n J, To everyone I have ignored, blown off, forgot to call back, and neglected over the last six years, I'm Sorry. To all those who have supported me and continue to support me, Thank You. reface When this semester first started I was unsure what I wanted to spend the next nine months of my life working on. I reviewed my thoughts, beliefs, ideas and misconceptions. Afterwards, I am still uncertain of where I want to be, or what I want to be doing in thirty, fifteen, or even five years from now. I did come to the conclusion however that for the next few months of my life I wanted to work on a project that would stimulate my leaming. Since my college career is coming to an end, I wanted to work on a project that I could have fun with. With this project I wanted to experiment with ideas and try to use unique design solutions without getting lost in the negligent cookie-cutter designs being produced. Since this is probably the last time I will have complete control of every aspect of a project, I wanted to design something that makes a statement. I wanted to break out of the box. Through my research over the last few months I have come to the conclusion that a mixed-use complex will be the prime building type for these ideas to come to life. The mixed-use facility will engage multiple aspects of one's life and provide an environment for the user's to form an attachment to the complex. Creating this attachment is what this project is all about. Wlhil e writing this program I wanted to engage the reader's senses. There is a typical page layout and then occasionally I will insert a page that has a different layout. Sometimes this marks a new section and other times it is to break up the monotony of the program. Different page materials are also used to not only change the texture of the pages but the sound of turning the page as well. The title page was pressed on a heavier paper to create a page that touch could really t>e incorporated into the program. The yellow boxes that appear on pages such as this one typically have text that protrudes the boundaries. The text breaks free from the boundaries which is what I wanted to accomplish with this project. All of these things were incorporated to achieve a union of the user's senses while reading through the program and not relying solely on visuals. TableofContents Overview 1 Preface III Table of Contents IV Introduction V-VIII Abstract IX Theoretical Basis 001-031 Supporting Theory 002-015 Architectural Issues/Responses 016-021 Case Studies 022-029 End Notes 030 List of Figures 031-032 Facility Description 033-076 Summary 034-038 General Facility Analysis 039-052 Mission Statement 053 Facility Systems Analysis 054-055 Spatial Analysis 056-063 Architectural Precedents 064-070 Space Summary 071-078 End Notes 079 List of Figures 080-082 Contextual Description 083-119 - Overview of Project Location/Site 084-086 Contextual Synthesis 087-090 Analysis of Relevant Contexts 091-097 Site Analysis 098-104 Issues 105-107 Architectural Precedents 108-112 Site Analysis 113-116 End Notes 117 List of Figures 118-119 Design Response 120-143 The Process 121-124 After Thoughts 125 The Next Stage 126-127 Final Solution 128-142 : List of Figures 143-144 ; •^-.•.•.v,-:;**.' L-^t •^r ..^e pnenomenon is an uncharted temtory that the student attempts to explore. ^ David Seamon Introduction Phenomenology is the study and interpretation of an individual's experiences including situations, events, and meanings upon their occurrence in every day life. It is producing emotions through the various experiences of r£/4 the individual. "Phenomenology is the interpretive study of human experience.", Phenomena are concrete objects both simple and complex, and intangible objects, or the properties that are ii.'^\ captured by one's senses. It also refers to experiences of individuals ranging from situations to physical 3%f. objects that the person sees, hears, smells, feels, touches, perceives, or lives through. Phenomena are "things or experiences as human beings experience them.'j Normally the five primary senses- sight, smell, touch, taste and sound are thought of separately. However, individuals should include all their senses when experiencing a place. "VJe appreciate a place not just by its ;.01. Seeing impact on our visual cortex but by the way in which it sounds, it feels and smells.". ooriiexi i::^ ^ ft-.-:-- _.1.03. Touching 1.04. Smelling K_1.05. Tasting Introduction Th« individual's response to a building or space is derived from the entire body's response to the perception of the surrounding environment conditions. The body will respond to a place, it can feel peaceful and relaxed. The individual ur>derstands that even though they will reflect upon and try to comprehend their life, it must first be lived. The American society lives an artificial lifestyle. The individual's responses are those presented from man- made objects. Today, most of us spend around 90 percent of our time in cities, buildings and vehicles- envi­ ronments definitely not conducive to health, sanity and well-being. The use of media: television, magazines and advertising, has made sight the dominant sense of the American culture and has dulled the remaining senses. The architect should not be predominately 'fom conscious,' but should use a design synthesis to incorporate all of the senses," according to James Marston Fitch, Professor of Architecture at Columbia Uni­ versity, New York Jraciiiiy r\ei ibe kWar*^ 1.06. Sight has become the dominant sense. Introduction Phenomenology should be performed in such a way that a 'poetic' of the place is created. "Poetics of place is a way of understanding (or seeking to understand) the undefinable, immeasurable qualities of the places we inhabit in everyday life.'^ The individual tends to disregard 'poetics of place' as well as the affects that occur mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. By ignoring this idea, individuals are only harming themselves. 'Poetics of place' looks at not just what the qualities of places are, but at embellishing ^ose qualities as well. ouniexi r^ebpunse ThesisStatement When a space is designed with the intention of creating phenomenal experiences it provides for the environ­ ment a sense of place to be generated, resulting in an engagement between the user and the surnDundings, and forming individual attachment. ScopeofProject ContextStatement The development of a mixed-use center along the Trinity River Corridor The City of Dallas is currently working on the Trinity River Corridor Project will stimulate activity and promote growth. This center will Project, Flowing New Life into Dallas. This project is a proposal for the include spaces for shopping, dining, entertainment, business, parking, development of the area of land along the Trinity River on the south side and service functions. All of these activities will be introduced in order of downtown Dallas. This new development will provide a number of to create an attachment between the place and the individual. activities ranging from parks, walking/biking trails to commercial and res­ idential zoning. Since there is not enough time for a project of this size to be com­ pletely designed in one semester, only a master plan for the facility will The site for this mixed-use center is located between the Houston Street be developed. The master plan will layout the entire complex locating and the Jefferson Boulevard Viaducts. This is a vital location within the the different types of tenants, activities, and service spaces. After the downtown Dallas area as well as along the Trinity River Corridor Project. master plan is completed then there will be a focus on a couple of This site is highly visible and accessible from the highest traffic areas of areas to give a sense of what the complex may look like after comple­ the downtown area. tion. \ We know nothin* except by experience, and experiences consists of nothing but the informa- tion of our sense!. Perhaps there is nothing, M^ really, out there to be sensed. All we know is that we sense. ^^^^H - Judson Jerome PhenomenalExDeriences °A 'phenomenological' description is an illusion.. .it has to be camed out in terms of objects.'^ The experience aims at grasping the place as an object. The individual experiences must be constnjcted using data collected from the various senses. After the information is collected then it has to be processed to give the information meaning. The meaning of phenomena is determined by the context in which the experience appears. "We see and hear what we expect, and in this way the given stimulus becomes meaningful." The human senses allow for a range of experiences to occur for each individual. The experiences will vary somewhat based upon what senses are used by each individual because "we are all tuned to receive slightly different information because of our individual differences in genetics, experience, age and sex."^ The experi­ ence of a place should be determined by using all of the senses, not just one or two at a time. This idea is known as 'synesthesia,' or a union of senses. The klea of synesthesia stems from the Greek syn, meaning union, and aesthesis, meaning sensation, or 'joining of all the senses.' Synesthesia is described as a 'rich way of feeling. By using multiple senses "the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense."^ The senses should operate together to get the ultimate experience of a place. Thfinrfitinal i jrauiiiiI y ouruexL Kesponse Motor function "What does a sound taste like? The phenomenon of synaesthesia.