for connections

for connections

November 1998Blacksburg, VA

Approved:

by Eric Jon Chuderewicz

Thesis submitted to the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Instituteand State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements forthe degree of

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE

Pia Sarpaneva, Chairperson

William Brown

Frank Weiner

connection

to join, fasten, or link together by means ofs o m e t h i n gi n t e r v e n i n g

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The thesis began with the construction of cardboardmodels. Below, one can see the division andsubsequent manipulation a cube underwent. Theoutside square surfaces where selected and removedto let light pass into the volumes from the side andabove. Inside the cube, additional partitions wereremoved to create larger spaces. These two basic rulesserved to create a variety of cubic three dimensionalobjects enhanced by the emittance of light to revealtheir particular spatial and formal qualities.

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Alleyways and narrow outdoor corridors are integral to the complexand diverse living arrangements found in European cities and towns.These function simultaneously to direct pedestrians and provideinhabitants with a means to enter their dwellings. As one travels thefamiliar route that leads to one’s home, thresholds are passedthrough and remembered. Entry and departure becomes a sequenceof sensory and spatial experiences.

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This image above describes an aspect of “For Connections”.The pathway created naturally by the trees and the shadows onthe ground directs one visually through the field. As well, thetrees form places of shelter from the sun. Thus, a field of treescan simultaneously direct and shelter us. In the same way, thethesis strove to create a similar situation where directedmovement and repose could exist side by side .

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A cluster of buildings, in the same way, creates pathways that resultfrom separation. In turn, light highlights this condition and adds atemporal quality to the formation of a path. As the sun moves inthe sky, paths disappear and emerge.

6V

In the sketches, the edges that define the buildingvolumes create a linear continuity through the site. Thelines that define and align the volumes with one anotheralso define the space occurring between them. As onewalks in between the buildings, the spaces modulatebetween “openness” and compression.

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Looking at this cluster of buildings from a skewed angle, they appear to beconnected visually which is in contrast to their actual separation. In the thesis,the in-between space created through separation was a place where connectionscould occur.

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9 Z5

In the Fukuoka Housing project designedby Steven Holl, the alignment of windowedges and expansion joints reside inconcrete; a material that we associate asbeing solid, capable of bearingcompressive loads with a high degree ofpermanence. Here, the concrete is flatand smooth. The windows, small andnarrow, take on a distinctive size andshape and contribute to the reading ofthe concrete wall as a massive element:one that is poured, formed andhardened.

The fact of visually showing the floorslabsin the surface of the elevation allows aninterplay to occur between the mainstructure, the window and the panel wall.The windows appear suspended withinwalls that visually appear thin, light andin textural opposition to the smooth,massive concrete walls described above.

The Fukuoka Housing projectdemonstrates how windows, structure andmaterial can interact and give one cluesto understand the spatial complexitywithin the building. In turn, this housingproject opens up the question of therelationship between the placement ofwindows in a dwelling as it relates tointernal space and structure.

Images from:“Stephen Holl 1986-1996”. El Croquis, 78(1996), 197pp.

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Each side is a composition made up of openings of varying sizesand shapes. The profile of the interior spaces protrude to theoutside surfaces thus defining the spaces inside.

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The outer freestanding walls, (rendered inyellow), enclose the frame structure (red).Above, the frame protrudes and extendsbeyond the limit of the outer wall creating aplace to exist above and below it (a,b). Below,stairways fill the void between freestanding walland frame (c).

The acts of movement and repose become“connected” to the idea of separating outerwall and frame. As one moves between floors,one must step outside the frame, ascend ordescend, and then reenter. Conversely, one isplaced in a space that may be inside, outside,or both. Here, one can see the structural framefrom a different point of view and thus bereminded of the building elements that makeinhabitation possible. You literally see whatholds you up.

a.

b.

c.

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Structural frame defines and delineates space and forms placeswithin and around it. For this to happen, the frame must combinewith walls to create rooms of light and dark. The dark place isnoticed because the spaces adjacent to it are lit up in varyingdegrees. A place, therefore, can be the product of the conditionsthat surround it. Thus, light allows for the reading of the “darkplace” to exist.

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When we rise up in a building and get to the level ofbeing able to look down on a tree, we have reached anew point of view, one we are unaccustomed to. Aswell, our view of trees in general becomes broader. Itis similar to the feeling we get when we fly in an airplaneand look down on the earth and see things from adistant vantage point. In turn, we are more aware ofour place within the context of our immediatesurroundings.

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As you ascend, the building unfolds.

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Climbing a tree, a nonlinear journey upwards

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Stairways wrap around and through thebuilding. As you ascend and descend,a stair changes it’s direction and modeof support.

Z3

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The protruding volume of the bedrooms allows for the rooms within it,the balcony above it, and the porch-like space below it. Here, the insideliterally and figuratively extends beyond the limits of the buildings footprint.This element also engages and proportions the space found between thebuildings.

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A large exterior wall becomes an elementthat gives privacy to rooms located onthe sides of adjacent buildings. A roomsprivacy depends on the existence andproximity of walls outside, thus creatingan interdependent relationship.

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The protruding parts of the building create sheltered places of repose along the central alleyway.

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The image shows surfaces that are differentiated toemphasis size vertically. The screen element suspendedfrom the structure is in direct contrast with the surroundingwalls that appear to rise up from the foundation. Aswell, the screen unifies the face vertically by overlappingthe horizontal floor slab. The contents of the buildingare exposed, thus revealing it’s internal order from theoutside.

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A dwelling needs rooms of movement among places of repose.Along the passage to the bedroom, the absence of a flooremphasizes the reading of the walkway as a distinct elementfrom the walls. As it clings to the edges of the room, it leadsyou through the building.

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Stairs are located between the outside planes and the insideframe. The space between becomes a place to ascend anddescend. The pathway through the building establishescontinuity between floor levels.

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I

In the first floor the outdoor brick patio acts as a visualextension to the studio dwelling through an open wall.Both the inner and outer realms of space are perceivedsimultaneously and consequently, are connectedperceptually.

studio

26W

The arrows in the second floor plan indicate the direction of view andmovement. The bedrooms are identical dimensionally but differ in the viewsthey afford by the position of their openings. This fact is apparent in theshadows caste on the floors of each room. In addition, the positioning ofthe stairs in relation to the walls creates different spatial conditions as onemoves into and out of rooms. As a stair climbs and changes direction, sodoes its mode of support. In some locations, stairs are connected to landings,in others, they are attached to walls.

bedroom

bedroom

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Moving upward to the third floor, the rooms become more private. The cubicform that contains these private spaces protrudes outward. This creates aninside-outside relationship where the most private part of the building belongsto the most active part within the exterior volume.

bedroom

bedroom

study

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The fourth floor is similar to the first, having places to dwell outside and afloor plan unencumbered by walls. The arrows indicate the range of viewfrom the balcony. This is in constrast with the bedrooms below whereviews through windows are more directed.

studio

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The juxtaposition of the wall and frame createsentrances. The section reveals the relationshipsbetween the building elements.

The first floor studio seen from the entryway. The buildingframes views to the outside.

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The window occupies a place between wall and structural frame.Outside, windows become a marker of place.Inside, the window frames a view to a place you once were.A window, a view, a memory.

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vita

Eric Jon ChuderewiczPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Education:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Master of Architecture, Fall 1998Europe Travel Program, Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Spring 1996.Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Bacholor of Science in Geology, 1993.

Thanks to: Pia Sarpeneva, Bill Brown, Frank Weiner, Hans Rott, Joe Mashurn, Mark Russin.