URBAN VIEWING | 1 COURSE OBJECTIVES Moving beyond the scale of a single individual, Design 7 seeks to address architectural issues at an urban scale. This project examines a New York City block in the Hell’s Kitchen area just east of the Hudson River. The site, shown in Figure 1a below, exists between 10th and 11th Avenue and between West 53rd and 54th Street. It follows New York City’s rectilinear grid, establishing a block with an area of 1,600 square feet (200 x 800 ft). To the West lies the Hudson River, directly across 11th Avenue is DeWitt Clinton Park, and the Manhattan skyline extends to the North. This project proposes rethinking what it means to inhabit both the immediate site and the larger context of New York as both a viewer and a participant. Through an emphasis on the notion of viewing and juxtaposition of traditional building programs, architecture is able to form and transform experiences and relationships between individuals. Figure 1a. Satellite image of site, highlighted in green Figures 1b, 1c and 1d. Site analyses A major challenge proposed through the project is how one begins to start breaking down the immense scale of the site. Site analyses, like the ones seen in Figures 1b, 1c and 1d, draw important lines from surrounding edifices and landmarks, emphasizing their influences on the site and circulation. Maintaining views to the water and to important surrounding structures reduces the scale of the block as each edge reflects a unique condition. The writings of Jane URBAN VIEWING | 2 Jacobs are considered in the project as her notions of “eyes on the street” and “breaking down the block” increase the permeability and transparency of the site. (Jacobs 1993) Entrances into the block reflect initial site analyses and openings in the surrounding structures. The notion of “bracketed space” is also addressed as central spaces and ideas tying the project together become the focus of the work and design process. Figure 2a. West façade, exhibiting transparency and Jane Jacob’s notion of “eyes on the street”. PROCESS AND EXPLORATIONS The current proposal for the site by Ten Arquitectos incorporates several commercial programs, including an auto showroom, a horse stable, a health club, a market, and parking. An essential part of the program is the housing component, which includes 900 apartment units.(TEN Arquitectos/ Enrique Norten) This is reflected in the Design 7 project with its residential component totaling almost half of the volume. Its mixed-use program also reflects the Ten Arquitectos project currently under construction as both seek to attract activity towards the Hell’s Kitchen area. Figures 3a, 3b, 3c. Sketches of various viewing conditions in New York City Within the dense, urban setting of New York one paradoxically experiences an overwhelming sense of isolation. Constant movement in the fast pace of the city limits interaction between individuals. This isolation heightens one’s sense of sight, emphasizing the importance of viewing. From extended stares to passing glances, analysis examines URBAN VIEWING | 3 various types of viewing that occur within the city and of the city. The diagram seen in Figure 3d explores the relationship between the types of viewing that occur and the built environment that develops such experiences. Figure 3d. Viewing diagram Figures 3e, 3f. Viewing and programmatic diagrams Architecture begins to frame and generate such views, promoting specific human interactions and experiences. A continuous, ribbon-like ground moves upward from East to West, folding at critical locations and creating openings throughout the block. These openings generate visual and physical connections between individuals who may occupy multiple spaces of differing programs from one location. The continuous ground piece also becomes the fluid connection between the western edge and the eastern edge of the project. Located on the western edge, adjacent to DeWitt Clinton Park and the Hudson River, are two residential towers that offer unobstructed views and reflect the respite and permanence of the program. The hotel tower on the opposite edge serves as a cultural icon with its proximity to the Manhattan skyline only a few blocks to the East. With its location above fast-paced 10th Avenue, the URBAN VIEWING | 4 tower parallels the transient quality of the city below. The ground that connects these two ends of the project ascends as it moves towards 11th Avenue, bringing individuals to an occupiable roof condition from which they may view DeWitt Clinton Park and the Hudson River. This edge maintains a porosity which draws the openness of the park into the block. Figure 4a. Longitudinal section Figure 5a. Rendering, side entrance from W 53rd Street URBAN VIEWING | 5 Drawing from Jane Jacob’s notion of “eyes on the street”, the block maintains permeable street edges whose visual porosity invites the public in. Glass facades surround the block, visually connecting those passing by with those inside. Further drawing from The Death and Life of Great American Cities, the intervention breaks the rectangular block down through openings on W 53rd Street and W 54th Street. (Jacobs 1993) This can be seen in Figure 5a above, a rendering exhibiting the entrance from W 53rd Street. These entrances occur with the folding of the ground plane and reflect openings in the surrounding blocks, further connecting the intervention with its immediate context. The porosity of the northern and southern edges renders the intervention more accessible to individuals and generates a more dynamic block. Figure 6a. Renderings showing various edges of the project PROGRAMMATIC COMPONENTS The intervention is composed of three programmatic components: commercial, cultural and residential. (see Figure 7a below) The commercial units compose about 15% of the overall volume, generating a large amount of revenue for the block. The residential units total almost 50% of the overall volume and include a high proportion of low-income housing. The residential component exists within two towers situated on the western edge. These two towers engage in a dialogue with one another, pushing and pulling residents into the atrium space between the towers. The undulating glass skin of the towers creates distinct visual experiences for each apartment while providing a sense of privacy for each individual. The towers also carefully frame views toward the water and the park to the West. The cultural programs all challenge traditional ideas through the notion of viewing and examine how experiences may be altered through juxtaposition. They include an evening performance venue located at the top of the hotel, a written archive on the eastern edge of the block, a gallery located on the southeast corner, dance studios facing the interior of the block and underground theatres. Each programmatic space addresses the notion of viewing in a distinct manner, creating specific interactions and experiences. URBAN VIEWING | 6 Figure 7a. Exploded axonometrics Figures 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e. Renderings of various moments The fashion walk and dance venue (Figure 8a) located at the top of the hotel serve as a cultural icon in the night, a spectacle for the city to see. Within both spaces, individuals are placed upon a stage as they, the occupants, become the viewed. The spaces simultaneously project occupants into the New York skyline as their silhouettes, visible not only from the streets below, merge into the New York skyline. The atrium within the hotel leads into the venue, visually connecting the residents of the hotel with the cultural icon. The lights are allowed to penetrate and dissipate within the atrium, creating a dynamic connection between the inside and the outside. URBAN VIEWING | 7 Figure 8a. Fashion walk and dance venue The written archive places books and written documents on display, drawing the views of those passing by. The books, exhibited vertically, simultaneously become a screen, filtering views both inward and outward. The restaurant located within the tower of the hotel is separated into two locations, challenging the traditional idea of dining through the notion of viewing. Those dining in the main restaurant are placed within the atrium of the hotel, which visually connects guests to the secondary dining located several floors above. Movement and ascension are placed on display within the atrium as individuals reach the secondary dining reserved for drinks and dessert. The gallery located above 10th Avenue frames views towards the North and the South and places individuals at a unique vantage point. With an elevated perspective, occupants are able to view the street from above and see the line of façades from behind. The gallery also provides individuals above with a distinct perspective into the exhibits below as they become a sort of exhibition themselves. Figure 8b. Gallery URBAN VIEWING | 8 The dance studios located at the center of the block allow individuals to glance upwards and view performers who occupy not only their studio stage, but the secondary performance stage their practice rooms become as well. These practice studios are visible from several points in the block; thus individuals walking by may catch a passing glance and individuals lounging in the greenery may continuously watch the performance unfold. The studios are also adjacent to many of the residential units, promoting a dynamic relationship between residents and performers. Figure 8c. Dance studio and central circulation Central to the intervention is an underground theatre which showcases performances both above and below a traditional audience, which becomes an event to watch itself. Like the practice studios, the theatre (Figure 8d) can be seen from several vantage points, again generating unique connections between the viewer and the viewed. A secondary performance space is suspended above the 11th Ave entrance, creating an exterior viewing area and a multiplicity of performances to be seen. The dynamism experienced in the theatre reflects Bernard Tschumi’s propositions in The Architectural Paradox as there are no prescribed methods of experiencing the built environment.