Question 3

Frampton strongly disagreed with the notion that public spaces are obsolete now that newer technologies, such as the television, preoccupied the spare time of many Americans. Robert Venturi, in his writings, even went far enough to suggest that Americans SHOULD be in front of the television rather than in public spaces.

I understand the possibility of Frampton dishonestly framing the debate to paint Venturi as reckless, but I do agree with his stance. The need of physical public spaces will never disappear simply because of technological advancements. Modern humans have an intrinsic desire to share spaces to physically gather and exchange ideas. Even new forms of public spaces are emerging and adapting to changes in culture. This is evident in recent movements to create new urban parks in unconventional spaces (like the Highline).

question tres

3. what is Frampton's critique of Venturi (and Scott-Brown)? do you agree?

I think Frampton's critique of Venturi stems essentially from Frampton's earlier diagnosis of the Avant-Garde and its lack of critical substance, coherence, and consistency. The post-modern architect, against which Frampton rails, is directly embodied by Venturi - who Framton claims to be "reactionary". In this sense then, I agree - Venturi simply observes the state of society, reformulates it into an architectual idea, and expounds upon it. Architecture is art, art is a commodity, and architecture is a commodity. However, i feel that Frampton's embrace of "Critical Regionalism" is no less manipulative and reactionary than Venturi's free-wheeling brand of post-modernism - infact, it is a sub-movement. Frampton's labels are too flimsy and general to be taken seriously; his views, too two-dimensional. Architecture today is being pushed back and forth, as well as in every direction away and towards the center point (0,0), the status quo, of placelessness and meaninglessness. Framton's "Arrie-Garde" IS the avant-garde - as is Venturi's post-modernism as is deconstructionism. In this sense then, while Framton's critique is true, it is ONLY completely true within the logical and linguistic framework that he has set up.

Is meaning determined by place? or the individual experiences of people on which architecture has only a very limited effect?

our first online debate--excellent!

1 - How to Connect a Building to its Place

Frampton claims that for architecture to remain a critical practice, it must both remove itself from extensive use of advanced technologies as well as resist the tendency to regress into the architectural forms of the pre-modernized world. By doing this, architecture "has the capacity to cultivate a resistant, identity-giving culture.

To create an architecture that has a connection to place, Frampton proposes we follow the strategies of Critical Regionalism. The key is to "mediate the impact of universal civilzation with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place". One must create architecture that is separate from the typical manifestations of world culture. This means getting away from the exotic forms that have been made possible and even typical by advancing technologies.

To create an architecture that is regionalized, it is best to take inspiration from the natural elements inherent to a region, such as topography, climate, and local light. Regarding topography, it would encourage placelessness to bulldoze a site so one could build from a flat base. One should terrace the ground and build into it, and in doing this the architecture would be acknowledging the history of the site, it would embody "its archaeological pst and its subsequent cultivation and transformation across time". By building this way, fundamental elements of the site are incorporated into the architecture in a way that is not overt or distasteful. Frampton dispises the air conditioning. He hates it because it is applied everywhere and it makes the climate of the place basically irrelevant. Frampton advocates attention to the behavior of climate and light, and the appropriate incorporation of the favorable elements of these into a building with natural techniques. By this i mean building massing to optimize wind conditions or top lit galleries with a system to filter direct sunlight. In this way, users of the architecture will appreciate the behavior of the natural elements of a place, and therefore have a regionally specific experience.

Question 4 (Realm of the Automobile)

There is an interesting relationship between public and private within the realm of the automobile. People are in visible contact with other drivers throughout the day; however, windows tend to keep drivers from direct interaction. Thus there is still a distinct sense of privacy/security.

There is no true realm of the car, but with respect to actual motopia architecture I am inclined to agree with Julie Williams’ response to the question; albeit my point about direct contact. Nevertheless, I think Drew Ross brings up an interesting point about the domination of the car motivated architecture. I think a better solution than trying to “take back the built environment” is to integrate the two realms. Although safety is a common issue, future computer systems will have the ability to fully operate a car, allowing such an interaction to transpire.

Question 10

Frampton makes the argument that architecture today must assume an arriere-garde position, that it must distance itself from both "high tech" and old sentimentalism. He argues that chasing new technologies has the danger of wiping out the cultural roots of a civilization, or as Frampton writes, "the ground in which the mytho-ethical nucleus of a society might take root has become eroded by the rapacity of development. In the same way, digital fabrication has the same dangers of producing by means of the technology available rather than from the society it is for. Frampton talks about Jorn Utzon's Bagsvaerd Church as an example of a building that is only partially successful at taking on the benefits of prefabrication. The outer prefab concrete in-fill panels are great and economical due to its universality but the interior reinforced concrete shell speaks to a foreign form that does not relate to Western culture, but instead to eastern culture. One of Frampton's fears is that universalization destroys culture. In my sociology class over the summer, we learned that globalization actually creates two opposite responses. It both creates a homogenization as well as a greater investment to cultural roots. The greater investment to cultural roots is exactly the result of Frampton's and others who shared his fears. Then one can argue that both responses to universalization is good. A forward movement to economy, as well as global, shared understanding, as well as a movement to preserve the societies roots. Essentially the question for architecture is, "Is architecture suppose to be primarily from the society or for the society?"

Question 10

In the article, Frampton criticized (with good reason at the time) that mass production was limiting our design and inventive nature. This was because at the time, mass production was being used in an assembly line process, where the goal was to make the same product faster, and especially in a capitalist market, increase profits for shareholders of companies. The technology was new, people were excited, so they sought to search the limits of this new found idea of mass production. But, in modern times today, the main goal behind mass production now is to easily increase variance. With something like digital fabrication, you can easily have many different iterations of the same idea very easily, and they can all stem from the same concept. This is especially true for architecture students today.

A student that hand-draws all of his/her sections/plans and hand-crafts his/her models is less likely to change them after a midreview or desk crit because he/she has invested more time into them. But, a student that works with digital techniques, such as sketchup, rhino, CAD, or another program is more likely to change, and because of that, more likely to have a more developed project.

I think Frampton would have realized this change as time went on, and possibly switched sides in his argument.

2. what factors in modern building practice that contribute to 'placelessness'per the reading?

In the section "Culture versus nature," Frampton explains how modern building practices often turn their back on nature, resulting in "placelessness." He explains that leveling a site before construction is distancing the building from the surrounding context, and a better solution that engages the site would be to terrace the site and have the building form to the land. He continues to talk about light and how the use of artificial lighting versus natural light also contributes to placelessness. He explains that if natural light was used the space within a building would change "under the impact of time, season, humidity, etc" which create a very "place-conscious" effect. Lastly, he speaks of ventilation and how modern building practices rely on air conditions instead of natural ventilation which also distances the building from its environment.

QUESTION 10....mass production of the future

I think that his argument against mass production would evolve as he saw the advances in technology that we were experiencing. In his article he said that the optimized technology was only limiting ourselves. That might have been true when mass production was first created because the means of production was designed to increase the speed at which things were being made, since it was primarily used for war times. As time went on and the processes were fine tuned, this allowed people to start rethinking the idea of mass production and to create systems with much more flexibility in assembly and in form. When using mass production across cultures, Im not really sure how a culture can be preserved through mass production but I think that issue can resolve itsself. You cannot hold onto the past forever, you can only use that to help you evolve the design for the future. And I think that Frampton would have seen that eventually.

Question #4

I disagree with Frampton's statement that there is not true public place in America. In fact I believe that America is so much of a public realm, that people go home just to escape being in the public. Through out the day, Americans spend most of their time in the public realm. They travel on what could be considered the most public realm in America, the roads and highway system. This realm is used by nearly every American, and though it might not be the most enjoyable, beautiful space, it is our public realm. We use it to talk to each other through advertisements. We show off for each other with the types of cars that we drive. We express our emotions to each other through road rage. We have a public realm, but it is at a much large scale than a piazza could be.

Avant-garde and Arriere-garde

Avant-garde, by nature, is an idea that strongly facilitates the process of modernization. It is a liberative form, and often opposed to the ideas of the bourgeois culture. This type of architecture can nearly be defined by that of the Enlightenment, and is intrinsically progressive. This strong idea of liberation was further reinforced immediately following World War I, when science, medicine, and industry initiated the move toward urbanization. Frampton argues, however, that the avant-garde movement cannot be sustained in architecture because its utopian ideals have been replaced by rationality and reason.

Frampton continues that architecture can only be sustained and practiced today through an arriere-garde position. This is a view that both removes itself from the progressive ideals of the Enlightenment and resists the urge to return to pre-industrial architectural forms. More importantly, the arriere-gardist must not be solely committed to the advancement of technology. The result, he hypothesizes, is a culture with a strong sense of identity, that also maintains a connection with universal civilization.

Placelessness

Frampton gives an example of the modern art gallery and how it typically “renders the work placeless” due to the artificial lighting of the room and blocking out natural light which allows a handful of site specific ideas to be perceived such as “time of day, season, humidity, etc.” This can also be said for the air conditioner of the building. The two of these together (A/C and artificial lighting) allow for complete control of inside space with total disregard for what is happening right outside. Frampton’s solution for allowing daylight into the gallery without damaging the art was to allow light in through the top of the building, controlled by monitors to provide ambient light that can be arranged in different ways under different conditions. “Such conditions guarantee the appearance of a place-conscious poetic.”

A main idea Frampton presents for connecting building to place is the idea of tectonic rather than scenographic. This is saying that through the construction of the building we should demonstrate how its “form [adapts] so as to give expression of its function.” Also the building should need to be experienced by touch through actual presence in the building. If the building can be adequately “experienced” from a distance or even though a simple image, that building is placeless. The materiality and presence of the building should evoke emotion to one experiencing it and hat will further develop the building as “place-conscious.”

Question No. 4

4. do you agree with Framptons assessment that there is 'an absence of true public realm in the modern motopia"? expla

in

Yes, I completely agree with Frampton's assessment.

Later in the same paragraph as Frampton's assertion, he quotes Robert Venturi in his book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture when he says "that Americans do not need piazzas, since they should be at home watching television."

Unfortunately, Venturi was right in his writing in 1966, and since then he has become even more so. The life of Americans has become very introverted and sedentary and thus architecture which encompasses an extended point of view towards the public realm has been left untouched a

nd wasted as people quickly drive in and out for convenience as they rush home to sit in their comfortable home "watching television."

It will take an entire effort on encompassing the public realm within a convenient application which can attempt to begin to re-train Americans and their habits of private personal space and seclusion. Only once Americans begin to use large open public spaces such as parks and plazas as the Europeans often do - with frequent gatherings and events whether planned or not - will we be able to take back over from the domination of the car upon the built environment.

EXAMPLES:

European Piazzas - Adjacent to the Plaza Mayor during the World Cup 2005

The Spanish Culture is to gather in huge groups in large open public spaces, spaces which rarely exist and are rarely used if they d

o exist in America. The Spaniards actually combine the public realm with Venturi's statement of American life in this example as Spanish National soccer fans are watching their team during one of the first round, round-robin games in the 2005 World Cup.

Retraining Americans - Chicago's Millennium Park

Here, Americans are being taught to enjoy public space which has previously been bare and lifeless, Americans need entertainment tied into their public spaces.

Frampton explains tectonic as the art of construction being raised from the ground. Also, it referred to the materials and strategies when approaching construction sites. Scenographic is the design and construction of a stage or area with many people. These are clearly different words. Back in 2003 in Milwaukee the first site that comes to mind for tectonic is the Calatrava "Bries de solei." The way it was constructed was beautiful, starting with the pylon and then actual museum structure. Then lastly the wings that move up and down shading the interior space.

#2

2. What factors in modern building practice that contributes to 'placelessness' per the reading?

Frampton says universal placelessness is the abstract concept of space as a more or less endless continuum of evenly subdivided spatial components or integers. We think about places as being defined by boundaries. In modern building practice, boundaries can be in the form of manipulation of land, like landscaping, a wall, a fence, an archway or anything that develops some sort of presence of something. Placelessness can be clearly defined or defined in a subtle way by things. Thinking about a dwelling, Heidegger says that the condition of dwelling and of being takes place in a space that is clearly bounded. There is a correlation between the act of being and the place it is practiced which is defined by boundaries. This “universal placelessness” may not be a specific place, but it is something that all people must feel because all living people are “being” somewhere.

Frampton's arriere-garde and avante-garde

The Avant-Garde architecture ventures into unknown territory. It is often shocking and is at the heart of the modernist movement. The Avant-Garde must do something that no one else has done before. Frampton sees Avant-Garde as a movement that risen and fallen in the 20th century. He eqates the importance of Avant Gaurde with the liberation, and the ability for Avante-Garde to make architecutre think out of the box, freeing design choices and style. He see the fall of avant-garde when it became rational and used to destory cultrue. Progress can either revolitionize or retard society. He sees Avant-Garde progress as retarding the soceity and destorying the culture that makes places unique. Frampton present a qoute from Andreas Huyseen: “The American postmodernist avant-garde, therefore, is not only the end game of avant-gardism. It also represents the fragmentation and decline of critical adversary culture.”

Frampton's defines arriere-garde as an architectural style that distances itself equally from the Enlightenment myth of progress and from the reactionary impluse to return to pre-industrial styles. He presents it as a possible way to counteract the damages of avant garde styles. Through arriere-garde he says that resistance to universalism can be achieved while at the same time "having a discreat recours to universal technique" This hybrid technique that does not look at architectural style as either fundamentals looking back to past ideal or embracing technology and optimization. This presents a way to move forward without retarding the society and generalizing it to a point of universalism throughout all the regions of the world.

Questions for Nov 13 Seminar

here are questions on Frampton for tomorrow's seminar;
1. what are strategies for connecting building to place per the reading?
2. what factors in modern building practice that contribute to 'placelessness'per the reading?
3. what is Frampton's critique of Venturi (and Scott-Brown)? do you agree?
4. do you agree with Framptons assessment that there is 'an absence of true public realm in the modern motopia"? explain
5. give an example of masse culture that you feels transcends 'mediocre civilization'.
6. define and contrast Frampton's definition of arriere-garde and avante-garde.
7. at times Frampton and Kolarevic make similar points about the importance of tactile experience; elaborate.
8. define and contrast scenographic and tectonic. give examples of each.
9. Frampton is critical of the 'scenographic' and 'informational' in this article written in 1983. since then there has been rapid development of digital technologies for visualization and fabrication. how might his argument evolve in light of this?
10. Frampton is highly critical of the universalizing nature of mass production. how might this argument evolve in light of digital fabrication technologies?

Chevron Concept

The main driving force behind my design included the exploration of gas station logos and ways to occupy them at different scales. Ideally, the occupiable space could triple as advertisement and signage for the specific brand.

The secondary driving force was my fuel type, Algae. Providing space for large amounts of algae to grow in a controlled environment created an interesting design challenge. There are spatial and biological needs to be fulfilled in the creation of my design concept.

Bio Diesel

Algoil Gas Station design is to serve as a fueling station of biological derived fuels from plant oils. Biofuel producers take plant oil extracts and through simple refining, create biodiesel. The history of biodiesels used in engine date back to the 1900s, as the original diesel engines were created to run off vegetable oils and not petro oils (History of Diesel and the Diesel Engine). Petro oils provided an economically cheaper alternative in the 1900s contributing to the wide adoption of petro based diesel engines despite of the original biofuel design. Today with political awareness of the dependencies of foreign oils and the advent of better biological extraction and production capabilities with algae as a feedstock, biodiesel use is in a renaissance (BioDeisel Growing a new Energy Economy). Biodiesel works in any current diesel engine and provides a quick transition to environmental energy for diesel cars and 18 wheelers (Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuels). Public perception of biodiesel holds back further development of this resource as people believe that biodiesel is not a viable alternative and could damage engines (Building a successful biodiesel business).

This gas station design informs, intrigues, and popularizes biodiesel in society. The gas station informs on the production of algae based biodiesel through the display of bioreactors producing biodiesel integrated into pumps and divider walls. This ornamentation does not hide the source of biodiesel by covering up pumps with advertisements and metal facades; instead, it celebrates it by incasing it in transparent safety glass. The canopes over the parking and pumps take the form of an algae cell with a green translucent material that allows diffused light to pass through as if looking through a microscope. the structures are meant to take the appearance of plants. the material are meant to look like metal work from far. The incorporation of fountain also provides water flow, which is necessary in any open or closed pond algae production system.

The over all site design provides a social sense of place giving people chance to interact and have small talk about biodiesel. Instead of eye height pumps that block the view of the person pumping gas next to the client, this design uses waist high pumps allowing for a conversation while waiting for the tank to fill to take place. In addition, the addition of café seating next to the bioreactor wall allows for a social setting in this public space that people visit often to refuel their cars.

In addition, the design makes a statement from above with rounded elements making it stand out from the squared neighbors. With advent of web mapping products like Google Earth, society sees the rooftops of buildings more often (Rooftop Advertising). Making a statement in plan view serves as signage advertising the gas station via online mapping products and GPS units.

project statement

un-transience 3x3

So basically, my project is composed of 3 distinct elements based on 3 broad concepts.

Elements:
1.) Core
2.) Skeletal Framing (3x3 Grid) / Membrane
3.) Panels (horizontal and vertical)

Concepts:
1.) Advertising (market forces, visual aggression, decoration, camouflage, meaning)
2.) Prefabrication / Flexibility (pervalent space, permanence through transience of parts)
3.) Program (redefine the parking garage, recharge node, creating meaning through program)

All Elements and Concepts are connected to each other conceptually and literally.
For instance:

Advertising is chaotic, however, within the visual framework of Panels, it has clearly defined boundaries - which accentuate Program.


Given the social and programmatic constants of a "recharge node":

Create meaning by injecting program.
Create permanence of use through prefabrication / flexibility - designing for reuse and rebranding.
Create interest / wealth by unleashing precisely concentrated, surgical strikes of advertising within visual frames.

Transmaterial

The main concept behind my proposal is uniting the user and the automobile within an amorphous, cloud-like structure. Since there are no issues with toxic fumes and combustibility in an electric station, there is an opportunity to allow the car and user to interact within the structure. The form will be clad with an inflatable ETFE membrane which will replicate the puffiness of the cloud. Additionally, this material will allow for lighting options which could internally illuminate the “cloud”. The purpose behind the more revolutionary form is to generate a new building type for the new energy source. Although the construction method is not yet determined, one possible solution is to use a series of ribs and flexible rods to form the skeleton of the structure to allow for dynamic forms and a contouring surface in which to adhere the ETFE.


Texlon-Pressure Inflated ETFE Foil Systems
Customized to almost any size
Resist average amounts of snow and wind loads
Does not allow dirt to collect on its surface
Will not deteriorate with exposure to UV
Air between plastic foils keep its surface in tension
Air supply failure does not lead to structural failure, just lack of thermal properties

Lightfader
Leaves behind a trail of light where someone has stepped
Low energy lamp lasts over 50,000 hours
Floor can be used with or without the light

Concept/Reading

The concept of my gas station is to create an interesting visual for drivers as they come towards it in order to grab their attention. I think the most helpful process we have done in my case is the exploration between decoration/information/form. This made me realize how “ordinary” the average gas station has become to us today. I think a major idea that has contributed to my design is from the article “Unbreathed Air” when Alison and Peter Smithson discuss the connection between themselves and their car. The car becomes a new type of “being” controlled by humans but forcing us to react to and view certain things. The viewing range of a human because more defined while inside of a car and that is what my design for a gas station is focusing on.

Post Mid-Review Project Statement

My project has been developed to be a direct response to a study of the physical necessities of cars when they are able to circulate freely in an area. Circulation should be the 'driving' force in the design of this particular type of architecture because gas stations are essentially a place for a several cars filled with people with different needs, some just want to park and go to the store, some peoples gas tanks are located on the right side of their cars and some on the left, some enter one way and want to exit the same way while others will surely have different desired paths, and some people forget which side of the car their tank is on and will have to make an unexpected switch up; and everyone's in a hurry! There are just so many variables, so my response has been to study the few things we can know for sure, the size of cars, and their comfortable turning radii, and develop an architecture that is a response to this. The rings above are meant to be a reflection of these circulating paths, as well as respond to the scale of activities that happen beneath them. Now that i've done these studies of what the car wants, i would like to go forward by letting the architecture push back a little bit and trying to manipulate the circulation a little to make it a smoother experience for the user.

I think this approach has been most influenced by the themes of associating the car with architecture in multiple ways that have popped up when readings talked about buckminster fuller and in my precedent research. His dymaxion ideas were heavily influenced by the production of cars. This architectural relation to car is present in LeCorbusier's writings and work as well. He said that architecture, like cars, needs standards to progress. And his early incorporation of the car into the architecture through garages and the use of the turning radus of the car to derive a form.

Gas Station Concept

The driving concept in my design has come from doing the component study from the gas station that we choose. My gas station was the Seven Eleven in Downtown. From that I knew that I wanted my gas station to have a relationship to the street and that I wanted a relationship between the spaces. I picked electric cse it resource that produces the least amount of waste and I think it could be very beneficial for our future if people were to choose Electric cars. I am using the relationship between my electric car station and my cafe to create a "car-fe."

The readings have been helpful for studying construction methods and materials. I particularly enjoyed the reading that talked about buckminster fuller and how he had a very organized and mathematical process behind his designs that seemed to be derived behind how he constructed the spaces. Integrating construction so that it is a crucial part of the experience of the space is important.

Concept Statement/Reading/Connections

Throughout the beginnings of my project, the primary driver has been the evolution of Compressed and Liquified Natural Gas as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline in the long run. With large Natural Gas Reserves throughout the country, and less than 10% dependency on foreign sources, I found it to be a great basis for the future of car fuel. Also, a primary driver for the formal aspects of my project has been that of the turning radius of a car and the realms of the car and the person and how to separate the two in order to bring comfort and encourage people to leave their cars while refueling.

With Regards to the reading for today, I found three interesting and related topics:

Metals:

Triangulated Metal Composite Frame

Primarily, I thought that this just looked incredibly cool and showed a little bit about the transference of forces, which would go along with my displaying of the compression process for natural gas. It would make a great material for the rings themselves as it is very sturdy, especially with the dual layering.

Fabrics:

Jelara [Bi-Elastic Fabric Knitted with Teflon and Polyester]

Jelara is a flexible elastic fabric which combines the UV resistant qualities of Teflon yarn with a new highly elastic yarn with no polyurethane - because it degrades in UV light, ruining the possibilities of prolonged outdoor use.

Lighttex [Fabric Light Control Panels]

Somewhat of an alternative to my roofing solution, these screen like fabrics will provide shade, some privacy and enormous interest to the roof plane of my structure should they be used.

In terms of relation to other readings, I feel that my design correlates with the Staib reading in that he laid out the evolution of prefabrication and component/modular systems. I feel that my design is very much modular, much like the first iron frame constructions, in which single sectional (single plane geometries) pieces are made and brought to the site and connected in the remaining axis and made into a volumetric shape. In my design, pieces would be shipped as flat, rings which have no volume (outside of the hollow cavity used for running electricity and natural gas). The volume of the structure would come from connecting the pieces together with the tensioned fabric overhead after all of the pieces have been laid out, much like in Iron Architecture when the pieces would be erected and the final step was to simply put glass and iron facades on the structure. My rings will act as the structure in these examples.

Concept: Miguel

Throughout our research in both fuel and gas stations, I realized that when things like fuel change, the process of fueling, idle time, and circulation also change. My concept was to intensify these truths with architectural methods in order to create a mood that would be specific to a certain fuel and /or car. By changing methods of circulation, canopy height, relationship to the convenience store, and relationship to seating of the people at the gas station, I believe I've come across something that could be quite effective.

I also wanted to challenge the present marketing model of gas stations in that you have the most desired item at the back of the store, and use banners/signs/lights to lure people into the store. Instead, I wanted to use the refrigerated vending machine (vending wall) as the sign, and let the products market themselves when they are 6 feet away from the people in their cars.

As for the relationship to the readings, I think that I gained the most from Le Corbusier when he was speaking of "an architecture for cars" in that my design is based on a grid derived from a single parking stall, and also the average turning radius of a car. It is also based on what type of car people drive, and how long they will potentially be at the gas station, in order to effectively market to different consumer groups.

Station Concept

My concept centers on what associated programs will most benefit a site where users are charging their cars for a while. Trying to look to the future and how different the recharging process will be from pumping gas helped me to visualize that the associated programs of a station can be longer term than just buying a coke and a snickers. If you will have to be at a station for a long time to recharge, then there should be something there for users to enjoy while they wait. Americans are increasingly more impatient, so if they felt like there was something worthwhile to do at the gas station (other than just standing around as a car charges) they would enjoy the experience more.

Concept Statement- Nicole

Throughout our design explorations and research on gas stations, the main thing that I find most interesting is the relationship between the gas station itself and the associated programs. I want to explore the limits of these "extra" programs a see how they can effect and ultimately change the typical experience of today's gas stations. After the mid review, I realized that my associated program of cafe/wi-fi hot spot may not be the right program to really explore the potential for change of the gas station experience. I feel like I would get more interesting results by pushing the limit of this secondary program.

As for the connection to our readings, I have been trying to keep in mind Alison Smithson's ideas on the relationship between person, car, and road that she explains in AS in DS that was mentioned in the "Unbreathed Air" article. I think the experience of the station from within the car is an important one and keeping this in mind is key to my design.

Concept Statement - Eric

The concept of my station is utilize space efficiency while allowing a car to charge. By adapting the frame and body of an automotive lift, I am investigating how both cars and people can inhabit such economies of space. The size of each bay is approximately 8x7x14.5.

Concept statement

Doing the research on associated programs was the most helpful for me. In my research on food as an associated program, I found that the sales from the convenience store and/or a small fast food restaurant actually brings in the majority of the profits, while the sale of fuel is secondary. I have spent time looking at a chain of gas stations called "Sheetz" that has become like a case study for my project. At these gas stations, there is not only a fast food restaurant, but also food ordering kiosks outside that make the experience of putting fuel in your car more enjoyable. This idea of filling your tank and filling your stomach has become the driving force for my design.

I also learned through my research about vegetable oils being used to produce biodiesel. By incorporating this concept, I have created a connection between the fast food restaurant and the fuel being sold. In this way, I came up with the identity for the gas station that centers around the idea that nothing is wasted. The "values" of the gas station then became: Reuse, Recycle, Refuel.

Project statement

From the review, I got the vibe that they enjoyed my linear "rib-like" structure, and how you choose two sides to recharge your car. The idea behind my design is to set an iconic standard for the overall appearance of a electric station. Using the cantilevered idea of constant angled pylons and parking underneath it, I was originally influenced by the tensile structure used in my rest stop. Then exploring through constant modules of this cantilevered pylon, I was also inspired by my case study of Richard Horden's yacht house. The idea of parking underneath these angled shading and lighting experiences would be fascinating. My hope is to change the overall appearance of gas stations/electric stations, and make these dramatic "floating" beams a constant design used for the electric charge up. When we read the article regarding the House of the Future, they were trying to make a standard and image of what residential homes should become at one point in time. This is the same attempt I am doing.

Gas Station/Readings

It seems like there are two groups of people when it comes to every day activity. We have studied and learned about the person who is all about efficiency, who wants a gas station they can get in and out as quickly as possible. The other group of people are those who want some enjoyment and want to relax during their busy days. I agree with both of these groups. I think people can be of one mindset one day and the other mindset another day.

I think refueling the car is a routine. There is the routine of driving up, getting out, paying, fueling, driving away. However, I believe there is something special about a routine that a person can enjoy. In order to keep some sanity during the crazy semesters of schoolwork, I have little routines, like going to church on Sunday and getting my special coffee drink afterwards. I recently went to a ridiculous gas station, Tuscany at 360, and spent a few hours there, noticing that the people coming in to get wine and read the newspaper must do this every week. This coffee shop/wine bar/gas station/convenient store is extremely successful in combining convenience, fuel, and comfort.

I designed my gas stations to have comfort in a social gathering space. The comfort of having a nice space to sit in, with ample light, the best view from the site, and the comfort of being able to see your car. I think that if I am going to spend time in a coffee shop in one of these locations on a major highway, I would like to be able to keep an eye on my belongings and my car if possible. I understand that seeing the gas pumps from where I’m eating my coffee and bagel might make me lose my appetite, so I would like to place the pumps closer to the convenient store, and the parking behind the screen wall. From the outside, the screen could read as a sign for the coffee shop, and the canopy covering the gas pumps could act as an advertisement for the gas. By separating these programs, but still linking them by canopies, there is a successful link between gas and social space, but they are not the same program.

An idea that I haven’t gotten to develop as much yet, is the idea of prefabricated pieces delivered on site and assembled easily. In the readings about the House of the Future and the Dymaxion House and while building Jean Prouve’s Maison Tropicale, I have realized that using a grid that makes all the pieces light enough to put together easily. Prouve used a grid of 3 meters. I have used a grid of 5 feet because 10 feet is wide enough for a car to fit through and 5 feet brings the building to a personal scale. I’m hoping to develop my building method into a grid that will make sense for a car system and make sense for the people to use the social space.

Thinking back to the internal logic of my rest stop, I want the gas station to be a kit of parts on a larger scale. The parts include a screen made out of a grid, and planes for overlapping canopies. In reading about Corbusier’s five points of architecture, it’s clear that I have a similar idea that he had, and he used not only a “kit of parts” or specific building pieces, but he had five points that he followed. I am trying to follow a clear set of points so that my gas stations have a “sameness” to them.