CRYSTAL COMPLEX
Predicting the future is impossible. The world is in the process of great change environmentally, socially, and politically. It is now more important than ever to address global issues. But it is not the job of a designer to predict the future – it is the responsibility of a designer to dream it. In this dream, the design of a building empowers the users. There are countless number ways the design of one’s environment puts them at a disadvantage. People are regularly disempowered by our built environment. Quality of life depends on access to opportunities, and those opportunities are made possible through architecture. While architecture may not be able to directly change a society’s’ prejudices, architecture can change how people live. If we remove prejudice practices from architecture we can design an attainable world with equality for all. It is important to design places that supports equality and diversity and empowers its users. Each person, regardless of class, race, and gender, should have access to services that fulfill their biological and social needs within the place that they live. The design of this complex achieves attainable equality through community focus and social interaction for reconnection with oneself, green spaces and urban farming for reconnection with nature, and the use of color for the reconnection of self expression and equality for all colors.
Intelligent beings have language represented by articulate sounds; organized beings, like all animals and vegetables, express themselves with cries or forms, contour or carriage. Inorganic nature has only the language of color. It is by color alone that objects tell us their meaning.The goal of this project was to create a colorful place where people are happy and healthy with easy access to services that fulfill their biological and social needs within their reachable environment while simultaneously creating a green building that helps clean the environment. The design of cities and their buildings are critical in the world’s changing environmental, social and political climates. By providing each user opportunities to connect and grow with the community around them this building complex brings hope to dire circumstances by imagining colorful, alternative futures and envisioning bright possibilities. Equality is achieved by removing phobias and biases from the built environment and providing a diverse range of lifestyle opportunities. If all future buildings followed this path the world will change to reflect a more equal world both socially and physically. The crystal complex provides a variety of resources readily available to people within the place they live. Through a rejection of chromophobia and all other bias occupants learn to view the world with eyes of equality. This complex becomes didactic in that manner and also provides opportunities to learn about sustainability and urban farming. Because this building places heavy emphasis on healing, both emotionally and environmentally, there are many energy alternative opportunities such as rainwater collection, pv installation, passive cooling, natural ventilation, and a double skin facade. Essentially this building represents healing and chroma therapy through the constructed environment, equality through the removal of biases, and environmental care through sustainable practices.
Come here for to attain healthy habits, remain here for the highest quality of life possible.
The color palette for this project was carefully selected in order to bring a sense of individuality, self expression, and chroma therapy. Research on the significance of the use of color was conducted by David Batchelor and served as a design tool for this project. Chromophobia present his work and explains that most of the world bias can actually be traced back to the fear of hues. For this reason, color was used as a metaphor for the rejection of biases. The colors used are diverse, pulling from all sides of the color wheel in order to demonstrate inclusion. Hues similar to common building materials were not incorporated. Equal amounts of common earthly colors, like orange, red, blue, and green, were paired with the more exotic colors of purple, pink, blue, chartreuse, and yellow. Colors most common in the sky, water, and earth are used to connect the building to the site and sky, and colors least common in the earth and sky are used to create a sense of coolness, healing, community pride, and a sense of mystery. Mainly the colors were implemented throughout the site as accent marks on benches, paving, signage, balconies, structural support, and the base buildings around the towers.
a. What were the most useful review comments, applicable to several student projects?
My favorite review comment was, “nature doesn’t have an ego like architects do. It continues to grow, evolve, and produce iterations until it is finished. Architects should be more like nature.” Other useful comments applicable to all projects included: focus more on how it meets the ground, translate social concepts into architecture better, and have the words being spoken match the presentation for clarity.
b. What did you learn from seeing other students’ visual and verbal presentations?
I learned all the different methods in which students tackled this project. It was interesting to see all the different design processes and project development. Seeing what works on a board visually over multiple iterations was helpful.
c. What would you like to adjust on your panel for the CTBUH submission (July 17, 2017 registration deadline).
The sizing, giving more room to more important diagrams and less room for the renderings. I would also like to revisit the diagrams done separate from my group member to make them visually more cohesive.