Community Flooding

By Isaac Grayson

The convergence point of three tributaries flowing out of the Allegany Mountains marks the beginning of the Ohio River. The river flows east growing in strength and breath. Fifty percent of the U.S. population resides along is coast and waterways, with this number expected to rise.^[1] In conjunction with this floods are the United States most frequent disaster.^[2] The current strategy for keeping communities safe from the rising waters involves trying to overpower the river through force. With the use of levees and dams to restrict the rivers flow, and flood walls to hold back the waters as they threaten property. This thesis will explore how to develop resilient river communities that more passively address the natural flow, and commonly thought of as aggressive, nature of the river.

            People have always lived/utilized the flood plains. Euro-Americans came to the river valleys and settled in the fertile flood plains with no intentions to move^[3]. These new citizens of the river valley invested in agriculture and later built industrial cities. Bringing this area into the modern age of industrialization brought with it the threat of living with disaster. What is most difficult for river communities to deal with is the balance between being near enough to reap the most benefit from the river but far enough away to avoid the high-water.

            Not all disasters can be avoided. The goal of this thesis is not to create a design solution that is impervious to all forms of disaster, not even a solution that is capable of withstanding all levels of flooding. The goal is to address the issues of flooding that come up multiple time a year, as part of the rivers natural cycle. Engineering design solutions that can be implemented within the current context of Midwest cities, to bring in more nature by encouraging nature to cycle the way it was intended to.

www.courierpress.com/photos/galleries/2011/mar/13/tri-state-flooding/18340/

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[1] Watson, Donald, and Michele Adams. Design for flooding: architecture, landscape, and urban design for resilience to flooding and climate change. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. XX.

[2] Watson, Donald, and Michele Adams. Design for flooding: architecture, landscape, and urban design for resilience to flooding and climate change. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. XV.

[3] Castonguay, Stéphane. "Rivers and Risk in the City: The Urban Floodplain as a Contested Space." In Urban rivers: remaking rivers, cities, and space in Europe and North America. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012. 131.

The Vandalism of Notre Dame du Haut: What it Means

By Tyler Dunahee

Notre Dame du Haut is often considered Corbusier’s finest work, and he was one of the most influential architects of the 20^th Century. It revitalized a church after its previous chapel, which was a 4^th century chapel, was destroyed in World War II.  Corbusier was chosen to do the new chapel as reformists within the Roman Catholic Church looked to renew their spirit by embracing both modern art and architecture as representative concepts. Notre Dame du Haut was finished in 1953 on the hill of Bourlémont overlooking Ronchamp.           

On January 17^th, vandals broke into Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France, breaking a window and a taking a small concrete chest.  It’s just a window right? The window that was broken for entry was the only window in Notre Dame du Haut that bore the mark of Corbusier himself, a blue square with a man howling in the moon. The window was not of stained glass, as Corbusier believed it was too similar to the ways of “old architecture”, instead he hand painted it and had signed it, making the window irreplaceable, a historic piece destroyed forever in a meaningless act of vandalism.

                One would think that the vandalism would be the end of the discussion, but this vandalism has opened the eyes of many to another issue, exploitation of historical buildings and their negligence.  One may not be able to tell by looking at pictures of the structural feat, but when visiting Notre Dame du Haut you can tell there are a number of issues, likely caused by negligence.  Many architects and historians believe that the chapel has been left to rot in the French hillside, even while it has been turned into a “cash cow”, last year 80,000 tickets were sold, and that’s their average annual amount. The amount of income that is being generated coupled with the fact that the building is being neglected, as Le Corbusier scholar and architectural historian William JR Curtis points to the fact that the chapel is “quite literally falling apart, with the white pebbledash cracked and crumbling away and the bare concrete eroding at the edges”, is, also according to Curtis, scandalous.  The property is owned and run by the Association L’Oeuvre de Notre Dame du Haut.

                In 2011 Renzo Piano completed a monastery on a nearby hillside, not far from Notre Dame du Haut, this project was controversial as it diminished the remote site of Notre Dame du Haut and added a new access road nearby.  Curtis referred to the addition as creating a bit of a gated community, with an outward sign of prosperity.  Some believe that this sign of prosperity may create some harsh feelings toward these pieces of architecture as many locals suffer from desperate poverty in what is referred to as a depressed region of France.

                One must ponder though, which of these vandalisms are worse, the intentional vandalism by the vandals that smashed a window or the vandalism caused due to the negligence from which the very association that owns Notre Dame du Haut, a building from which they are profiting from.

How a Little Thing Like the Site Will Completely Influence the Design

By Timothy Shotts

             The further in depth I look into my choice of Leadville, CO as my site, the more parameters I add to the design. I would love to have a bus lane integrated into the design to add another level of service to the facility, but I'm not sure how I'm going to fit such a physically demanding program requirement onto the small site which is only 90' by 110'. Another consideration is that Leadville relies heavily on historic tourism for their economy. Therefore, a transit station of modern materials such as steel and glass will not be allowed for aesthetic reasons and the tube of the transport system will need to be placed underground while in the city to preserve the historical context. There is also a mural on the wall of the building adjacent to the site which, while may not need to be preserved, perhaps should be. This will require my building to be small, one-story, and positioned near the southwestern corner of the site. This is advantageous to allow local busses to pick-up and drop-off in front of the building. The final consideration is how to bring capsules into the station. Will they load and unload on the main level or a lower level? If on the lower level, how will people get down there? Will it be safe? Will it look like a dungeon devoid of natural light or is there a way to bring abundant light to the lower level. After all, the facility needs to be accessible 24 hours a day if I follow the Personal Rapid Transit model. The other option is to bring the capsule up to ground level. If the capsule lowers into the floor after loading, will it look like a coffin being lowered into the ground? What if the capsule traveled up to the main level like a gas pipe check-station in the middle of a farmer's field? What connotations would that have? Will tube transport itself have a negative reception in a town known for mining? Will the residents of Leadville fear a tube collapse as they do a mine shaft collapse?

Leadville, CO mural

Lessons Learned So Far

By Alan Kirkwood

               It is a week prior to my presentation to my thesis committee and I am so busy preparing for it. I have spent much time over break reading, planning how I was going to attack this project, having interviews with people and just gathering any books I could that would help me along the way. Now that the semester has actually begun, I have seemed to slow down in regards to my thesis work due to the remainder of my course load. There has been a major change in my course work this semester. There has been a lot more reading and writing added to it. My architecture history class has a small amount of reading each week but my elective, sociology seminar: Human Sexuality, has been requiring me to read a book a week along with articles, analyze them and write about them. Despite the work, I have engaged in some very interesting conversations during class time.

                In planning for my committee meeting next week, I have struggled with scheduling a bit. I waited too long to go organize a set scheduled time with my different committee members resulting in me only being able to meet with two next week and having to wait to present to the other. At least my chair will be at the first meeting with one of the other members to give me a couple perspectives. So what to take from that situation is to not wait too long to organize your committee.

                The plan for this week is “Plan and Execution”… I will spend tonight planning my presentation, what will be included, how it will be laid out, what needs to be digital vs on paper, etc… I have begun by sketching on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper planning what my large board will look like based on all of the information I have gathered. Tomorrow I will begin the execution of how I putting together my presentation board. This weekend is going to be very busy, but I still have to find my balance of work and leisure.

                So the things I have taken away from this semester thus far are to manage my time better in entering this thesis work with my other courses, to plan early with my committee for meeting dates to help make finding times earlier and finally to plan your courses well in advance so that you do not take on more than you can handle because ultimately, your thesis work comes first.

Stretching the Definition of the House

By Brittany Ricker

The way of living in other countries just amazes me. What is socially acceptable? Why is something that is completely wrong in the United States…a way of life in another country? It is crazy to think you can hop on a plane, travel for a little over 20 hours (if you’re lucky to pick a flight with a short layover…) and end up in a place like Bhaktapur, Nepal. The people in Bhaktapur actually use their roofs religiously on a day to day basis to do domestic activities along with interacting with their neighbors! From my experience in the United States, the only time it is socially acceptable to be “hanging out” up on the rooftop is when you are:

1.       Fixing the roof/building a house

2.       Hanging up decorations for the holidays: Christmas, Halloween, etc.

3.       Teenager trying to “escape” in the middle of the night…

4.       All you can drink rooftop experience watching the Chicago Cubs (They will win one day!!!)

On that same note, something that also sticks out about Bhaktapr, Nepal is that the houses line the narrow streets and shelter communal courtyards at the center of the blocks. Not only are the roofs and rooftop porches a part of their daily lives, but the streets have important functions. Aside from sleeping, the people of Nepal spend about 80 percent of their lives outdoors (I think it’s safe to say they don’t have PlayStation or Xbox…there is no time for Call of Duty). The streets take on many functions, symbolic and practical. In addition to major courts or plazas, each neighborhood has large amounts of public space where the people socialize, especially at the natural or artificial ponds, where clothes are washed and bathing occurs. If someone was bathing down at the pond, at least in my neighborhood, I’m pretty certain the cops would be called and some sort of public indecency ticket would be awarded to the lunatic. Besides bathing and washing clothes in the public, the people of Bhaktapur just sit outside their doorways at the edge of the street, spinning or weaving, chopping wood, or even making gravel by splitting rock! The streets are also for the goats and sheep. So imagining a neighborhood in the United States where people are preparing food, drying clothes on their roofs, making clothing, selling food on the streets, bathing in public and sheep/goats roaming around freely…. People here would have a heart attack!

Something else that would be amazing to see is the view from the rooftops in Bhaktapr. Being able to see the Himalayan Mountains while you’re preparing food or catching up with your neighbor would be amazing! 

Brutalism

By Ryan Kinports

Geisel Library - Image courtesy oobject.com

One of my favorite styles is characterized by concrete, monolithic pours, and a connection to surroundings. It was born out of a post-WW2 era in a European industry that had been largely destroyed. Steel in particular was hard to come by. Concrete was a readily available alternative. Le Corbusier began using it to underline his view that the structures be inhabit should be built on a human scale and conform to our needs. There should be a focus on what would assist us in leading a fulfilling life. He designed the Unité d'Habitation, or the Marseilles Block, in France to provide interaction with the sun, and be a leading example for a new style of building. There was a focus on providing a self-sufficient environment in which tenants could meet their daily needs with little input from the outside.

Marseilles Block – Image courtesy http://itsybitsythings.wordpress.com

               Brutalism attracted me because of the monolithic nature employed to present solutions. The massive structures, expansive public spaces, and highly focused connections to nature are appealing. Unfortunately when many people think of Brutalism they narrow their vision to concrete blocks that lack style. The unique forms that can be made are capable of conforming to any geography to meet any need. One of the more prominent uses of this style in the United States is in dam construction. The more striking details though are how these buildings relate. Often there is an emphasis on framing the natural environment for those inside without obstructing access to that environment. The Bank of Georgia Headquarters in Tbilisi Georgia is a striking example that allows foliage to grow around and on the building. It provides a pleasant working environment while minimizing the footprint. 

Bank of Georgia - Images courtesy worldarchitecturemap.org and Aries L. flickr

                 I was not keenly aware of the style until I spent a semester abroad in the Czech Republic, and later traveled to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, and Russia. It was embraced by the socialist movement as a way to embody the idealized version of a government run by the people. While that particular form for governance has proven unreliable, the structures it fostered were successful. The Bulgarian Natural History Museum (below left) is nestled near a mountain range surrounded by forest and gardens. The large boulevard approaching forces you to take in your surroundings. The Bulgarian Palace of Culture (below right) is the center sits at the end of an expansive public square that contains gardens, sculptures, and people enjoying their day. 

Images by Ryan Kinports

One of the more unique abilities of this style is the ability to adapt to any use. The project does not necessarily need to be meant for daily human interaction. Dams are most commonly concrete, and while many are not designed they do lend well to Brutalist influence. In fact it may be the best use of the style as there is such purposeful connection to nature.

Bartlett Dam, Arizona – Image courtesy teachengineering.org

In contrast to nature often there are unique requirements that must be met without being disruptive to the surrounding built environment. One of these is the former AT&T Long Lines Building at 33 Thomas in NY. It is a building designed for vacuum computers, and now server infrastructure. It is also not meant to be inhabited by humans for any significant time – hence why there are no windows.

33 Thomas – Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Purposeful design elements and a connection to environment are what attract me to this style. As I have begun looking for it I have noticed many poor attempts to imitate that forget the core principles, or ignore them altogether. I feel like these attempts are why many people view Brutalism as negative.  

Thesis Case Studies

By Mazen Aziz

Case studies are very helpful for gathering information and ideas that can be referred to. This thesis has unique parameters but at the same time in specific cases there are a lot in common with other slums projects that can be studied and help with the design project proposal. Some of the common issues are pollution and disease in a large city.  One case study that would help a lot with this thesis is Kibera, Kenya. Kibera has similar issues and ideas that will suit this thesis. The most important aspect of this case study is that the amount of disease it has which make it so similar to Manshiet Nasser and also its location in the middle of the city.

Figure 1 Kibera pollution

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/07/effort-to-rid-kibera-of-flying-toilets/

Figure 2 Kibera Site

https://informationactivism.org/en/map-kibera-kenya

Kibera case study does in depth analysis of the surrounding area in multiple different ways: transportation, public spaces, green spaces, visual connections, public and meeting spaces. These factors will be offered and presented in this thesis project as well. Kibera project shows a great connection of building high-density housing with low cost to allow residents to afford it. Which is so similar to Manshiet Nasser since the residents are very poor; some work as garbage collectors with less than a 1$ per day income.