BUILT FORM AND REGIONAL IDENTITY JEFF SCHINDEWOLF BUILT FORM AND REGIONAL IDENTITY ECO-TOURIST RESORT IN MOAB, UTAH THESIS PROJECT YEAR 2005-2006 F M PREFACE---------------------- ---FALL 2005--- THESIS STATEMENT-------- PROGRAM STATEMENT--- SITE STATEMENT------------ REGIONAL DIAGRAMS---- SITE DIAGRAMS------------- PROGRAM DIAGRAMS---- PRECEDENTS---------------- ---SPRING 2006--- PLANS------------------------- ELEVATIONS------------------ SECTIONS--------------------- AXONOMETRICS------------ SEASONAL RESPONSE---- VIEWS------------------------- REGIONAL RESPONSE DIAGRAMS------------------- MODEL PHOTOS------------ BUILT FORM AND REGIONAL IDENTITYBIBLIOGRAPHY-------------- JEFF SCHINDEWOLF BUILT FORM AND REGIONAL IDENTITY ECO-TOURIST RESORT IN MOAB, UTAH THESIS PROJECT YEAR F 2005-2006 M THESIS STATEMENT for their own multimedia advertising campaign aimed There is a fundamental relationship between formal at- at attracting tourists to Glacier National Park, selling this tributes, experience of place, and regional identity. Archi- natural attraction as the preferred “American” alternative tecture should be designed through the understanding to European travel. The Railway reconstructed and pack- of these relationships, which can be further divided into aged the park with an emphasis on an idealized version of built form, natural form, social interaction, and cognitive the American frontier and thereby set “a sense of western processes. In this way an authentic sense of architecture identity grounded in the intersection between the West and regional identity can be revealed. The Eco-tourist re- as region and the West as myth” (Shaffer, 125). Instead of sort is an exploration of this idea. It will meet the growing responding to the true environment, they created a rep- niche of the educated tourist seeking truth in experience resentation of western wilderness intertwined with Euro- as an alternative to the “Disneyland” atmosphere of the pean architecture; Blackfoot Indian décor combined with west created by early twentieth century predecessors. It Swiss chalet sensibility. “In this way, tourism reshaped the equates built form and natural form with formal attributes, built environment of the United States and transformed social interaction with program and path, and cognitive the symbolic value of American landscape and in the pro- processes with elements of perception. The social inter- cess, influenced the way in which people defined them- action between the local and the tourist will inevitably selves as American “ (Shaffer, 123). change how each views their identity and the program will address this through the examination of the needs of Today a new leisure ethic is evolving where vacationers the eco-tourist culture and local identity. This examina- have a different interest in outdoor pursuits. The traveler tion also impacts the site choice, which in turn will have a has the desire to experience the west and its cultures in reciprocal effect on the program and on the built form as an authentic state. Ecotourism is a postmodern version well. of tourism, which consists of responsible travel to an un- disturbed environment with the objective of studying The culture and architecture of twentieth century tourism and admiring the scenery, flora and fauna, as well as the has helped define the national view of the west as a re- indigenous culture (Sheller and Urry, 32)”. This culture gion and as a myth. The view of the west was largely ideal- attempt to set themselves apart from the common tour- ized and simulacrum architecture was used to help convey ist by choosing destinations and activities that involve this ideal to the consumer. During the early nineteenth education and self-improvement, by creating self-identity century, tourism of the West developed as an elite pastime through play versus occupation, and by switching from in the United States due to “the growth of a leisure ethic, mass tourism to more independent forms of experiencing the emergence of adequate modes of transportation, and place. the establishment of unique attractions” (Shaffer, 123). In 1905, the slogan “See America First” was conceived, and The program reconciles the relationship between the in 1906, the See America First Conference held in Salt identity of the chosen local culture, Moab Utah, and an Lake City, Utah began to establish a new propaganda of imported one, the tourist. Truth and fragmentation of the West, where “true” Americans appreciated the natural identity are implicit in the new western identity as it both wonders, ancient ruins, and scenic landscapes of the West. conserves the natural environment and turns it into a In 1910, the Great Northern Railway adopted this slogan commodity. 1 Within the town of Moab a similar ideology as the eco- between the tourist and the local community. tourist is present, however local needs are different. The The envisioned Eco-tourist resort reinforces the idea of proposed program responds to this by blending the tour- built form as identity maker. In relation to this, the pro- ist traveler and the local host, the here and the away. This gram is seen as a connection and orientation between blending of tourist, host, and environment begins at the inhabited space and the natural environment as well as arrival of the eco-tourist resort. The lobby along with the between the local community and the tourist other. This culture museum, restaurant, community center, local mar- manifests itself in the progression of spaces as well as the ket atrium, and recreation information forms the public way the building touches the ground and sky. The scale, core or urban room of the resort. This portion of the resort form, and materials will address the similar cognitive, is envisioned as an orientation and connection between but social differences between the shared identity of the the local community as an inhabited space and the natural tourist and local. The Eco-tourist resort explores the post- uninhabited landscape. Here the building will blend with modern idea of fragmentation of identity and self-defini- the local architecture both in scale and proportion echo- tion through experiences. This idea is made explicit by the ing what has come before. It will utilize newer sustainable combination of program elements and the progression materials and building technologies that respond to the through them. This can also be viewed as a pilgrimage for local and tourist ideology and promote a vision of west- the eco-tourists who are seeking to define or reinforce ern identity other than that of an appropriated one. The their identity through the resort and its environs. lobby will be the most prominent space in the urban room The architecture of tourism has an impact on the identity program and located near the entry of the local market of both the tourist and local community. The eco-tourist atrium while the restaurant and other public spaces will resort has the responsibility to enable an authentic defini- be located further in the atrium. This will create the feeling tion of the community, region, and tourist identity. It does of a larger urban room by borrowing adjacent spaces and this through the examination of the significance of place, enliven the experience of the newly arrived guest as well community, and tourist culture. The program becomes an as the local. The idea of these adjacencies is to move both important part of designing the types of social interac- the guest and the host from the center of interactivity, tions that these two cultures encounter. In the proposed in the community and the resort, out toward more con- eco-tourist resort the program creates an urban room templative spaces such as the guest room or garden, and where the local community and guests meet with mutual finally to the secluded meditative space of the adjacent respect in order to experience, learn, and teach each other wilderness. There will be a distortion of here and away, about the significance of the western regions environ- resident and non-resident within the urban room as the ment and cultures. It also provides opportunities for both tourist and local community become familiar. The guest parties to contemplate this knowledge in the seclusion room becomes the new away and the town becomes the of the region by providing a transactional connection new here. In this way the resort will challenge the current between the urban environment and the natural environ- resort methods of providing services solely for the tourist. ment. The spatial diagrams and room type descriptions This trend, even among eco-tourist resorts, hurts the local demonstrate these relationships between the eco-tourist economy by keeping the tourist within the confines of the resorts concept, program, and form resort and neglecting the authentic social interaction PROGRAM 2. views are important d. balance visual impact and functions Site selection 3. control solar gain/cooling e. integrate with outdoor space 1. immediate connection to community and wilder- 4. corridors min 5’ bathrooms back to back/ wet wall 2. restaurant 16 s.f. per seat .7-1.2 seats per room ness important 5. ada rooms on main floor and near vertical core 3. front desk lobby 6’ s.f. per room 2. give sense of environment quickly 6. internal organization of rooms secondary to site of 4. lecture hall 8’-10’ s.f. per person a. public facilities prominently view the main attrac- building and auxiliary rooms s well as tent sites 5. culture museum to be determined tion- the region a. views of environment 6. retail spaces 400 s.f. b. orientation made easy for tourists/guests b. many structures reduce perceived scale 7. recreation information center c. provide way finding points of reference tent- guest spaces a. divided by activity category- mountain biking, hik- 3. remediation potential 1. simple/ sit on sight lightly ing, rock hounding etc. 4. improve local comunity a. transient b. bays to be similar to retail bays Lanscaping 2. located in different micro environments 8. Guest cairns to be smaller 12’x19’ 1. display regional flora and fauna/ xeriscaped 3.