SEE. SEEN. chapter ivPOINTS OF DEPARTURE. URBAN INTERVENTION

by m.gallant

Over time, architecture has been viewed as a prominent source of understanding for historical precedent. Yet, buildings do not persist in time. Can the process of deterioration be a continuation of a building’s life? While weathering is the result of unpredictable environmental factors, its residing elements convey a constant connection to their surroundings. Constructed by the subtraction of existence, it holds an important relationship with the coherence of time.

As the superficial scarring of a skin, weathering creates present form through past life. The idea of scars as the story of the past brings an interesting aspect to expressive meaning. The presence of past elements gives meaning to the present form. Its bridging from past to present connects individuals with the testimony of time that it conveys. Consequently, since scars are more often than not associated with a human condition, does the consideration of weathering as a scar create a stronger connection between the subjective and objective meanings of time?

While architecture remains a personal interpretation, the characteristics of such do convey common connections. Creating a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, weathering gives growth to the façade and shows the transient nature of materials. The temporality of nature and memory come hand in hand in understanding time. What is memory if the imagination has no connection to form and matter?

WEATHERING OF TIME.researchPART I

[UNDERSTANDING SCARS]

Described as “a natural biologic disfigurement of the skin attained through the process of healing”, a scar is not confined to its association to human skin. A scar is not only a human condition but can also be a characteristic of all things with objective or subjective presence. The statement of “scarring one’s life” cannot be seen through the human eye, yet it is still expressed as a scar. Subsequently, what is the true definition of a scar?

Over time, the human body is subjected to change, and the changes that are visible to the naked eye can be defined as a natural disfigurement of the skin. Therefore, can the act of aging be a form of scarring? Aging is a biological change that one inevitably goes through. Yet, it is uniquely defined by one’s surroundings.

The state of degeneration of the human body is an irreversible process with distinctive characteristics, and as a result has a direct association with the act of scarring. All individuals are living proof that no anatomy bears identical characteristics. In relation, aging expresses a direct heterogeneous coherence. As all scars are unique to their healing and surrounding factors, aging and scarring share a common progression. As a result, their common characteristics enable them to be defined as one another.

While aging is viewed as an art form of scarring, intentional artistic expressions such as piercing and tattooing also bring a form of scarring to life. It can be argued that in some cases artistic expressions are used to mask a preexisting condition, however, in no case can something be entirely concealed. Resulting in a form of layering, one is not changing the surface of the skin but merely adding to its meaning. Artistic expressions act as permanent alterations of one’s skin for the purpose of adding character to one’s reflection.

In another side of artistic expressions, the act of celebration also brings forth another form of scarring. While is can result as a form of tattooing or piercing, the act of scarring for the purpose of a celebration can result from various techniques. These celebrations often result in a form of ritual where the human body is blessed by commemorating faith as a public statement. In consequence, it acts as an art of laying historical ethnicities. While they are subtracting from the natural environment of the skin, they are adding a narration of meaning and history.

As the human body holds an important relationship with the coherence of scarring, can art itself stand alone as a scar? Can art separate itself from all human association and still be considered a scar? As art is a canvas on which is painted layers of meaning, the reality of the creative process can be portrayed as events of scarring. The process of adding and subtracting to a canvas as a method of art is related to the process of scarring.

The essence of a scar reflects its healing process, a process that conceals no past and reveals all meanings. In relation, art is a means of visual expression than can be explored through various methods. While all methods differentiate from one another, all convey a constant sense of progression of thought. Through layering, a sense of time and reflection is achieved that is evident via its process, and as a result shares a common ground with scars.

By definition, weathering is the fragmentation and alteration of materials into elements that are more in equilibrium with the conditions of the surroundings. Consequently, weathering is a process of balance observed through various layering of erosion, rustication and deposition.

This process of equilibrium can be expressed as a progression of environmental healing, where elements are subjected to change in order to restore balance. Therefore, if a scar is the result of the progression of healing and restoration of a surface, shouldn’t there exist a parallel connection between weathering and scars?

[REPERCUSSIONS OF WEATHERING]

When one talks about the construction of a building, they say the construction is finished, but not that the building is complete. A building will never be complete, as no end exists to nature and its progression. Weathering is a gradual process of time. One cannot state the finished product without anticipation of tomorrow.

A gradual work in progress, a building goes through phases of “finishes” anticipating growth and change. After the physical construction of the structure, a building enters a second phase of life, the phase of natural formation. An addition of the environment in time, the natural formation of the building adapts itself to its surrounding and starts to live and breath through its surface.

Consequently, weathering takes on this second phase of life. As time progresses, weathering starts to alter the façade through various means of erosion and rustication. A layering of depth, it adds to the character of a building and generates a physical relationship to the environment.

Weathering is portrayed as a gradual destruction by nature. However, is the destruction exclusively a subtraction of one’s true form or can it can it be considered an addition? Weathering etches out the external materials to construct something that was previously of existence by subtraction. As a mathematical correlation, the addition is directly proportional to the process of subtraction. By taking away, weathering is adding to the “finished” product of the building. Furthermore, it is bridging the present to the past. It is revealing a connection through traces of coherent elements of construction. Weathering acts as an enhancement to the historical sense of buildings. It provides additional depth to its façades, as well as to its historical content. Shifting itself through the natural components of the surroundings,

“Finishing ends construction, weathering constructs finishes.”

the building maintains a preservation of the progressing historicity.

While the aesthetic deterioration of a construction is viewed as a gradual destruction over time, intentional destruction is often created in order to portray that same sense of aging. A fascination exists that is associated with the juxtaposition of materials and surfaces as old and new collide as one façade. However, by creating a false sense of weathering, one is creating a tension between art and nature. The roles of art and nature are exchanged, as art becomes the power that forms nature versus nature reforming the “finish” of a work of art. It creates a tension between a work of art and the conditions of its location. Consequently, artificial weathering takes away from the growth of the skin. What was once a “testimony of time” through materials is now only a mere imitation without depth.

The expressive meaning associated with ruins and rustication often emphasizes the temporality of nature. Nature is an evolving process in the “finish” of a construction. As nature constructs the true depth of a building, neither erosion nor rustication can be forged without experiencing a sense of lost. Ruins, related to the character of time, convey an important fascination with weathering. This process of scarring the façade through time might initially appear as destruction, however, it communicates a sense of appreciation with the form of aging. This appreciation often brings an important association to the meaning of romance.

A historical consciousness associates ruins to the romantic form of aging. The strong sense of history transforms the imagination and transports an articulation of subjective views to the past. As a result, a representation of historical antecedent associates a subjective sense of romance to the reality of weathering.

Creating character from its environment, weathering preserves a dialogue with its surroundings. The constant shift and changes of the environment relates to the experiences of life and creates a stronger relationship with memory. The idea of temporality and memory

are interrelated as a sequence of connections portraying the natural process of time. Allowing individuals to construct their own experiences and meanings, each element carries their own unique identity illustrating time. As each element portrays distinctive antecedents, all individuals reveal a greater connection, and as a result particular elements can spark an individual’s memory while expressing something entirely different for another.

Imagination is what conveys shape and form to historical antecedents. The fundamental connection of the mind between the present and the past lies in the common aesthetic features one has associated to historical content. Without previous art of matter, the imagination cannot give any explicit meanings to forms and, as result, one cannot make a subjective connection to the natural process of time.

Weathering is on many levels, the prominent illustration of historicity. The historical consciousness of the subjective retains from existence without the objectivity of weathering. It is in strong part about the equilibrium of the physical aspects of its surrounding, yet there exist connections of direct proportion to the human mind as imagination gives form to matter.

The growth of the façade brings a testimony of time and expressive meaning to an environment. As weathering scars the surface, the association of scarring to the human condition facilitates the connection between the understanding of meaning and time.

POINTS OF DEPARTURE.urban interventionPART II

As a start to all means, research of the existing fabic, conditions and programs of the chosen area is required. Continuing on the previous explorations, the guidelines of the urban intervention remain in bywayrd market.

With Points of departure as the subject to this chapter, the following research peels and explores the various layers that composes of the byward market.

[field notes]

There’s a clear, growing invasion of parking space. While there are a few parking garages in the core of the market, most parking lots are located within the area prominant with residential occupancy. This growing invasion is eating away at public parks and shared spaces that should be available to tenants.

While the city tries to promote a ‘greener’ and more sustainable environment... why so many parking lots instead of bike racks?

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

[field notes]

Houses are most prominant around the outer edge of the market core. Very few a modern homes as most bear historical values.

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

[field notes]

Byward Market has kept its charm and historical values throughout the year. As commercial occupancy come and go, most buildings remain standing. The reusability of the buildings are easily noticible as one can see trace of its previous owners and/or events. All add character to the neighbourhood.

While houses may be more prominant outside the core of the market, living quarters located above retail spaces are frequent. The area maximizes on the mix-use potential.

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

[field notes]

Ottawa may not be a ‘concrete block’ like other cities, but the byward market has a lack of green space and vegetation presence.

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

[field notes]

north of the market area, bingham park, is the sole SPORT GROUNDS available to the public. the park includes a tennis court, baseball field, children play area and exterior swimming pool. the grounds are not maintained during winter months.

the only public PLAYGROUND, apart from the play area found in bingham park, is located north-east of byward market. it is set within a residential and family oriented area. yet, what happens to the rest of the market? byward market is a mix tenant area neighbourhood. Families are found throughout the area, as most buildings that are not exclusively residential have are mix-use with living quarters above.

TRAILS / RECREATIONAL PATHS leading from major hill park give access to the main systems, running throughout the city. yet, most recreational pathways run along the perimeter of the area, leaving a void in the byward market for the sports enthusiast to find their way around, there’s an apparent discontinuity between the programs of the area and the recreational sub-society.

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

EXISTING FABRIC.byward market

EXISTING PROGRAMS.byward marketRESTAURANT . PUB / BAR . NIGHTCLUB

EXISTING PROGRAMS.byward marketART GALLERY . THEATRE . PERFORMING ART

[field notes]

The area is popular for tourist and local alike. The mix of high profile hotels and low budget hostel help feed to the demographic diversity.

EXISTING PROGRAMS.byward marketHOTEL / HOSTEL

EXISTING PROGRAMS.byward marketEMBASSY

EXISTING PROGRAMS.byward marketCHURCH

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.individuality

“i’ve worn everything. except pants...they’re weird.”

“...because i can.”

[suit with skate shoes]

[details & colour]

PROPOSAL.urban intervention

To propose a pre-designed intervention would be aggreeing on predicting the future. One cannot forsee what is to come, nor predict how future generations will make use of a given space. this urban intervention is about creating space for possibilities. Without expectations, leaving the design to time and its users, as they may come and go.

As a response to the lack of public space where individuals and sub-societies alike can express their individualites and creativity, the suggested urban intervention help feed the future of unforseen possibilities. The interventions are a suggestion of green space to help better the quality and add to the visual presence of the neighbourhood. While these space can be used as an urban garden, it is up to the public to design, add, subtract to the context.

The suggested space for the urban interventions were chosen for two main purposes; to utilize abandoned or unhabited space, and to help reduce the growing imposition of parking area. The sites are to feed various sub-cultures from music and performing art, to the divers nationalities, generation differences and family demography.

proposed space.byward market

.

.

.layers

. time

. sub-societies

. garden

. art.

creativity .

public expression.

no limitation .

visual record.

public.

urban intervention.

green space.

events.

everyday.

vulnerability.

weathering...