case study: path and program

kunsthal, rotterdam by oma. 1992

the kunsthal is an exhibition space that is intersected by a public walkway and a city street. people move through these streets being in the city and then suddenly in the building and then back into the city again. interstingly, as the paths intersect they begin to orientthe program inside. the path then breaks through the building and provides a constant linear transition.

this is an example of the program being manipulated by the path through it. this connects to my concept of striating programs along a transitional space and creating the place within the transition.


images from, or for more information go to: http://www.oma.nl/

analyzing the philadlephia alleyways

alleyway- a narrow passage between buildings, A private or public passage or way

the philadelphia alleyways that i have been exploring have shown a common trend. these alleyways often do not line up from block to block. also over the years of development many pieces fo them have been removed, leaving the alley way non-existent for several blocks. I have narrowed my search to the alleyways between the rivers in the east - west direction and between vine st. in the north and christian st. in the south. I will be examinng the alleyways between these boundaries and studying the breaks in them. these breaks will possibly become the areas for my intervention.



this site is an alley the cuts across the south st. area, but is stopped by south street. this is an example of how alley ways are stopped and then pick back up.




this site is an area where an alleyway is broken up by the bridge to new jersey.


also, I am looking at what other alleyway conditions exist within the city, based on the definitions of an alleyway, and not by the specific name. for instance are there other areas in the city that possess the same qualities of an alley. one site I have had in the back of my mind for a while, and now through my process has come back out is the abandoned train tracks that run parrallel to spring garden st.

after meeting with my advisors...

- the map of my journeys needs to be temporal, show the experience not jsut a connection

-begin to bring these diagrams into the city, become spatial, use maps

-alley way is an interesting start for investigation. study the alleys of the city. look at who uses them and where and how. people smoke in alleys. study the aggregate in the alley as a tell tale of waht goes on there. sub-culture exists in alley ways. hidden bars, or people. a shadyness to it. the secrets of the alley ways. study the dialog of the alley versus the city grid. is it a secondary grid. how do they work together or seperate, and the uses of each.

-move through the alleys and tell the narratve of them
-travel only in alleys
-try moravian, panana, ransid as interesting philadelphia alley ways to study.

alley ways

from my ideas of a lineated piazza i began conceiving possible sites fro such an intervention. this brought me to the alley way. numerous abandoned or under utilized alleys exist in the city of phladelphia, and i thought that this might lend itself as beginning to exploring transition. i am interested in alley ways that would be in touch with numerous program and user types, and how this vein of connection could be used to create new life.

on-going project dictionary

connection- a specific vehicle, airplane, ship, etc., boarded in making connections,ie: a bus connection, the act or state of connecting

to speak of a connection as a vehicle or thing you attatch to in order to move intrigues me for this project. it is a meaning of the word used constantly yet not the first one thought of when asked its meaning. to think of the transitional space in this way may be a good vantage point. as if the transitional space is your connection, and it takes you to your destinations.

static- fixed or stationary, little or no change
dynamic- characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress

daily destinations

this is a diagram of my most frequented destinations, and the connection between them. my next step is to evolve this into an understanding of the transitions between each, followed by an understanding of the transitions versus the places based on the static and dynamic elements of each.

defining relationships: 2

through my initial understanding of my primary terms, transition, place, destination, and journey, i have found general qualities that apply to all of them. this discovery may be crucial to dis-assembling the pre-determined role of each, and applying place to transition.

defining relationships: 1

to understand how transition and place, and journey and destination can interchange, or become one, i must first understand how they relate through meaning. this diagram is a demonstration of that.

linear piazza/ linear transition

transitional space that di-sects the city. a elongated and linear piazza created to connect certain pts, using the city as a playing field and scale. this idea is about creating a path or connection and transition, but also a place for sporadic, and unplanned interaction. this diagram generically represents a city grid, and color codes different programs in the area. as the path cuts through its surroundings, it incorporates them into its identity. creating a place'ial' identity in a transitional space. the diagram on the right displays the integration of the programs intersected into the path of transition. the linear transitional space looks to establish place within the journey between the destinations, how these destinations are chosen i don't know. it also looks to mend adjacent activities to one another, creating a slit of the city that represents the city in transition.

evolving definitions

Transition- change over time, from one state to another, almost immediately implys movement. experiential, modulation

Journey- To travel from place to place, period of anticipation, period of experience

Place- a unique sense of being that can belong to one instance, time, or space, bounded by a specific underlying principle or sequence

Destination- reason for journey, idea, place, or event that motivates you. end point of a journey.

what influences the way we move?

looking at how we move on a smaller scale, such as walking or biking. what factors affect us, how do we alter our intended path, how does past experience and knowledge affect us, and what is the influence of modern technology? (to be continued)

paradox static/dynamic

one idea towards creating transition as place is the hybridization of a static activity or program with an dynamic element, such as a mass transit facility, ie. bus, train, metro, etc. this was an idea stemming from the graduate thesis work of elliot felix titles "the subway libraries" http://www.elliotfelix.com/ that was suggested to me. I pursued 4 such paradoxical situations; gym in subway, funeral on a bus, office in a subway car, and a house on a train. these were composed as quick sketches of scenarios with possibilities that could inform the thesis work.


gym on the subway was an idea of how to infill the time spent commuting daily, and how to inspire average people to perform more physical activity.

funeral on a bus was a more satire based idea playing on the idea of the all in one hearse that would move the remains and hold the ceremony. this type idea could apply to many other functions in life and in the city.









office in a subway car was an idea of an office that could move throughout the city on a subway car. in todays age many businesses have no physical address as they are solely on the web, so the idea of not having a fixed location seemed remotely feasable. the office that meets you and takes you on your way.







house on a train was inspired by the many long distant commuters who travel from cities like philadelphia to new york to work every day and then back only to repeat the same thing the next day. these people have no real connections to the locations of their homes, rather they come to and from them. this idea was that you walked out your door to work as the train moved on, and would later return to pick you up.

this diagram was a quick sketch conceived to begin to illustrate a possible relationship between journey and destination. using photographs as destinations and the space between as the journey, I highlighted certain attributes of each destination and linked them together from one to the next to show how elements of our destinations shape our journeys.

beginning abstract

My thesis is about transition as place. My initial research began with a study of the link between journeys and destinations. This study focused on how the destination could affect our journey. It evolved into a study of the way people transition to different places of all scales and how. The research looked at terminal design for subways, airports, and train stations, as well as walking, biking, and driving to see the effects at every scale. The thesis is primarily theory based; however site and program will help to give it substance and direct research.

Going into the design process I am beginning to look at aspects of automotive travel. This involves specifically the differences between back road travel and expressway travel of long trips. The comparison looks at how back roads can give a sense of place and connection while the expressway plows right through and past all around it. The research will be using mapping studies and collage analysis to compare the two. The idea will look at time, connection, and movement.

Also starting the design process I am studying the link between journey and destination by using graphic and photographic collage and montage. I am interested in seeing how two different places can relate through the journey between them and the affect each one has on the transition. This also aims to study the duration of the journey and its affects.

Too often when people speak of where they have been do they talk about points or cities or destinations they have gone to, while leaving out what occurred in between. This is what I hope to discover, what happens in between. The period of transition becomes forgotten as a void of time that exists without place. The design process will focus on how the transition can become a place.

secondary and overlapping terms

modulate- to keep in proper measure or proportion, to vary the amplitude
period- an extent of time
space- a period of time
change- to alter
movement- altering ones position
sense- to become aware of
experience- to understand through being
anticipation- look forward to, driving force
sequence- systematic order of events
event- an activity, interaction
motivator- something that promotes activity, movement, or use
order- what holds and organizes elements together
time- universal ordering, period during which an action, process, condition, or place exists, an experience

beginning to define: primary terms

transition- movement, passage, or change from one position, state, place, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another. a sudden, unprepared modulation.

journey- to travel from place to place, a period of travel, a period of anticipation.

place- any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely unbounded space.

destination- the ultimate goal for which something is done, a place to which one is journeying, the end point of a trip, reason for doing

intro

this thesis is beginning as an analysis of the relationships between journey and destination through a study of transitional space. it is questioning the ideas of transition and place and posing the question; can a transition be a place in itself?