interfaith center

my proposal and the fall quarter for studio were wrapped up today. i presented my project this morning so all that is left is turning in my portfolio for the quarter. below is my project with explanations/reasonings behind my design:


- this highlights some key structures in Boston as well as the common building materials used in the area




-why i chose my site:
1) visibility to surrounding area
- it can be seen all the way from downtown and the cambridge area, making it an intriguing place to visit
2) establishes an emotional experience for a visitor traveling through the different zones: noisy --> natural buffer --> cleansing journey over the bridge --> worship
3) spiritual interaction with water
- high tide allows you to physically touch the water and low tide gives the sense of floating above the water



-two main aspects taken from my vernacular studies of the Puritan settlers that drove the design for my interfaith center:
1) religious views: restrictive views that did not allow for conflicting beliefs. this view is like a box that does not allow anything inside of it. by "exploding the box" i am signifying the breaking down of the hindering ideals behind religion and creating a form that represents the intentions of the structure
2) town layout: the puritan town layout was a radial scheme with houses surrounding the church/meetinghouse. this layout was successful in creating a cohesive community feeling so i applied this concept to my floor plan. i revolve all of my worship rooms around the lobby (which i have established as the most important room because it is the main place of interaction amongst the visitors).



-a radial scheme floor plan revolves around the central lobby space. this space is the main room of interaction amongst visitors and is a place where learning and the bringing together of conflicting people/cultures/religions will occur. i incorporated a cafe into the space to help with the facilitation of interaction. what better way to learn from someone than to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or pastry at the same time.



-the sections show the functions of the spaces and the zones that one will travel through when reaching the site. also, because my building sits on the water i creating a columnar system below that acts functionally and aesthetically. when the water is low the building looks as though it is hovering above the water and when the water is high the building looks as though it is one with the water as it floats on top gracefully.

proposal tomorrow

i have my studio proposal for the interfaith center design tomorrow at 11 a.m. we are given 3 minutes to present our project and then a 10 minute dialogue with the jurors. ive narrowed down the main points i want to present tomorrow and am pretty confident with answering the questions i may be presented with. i also have a BUNCH of sketches due tomorrow which have been put off for quite some time, so now its really coming back to bite me. hope it goes well tomorrow, wish me luck, and ill probably post my proposal with pictures of my boards and model in the next few days

moving in the right direction

an informal pin up review was held yesterday for us. we combined with another studio section and ill just tell you that it was a wasted 4 hours of time. we were given 2 minutes to speak about our projects and then given feedback. however, some students decided to speak longer and the instructors decided that 15 minute reviews would be adequate for getting us out on time (it also didnt help that it took everyone an hour to pin up). after my presentation the only feedback that i got for my project was the fact that i incorporated food into my design. having a cafe in my interfaith center was definitely a driving force because i feel that food is a great way of initiating conversations for people and an easy way of learning about other cultures.

other than that simple comment i got nothing in return as far as my project. so, now im just going to work on my presentation boards a little more until friday. i feel that my project is very strong, and although my design isnt flawless, it shows the concepts that i am trying to convey and is a design that i feel really tries to successfully address the issue of establishing a working interfaith center.

my layout:
board 1: shows my overall site and the culture that inhabits it. i have pictures of typical boston structures and what i also want to show is its location on the map. i want to signify the importance of food in this board since it is a driving force for my design and i also want to show the common materials used in the area.
board 2: this will show my specific site. i have diagrams of the affects placed on my site and how i will wish to address them.
board 3: diagrams of my preliminary building forms, experiences through the spaces, and my connection to the vernacular. i definitely need to make the connection of my building to the vernacular a very important aspect. it is the reason for my buildings design and i do a good job of saying it but i also need to SHOW it.
board 4: floor plan. location of rooms and chart showing why room are located where they are. im also showing preliminary floor plans to give an insight as to my process
board 5: sections. these will be huge factors in showing the placement of my building on the water and how it structurally works. im showing a site section along with a few diagrammatic sections that will showcase some of my ideas behind design reasoning.
board 6: exterior perspectives. these will give the person a true feeling of what the building will look like, from its materials to the overall feeling of being in the space.
board 7: interior perspectives. these will show the "life" of the space and how people will interact. i am choosing to show the indoor lobby and the outdoor garden platforms. i want to show the life of the lobby and what the space would feel like, and i want to show the outdoor gardens use of incorporating the water into spiritual enlightenment.

the project is due on friday and i will have the weekend to establish a successful verbal presentation. i am very confident in my speaking ability and feel that whatever i have not conveyed in my visual presentation boards i will make up for in my verbal communication.

trouble trouble trouble

im getting really stuck on my project. i have a really strong floor plan premise and good foundations for where i have placed all of my rooms. the one thing im having a lot of trouble with is the form that my building will take. i want the place to represent an area where someone can come worship their certain faith while at the same time learning the disciplines of the other faiths. my basic idea is the use of a very central and large lobby area where the social areas will be. off of this, i have the main worship areas: the main auditorium, outdoor amphitheater, and personal worship rooms. i want these rooms to be very dramatic and function well.

ive sketched about 1000 different options and have made a dozen models but the form of the building just isnt come along like i would hope. however, i feel that i have a really good idea buried somewhere in my thoughts and i just need to get the expression out on paper and i will fly through the drawings for it. countdown to mondays preliminary deadline starts NOW!!

site

the site for my project is set on the southern bay of the charles river, right next to boston university. the site has many advantages to it as it is a focal point for viewers from across the bay as well as close up to the building. this will be a great aspect for attracting people to come to the center and hopefully come inside to check out what the building is all about.

main concepts in the works:
- central lobby/cafe/meeting area that forces interaction and involvement of people at the site
- dramatic north face to entice viewers to visit
- linear or radial plan
- location is next to boston university, enhancing the aspect of combining people of many different backgrounds. kids come to school from different areas/religions/races/countries just like people of different religions will come to my site
- link between puritan vernacular study from before
~ town buildings surrounded central church/meetinghouse just like my rooms will surround my central lobby area

things i want to accomplish:
- a place that successfully incorporates interaction with visitors
- dramatic form
- successfully flowing circulation to establish a strong emotional experience
- very thought out process that develops a well conceived solution to the program



-my site and analysis of area (red square is my specific site)