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Ryan Slattery Design ProtfolioAstro[Biome] - 2012 Master’s Project

Ryan Slattery Design ProtfolioAstro[Biome] - 2012 Master’s Project

RyanSlattery

Before

receiv

ing a M

aster o

f Arch

itectur

e degr

ee fro

m The U

nivers

ity of H

ouston

in 201

2, Ryan

Slatter

y

attende

d the U

nivers

ity of

Texas

at Aust

in earn

ing a

dual Ba

chelor

of Art

s degr

ee in G

overnm

ent an

d

History

in 200

5. Be

tween hi

s stint

s in ac

ademia,

Ryan w

orked

as

politic

al cam

paign

operat

ive. He

has work

ed and

managed

campai

gns at

the m

unicip

al, sta

te and

feder

al lev

el foc

using

his

effort

s quan

tifying

voting

behav

iors by

under

standi

ng vot

ing tre

nds,

demogr

aphics

and po

pulatio

n grow

ths while

under

standi

ng the

intrin-

sic val

ues

that

create

the

“ty

pical

voter.”

Those who are governed largely determine

the efficacy of a Representative Democracy.

It is through community involvement that

we may have a direct impact over the

legislation that governs us. This has been a

guiding principle for Ryan. Dedication to

the community is something that he has

carried with him into the world of design. Ryan is of the belief that cities don’t “grow.” Rather, cities are, or

should be, “shaped.” Through the quality of the process and the

harmony of design, cities can create meaningful spaces for communi-

ties and populations to live, work, play and “grow.”

To this

end,

Ryan f

ocuses

the s

um of

his

skills,

from hi

s arch

itectur

al edu

cation

to

his ca

reer in

politic

s, to s

hape t

he urb

an

landsc

ape in

an ef

fort t

o main

tain th

e

fluidity

of a b

uilt en

vironm

ent tha

t focus

es

Ryan’s

Archite

ctural

Concen

tration

focus

es on

Urban a

nd Sub

urban

design

and h

e has

studie

d both

Americ

an and

Europ

ean ap

proach

es to

these

design

probl

ems tr

aveling

to

Barcelo

na, Sp

ain as

part

of UH’s P

an-Am

erican

Summer

Studio

. He h

as also

serve

d as t

he UH Grad

uate S

tudent

repre

sentati

ve to

the Ri

ce Desig

n Allia

nce (R

DA) Boa

rd.

123

2012 Pan-American Studio - Barcelona, Spain000 2012 Master’s Project / gray2green Case Study*

Construction Doc Examples

Resume

Comprehensive Design Studio - EaDoRec

40

7 Month 8 Countries 3 Continents

5060

Writing Samples

*Additional Credit(s) - Kimberly McGrath Anton Stoev

[email protected]

ryanslattery

EDUCATION2012 (December)

The University of HoustonCollege of Architecture

M.ArchUrban and Suburban Design

2006 The University of Texas at Austin

Dual BAGovernment & History

2012 Rice Design Alliance (RDA) Board Member – Graduate Repre-sentative Understand and promote the mission of the Rice Design Alli-ance Recruit Student Volunteers for RDA events Represent the UH Graduate Student Body at RDA events

2012 Summer Pan American Study Abroad Studio in Barcelona, Spain Worked to design efficient mixed use housing and retail to work within the dense urban fabric of Barcelona’s Gracia neighborhood

2011 Design Build Studio McReyn-olds Middle School in Houston’s Denver Harbor neighborhood De-veloped Construction documents for permitting Worked with City of Houston Permitting office Oversaw a construction budget of $37,000 Worked with vendors and man-aged bidding process for materials and services

CASE STUDIES AND CONFERENCES

Lillie Schechter Consulting Houston, Texas 2010-12

Analyst Election Data and Trends Compiled raw field data to identify trends with regards to voter behavior Refined data to be used in future elections Devel-oped statistical analysis of voter trends and provided projected impacts for campaigns at a variety of levels

Jackson & Ryan Architects Houston, Texas 2013-2014

Architectural Designer Work with a team to produce architectural drawings based on client needs Assist with schematic design and design development Produce Construction Documentation Create presentation drawings and renderings for clients

SKILLSAdobe Creative Suite AutoCAD SketchUp Rhino Grasshopper VRay Microsoft Office ArcGIS Vector-works

gray2green Houston, Texas 2013Co-Author Worked with a team to develop a holistic solution for the Houston Astrodome. Presented design solutions for parking, transportation, programmatic issues, green space & historic preservation Presented to HCSCC on June 10th, 2013

Texas Society of Architects Houston, Texas 2014Presenter/Moderator - Annual Convention and Design Expo The Politics of Design: Understanding Who Controls the Narrative of the Built EnvironmentPanel brings together key influencers (public officials, preservationists, designers, and other stakeholders) to illustrate the importance of shaping the "public conversation" with respect to how we rebuild/repurpose/re-imagine, as well as preserve, while effectively demonstrating relevance.

REFERENCESRafael Longoria Director of Graduate Studies at UH COA Director Pan-Am Studio [email protected] 713-502-5027

Laura Spanjian Director City of Houston Office of Sustainability [email protected] 415-235-6084

Annise Parker Campaign Houston, Texas 2013

Organizer Work with Field Staff to implement programs to promote support for Mayor Parker and drive voter turnout Worked with, and managed, Student Leader-ship Program (SLP) which seeks to encourage college and high school aged students to become civic-minded across the spectrum public service

WORK

University of Houston COA Houston, Texas 2011-12

Instructional Assistant Research for teaching collection of 180,000 digital images, 35mm slides, and a collection of 500 video, cds, dvds Worked primarily to develop the University’s “Houston Collection” – A collection of historically significant land-marks including images, facts and figures that demonstrate historic relevance.

713.553.3359

Barcelona Spain

Ildefons Cerda rewrote an entire approach to city planning when he designed the Eixample for Barce-lona, Spain. In his approach, he focuses on needs. While most city-planning focus on expanding the urban environment to satisfy the need for industry to expand, Cerda focus on the needs of people to ensure that populations can expand.

The purpose of this project is to understand the needs of its inhab-itants and contribute to the living conditions of the residents as it relates to Cerda’s plan at the micro level. The project looks to mitigate light through facade ap-plications and consolidation of services and spaces. The end result is a simple design that allows its inhabitant to allow light where they want and transition through spaces through defined thresholds.

10

site

P

P

PP

P

P

Team Gracia [Erick, Ryan, Anton] :: Site Survey :: Circulation

parking/garage

site

B


bicycle

site


main circulation

site


pedestrian

site

bus

bus

bus

bus

bus


bus

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTIONALIGNING PROGRAM ON VARYING SITE AXES

MASSING DIAGRAMSUNDERSTANDING MIXED USE PROGRAM IN MASS

EXTRUDING SITE TO IT’S FULL POTENTIAL MASSING

SEPERATING PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SPACES.

PUSHING PUBLIC SPACE BACK TO ALLOW MORE NATURAL LIGHT TO PRIVATE SPACES, AS WELL AS ALLOWING A COURTYARD.

PUNCHING LIGHTWELLS WHERE NEEDED FOR RESIDENCES.

PRIVATE SPACEPUBLIC SPACES.

Private

Semi-Priv

ate

Circulation

Public Space

Residence

Residence

Site Axis

Floor Axis

Public [ Space ]

02 Sport has always served has a way to pass time. It can be as simple a task as kicking a ball into a net or striking a ball with a stick and praying no one catches it. Sport is not specific to class or status and requires nothing more that a few friends and patch of land big enough.

Sport and Recreation has evolved over time. Technology has evolved the game(s), made it faster, players stronger and experiences more intense. But, at the core of thematter is the simplicity of a game and the idea that human beings are fluid and are objects set in motion.Aside from the occasional injury, the benefits of recreation have always encouraged athletes to strive for physical peeks and in turn have provided the athlete with a healthier life style, increased motivation and confidence and been a driving force for building com-munities through competition.

With the construction of Dynamo Sta dium in East Downtown [EaDo] Houston the idea of sport and community has been placed squarely in the minds of the residents that have called the area home for decades.

The driving force behind [EaDoRec] is to provide the community with a place to playsimple games that require very little to participate in and provide a mechanism for healthy living that has been lacking in the area.

Through sport and providing green space for the area’s new Farmer’s Market [EaDoRec] serves as a catalyst for encouraging healthy living in an otherwise heavily industrial setting with limited access to recreational sport, green spaces or healthy food alterna-tives.

01

02

030 20 40 80 160

Large Outdoor Workout Space Small Outdoor Workout Space

Outdoor Seating

Indo

or L

ou

nge

Main Lobby Area /Reception

Exterior Rock Wall

Lect

ure

Spa

ce

Admin/Work Space

Locker Rooms

Racquetball Court

Rac

quet

ball

Co

urt

Basketball/Volleyball Courts

Weight Room/Cardio Center

Large Group Exercise

Racquetball Court

Racq

uetb

all C

ourt

Small GroupExercise

4” Pyrex Glass TubingW24 x 161 I Beam1/2” Floor to Ceiling Glazing

Top to BottomWood Flooring3” Concrete Slab2” Metal DeckingGirder Beams

Outside to InsideConcrete CladdingW24 X 91 I Beam2” Ply2” Insulation2” Wall Panel

Concrete Slab Steel Decking

Column

Girder

Filler Beams

[Str

uctu

re]

[HVA

C]

ASTRO [ BIOME ]GREEN SPACE

STANDARD OF LIVING

TRANSPORTATION

PROJECT WILL ENABLE, ENHANCEAND ENCOURAGE:

THE CREATION AND UTILIZATION OF:

PROVIDE FOR AN OVERALL

PLAY OFF OF

REIMAGINING THE ASTRODOME

03 In 1960, Major League Baseball expanded the league and the then Houston Colt .45 would begin play in 1962. Roy Hofheinz, acknowl-edging the Houston heat and humidity, decided he would bring the Coliseum to Hous-ton for the �edgling MLB team. In 1964, the largest domed stadium in the world was com-pleted and Houston became home of the Houston Astros and the 8th Wonder of the World - the Houston Astrodome.

Houston is slowly becoming a city with no history. Houston is a city that tears down an apartment complex to build a supermarket and then, across the same street, will tear down a supermarket to build an apartment complex. The urban fabric is fragmented and unintelligible. The average life span of a build-ing is nothing more than a few decades.

The Astrodome is certainly a relic of Houston’s past. It was once an international icon. The very �rst of its kind, and would become the blueprint of enclosed stadiums for decades to come. Now, 47 years later, it’s a decaying, condemned struc-ture with no present and no future. It is a building in limbo, a victim of inactivity.

Houston is also hot. Residents of the Bayou City are well aware of this fact. But, in a city that sprawls to the tune of more than 600 square miles, only 14% is considered recreational green space. There is very little refuge from the summer heat. Not even the simplest of considerations – shade. Houston has more than 16,000 lane miles of surface streets and an intricate network of highways crisscrossing the city. At the end of these surface streets and highways are parking lots and garages.

ASTRO [ BIOME ]GREEN SPACE

STANDARD OF LIVING

TRANSPORTATION

PROJECT WILL ENABLE, ENHANCEAND ENCOURAGE:

THE CREATION AND UTILIZATION OF:

PROVIDE FOR AN OVERALL

PLAY OFF OF

REIMAGINING THE ASTRODOME

03 In 1960, Major League Baseball expanded the league and the then Houston Colt .45 would begin play in 1962. Roy Hofheinz, acknowl-edging the Houston heat and humidity, decided he would bring the Coliseum to Hous-ton for the �edgling MLB team. In 1964, the largest domed stadium in the world was com-pleted and Houston became home of the Houston Astros and the 8th Wonder of the World - the Houston Astrodome.

Houston is slowly becoming a city with no history. Houston is a city that tears down an apartment complex to build a supermarket and then, across the same street, will tear down a supermarket to build an apartment complex. The urban fabric is fragmented and unintelligible. The average life span of a build-ing is nothing more than a few decades.

The Astrodome is certainly a relic of Houston’s past. It was once an international icon. The very �rst of its kind, and would become the blueprint of enclosed stadiums for decades to come. Now, 47 years later, it’s a decaying, condemned struc-ture with no present and no future. It is a building in limbo, a victim of inactivity.

Houston is also hot. Residents of the Bayou City are well aware of this fact. But, in a city that sprawls to the tune of more than 600 square miles, only 14% is considered recreational green space. There is very little refuge from the summer heat. Not even the simplest of considerations – shade. Houston has more than 16,000 lane miles of surface streets and an intricate network of highways crisscrossing the city. At the end of these surface streets and highways are parking lots and garages.

There are 2 problems at play. How do you salvage a piece of Houston’s history? And, how do you best shape that repurposing in the best interest of the city it serves? This is a study that looks to reclaim the astrodome in an attempt to preserve its history and iconography as well as retool it to serve the visitors of the Reliant Complex.

There are literally hundreds of opinions as to what to do with the Astrodome. Chances are you’re formulating your own right now. What we have failed to see in any of them is a solution for the Astrodome that addresses the stadium within the larger context of the city. Every plan addresses nothing more than the site itself, with no demon-stration of need, at least publicly demonstrated need. Through the integration of a park and the transformation of the arti�cial “playing �eld” into a naturally occurring “growing �eld” the idea

reclaims a neglected site in the same ideal as the High Line in New York or the Olympic Sculpture Part in Seattle.

Mickey Mantle hit the �rst homerun in the Astro-dome. Ali fought Williams here. UH played The Game of The Century against UCLA under the dome. And, it housed those who lost everything in the wake of one of the most devastating storms in recent memory. If it were simply the preserva-tion of Mantle and Ali, in my opinion that would be enough. But, more than that, for me it’s the preservation of the audacity of what the dome was. It was a modern marvel. It was the �rst of its kind and it stood as a symbol of what we could build, structure that were never before conceived. It should be preserved and through that preserva-tion address a very real problem in a very hot concrete desert.

PARKS/ GREEN SPACE

PERCENTAGE OF OUTDOOR GREEN SPACE

14%Houston, Texas

Cairo, Egypt

ATLANTA

HOUSTON

NEW YORK CITY

WASHINGTON DC

PHILADELPHIA

LOS ANGELES

DALLAS-FORT WORTH

TAMPA

PHOENIX

MINNEAPOLIS

Urban Area % in per capita land consumption

% growth in population (1970 - Present)

PER CAPITA LAND CONSUMPTION %

GROWTH IN POPULATION %

FACTORS IMPACTING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYCities are ranked based on population growth with respect to land consumption.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL

AU

G

SEP

OC

T

N

OV

DEC

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION OVER TIMEPARKFOOTBALLTRADE SHOWSTHE CIRCUS

THE RODEO

= 100,000 people = OTC (104,000)

HLS

RTE

XANS

TRAD

EPA

RK

Houston is a unique environment. At 600 square miles it is the second largest in the country in terms of area and ranks 4th in population with 2.1 million living within that 600 square mile zone. With that being said, 600 square miles equates to roughly 350,000 acres. The city of Houston iden-tifies close to 56,000 acres of park and recreational green space for the city dweller to utilize. While this sounds like a considerable amount of land it actually only accounts for 13% of all land in Houston proper. Now, contrast that with the fact that there is enough underdeveloped land and property to fit the city of Boston... Twice. That’s 180 square miles of underutilized land.

Enter the Astrodome. Which accounts for a small 8 acres in comparison to the whole but can contribute to the understanding of how the city can repurpouse existing structures and infuse an otherwise concrete desert with green relief for the heat and humidity.

The Reliant Complex sees, on average, between 3.5 and 3.8 million visitors annually. The main draws are the Texans during football season and the Rodeo in March. While this is a tremendous number of people the utilization of the site is minimal. Football games are played at Reliant Stadium 8 Sundays out of the season and the Rodeo accounts for a total of 3-4 weeks between February and March.

What this project looks to acomplish is not only intigrate itself with these existing programs but also provide a venue that would opperate the site year round as well as allow the surrounding communities to use the facility throughout the year.

DOWNTOWN

north

LIGHT RAILFUTURE LIGHT RAILMETRO LINE 73METRO LINE 14METRO LINE 18TRANSIT CENTERBIKEWAYS

TMC

As mentioned earlier, it is the goal of this study to place the Houston Astrodome within the lager context of the city. It is paramount to understand that there is a reasonable proximity to other city services such as the Light Rail, Metro Bus services and Bike Share Programs that can mitigate the need for parking on site and encourage the utilization of a growing Light Rail and Bike Share Program as well as a increasingly more efficient Bus System. The notion of additional parking would be in direct conflict with the e�orts of the City of Houston with respect to the work done to provide alternative methods of transportation in and around the city. It is also important to note that ecological systems can be enhanced by a project of this scope.

The Bu�alo Bayou Partnership has made tremendous strides in terms of creating the bayou system as a system of functional greenways. Houston’s largest natural environment is the bayou system and should be an integral network that function within the built environment as opposed to a system that stands alone. The integration of this system with the Astrodome as a park is simple considering the systems mentioned above and the proximity of Brays Bayou to the Reliant Park Site.

MEMORIAL PARK

HERMAN PARK

ELEANOR TINSLEY PARK

WHITE OAK PARK

DISCOVERY GREEN

RICE CAMPUS

BUFFALO BAYOU

BRAYS BAYOU

DOWNTOWN

RELIANT PARK

MEDICAL CENTER

GREEN SPACELANDMARK AREA

north

One Mile RadiusPopulation: 14K

Three Mile RadiusPopulation: 104K

Five Mile RadiusPopulation: 358K

3 Mile Radius

5 Mile Radius

1 Mile Radius

There are 5 major entities that manage parks within the 600 square miles of the city of Houston. They include The Houston Parks and Recreation Depart-ment managing 33, 000 acres of park space, Harris County Parks managing 13,000 acres within the city limits, Fort Bend County Parks and Recreation Department managing 2,000 acres, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department managing 380 acres and Discovery Green Conservancy managing 12 acres. Collectively, these entities manage close to 50,000 acres of park space within the city and ranks Houston amongst the top 10 in terms of quantity. While this is a considerable amount of park space on the surface, it only accounts for 14% of the total land area with the city ranking Houston lower than most major cities in terms of accessibility and density.

As mentioned earlier, it is the goal of this study to place the Houston Astro-dome within the lager context of the city. It’s paramount to understand that the there is a reasonable proximity to other city services such as the Light Rail, Metro Bus services and Bike Share Programs that can mitigate the need for parking on site and encourage the utilization of a growing Light Rail and Bike Share Program as well as a increasingly more e�cient Bus System. The notion of additional parking would be in direct con�ict with the e�orts of the City of Houston with respect to the work done to provide alternative methods of transportation in and around the city.

It is also important to note that ecological systems can be enhanced by a proj-ect of this scope. The Bu�alo Bayou Partnership has made tremendous strides in terms of creating the bayou system as a system of functional greenways. Houston’s largest natural environment is the bayou system and should be an integral network that function within the built environment as opposed to a system that stands alone. The integration of this system with the Astrodome as a park is simple considering the systems mentioned above and the proxim-ity of Brays Bayou to the Reliant Park Site.

2 x 10 Ceiling Joist 16” CC

Berridge Manufacturing Curved Standing Seam Galvalume Roof,Flashings, Trim and Grace / Ice &Water Shield Underlayment

MBCI “PBD” Galvalume Metal Siding

Flashing

“Air Gap”Allowing the air in the voidspace to heat reducing the amount of heat reaching the Building

2 - 3/4” PlywoodCurved and Inset in studs

Smooth Hardi Trim,Paint Finish

Smooth Surface Finish Painted Gypboard

Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of com-puter systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. CAD software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve communica-tions through documentation, and to create a data-base for manufacturing. CAD output is often in the form of electronic files for print, machining, or other manufacturing operations.

CAD is an important industrial art extensively used in many applications, including automotive, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries, industrial and architectural design, prosthetics, and many more. CAD is also widely used to produce computer animation for special effects in movies, advertising and technical manuals. The modern ubiquity and power of computers means that even perfume bottles and shampoo dispensers are designed using techniques unheard of by engineers of the 1960s. Because of its enormous economic importance, CAD has been a major driving force for research in computational geometry, computer graphics (both hardware and software), and discrete differential geometry.

04

3 ply built up gravel roof

4” x 4” x 1/4” Contain. Angle

4”x 3” x 1/4” Cap Angle

Metal Roof

Rigid Board Insulation

Steel Plate

2” x 2” x 1/4” Continuous Angle weld to plate

Steel Plate

3/8” x 2 1/2” Steel Stiffener

6” x 3 1/2” Continuous Steel Angle weld to columns and flange plates at each end

Plastic Diffuser

Built up roofing over 3/4” Rigid isulationon light weight concrete

Oakum Packed and Calked

3 1/2” x 3 1/2” x 3/8”Angle

1” Fiber contin.expansion joint

Tack weld

Continuous weld

Interior surface of platePainted

AdjustmentPlates

6 ] 10.5

7/8” Stucco Soffit

248'-0"

29'-818"124'-513

16"

106'-7 716"

58'-1

05 8"58

'-83 8" 25'-0 5

16"

PROPOSED FUTURE FENCE

EXISTING FENCE

EXISTING CONCRETE WALK

78'-4

1 16"

15'-4

7 8"

60'-3"

44'-11"

5'-0

"

30'-2

1 16"

12'-1

01 4"

EXISTING GATE INEXISTING CHAIN LINK FENCE

EXISTING GATE INEXISTING CHAIN LINK FENCE

(3) NEW TREES CENTERED ON STRUCTURE BAYS

NEW SHADE STRUCTURE

EXISTING LIVE OAK TREES

EXISTING LIVE OAK TREESPROPERTY LINE

PROPERTY LINE

SITE PLAN1scale 1/16” = 1’-0”

ArchitectPatrick Peters, LEED AP, DirectorRegistration No. 19306Graduate Design/Build StudioGerald D. Hines College of Architecture122 College of Architecture BuildingUniversity of HoustonHouston, TX 77204-4000Telephone: 713.320.5185

EngineerChristof Spieler, P.E., LEED APMorris Architects1001 Fannin, Suite 300Houston, TX 77002Telephone: 713.622.1180Texas Registered Engineering Firm F-12597

g r a d u a t e d e s i g n / b u i l d s t u d i o

u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s t o n

g d b s

forMcReynoldsMiddle School

Houston IndependentSchool District5910 Market StHouston, TX 77020Telephone: 713.671.3650

ShadeStructure

Drawn by: Bradly HirdesDate: 04.27.2011Revision:

04.28.201105.11.201105.12.201105.20.2011

Code Analysis

Existing Building:Construction Type 22 Story54,000 Total Square Feet4553 Occupancy LoadOccupancy Group E

Proposed Open Air Shade Structure:Construction Type 5294 Square Feet Rain Protected Deck Area316.65 Total Square Feet Roof Area*53 Occupancy LoadOccupancy Group B

*Proposed open air structure will be a non-simultaneous usewith existing interior space. (6) 180W photo voltaic panels.Low voltage solar array does not require electrical permit.

EXISTING PRACTICE FIELD

EXISTING PARKING LOT

EXISTING PARKING LOT

HIS

D R

OA

DFO

RM

ER

LY Z

IND

LER

STR

EE

T

SO

UTH

ER

PA

CIF

IC R

AIL

RO

AD

EXISTINGBUILDING

EXISTINGBUILDING

EXISTINGBUILDING

EXISTINGBUILDING

Sheet Name:Site Plan

Sheet No.:

A0.1

52'-10" Ryan Slattery

4321 5

4 3 2 15

forMcReynoldsMiddle School

Houston IndependentSchool District5910 Market StHouston, TX 77020Telephone: 713.671.3650

Sheet Name:Sections Looking N/S

Sheet No.:

S2.2

ArchitectPatrick Peters, LEED AP, DirectorRegistration No. 19306Graduate Design/Build StudioGerald D. Hines College of Architecture122 College of Architecture BuildingUniversity of HoustonHouston, TX 77204-4000Telephone: 713.320.5185

EngineerChristof Spieler, P.E., LEED APMorris Architects1001 Fannin, Suite 300Houston, TX 77002Telephone: 713.622.1180Texas Registered Engineering Firm F-12597

g r a d u a t e d e s i g n / b u i l d s t u d i o

u n i v e r s i t y o f h o u s t o n

g d b s

Drawn by: Ryan SlatteryDate: 04.26.2011Revision: 05.13.2011

ShadeStructure

SECTION LOOKING SOUTH2

SECTION LOOKING NORTH1

06.06.201105.31.2011

Scale: 1/2” = 1’-0”

Scale: 1/2” = 1’-0”

The following presents the argument that Houston was the first quintessentially American City. It was developed with the intent of sprawl promoting vast expanses and the opportunity to extend with perpetuity outward toward a seemingly limitless horizon. Coupled with the advent of the automobile, this concept of growth was compounded and today the city functions as a 600 square mile community that literally accounts for every conceivable built form or collection of

forms.

The American City How Commuter Culture has redefined how American Cities are Shaped

Response to a lecture given by Paul Goldberger to the University of Houston College of Architecture during the Spring of 2012. The thesis of which focuses on the role of the Architectural Critic as a mediator between one of the most public artistic disciplines, architecture, and the public. As well as ensuring the quality of design through a dialogue that main-tains objectivity to provide a check on those who wish to contribute to the shaping of the built environment and public

landscape.

Tough Love and Objectivity The role of the Critic and their contribution to the continued success of meaningful design

05 The importance of the written word should not be overlooked simply because the designer exists in a discipline that prides itself on championing visual communication. The ability to communi-cate across a variety of mediums can be a tremen-dous asset for a designer to have. Architects have this ability, presumably so, to be able to communi-cate with a variety of audiences.

Architecture is the intersection of Art and Science and because of this fact the designer can have the technical conversation with the Structural and Civic Engineer as well as the altruistic conversa-tion with the Artist. All the while seemingly having the ability to convey both messages to the common man on the street in a way that reso-nates with them.

If the designer is to be able to communicate across disciplines it stands to reason that the same designer should be able to do so across mediums.

As students of Architecture we are subjected to constant scrutiny. We endure the critics who dissect our design from the programmatic to the aesthetic. We tolerate the professors who torment us about the meaning of history and the importance of understanding, replicating or ignoring those who have contributed to the profession long before us. And, we respect the teacher who encourages us to take chances in the name of exploration and failure as part of the process in this pursuit of meaningful design. We do all of this because there is an inherent understanding that through all of the critique we are subject to, most of what we tolerate has nothing to with us, as people at least.

The critic, as we should understand it, is a mechanism of constraint. It, and the opinion of are not a hindrance or obstacles to overcome as architects. But, instead, they offer a check to designers and provide a balance between designing art “for arts’ sake” and creating meaningful and provocative spaces. Architects can, at times, be so micro-focused on designing that they fail to step back and under-stand the context they are designing within. Not to say that the Architect doesn’t care about the context. It is simply very easy to lose sight of the environment when so much focus is diverted between politics and economics and social constructs and budgets and aesthetics and so many other things that the purpose of architecture is lost. It is the role of the critic to ground the designer and remind the architect that what they create is both aesthetic and social and, as a vehicle for both, is indelibly tied to the suc-cess of functional space and public art, neither more important than the other.

Architects are terrified that critics won’t like a building or a scheme or a motif that they use. But, the role of the critic is to understand popular culture while refusing to pander to it as well as understand the objective of design within context while being objective with regards to both. Architecture succeeds or fails based on whether or not it is well received by an educated public and, in order to create a visually educated public we rely on the critic to dissect the meaning of space, function and aesthetic and not only better educate those who inhabit the built environment but also provide direction and pause for those of us looking to create truly meaningful space. Architecture is Art’s most public discipline, but it is subject to very little public scrutiny. With that being said, it is vital to the continued success of the discipline that the critic is first and foremost an educator to the consumer and check to the creator. Meaning that without a socially and visually educated public it becomes increasingly difficult for designers to create meaningful space. Critics write for the consumer as much as, if not more so than, the architect – the financer who pays for design, the politician who writes policy that design adheres to, and the consumer who inhabits the built environment – in an effort to make a more architecturally aware society. The critic allows architecture to be a tool for societal prog-ress by expounding and elaborating on the idea that architecture is a aesthetic object unto itself like a piece of art in a museum but a work that is both aesthetic and social existing within a larger construct.

A critic of architecture will never tear down a building in the same way a Broadway critic can close down a show. It’s more subtle than that, a more gradual change rather than immediate. Because there are so many factors contributing to design, that a critic understands that change can only happen over time. Because change can only be gradual, patience is most certainly a paramount requirement for the critic. And, love is most certainly patient.

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The following is a response to a lecture given by Paul Goldberger to the University of Houston College of Architecture during the Spring of 2012. The thesis of which focuses on the role of the Architectural Critic as a mediator between one of the most public artistic disciplines, architecture, and the public. As well as ensuring the quality of design through a dialogue that main-tains objectivity to provide a check on those who wish to contribute to the shaping of the built environment and public land-scape.

Tough Love and Objectivity The role of the Critic and their contribution to the continued success of meaningful design

Houston can arguably be defined as one of the first American Cities built to American standards. When we look at cities like New York, Boston or Philadelphia we see cities laid out in the same way as cities in much of Western Europe. They are built to accommodate the pedestrian. These cities, architecturally, focus on the relationship between the built environment and those who may occupy that space as much as how the occupant moves from place to place. New York is laid out in a clean, albeit crowded grid, Boston is a city that you could quite literally walk across before your coffee went cold let alone finished it. Pick any city of the “New World,” before the mechanization of design and you’ll see cities that mirror London, Paris and Rome in their layout and function.

Since the advent of the car, few cities built themselves to accommodate a growing desire for the free-dom that came along with the ability to travel greater distances in a quicker time frame. Houston, from the very beginning was a city born out of industry and mechanization. Houston sprawls with the help of an intricate network of highways, byways boulevards and parkways connecting portions of the city in a way that would not have been possible without the automobile. Businessmen can live and River Oaks and commute into the city on Allen Parkway or Memorial Drive without having to suffer the unsightly aesthetic of Washington Avenue in the late 70s or early 80s. Young Couples with kids can work in the city but live in the suburbs with larger lots and better schools for a price-tag almost half that of their Urban counterparts.

The beauty of the automobile was and is its flexibility. Unfortunately, that flexibility comes with a great deal of rigidity if over utilized – something else Houston is very good at. The car gave people to live where they want and go where they want. In a city the size of Houston, this poses a problem. As of the 2000 Census, the Cy-Fair area has a population of around 46,000 people; Katy has around 11,000 expanded to 20,000 if you incorporate the Cinco Ranch communities and others around Katy-proper. The Woodlands had 65,000 people as of 2000 with a growth of 68% to 90,000 in 2010. These popula-tions are independent of larger communities within Houston itself like Kingwood and Clear Lake. A large number of the professionals who live in these areas commute, everyday, into the City’s business districts creating what can best be described as a parking lot on I-45, I-59 or I-10 for the better part of the morning.

With the car came freedom. But, what is lost in the discussion is the impact on the pedestrian, the bicy-clist, and the Metro rider. Houston, I feel has focused so much of its resources in ensuring the ability of the driver to drive that it has neglected those who actually need help traveling from place to place. The argument that resonates with me is the singular focus of the car, the boulevard and the Parkway has destroyed other viable forms of travel.

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The following presents the argument that Houston was the first quintessentially American City. It was developed with the intent of sprawl promoting vast expanses and the opportunity to extend with perpetuity outward toward a seemingly limitless horizon. Coupled with the advent of the automobile, this concept of growth was compounded and today the city functions as a 600 square mile community that literally accounts for every conceivable built form or collection of forms.


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There is also a big difference in the perception of how we travel in Houston and throughout the South as compared to the “New World” and Europe. We almost turn not riding public transit or walking into a sport. We find ways to drive our cars. A great personal example; a group of friends wanted to go out to dinner in midtown. Four of us splitting a cab would have cost next to nothing. And, from where we were, walking wasn’t completely out of the question. There was a lone voice for the two seemingly rational options. So we drove instead. Parking in midtown was so bad, because everyone else had to drive their cars as well; we ended up walking further from our park-ing spot than we would have from the house. Houston has demonstrated that it is very easy for a perceived freedom to turn into a hindrance. Houston has built an infrastructure around the automobile and continues to do so because driv-ing is part of our culture. The argument isn’t to reinvent ourselves or even do away with the car all together. Houston is trying to interweave other methods of commuting that would supplement our travel habits. The American city revolves around a core American value – individual liberty. My contention is that instead of having the liberty to go where I want when I want to go, I should be at liberty to choose my method. If I want to go to dinner I should be able to drive my own car. At the same time, I should be able to hail a cab or hop a train or even walk if it’s possible. As Hous-ton attempts to diversify its transit it also needs to try to mend the perception of public transit and, at the same time, create actual freedom of mobility.


06 Architecture has been described as the physical representation of mankind’s evolution as a cultivated species. The thing about being physi-cal is that you can actually put your hands on it – it’s not lure or myth but something tangible. It’s important to understand materiality and sensa-tions of space and volume; to know how small a person is standing next to the Coliseum in Rome and under-stand the advancement it promoted given it’s time and place. It’s impor-tant to feel Petronas Towers sway back and forth from the bridge that connects the two. The ability and want to travel is just as important to a designer as any formal class because being able to experience culture and see its influence on design is immea-surable because it provides insight that a photo simply can’t.

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