORY
CHURCH
NORTH ALTAR
SOUTH ALTARCLOISTER
Images source: Un Couvent De Le Corbusier. Jean Petit 63
SALK INSTITUTE for BIOLOGICAL STUDIES Louis Kahn | 1962 La Jolla, California
The initial proposal for the Salk Institute went much further than what was actually built. Residences and administrative buildings were designed, but never realized. Jonas Salk had vi-sionary ideas about the scientific work-place. Laboratories with nearly infinitely flexible services provided easy adjust-ments. Private studies, likened to cells in a monastery by Salk himself provided an escape from the lab benches for the scientists. Windows turn and address the Pacific, providing plentiful natural views. A sunken court rests between the labs and studies, providing a shady outdoor seating area, adjacent to the sun drenched plaza separating the two laboratory buildings. Libraries and ad-ministrative programs are placed on the ground floor, freeing space for the labo-ratories The sectional difference be-tween the studies and the lab provide ample views of the plaza and of nature to both. Jonas Salk thought it was cru-cial to have a degree of separation be-tween the labs and studies, in order to help the scientists focus on their work while they’re at work.
SERVICE LEVEL PLAN
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interstital
communal
communal
individual
PLAZA LEVEL PLAN LABORATORY LEVEL PLAN
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LABORATORIES
STUDIES
MEETING ROOMS
LIBRARY
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MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE of BIOPHYSICS Auer + Weber + Architekten | 2003 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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NORTHERN FAÇADE
LABORATORY LEVEL PLAN
TRANSVERSE SECTION
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Top right Source: http://www.film-commission-hessen.de/WebObjects/LH.woa/query/1093339;loc;details;en;no=1729
All other images Source:: Research and Technology Buildings, A Design Manual
ATRIUM
ACCESS BRIDGES
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LABORATORIES
DORMITORY
STORAGE
OFFICES
MEETING ROOMS
The Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt fosters a culture of openness and collaboration through its circulation system. Bridges cross the atrium at each level, separating but con-necting the offices and laboratories. Fully glazed conference rooms look out over the atrium, and lounges are located on
each level near the western entrance. Be-tween the three laboratory volumes, the hallways become collecting places, small lounges overlooking the landscape below. Private offices look out across the garden to the south, and a sunscreen helps mini-mize harsh glare.
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ATLANTIC CENTER for the ARTS Leeper Studio Complex Maryann Thompson + Charles Rose | 1997 New Smyrna Beach, Florida
A series of pavilions are set in the dense Florida vegetation, with a raised board-walk connecting the various studios and creat-ing small spaces in between with seating areas, spurring collaboration and discussion. The art-ists retreat creates a social organization found-ed on interdisciplinary dialogue between peers. The remote location allows artists the ability to focus on their work. Including 12,000 ft2 of art-ists work space, the ACA also includes master artists cottages, communal dining facilities and associate residencies.
A Leeper Studio ComplexB Master Artists Cottages C Bell Administration BuildingD Caretakers ResidenceE Eagles WingF Patrons WingG Wilkinson LibraryH Whatmore CommonsJ Urban Amphitheater
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C
B
D
F
E
G
H A
A Harris TheaterB Dance StudioC Painting StudioD Sculpture StudioE FieldhouseF Music Studio
BB
C
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All images source: http://www.maryannthompson.com73
SITE TYPOLOGY PRECEDENTS
WOODED HILL La Tourette Monastery Le Corbusier
COASTAL ISLAND Mont Saint-Michel Monastery
SEASIDE BLUFF Salk Institute Louis Kahn
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WOODED HILL
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COASTAL ISLAND
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SEASIDE BLUFF
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SITE DOCUMENTATION
SOUTH-WESTERN TIP of ÎLE d’ORLEANS
Town of Sainte-Pétronille-views of downtown Québec and Montmorency Falls-primarily farmland/ small towns-25 minute drive from Downtown Québec
-rocky edge in estuary of St. Lawrence River-subject to tides of +2 meters
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ÎLE D’ORLEANS
QUÉBEC
FLEUVE SAINT-LAURENT
BEAUPORT
LEVIS
QUÉBEC CITY CONTEXT
BUILT FORMCHARLESBOURG
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ÎLE D’ORLEANS
QUÉBEC
FLEUVE SAINT-LAURENT
BEAUPORT
LEVIS
SAINTE-PÉTRONILLE
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QUÉBEC CITY CONTEXT
DETAILED FIGURE GROUND
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LEVIS
ÎLE D’ORLEANS
QUÉBEC
FLEUVE SAINT-LAURENT
BEAUPORT
QUÉBEC CITY CONTEXT
INTERTIDAL ZONE
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LEVIS
ÎLE D’ORLEANS
QUÉBEC
FLEUVE SAINT-LAURENT
BEAUPORT
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QUÉBEC CITY CONTEXT
ÎLE D’ORLEANS
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QUÉBEC CITY CONTEXT
ÎLE D’ORLEANS TOPOGRAPHY
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You drive along the highway which exits a city of 500,000 on massive flyovers toward the country, an island.
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The island splits the river in two before it narrows.
You cross a steel bridge. It is the only bridge.
There’s just farmland.
And more farmland.
Finally you reach the coast and look back at the city which rests on the edge of a high promontory.
The shoreline is rocky.
You will build the academy here.
Allen, Laura, Iain Borden, Nadia O’Hare, and Neil Spiller, eds. Bartlett Designs: Speculating with Architecture. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.An introspective look into how we study architecture and how the Bartlett differentiates the processes of learning architecture. The speculative nature of the students projects from years past defend and define the ways we not only look at architecture, but how we approach and learn it as well.
Braun, Hardo, and Dieter Grömling. Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual. Basel: Birkhäuser-Publishers for Architecture, 2005. Print.A complete look into the requirements of laboratory and research buildings, as well as design examples across multiple scales and contexts.
Braunfels, Wolfgang. Monasteries of Western Europe; the Architecture of the Orders. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1973. Print.A broad look at the historical monasteries of western Europe.
Fergusson, Peter. Architecture of Solitude: Cistercian Abbeys in Twelfth-Century England. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1984. Print.
Galison, Peter, and Emily Thompson, eds. The Architecture of Science. Cambridge: MIT, 1999. Print.An in depth look into the relationship between scientists and architects. Demonstrates how scientific architecture (laboratories, hospitals, etc.) configures the identity of science, and conversely how “the sciences procedurally and metaphorically structure the identity of the architect and the practice of architecture.”
within: Factory, Laboratory, Studio: Dispersing Sites of Production. Peter Galison and Caroline A. Jones
Architecture, Science, and Technology. Antoine Picon Thoughts on the Architecture of the Scientific Workplace: Community, Change, and Continuity. Robert Venturi
Henze, Anton. La Tourette, The Le Corbusier Monastery. New York: George Wittenborn, 1966. Print.Describing the process Le Corbusiers Monastery took, from design to completion and its use. The photographs by Bernhard Moosbrugger depict the daily lives of the monks, as well as the architectural details of La Tourette monastery.
Hervé, Lucien, Rayner Heppenstall, François Cali, and Corbusier Le. Architecture of Truth: the Cistercian Abbey of Le Thoronnet in Provence. New York: George Braziller, 1957. Print
James, M. R., and A. Hamilton Thompson. Abbeys, with an Additional Chapter on “Monastic Life and Buildings” London: Great Western Railway, 1926. Print.
Noever, Peter, ed. The End of Architecture?: Documents and Manifestos: Vienna Architecture Conference. Munich: Prestel, 1993. Print.
Petit, Jean. Un Couvent De Le Corbusier. Les Cahiers Forces Vives Aux Editions De Minuit, 1960. Print.Documents the process of Le Corbusiers monastery, from the design brief to the construction and its eventual use by the Dominican friars.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Picon, Antoine, and Alessandra Ponte, eds. Architecture and the Sciences: Exchanging Metaphors. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2003. Print.A series of essays exploring the relationship and points of intersection between architecture and the sciences. “A thorough examination of the architectural method of inquiry,” which often borrows metaphors for use in architectural history, design and theory.
within: The Place of Distribution, Episodes in the Architecture of Experiment. Edward Eigen Desert Testing. Alessandra Ponte
War Against the Center. Peter Galison
Potié, Philippe. Le Corbusier: Le Couvent Sainte Marie De La Tourette the Monastery of Sainte Marie De La Tourette. Paris: Fondation Le Corbusier, 2001. Print.
Serenyi, Peter. “Le Corbusier, Fourier, and the Monastery of Ema.” The Art Bulletin 49.4 (1967): 277-86. Print.Depicts the path of social theories from philosopher Fourier to Le Corbusier, and his eventual visit to the monastery of Ema, near Florence Italy and his impressions which led to formulating his own theory on social architecture.
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures: and a Second Look. Cambridge: University, 1964. Print.C.P. Snow describes the divide between the two cultures he describes as literary intellectuals, and scientific intellectuals. Also bases ideas on how to improve the British educational system, in regard to Russian and American ideas of science education.
Wiseman, Carter. Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style : a Life in Architecture. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.
Zaknic, Ivan. “Le Corbusier’s Epiphany on Mount Athos.” Journal of Architectural Education 43.4 (1990): 27-36. Print.Le Corbusiers “journey to the east” and his realizations while spending time on the Greek Mount Athos, a monastic enclave since ancient times.
