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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 10-Nov-2009 I, Nathan R. Morris , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Architecture in Architecture (Master of) It is entitled: The Architecture of Boundary Student Signature: Nathan R. Morris This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: John Eliot Hancock, MARCH John Eliot Hancock, MARCH George Bible, MCiv.Eng George Bible, MCiv.Eng 11/16/2009 299 The Architecture of Boundary A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of 5 Master of Architecture .0 In the School of Architecture and Interior Design of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning 2009 11 . by 02 Nathan R. Morris Bachelor of Science in Architecture, University of Cincinnati, 2003 Committee Chairs: John Hancock Tom Bible Abstract Boundaries have several primary roles. They occupy shifts along the continuum from private to public. They enable a system of private property by defining zones of control. As interfaces between neighbors, they also provide opportunities for communication, cooperation, and exchange in the interest of civility and mutual benefit. Urban public spaces, no longer needed for many of their previous interactive functions, are being despatialized. Replacing them are spaces controlled by private entities, often non-local corporations that treat them more as commodities than legitimate public spaces. Many of these are indoor common spaces that, despite not being truly public, could more effectively supplement the public realm if designed properly. The traditional retail arcade can serve as an exemplar for its successful integration with the public realm. An alternative model is proposed for the creation of new urban retail space. It adapts certain qualities that allowed arcades to cleverly blend private with public, employing contemporary interpretations of boundary articulations to delineate inclusive zones. The result is a more appropriate response to urban settings than the bulk of current urban retail development, which seeks to be exclusive. The Architecture of Boundary Morris 1 Table of Contents List of Illustrations.........................................................................................................................2 Introduction....................................................................................................................................3 Chapter One: The Boundary ........................................................................................................5 1.1 Boundary and the Private-Public Continuum .....................................................................6 1.2 Boundary as a Means of Creating Private Property............................................................9 1.3 Semipermeable Boundary.................................................................................................11 Chapter Two: Privatization ........................................................................................................14 2.1 Fragmentation of the Public Sphere..................................................................................15 2.2 Indoor Common Spaces....................................................................................................17 Chapter Three: The Arcade........................................................................................................21 3.1 Characteristics of the Arcade Typology ...........................................................................22 3.2 Arcade Retail Boundaries .................................................................................................27 Chapter Four: Precedents...........................................................................................................34 4.1 Cleveland Arcade..............................................................................................................35 4.2 Galleria Umberto I ............................................................................................................37 4.3 Crocker Galleria................................................................................................................40 4.4 Galleria de Cristoforis.......................................................................................................42 Chapter Five: Proposal................................................................................................................45 5.1 Design Implications ..........................................................................................................46 5.2 Site Information ................................................................................................................50 5.3 Design Program ................................................................................................................55 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................58 Appendix.......................................................................................................................................59 The Architecture of Boundary Morris 2 List of Illustrations Figure 1 Image by author. Figure 22 Geist, p. 432. Figure 2 Image by author. Figure 23 Image by author. Figure 3 Image by author. Figure 24 Bush-Brown, p. 59. Figure 4 Geist, p. 279. Figure 25 Bush-Brown, p. 63. Figure 5 Geist, p. 31. Figure 26 Image by author. Figure 6 Geist, p. 30. Figure 27 Geist, p. 370 Figure 7 Image by author. Figure 28 Geist, p. 367. Figure 8 Image by author. Figure 29 Image by author. Figure 9 Image by author. Figure 30 Image by author. Figure 10 Image by author. Figure 31 Image by author. Figure 11 Image by author. Figure 32 Image by author. Figure 12 Image by author. Figure 33 Image by author. Figure 13 Image by author. Figure 34 Image by author. Figure 14 Image by author. Figure 35 Image by author. Figure 15 Image by author. Figure 36 Image by author. Figure 16 Image by author. Figure 37 Image by author. Figure 17 Geist, p. 243. Figure 38 Image by author. Figure 18 Geist, p. 241. Figure 39 Image by author. Figure 19 Image by author. Figure 40 Image by author. Figure 20 Geist, p. 429. Figure 21 Geist, p. 430. The Architecture of Boundary Morris 3 Introduction Often we find spaces in the urban environment, both indoor and outdoor, that fail as public spaces. This is due primarily to the overtness of private ownership. In the past, the arcade has managed to blur the distinction between private and public. Today, however, contemporary urban retail centers largely abandon efforts to emulate public space. Instead, they want to be exclusive, aiming to encourage use by a certain clientele while discouraging casual use by others. Such an attitude flies in the face of the true urban ideal: to be inclusive. This thesis proposes a reinterpretation of the arcade on an urban site, applying a sophisticated understanding of boundary roles to challenge the current notion of the contemporary retail center. Boundary issues are intrinsic to this question as they are absolutely instrumental in defining the multiplicity of zones in such a project. The intention is not to necessarily revive the arcade, but to adapt certain approaches that allowed arcades to create spaces that felt public and apply them to a modern urban retail setting. The goal is to create space to supplement the public realm that, despite its private status, invites and welcomes use by all. Chapter One identifies the three primary roles of the boundary, first locating it within the framework of the private-public continuum, then identifying its importance to the institution of private property, and finally outlining the advantages of a selectively permeable boundary. The second chapter begins by addressing the fragmentation of the public sphere and the trend towards private ownership and control over public spaces. Next, it discusses an increasingly widespread type – indoor common spaces – and what qualities are encouraged to promote their success. The third chapter analyzes the traditional retail arcade, identifying seven fundamental characteristics of the typology, and proceeds to a survey of the various boundary articulations at both storefronts and inter-store interfaces. Chapter Four evaluates several arcade precedents from The Architecture of Boundary Morris 4 the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in terms of boundary treatment and public integration. The final chapter synthesizes the design implications gleaned from the investigation and proposes to test these assumptions on a new urban retail space. The Architecture of Boundary Morris 5 Chapter One: THE BOUNDARY 1.1 Boundary and the Private-Public Continuum 1.2 Boundary as a Means of Creating Private Property 1.3 Semipermeable Boundary The Architecture of Boundary Morris 6 1.1 Boundary and the Private-Public Continuum The social world around us is organized along a continuum from the most private to the most public. While it may be natural to imagine a dichotomous condition of private and public spaces, the vast majority of what we encounter is neither truly private nor truly public. In practice, we see a diverse array of varying shades of the semi-private and the semi-public.1 If we imagine a gradient from private to public, each change in value signals a boundary, whether physical or intangible, explicit or inferred. These boundaries not only reconcile