Copley Technology Store

Static Verses Dynamic

The idea comes form the ever changing environment and how it effects the inside (program) and outside of the building (context). Based on the movement of such things as people, cars, weather, color and the static and dynamic pressures from within and around the building, the building reacts by projecting a different look in reaction to the changing context.
The building will respond to its ever changing environment through the use of computer programs that will change the opacity or shading of the glass, or the color and intensity of the lighting from the inside and outside of the building. This will be a direct reaction to the man made and natural forces that occur in and around the building.

During observation of the site at different times of the day I found the site to be very fluid or dynamic, but still conform to a static nature. I started to look at the way in which the natural and man made forces were affecting the site. I looked at how the natural forces of the sun and clouds caused the facades of the buildings to take on different looks depending on the angle in which you stood.





At night the site takes on a completely different look as the buildings become opposite of what they were during the day. Buildings that may have stood out against the sky during the day almost disappeared against the night sky, while others acted in the opposite manner, becoming more pronounced at night.

The next step was to look at how man made forces affected how the building was perceived. Did the patterns of the cars and people affect the look of the building? The conclusion I came to was yes. The buildings are looked at differently because the view is constantly in a state of flux due to the ever changing pedestrian and vehicular movement which flows through the area.
When searching for information on similar projects, I looked at “the Tower of the Winds by Toyo Ito”. Ito used recorded sound mixed with the natural sounds of the wind to create a symphony of light that is always changing based on what sounds are introduced.


Partial Site Plan





















Space Planning Diagrams

Conceptial Programs by Floor

First Floor:

Retail that could include restaurants or markets.

Second Floor:

1) Circulation – Both primary and secondary
2) Open offices
3) Support areas for building Mechanical and Electrical

Third Floor:

Technology store which includes:
1) Technology information desk
2) Sales Area
3) Kid Zone
4) Phones
5) MP3 Players
6) Accessories
7) Support Area including storage and employee break room
8) Circulation – Both primary and secondary

Fourth Floor:

Technology Store which includes:
1) Technology information desk
2) Desktop computers
3) Notebook computers
4) Kid Zone
5) Accessories
6) Support Area including storage and customer restrooms
7) Circulation – Both primary and secondary

Conceptial Elevation showing massing and materials against the original buildings. The colors represent the changing surface of the exterior skin

Closeup of the exterior skin and the investigation of connection to the existing buildings

After my crit I looked back at my idea with the comments that were made in mind. The first comment that was made was about how to make the building more interactive from within and relating that experience to the outside skin and how that skin changes. One comment was that it could be by the number of customers who are in the store or when a purchase, but I want it to be more interactive with teh customer. The idea I have been thinking of is that the people in the store would be the dynamic, they would be in charge of what the glass does by having a station or stations set up that would allow the customer to become the composer of the skin. They decide what the colors are and what the opacity of the glass are.

The second area is how the exterior skin relates to the building interior. I want to design the building so that inside and outside are always intertwined and having the interior elements puncture the exterior skin so that one would still be inside the building but would be outside the skin.

The third area is on how to develope the market and also make it a part of the, as Herb put it the "sequence of experiences". The idea would be that the market would be the first sequence that would nourish the body and then having the technology nourish the mind. Each step of the journey would work in unison to create that sequence. I think that this would tie into how the interior and exterior work together to create a different experience depending on where are by interconnecting the market to the technology either by the actual or visual.

INCOMPATIBLE LANDSCAPE

The building and area I chose as a incompatible in-fill was the Wexner Center located on the campus of Ohio State University. Located on High Street that runs along the front edge of campus, dividing the academic part of the campus area from the commercial area. The Wexner Center sits on the site of the Armory or Gymnasium building. The Armory was built in 1898 and caught fire in 1958 and was demolished later that year. In the following 30 odd years 15th Avenue ran through the site providing a visual as well as a physical connection to the university.

The Wexner Center for the Visual Arts" was named after Leslie H. Wexner, the founder, president, and chairman of the board of the Limited, Inc. as well as chairperson of the OSU Foundation. The Center was dedicated to the memory of Harry L. Wexner, the deceased father of Leslie Wexner. The center opened on Nov 17, 1989 on the site of the old Armory Building. Part of the building was made to mimic the towers and turrets of the original building. The site is shown below.

The way in which the center is located is contrary to the buildings around it. On the High Street side the buildings run parallel to the street, while the Wexner is skewed off parallel and looks as if it is trying to swallow the existing architecture. The placement has also worked to isolate the center of campus, The Oval, as 15th Avenue continued across High Street. The Oval area is the original base of the campus and still houses the Academic Administration in some of the original buildings. By placing the Wexner as it is across 15th it has cut off the center of campus from public view.

Partial map of campus showing the connection of 15th Avenue and the Oval. Notice the direct line between the library building at the top of the Oval and how it runs towards 15th Avenue.

This is a view from 15th Avenue located directly across from the center. Originally 15th Avenue went through the site and came out at the Oval in line with the library.

As you came through, the view would have been of the long sidewalk leading across the Oval and ending at the library. There are several paths that criss cross throughout allowing connections to the building on all sides of the Oval.

Looking back towards the Wexner Center and High Street where your path is blocked by the unusable sitting area.

Going through the Wexner leads you out towards High Street. The sketch below shows how the main entry of the Wexner Center lines up with 15th Avenue. While there is somewhat of a implied connection between the Oval and the street, the physical connection is gone.

The area I have been looking at is the Ohio Statehouse. The grounds are situated in the middle of downtown Columbus and is surrounded by 20+ story buildings.The area is undergoing a renaissance of new developement that will bring in more people. On the days that I was there the temperatures were hovering in the upper 90's so the grounds as well as the surrounding areas were pretty much empty except for the people waiting on buses or the occasional business person having to walk from one building to another. On a more friendly day the grounds would have seen more activity as many people elect to get their lunch to go and sit on the lawn or benches. There are not many areas directly in the downtown proper that have large grass areas and mature trees so this serves as the oasis in the desert, so to speak.




















The layout of the grounds encourages pedestrian movement. There is a perimeter walkway encircling the site as well as multiple walkways that cross through the site allowing someone access from all sides. The site encompasses 2 acres of land.








The rotunda of the Statehouse is 120' from the floor to the skylight creating an imposing figure . While now dwarfed by surrounding buildings the statehouse is still able to stand out among the much larger competition. When looking down from the much taller buildings you see an area that bustles with activity (during less hot humid mid western summers).













During the 1960's due to the lack of parking a garage was built under the west lawn. Vehicle access is from the northeast and southeast corners of the site with pedestrian access to ground level at the northwest and southwest corners. There are also three pedestrian tunnels to buildings located across from the site.






Traffic Flow shown in red

Pedestrian Flow Shown in blue

Underground Pedestrian tunnels shown in green















Front lawn area looking away from capital building towards intersection of Broad and High Streets.










Looking east on High Street. The capital building is towards the left.
















What I found to be positives of the site:

• Large open spaces that encourage people to gather.
  
• Easy accessibility to all spaces.
  
• Large mature trees that provide shade and visual barriers to surrounding buildings, which create a park in an area surrounded by asphalt
  
• Easy access from all surrounding buildings or areas.
  
• New development around site to provide housing near area.
  
• Plenty of parking lots surround the site
  

What I found to be negatives of the site:

• Surrounded by asphalt.
  
• The area is basically deserted during evenings and weekends unless there is a special activity going on nearby.
  
• Although used by some, ignored by others. Most people never stop to "smell the roses"
  
• Traffic flow discourages passing motorists to stop and look around.
  
• Plenty of parking lots surround the site.

Basically a site that provides park like settings that not many take advantage of.