Mount Tom Self-Transformation Retreat: Designing Experiential Architecture to Provoke Stimulatory, Expressive and Sensory Self- Exploration

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mount Tom Self-Transformation Retreat: Designing Experiential Architecture to Provoke Stimulatory, Expressive and Sensory Self- Exploration University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses Dissertations and Theses August 2014 Mount Tom Self-Transformation Retreat: Designing Experiential Architecture to Provoke Stimulatory, Expressive and Sensory Self- Exploration Kyle B. Young University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2 Part of the Architecture Commons Recommended Citation Young, Kyle B., "Mount Tom Self-Transformation Retreat: Designing Experiential Architecture to Provoke Stimulatory, Expressive and Sensory Self-Exploration" (2014). Masters Theses. 55. https://doi.org/10.7275/5784026 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/55 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MOUNT TOM SELF-TRANSFORMATION RETREAT: DESIGNING EXPERIENTIAL ARCHITECTURE TO PROVOKE STIMULATORY, EXPRESSIVE AND SENSORY SELF- EXPLORATION A Thesis Presented By KYLE BYRON YOUNG MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE May 2014 School of Architecture + Design MOUNT TOM SELF-TRANSFORMATION RETREAT: DESIGNING EXPERIENTIAL ARCHITECTURE TO PROVOKE STIMULATORY, EXPRESSIVE AND SENSORY SELF- EXPLORATION A Thesis Presented By KYLE BYRON YOUNG Approved as to style and content by: ________________________________________________ Kathleen Lugosch, Chair ________________________________________________ Carey Clouse, Advisor ________________________________________________ William Oedel, Chair Department Humanities and Fine Arts Kathleen Lugosch, Director Department Humanities and Fine Arts DEDICATION To Denny and Debbie Young for the endless years of encouragement and support. & To Jessica Brady for your willingness to go above and beyond, regardless of the time or place. ABSTRACT MOUNT TOM SELF-TRANSFORMATION RETREAT: DESIGNING EXPERIENTIAL ARCHITECTURE TO PROVOKE STIMULATORY, EXPRESSIVE AND SENSORY SELF-EXPLORATION MAY 2014 KYLE BYRON YOUNG, B.F.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.ARCH., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Kathleen Lugosch The environment evolved five human senses; through these receptors the majority of us experience life. Or do we? The a vast majority of our daily landscape resides enclosed, shut off from the exterior; separating people from the elements, organizing and distributing the multitude of functions that affect how we live and feel. The mental state of society is poor, the “daily dis-ease” of we wrestle with; stress, emotions, fatigue, exhaustion, disconnection suck the life out of the moments we live to barely even see. These interactions and experiences we encounter in, on, under and around the architectural forms we travel between are often so boring and ordinary we don’t even label them as experience. I challenge architecture can be more. The tangibles (senses) can be invigorated and spaces can be driven and designed by the senses, by the body and by the mind. The creation of unique experiences involves not only the measureable (light, smell, touch, taste & sound etc.) but also immeasurable effects on the body (memory, unity, serenity, etc.) The core of this project aims to cultivate an architecture that provides an array of nurturing and invigorating experiential and exploratory moments harmoniously placed throughout the natural landscape. Through this reintroduction to experience, the individuals attending the retreat will be engulfed in experiencing the moment and living each breath of sensation. For meditation is the existence in contemplation, relaxation and mental hygiene that provides the platform, the vessel for self-exploration and internal growth. Here the architecture becomes the marbles in the landscape, nestled into the site located in Mountain Park in Holyoke, Ma. “Come experience life, and energize your body and mind” iv CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ iv LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1. PROPOSAL ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Architecture and Experience .......................................................................................... 1 1.2. Light and the Seasons ........................................................................................................ 7 1.3. Built Environment and the Occupant .......................................................................... 9 1.4. Yoga and Meditation ....................................................................................................... 13 2. THEORY ........................................................................................................................................ 14 2.1. Humans and Nature......................................................................................................... 14 2.2. Evolution of Built Environment .................................................................................. 23 2.3. Senses ................................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.1 Touch ........................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.2 Sound ........................................................................................................................... 28 2.3.3 Smell............................................................................................................................. 31 2.3.4 Taste ............................................................................................................................. 34 2.3.5 Sight ............................................................................................................................. 35 2.4. Materiality and Texture ................................................................................................. 43 2.5. Ergonomics and Biometrics ......................................................................................... 44 2.6. Psychometric & Psychology of Space ....................................................................... 46 v 3. MINDFULNESS AND WELL-BEING .................................................................................... 51 3.1. Meditation ........................................................................................................................... 51 3.2. Yoga ....................................................................................................................................... 51 3.3. Prana (Life Force Energy) ............................................................................................. 54 4. HISTORY ....................................................................................................................................... 55 4.1. Region and Location ........................................................................................................ 55 4.2. Holyoke History ................................................................................................................ 58 4.3. Mountain Park History ................................................................................................... 62 4.4. Existing Conditions .......................................................................................................... 66 4.4.1 Climate ........................................................................................................................ 69 4.4.2 Topography ............................................................................................................... 71 4.4.3 Hydrology .................................................................................................................. 73 4.4.4 Solar Mapping .......................................................................................................... 75 4.4.5 Vegetation .................................................................................................................. 81 4.4.6 Trails and Connections ......................................................................................... 84 4.5. Opportunities ..................................................................................................................... 86 5. CONCEPT ...................................................................................................................................... 88 5.1. Proposal ............................................................................................................................... 88 5.2. Exploration ......................................................................................................................... 89 5.3. Inspiration ........................................................................................................................... 96 5.4. Programming………………………………………………………………………….………...111 vi 5.5. Concept…………………………………………………………………………………………….126 5.5.1. Siting………………………………………………………………………………….......126 5.5.2. Parti…………………………………………………………………………………….....132
Recommended publications
  • Consolidated School District of New Britain
    CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF NEW BRITAIN FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Helen Yung District Communications Specialist (860) 832-4382, cell (860) 877-4552 [email protected] URBAN AND SUBURBAN TEENAGERS TAKE TEAM WORK AND DIVERSITYTO NEW HEIGHTS ATOP HUBLEIN TOWER (SIMSBURY, CT)—Climbing Hublein Tower at the Talcott Mountain State Park was the least of the challenges for a group of 35 middle and high school students conducting geological field studies along the Metacomet Ridge on July 15. The students, from six school districts dispersed from New Britain to the greater Hartford area are enrolled in the Metacomet Ridge Interdistrict Academy (MRIA). The MRIA program is funded through the State Department of Education Interdistrict Cooperative Grant and managed by CREC (Capital Region Education Council), have the task of studying the environment of the Metacomet Ridge, a rocky ridge that rises above the Connecticut Valley and stretches from Long Island Sound to far above the Massachusetts/Connecticut border. According to Dr. Nalini Munshi, lead teacher at Roosevelt Middle School’s S.T.E.M Academy, the students conducted a land cover testing that includes a site of 30 by 30 meters square squares at the bottom of Talcott Mountain State Park. The students with assistance from NBHS Teachers Joe Bosco, III and Robert Ramsey feed their data into an international website for scientists known as the Globe network, where in Scientists can access it and use it for their own research. The work that the students do is considered real time science. Referring to the land cover testing, Dr. Munshi said, “we calculate the canopy cover and ground cover and measure the height of the dominant and co dominant tree species.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit
    Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Planning and Resource Protection Resource Management Planning Program RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit Including Mount Holyoke Range State Park, Joseph Allen Skinner State Park, Mount Tom State Reservation and Holyoke Heritage State Park July 2013 Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit Including Mount Holyoke Range State Park, Joseph Allen Skinner State Park, Mount Tom State Reservation and Holyoke Heritage State Park RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2013 Deval L. Patrick, Governor Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Secretary John P. Murray, Commissioner Resource Management Plans provide guidance for managing properties under the stewardship of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). They are intended to be working documents for setting priorities, enabling the Department to adapt to changing fiscal, social and environmental conditions. The planning process provides a forum for communication and cooperation with park visitors and the surrounding communities to ensure transparency in the DCR’s stewardship efforts. As I travel the Commonwealth, I am reminded of the variety of high-quality experiences offered by DCR parks. Those within the Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit are among the best that this state has to offer. They provide a variety of recreational opportunities, from challenging hikes along mountain ridgelines, to family picnics on a promontory overlooking the Connecticut River Valley, to taking in a summer concert in downtown Holyoke. Although they may all be visited in a single day, the true character of these parks is best revealed through repeat visits. In addition to providing outstanding recreational opportunities, these parks protect important natural and cultural resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Grade by Grade Fine Arts Content Standards
    Montgomery County Public Schools Pre-k–12 Visual Art Curriculum Framework Standard I: Students will demonstrate the ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to ideas, experiences, and the environment through visual art. Indicator 1: Identify and describe observed form By the end of the following grades, students will know and be able to do everything in the previous grade and the following content: Pre-K Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 I.1.PK.a. I.1.K.a. I.1.1.a. I.1.2.a. Identify colors, lines, shapes, and Describe colors, lines, shapes, and Describe colors, lines, shapes, textures, Describe colors, lines, shapes, textures, textures that are found in the textures found in the environment. and forms found in observed objects forms, and space found in observed environment. and the environment. objects and the environment. I.1.K.b. I.1.1.b. I.1.2.b. I.1.PK.b. Represent observed form by combining Represent observed physical qualities Represent observed physical qualities Use colors, lines, shapes, and textures colors, lines, shapes, and textures. of people, animals, and objects in the of people, animals, and objects in the to communicate observed form. environment using color, line, shape, environment using color, line, shape, texture, and form. texture, form, and space. Clarifying Example: Clarifying Example: Clarifying Example: Clarifying Example: Given examples of lines, the student Take a walk around the school property. The student describes colors, lines, Given examples of assemblage, the identifies lines found in the trunk and Find and describe colors, lines, shapes, shapes, textures, and forms observed in a student describes colors, lines, shapes, branches of a tree.
    [Show full text]
  • Motor Vehicle Use
    350000 360000 370000 380000 118°45'0"W 30E301A 118°37'30"W Continued on Casa Diablo Map 118°30'0"W 118°22'30"W T OPERATOR RESPONSIBILITIES EXPLANATION OF LEGEND ITEMS 04S15B o PINE GROVE 04S15 M Legend PICNIC AREA 3 04S15E a 0 Operating a motor vehicle on National Forest System Roads Open to Highway Legal Vehicles Only: m " LOWER E m Roads Open to Highway Legal Vehicles 5" 3 roads, National Forest System trails, and in areas on 04S15C 9 & 0 o 1 UPPER t PINE h National Forest System lands carries a greater These roads are open only to motor vehicles licensed under Roads Open to All Vehicles 04S18 " 2 9 0 GROVE 3 responsibility than operating that vehicle in a city or other State law for general operation on all public roads within the 04S18B E Trails Open to All Vehicles CAMPGROUND 0 developed setting. Not only must you know and follow all State. 3 applicable traffic laws, you need to show concern for the Trails Open to Vehicles 50" or Less in Width 04S12O 04S18A environment as well as other forest users. The misuse of Roads Open to All Vehicles: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Trails Open to Motorcycles Only 06S08 0 6 motor vehicles can lead to the temporary or permanent S 06S08A G Rock 0 04S12P o Seasonal Designation 6 r closure of any designated road, trail, or area. As a motor These roads are open to all motor vehicles, including smaller 9" Creek g (See Seasonal Designation Table) e 04S12Q vehicle operator, you are also subject to State traffic law, off-highway vehicles that may not be licensed for highway Lake R d including State requirements for licensing, registration, and use (but not to oversize or overweight vehicles under State Highways, US, State 9" 06S06A MOSQUITO FLAT operation of the vehicle in question.
    [Show full text]
  • A Hiking and Biking Guide
    Amherst College Trails Cadwell Memorial Forest Trail, Pelham Goat Rock Trail, Hampden Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Trails, Hampden Redstone Rail Trail, East Longmeadow Amherst College trails near the main campus traverse open fields, wetlands, This 12,000-acre forest offers a trail includes 24 individually numbered stations, each The 35-acre Goat Rock Conservation Area connects two town parks via a popular Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary features woodlands, meadows, and streams along The Redstone Rail Trail connects two major destinations in town. The wide and flat flood plain, upland woods, and plantation pines. The Emily Dickinson railT is with information about a different aspect of the forest’s wildlife habitat. The main hiking trail called the Goat Rock Ridge Trail, which runs along the Wilbraham its four-mile trail system in its 356 acre property. Laughing Brook was once the home asphalt path connects town soccer fields and industrial district with the center of south of the Fort River. trail links to the M&M Trail. Mountain ridge for a little over a mile. There are two scenic vistas, Lookout Point at of beloved children’s author Thornton Burgess and the beautiful brook inspired many town. The trail passes by fields, wetlands, and wooded areas. PIONEER VALLEY Location: The trail network can be accessed from the Mass Central Rail Location: Take Enfield Road off Pelham Road; after 2 miles bear left on the east end of the trail and the historic Goat Rock at the west end. of his timeless tales. Location: From the rotary in the center of town travel ¼ mile west on Trail, and from South East St., College St., South Pleasant St., Packardville Road.
    [Show full text]
  • Boyhood Days in the Owens Valley 1890-1908
    Boyhood Days in the Owens Valley 1890-1908 Beyond the High Sierra and near the Nevada line lies Inyo County, California—big, wild, beautiful, and lonely. In its center stretches the Owens River Valley, surrounded by the granite walls of the Sierra Nevada to the west and the White Mountains to the east. Here the remote town of Bishop hugs the slopes of towering Mount Tom, 13,652 feet high, and here I was born on January 6, 1890. When I went to college, I discovered that most Californians did not know where Bishop was, and I had to draw them a map. My birthplace should have been Candelaria, Nevada, for that was where my parents were living in 1890. My father was an engineer in the Northern Belle silver mine. I was often asked, "Then how come you were born in Bishop?" and I replied, "Because my mother was there." The truth was that after losing a child at birth the year before, she felt Candelaria's medical care was not to be trusted. The decline in the price of silver, the subsequent depression, and the playing out of the mines in Candelaria forced the Albright family to move to Bishop permanently. We had a good life in Bishop. I loved it, was inspired by its aura, and always drew strength and serenity from it. I have no recollection of ever having any bad times. There weren't many special things to do, but what- ever we did, it was on horseback or afoot. Long hours were spent in school.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice
    Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice PUBLICATIONS COORDINATION: Dinah Berland EDITING & PRODUCTION COORDINATION: Corinne Lightweaver EDITORIAL CONSULTATION: Jo Hill COVER DESIGN: Jackie Gallagher-Lange PRODUCTION & PRINTING: Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS: Erma Hermens, Art History Institute of the University of Leiden Marja Peek, Central Research Laboratory for Objects of Art and Science, Amsterdam © 1995 by The J. Paul Getty Trust All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-89236-322-3 The Getty Conservation Institute is committed to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The Institute seeks to advance scientiRc knowledge and professional practice and to raise public awareness of conservation. Through research, training, documentation, exchange of information, and ReId projects, the Institute addresses issues related to the conservation of museum objects and archival collections, archaeological monuments and sites, and historic bUildings and cities. The Institute is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust. COVER ILLUSTRATION Gherardo Cibo, "Colchico," folio 17r of Herbarium, ca. 1570. Courtesy of the British Library. FRONTISPIECE Detail from Jan Baptiste Collaert, Color Olivi, 1566-1628. After Johannes Stradanus. Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum-Stichting, Amsterdam. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Historical painting techniques, materials, and studio practice : preprints of a symposium [held at] University of Leiden, the Netherlands, 26-29 June 1995/ edited by Arie Wallert, Erma Hermens, and Marja Peek. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-89236-322-3 (pbk.) 1. Painting-Techniques-Congresses. 2. Artists' materials- -Congresses. 3. Polychromy-Congresses. I. Wallert, Arie, 1950- II. Hermens, Erma, 1958- . III. Peek, Marja, 1961- ND1500.H57 1995 751' .09-dc20 95-9805 CIP Second printing 1996 iv Contents vii Foreword viii Preface 1 Leslie A.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Connecticut Boater's Guide Rules and Resources
    2021 Connecticut Boater's Guide Rules and Resources In The Spotlight Updated Launch & Pumpout Directories CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION HTTPS://PORTAL.CT.GOV/DEEP/BOATING/BOATING-AND-PADDLING YOUR FULL SERVICE YACHTING DESTINATION No Bridges, Direct Access New State of the Art Concrete Floating Fuel Dock Offering Diesel/Gas to Long Island Sound Docks for Vessels up to 250’ www.bridgeportharbormarina.com | 203-330-8787 BRIDGEPORT BOATWORKS 200 Ton Full Service Boatyard: Travel Lift Repair, Refit, Refurbish www.bridgeportboatworks.com | 860-536-9651 BOCA OYSTER BAR Stunning Water Views Professional Lunch & New England Fare 2 Courses - $14 www.bocaoysterbar.com | 203-612-4848 NOW OPEN 10 E Main Street - 1st Floor • Bridgeport CT 06608 [email protected] • 203-330-8787 • VHF CH 09 2 2021 Connecticut BOATERS GUIDE We Take Nervous Out of Breakdowns $159* for Unlimited Towing...JOIN TODAY! With an Unlimited Towing Membership, breakdowns, running out GET THE APP IT’S THE of fuel and soft ungroundings don’t have to be so stressful. For a FASTEST WAY TO GET A TOW year of worry-free boating, make TowBoatU.S. your backup plan. BoatUS.com/Towing or800-395-2628 *One year Saltwater Membership pricing. Details of services provided can be found online at BoatUS.com/Agree. TowBoatU.S. is not a rescue service. In an emergency situation, you must contact the Coast Guard or a government agency immediately. 2021 Connecticut BOATER’S GUIDE 2021 Connecticut A digest of boating laws and regulations Boater's Guide Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Rules and Resources State of Connecticut Boating Division Ned Lamont, Governor Peter B.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual Arts Curriculum
    August 2013 Ceramics I: Academic Grade Level 9, 10, 11, 12 Course Number 702 Subject Area Visual Arts Course Description This course introduces clay activities involving basic hand-building techniques, such as coil method, slab method, hollowing out and pinch method. Glazing techniques will be taught as well as techniques of clay preparation, storing of unfinished clay pieces and firing. Electric wheel throwing will be demonstrated. The final project will be of the students’ choosing and will involve a written description of the project to be accompanied with a research paper and presentation. Content Standards What aspects of the state standards does the course address? Standard 1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the methods, materials, and techniques unique to visual arts. Standard 2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the elements and principals design. Standard 3. Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and expression in a variety of media, materials and techniques. Standard 4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the processes of creating and exhibiting their own art work: drafts; critique; self -assessment; refinement; and exhibit preparation. Standard 5. Students will describe and analyze their own work and the work of others using appropriate visual arts vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation. Standard 6. Students will describe the purposes for which works of dance, music, theater, visual arts, and architecture are created, and, when appropriate, interpret their meanings. Standard 7. Students will describe the roles of artists, patrons, cultural organizations, and art institutions in societies of the past and present. Standard 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Formative Assessment in the Visual Arts
    The Artful Learning Communities project is designed to help teachers assess student learning in art, including motivating students to self- and peer-assess. Formative Assessment in the Visual Arts HEIDI ANdrade, JoaNNA HEFFEREN, and MARIA PALma lassroom assessment is a hot topic in K-12 education because of compelling evidence that assessment in the form of feedback is a powerful teaching and learning tool (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Although formal evaluation has been anathema to many art specialists and teachers (Colwell, 2004), informal assessment in the form of feedback is not. As educators in other subjects have discovered, there are myriad ways in which assessment can not only measure and document student C learning but also—and more importantly—actually promote learning (Andrade & Cizek, 2010). This article shares examples and briefly documents the work of art specialists in Brooklyn, New York, who have experimented with the latest assess- ment techniques in order to increase student engagement and learning. The Artful Learning Communities project Our first challenge was to convince our described in this article was supported by a grant collaborators, the arts specialists, of the value from the U.S. Department of Education. The goals of assessment in arts education. Early on, we of the project were to (1) strengthen the capacity were politely told that art cannot be assessed, and of elementary and middle school arts specialists furthermore, we should not assess children’s art to assess standards-based learning in the Arts; because so doing could threaten their self-esteem (2) promote increased student achievement in and diminish their motivation to engage in Detail from Figure 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Mass Receiving Report
    Mass Receiving Report Prepared for the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council October 24, 2013 Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Franklin Regional Planning Commission Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Planning Assumptions ............................................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... 7 Western Massachusetts Region .................................................................................................................... 7 Geography ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Demographics ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Methodology - Research ......................................................................................................................... 10 Determining the Mass Receiving Catchment Area Data ........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Connecticut State Parks System
    A Centennial Overview 1913-2013 www.ct.gov/deep/stateparks A State Park Centennial Message from Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert J. Klee Dear Friends, This year, we are celebrating the Centennial of the Connecticut State Parks system. Marking the 100th anniversary of our parks is a fitting way to pay tribute to past conservation-minded leaders of our state, who had the foresight to begin setting aside important and scenic lands for public access and enjoyment. It is also a perfect moment to commit ourselves to the future of our park system – and to providing first-class outdoor recreation opportunities for our residents and visitors well into the future. Our park system had humble beginnings. A six-member State Park Commission was formed by then Governor Simeon Baldwin in 1913. One year later the Commission purchased its first land, about four acres in Westport for what would become Sherwood Island State Park. Today, thanks to the dedication and commitment of many who have worked in the state park system over the last century, Connecticut boasts a park system of which we can all be proud. This system includes 107 locations, meaning there is a park close to home no matter where you live. Our parks cover more than 32,500 acres and now host more than eight million visitors a year – and have hosted a remarkable total of more than 450 million visitors since we first began counting in 1919. Looking beyond the statistics, our parks offer fantastic opportunities for families to spend time outdoors together. They feature swimming, boating, hiking, picnicking, camping, fishing – or simply the chance to enjoy the world of nature.
    [Show full text]