inthe consideration of
em a i l
in s t i t u t e o f a rt & d e s i g n
PROGRAMCONSIDERATIONS . evolving
Ibelieve it was Louis Kahn who said that the first thing he did with a programwas discard it. However, it also strikes me as a very rational mechanismwith which to nourish the development of a concept for an art institute. In particular, the dynamics of the organizational facilities in respectto enforcing the premise-in-development of this thesis. As such,I am adopting, to a partial degree, the suggested narrative as a mechanismwith which to commence this exercise. I will attempt to remove theword <space> as much as possible in order to be more explicit, or forcegreater explicity, into the ideas I wish to integrate into this facility. |
| PROGRAMibasementfloor / ground floor / secondfloor / third/fourth floor |
| Needlessto say, respecting the street mandates direct consideration. Programmatically,this would be reflected in the more public nature of the building's functions. The cafe, entrance, and exhibition areas would clearly dominate this domain. Also, there is the possibility of creating an entry sequence in order toamplify the public significance and urban articulation of the institute. The rather exaggerated dimension area of the reception illustrates my contentionthat this is indeed a prime area of congregation and dynamic in terms offunction, may it be exhibitions, opening ceremonies or mere loitering. In order to accommodate these intentions, a courtyard parti may serve wellto integrate the street, cafe, lobby, and exhibition areas. Afterall, the courtyard could easily accommodate an overflow from exhibitions(sculptures, even topiary landscaping), an overflow from the cafe, theworkshops and, if linked to upper floors, the ateliers above. Inthe design of this institution, I am hoping that I can incorporate thepremise of the architecturale promenade in order to remove the independenceof various functions and bring them into a more communal and public whole. More concisely, I wish to avoid the standard institutional prototype ofa double-loaded corridor branching off of a main entrance. Conversely,I wish to implement a more open and inviting planning formula with greateroverlap and interaction between the various functions of the institute. Most definitely, this is easy to write, but in my precedent analysis, itis particularly apparent that numerous successful examples illustrate thispremise of overlap by utilizing the residual space between specific roomsto store and exhibit student's work. As such, I think incorporatingthis as a program element will both enhance the structuring and organizationof the facility and increase the interaction within. Furthermore,it will offer a distinct alternative to the "dead" hallways common to manyinstitutional type buildings. On a more urban level, I have includedbillboards as a program element in order to both promote the public natureof the building that I am attempting to project [a sort of continual galleryin the making] and serve to represent the dynamic nature of the internalcreation within the building. |
| PROGRAMiibasementfloor / ground floor / secondfloor / third/fourth floor |
| Movingvertically through the building, I similarly wish to build on the premiseof an open and interactive environment where residual circulation and crevicesare used to exhibit/store students' work and also accommodate lingeringand communal services. I am also considering the idea of perhapsthe courtyard extending into the upper floors on a smaller scale than therez-de-chausee in order to encourage its function as a communal basin wherethe various internal functions overflow and collect, creating an implicitdiscourse and interaction amongst students and the public. This extension,vertically, of the courtyard would also serve to perhaps allow more lightto filter into the courtyard at the lower levels. There is also theoption of creating a planar organization of glazed and open / partiallycovered terraces that may serve as exterior extensions of the ateliers. The library also provides substantial potential, and contrasting to theopen / interactive nature of the ateliers and exhibition areas. Assuch, the library offers silence and a sanctity for peace of mind fromthe dynamic of the "physical" work areas. The design of this areashould reflect this intention both in its isolation and design conception. The inclusion of digital design media also suggests that this be reflectedin the design of these areas, although not to the extent that the spacesbecome redundant for re-use or dominant in the parti of the institutionas a whole. The establishment of a modular unit to integrate the functionsof classrooms, critique rooms, and ateliers may also assist in unifyingthe parti's substance and emphasis. Although the term "modular" appliedto the institution may well evoke the shivery memories of typical institutionalcomplexes, I am not convinced that it cannot be resolved effectively andservice the premise of a concept quite democratically and beautifully. |
| PROGRAMiiibasementfloor / ground floor / secondfloor / third/fourth floor |
| Thetop floors, as it stands, have evolved into a more mature and reservedarea with the offices for the professors, the offices for student organizationsand the permanent exhibition area. I have mixed emotions about integratingthe various components, but I am anticipating that as the design progressesI will develop greater confidence in the precise structuring of the program. When considering the various elements, I have no reservations imaginingtheir potential. In order to substantiate this potential somewhat,imagine the sinks that typically accompany studios. As the gutterof studio residue, they offer tremendous potential in terms of articulatingthe features of the creative process. Perhaps cavities recessed nearthe entrance/exit representative as the source or discard of the creativespirit. Consider the supply room, a miniature warehouse of creativepotential. The ateliers themselves offer inherent potential as thebreeding ground of creative exploration, as well as a dynamic facade andurban animation of this work in progress, a work that is implicitly nevercomplete or fully satisfying. The niches in the circulation areaclearly exhibiting such processes as remnants of the artist as pioneer,as revolutionist, as the epitomy of craftsmanship. Imagine a two-levelworkshop delving into the basement of the site, with the internal rumblingsof machine-worked production. Parallel perhaps to a cage, where thetrapped animal surfaces occasionally for the nourishment of air. This image relates simultaneously to a life-drawing studio on the fourthfloor, where the gentle blink of the model's eyes disturbs the most intenseconcentration and absorption in the complexity of live form. A modelin a cage, paralyzed by the focus of her predators. Imagine the dynamicof tourists drifting from the Marche Bonsecours across the street for someretro tea in a handmade, hand-crafted cup at the institutes bistro. Imagine the interaction between students and the public, the potentialscorn of the public on behalf of the artists over the general public andtheir psuedo-appreciation of ART. Yet the cafe's link from the streetmay encourage the "general public" to stroll through the (bizarre) landscapedcourtyard and then into the exterior exhibition areas which bring theminto the interior exhibition areas... they may wander through the premisesencouraged by a design that is inviting, squandering a conventional trespassingsyndrome, encouraged and intrigued to view the process of art as opposedto merely the final product of a back room process. |
< home
