Shaping Light – Gresham

Design Concept:

Develop the Max platform located at Civic Drive into a space for the residents of Gresham by creating a community run chestnut orchard.

Our design aims to embrace the aesthetic of the orchard grid to formulate new distinct urban/rural spaces along the infrastructure of the max.  Then, formalize these spaces for the community by incorporating uses such as seasonal markets, public spaces,  max platforms, and trails.

Design Considerations:

Site Design:

I believe the true nature of Gresham is rural in character given its past history.  The site design of this project pays particular attention to these patterns by proposing the chestnut orchard in close proximity to the public max platform.

User Needs:

Pragmatic needs of a max platform are always contingent on occupant safety, comfort, and visibility.  Beyond the pragmatic, this design strives to provide the occupant with an “rural” ecological experience framed by the trees of the adjacent orchard.  Practical things like seating, shelter, and the experience of waiting have been crafted into the landscape as a series of landforms and canopies. 

Materiality:

We chose the materiality of the station to express the relationship between the temporal landscape and the more permanent shelters and enclosure as designed.  For example, the pattern of the trees is expressed and heightened in the materiality of the concrete shoring walls that surround them.   The chestnut trees will reach maturity in about 30 years, this means that the permanence of both materials (ie trees & concrete) will become more apparent over time.

Light and Shadow:

Perhaps ironic, the full extent of the canopies of shelter and tree interplay wasn’t realized until just after the final model was produced.  We began to see a lot of potential in the patterns of light refracted to the station ground via the canvas canopy.  The trees also began to play with this lighting effect by providing a gradation at the areas around the station, this began to blur the lines (or shadows) between our manmade shelter and the organic canopy of trees.

Sustainability:

Our project articulates the ecological blight of the chestnut tree and attempts to reintroduce it to 6.5 rural acres in Gresham.  Our intent was to make the sustainability aspects part of the projects ethos rather that applying sustainable features to a shelter made of extruded aluminum. 

What does it mean?  How will this shape my education?

Given the opportunity, I would do a collaborative studio project again.  I find that many things done creatively in practice are always highly collaborative with others. 

Make more models – take more time to make models along the was and test ideas.  I found this helpful during the light shade studies.

Play in the shop – spend more time experimenting with tools and processes that I’m unfamiliar with.  The results I got out of the hop this studio were exciting to me, I need to keep this momentum of experimentation going.

Site Design
The crux of my project relied heavily on site and the existing context.  With the City Hall Max stop only a quarter of a mile away and new development along the intersection of Civic Drive and the Max line, I wanted this stop to not only impart the infrastructure of a waiting area, but also embody a gathering of community.  
The distinctive wooded site to the south of the Max line provided a natural landscape that I treated as an amenity for the community, but also an opportunity to retain and engage local habitat in the developing neighborhood.  
The nearest park to this Civic Drive neighborhood is 1.06 miles away and while this community is rated 75% “very walkable,” it is still heavily dominated by auto traffic.  
In desiring to foster a relationship between both sides of the tracks, I designed two looping structures that hold the two divergent ecologies on either side, to the north, a formal park space and to the south, a natural habitat area.
Each form holds to their corresponding environment; the tighter curve to the south clutches the natural habitat and walking paths; while the more open curve to the north is a slower-paced move connecting to the Max path destined for Portland.  Together these woven structures meet above the transit stop for a brief opening and opportunity to switch paths.

Users
The design provides accessibility on multiple levels, waiting areas for the train, a means to travel through the neighborhood, and the integration of habitat for local species.  The grid-structure of the intersecting forms provides a light and open environment for the users and the various functions of this design generate more activity on the site providing a safe environment.  
Seasonal changes in the landscape will affect the visual character and animal species of the station.  Seasonal and local plantings will be integrated throughout the platforms and the latticed shelters.

Material Assemblies
Initially, I had envisioned the structure composition to be concrete.  Upon further investigation and discussion, I changed it to a steel structure together with wood slat platforms.  I created the wood and steel structure for the mock-up including real grass to embody the green slits throughout.  
While the design and aesthetic are appealing to me in it’s own right, I made a mistake switching the original concept of the structure.  The idea is to encourage and capture the movement of the train and that of the pedestrian and the fluid nature of the form lends more to concrete than to steel.  My hesitation with concrete came at the mid-review when a concern about a “pedestrian freeway” was raised.  In the end, I should have chosen the material I had initially imagined, but it was the material study that led me to this conclusion and without it, I’m not sure I would have come to this realization.

Sustainability
I took on a broader view on sustainability for this project.  My case study of the projects from NL Architects exhibits this idea of multi-functionality.  To invest money into a built project, especially in today’s economy and in our consume/throw away culture, the idea of encompassing multiple functions within a single project is necessary to reduce our impact on the earth.  
Adding the plantings within the structure also attest to the sustainability at a smaller scale.  The green introduces impervious surface for rainwater run-off, a natural filter for sunlight and habitat for local species.

Light & Shadow
My initial light studies of creating a grid and layering various scales within that structure have influenced this final light study.  The latticework of the bisecting forms creates a multiple windows for the light to filter and the changing nature of the form alters the aperture size, ultimately enhancing the dynamic light quality.   The green wall woven into this grid structure also produces a new effect of changing patterns and colors based on planting type and time of year. 

What I learned…
What I will most take away from this class is learning a new program, which will be valuable in my design process in the future.  I was excited to take on Rhino, but found what a complex program it really is.  While I struggled quite a bit, the scale of the project made it manageable and I will be able to tackle something larger next time. 
I also learned the advantage of distilling down to one primary goal and to not be sidetracked by other influences.  While difficult to do throughout a nine-week process with multiple projects, I think it allows for the most successful end result.

Well, I did it…made it to the end with a design!  You can see my boards under “my work” tab, listed as my Fall 2009 studio work.  I have posted the boards, as well as some model photos.  Enjoy!!!

With the theme of the studio being Shaping Light, I was intrigued by looking into the way light can bend, move, and change shape.  I started the quarter with the idea of taking cardboard and laminating it together with a flat surface on one side, and an organic shape on the other.  The organic shape undulates from being thin to thick and creates an illusion from either side of the panel that this solid element is in fact permeable and light penetrates in varying shapes depending on the angle you are viewing it.  I liked how it was the user that interacted with the object and that is how the light is transformed, rather than the object transforming the light. 

Trying to transform this into a concept for the Transit Station at Civic Drive, I wanted to focus on the idea of bending light and having the user experience the shaping of light rather than the object making a static shadow.  I wanted to see how the angle of view would create interesting light opportunities both for the users and the station. 

In the site design, Zach and I created a sunken plaza to the north of the station platform.  It is a large plaza that steps down 5 feet.  We have also concentrated on creating context for the plaza to support, and a bioswale to the west of the plaza.  When I started my design, the site design changed slightly.  Connecting the plaza more directly with the bioswale, I created a feature at the west end of the plaza where the plaza steps down into the bioswale and a boardwalk rests about 5 feet above the steps.  It plays on the idea of multiple views of the same thing, from above and from next to it.  I also wanted to connect the plaza with the station platform, but still keep some security for the platform and separation of space.  Playing with how the platform touches down to the plaza, gracefully and naturally landing in a trough of water to leads to the bioswale.  The plaza also has small water features that dig into the ground and lead water run-off from the streets and sidewalks down into the troughs and into the bioswale.  The steps of the plaza alternate from concrete pavers to grass pads where people can layout during a sunny day.

The station shelter design is comprised of three major elements.  The first and most important part are the panels that line the edge of the platform and the plaza.  The metal panels are lined with plexi on the sides and are kinked in one corner to bend light as it comes into the station.  The reflective nature of the metal will reflect and illuminate the station in unique ways as well.  The panels are large yet moveable by the human hand, which was something I really wanted to include in the station.  I wanted something that users could move and adjust to their liking, both for entertainment purposes and light purposes.  Like my panel study, the panels are not necessarily what shapes light, it is the users who move the panels around the pin that create the light patterns and unexpected angles.  At night the panels illuminate along the plexi sides which create a dynamic wall of strip lights from afar that kink or stand straight.  It creates a way to shape light at night even when there is no natural light to play with, as well as safety and security on the platform with lighting the station. 

The next element is the roof.  Steel beams lay atop the platform and much like a literal translation of the panel, it starts flat and kinks upward towards one end.  Much like a frequency wave, it flows open upwards towards the sky and ends standing straight up.  Depending on where the train enters, the roof opens up to the train, and gradually flattens back down at the end of the platform where the train leaves the station. 

The last element is the columns of the station shelter.  Made of wood for a natural element that grounds the platform to the plaza, they are large and one piece from beam, to column to ground.  Placed at every 14’ the columns vary in angle of the beam piece due to the changing roof plane.  The column that stands straight up on the westbound platform entry stands as a beacon of entry for the platform and holds a sign for the station name.  The columns stick out onto the plaza side and dig into the plaza ground where the trough of water leads to the bioswale.  The columns are one of the main direct connection of the platform with the plaza, even though people are still able to move the panels from the plaza side. 

This term helped me force myself into learning new computer programs and use materials I’ve never used and construct something I have never constructed before.  It was a learning process throughout the whole term and I would hope that I can use these techniques in the future in other studios and work.  I know I still want to learn a little more into Rhino and its rendering engines you can use, because I had some difficulty finding my comfort zone in that area.  

 
The design of a Trimet train shelter is a lot more difficult than I had imagined. There are many rules and regulations to be aware of and abide by, in order to create a functional and pleasant place. Along with adhering to the typical transit shelter design elements, I developed a few design guidelines based on site visits and existing context.

 
DEFINE AN EDGE. Currently, the train stop location is not a clearly defined place. To bring order and coherence to the site I intended to define where Civic Drive intersects with the train station. Through materials, scale of structure, and space for community activities, I aspired to engage the surrounding Gresham community and define the location.

 
CREATE A CIVIC NODE. The Civic drive train shelter location is not downtown Gresham, so I believe it needs an identity of its own. For the immediate community surrounding the site, the train shelter and potential plaza space could act as an apex for community activity—people could walk their dog, meet friends, eat local food (if a series of food carts were to be part of the plaza), have chance encounters with neighbors, visit a farmers market (maybe a weekly market occurs at the plaza?), or any number of other activities. It could be a place, a beacon, which unites the community.

 
CREATE AWARENESS OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENT. I aspired to create an architecture that is appropriate for the local climate. Through the architecture visitors can learn about wind, rain, sun, geology and temperature. The large roof form at the North platform would collect rainwater in a bio-swale and perhaps signage or a water gage could let people know how much rain was running off the roof. Wind would be harvested, through large wind turbines, to provide enough electricity to light the platforms at night. Large pavers of basalt would reflect the geology below the platform. The unique form of the architecture would create engaging shadows and sun angles throughout the year could begin to be understood, perhaps through an on-site board of information. Wouldn’t it be great if people waiting for the train could learn more about aspects of their surrounding environment?

 
ENHANCE EXISTING SPACIAL EXPERIENCE. After visiting the site it became very apparent that there is an existing gradient of landscape, experience, and use. I intended to create an experience that reflects the existing place. As you move from the edge of civic drive inwards towards the platforms and beyond, landscape increases and the experience changes from public to private. Also, intended use for the site is another series of gradients, starting at the north there is: pathway, plaza, platform, train, platform, pathway (see diagram on image above).

CLEARLY DEFINE A PLATFORM. For clarity, it was absolutely essential to define waiting area. Through transparent materials and a linear design, I aspired to distinguish the platforms from the surrounding plaza at the north.

There was a lot to accomplish this quarter. Investigating, designing, and producing credible drawings and ideas was quite a challenge. A good challenge.  Through our class field trips and guest speakers along with my own investigative research, I have learned a lot this quarter that can be directly applied to my architectural education and career.