RAW 1 the rawDace Russell

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1.0 the raw as changethesis statement

1.1 Modernity [as homogenaity] 2.1 The Farnsworth House: Plano, Illinois Mies Van Der Rohe. 19512.2 Villa Savoye Poissy, France Le Corbusier. 1928-1929

1.2 Phenomenology [a reaction to homogenaity]a. Juhanni Pallasmmab. Peter Zumthorc. Steven Holl

1.2 Materiality [focusing the raw through phenomenology] a. materials that inspire comprehension of growthb. materials that inspire comprehension of decay

2.0 Change toward Death:a. designing a mausoleum

2.1 Siting the raw [the decision for an urban mausoleum]a. the argument for an urban mausoleumb. siting the raw c. stratification of experience d. interfacing programs

2.2 Site Strategy + Formal Constrainta. iterative sequencing of design decisions

C O N T E N T S

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3.0 Death as Experience [introduction of clients to inform design intent]a. the Mournerb. the Endurerc. the Frequenter

4.0 Experience as raw [the client experience]a. the ceremonial processionb. sectional ceremonial procession c. experiential images and description

5.0 Affected Bibliography:A selection of works digested that directly or indirectly affected the thesis.

Further Rescources:

www.daceformations.blogspot.com the raw

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Architecture of the 20 & 21st century predominately serves

to sterilize our lives and ho-mogonize experience. the raw is a call to contaminate our cities, architecture, and experiences with a comprehension of the changing processes inherent in the materi-als architects deploy to define their spaces. I believe that an authen-tic expression of the colour, smell, and haptic tactility of the process-es inherent in our materials can manifest a more tangible link with the denizens of our environments? Might this type of stimulation infuse our buildings with a more accessi-ble dialogue between architecture and our human physiology?

When the temporal and materi-al engage in authentic and in-

tentional dialogue we become most aware of change, aging, and death. An awareness of death invigorates our lives with significance, it moti-vates us to dream about the future, and it offers perspective on our place in the world and in time. This awareness allows us to appreciate and value a changing world; not for what it always will be, but for what it is becoming. Architecture must embrace the expression of change, aging, and death in its assemblag-es and in doing so, will not only create places and experiences that engage man in genuine dialogue with his temporal existence, but will create an architecture that sets the stage for the reconciliation of the disparities between man-made en-vironments and the physical world. Our building materials are com-posed of the physical world and therefore architects and designers should strive to express their quali-ties and characteristics in ways that communicate their condition. By fashioning buildings from these materials architects are provided a

unique opportunity to express the varying stages of matter as they emulate natural cycles of creation and maturation; before failure. This process of change is, in fact, why our animal bodies are drawn to the natural world. Imagine a for-est eternally locked in winter, or a garden that looks the same every time you visit. We find beauty in our experiences today because of what may come tomorrow. This ripening of our world motivates us to search, to question, to wonder about a world becoming. Weather-ing is expressed by a combination of added and removed textures, de-formed or imperfect surfaces, and muted or earthen colors. The quali-ties coating these structures place them somewhere between man-made artifacts and the elements of the physical world. Products of ingenuity, technique, and craft, yet reconciled with the change inher-ent in the physical world. These buildings express a conversation between themselves and the ele-ments of the physical world making them something ‘new’ through their encounter, but unquestionably old.

THE raw AS CHANGE

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The raw attempts to reconcile the the inevitabilities of a temporal

engagement with the physical world. How might we reconfigure the norma-tive view of architecture; which fash-ions its buildings from highly refined, energy exhaustive materials and then lines them with natural ones. What if ‘raw’ materials became the archi-tects primary building material and modern technologies merely enabled a link between indigenous systems and modern necessity? What materi-als will honestly express the passage of time, but still give the structure permanence? Is what makes indige-nous spaces beautiful their imperma-nence? Can these systems be suc-cessfully stitched together and what does that interface look like? How might our material choices, building systems, and formal organizations bolster an architecture with such tec-tonic and material intentions, while planning for the elemental engage-ments of the physical world?

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M O D E R N I T Yas homogenaity

The origins of the raw were born from a criticism of the modern

condition or, more specifically, the materiality and permanence with which we produce our buildings in the 21st century. What follows is an graphic dissection of two icons of the modern era; the Farnsworth House and Villa Savoye.

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Farnsworth HouseMies Van Der Rohe Farnsworth House. Mies Van Der Rohe. Plano, Illinois. 1951

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My thesis is an examination of experiences and sensations and the human perceptions

associated with place. While these notions tend to align themselves with the unmeasurable or unquantifiable aspects of the architectural pro-fession, there is also a way to design buildings which is highly measured, numerically rigorous, or rationally durbale. The Farnsworth House was produced through the masterly execution of a methodology associated with the latter.

Essentially, the Farnsworth Hosue follows a simple module measuring 2.75’ in the X di-

rection and 2’ in the Y direction. This module is then aggregated to create an architecture with resounding relationships and connections be-tween physically quantifiable spaces. While this approach to design is indeed a successful way to produce architecture, I believe it cannot be entirely successful without embodying notions of human perception.

The following pages examine this type of ar-chitecture in the hopes of discovering op-

portunities for informed intervention. By this, I mean, where are the opportunities to foster an architecture that is both measured and rational while engaging human experience at its deep-est levels. We will see some of these “what if” scenarios later in the Investigative Portmanteau section of the book. For now lets attempt to understand what makes the Farnsworth House tick.

FARNSWORTH HOUSEMies Van Der Rohe

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Farnsworth Module

FARNSWORTH LOWER PLATE DIMENSIONS:

The lower deck of the Farnsworth House is 20 modules in the x direction and 11 modules in

the y direction creating an overall dimension of 55’ x 22’. The stair tread length is 12 feet leaving a 6” overlap outside the module grids spacing.

FARNSWORTH UPPER PLATE DIMENSIONS:

The upper decks interior dimensions are 20 by 14 modules making an interior volume of 56’

x 28’ excluding the covered porch area whose width in the x direction is equal to the lower decks depth in the y direction.

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Farnsworth Dimensional Correlations:

The dimension of the upper decks exte-rior porch in the x direction is equal to

that of the y dimensino of the lower deck. Also, if you were to take the lower deck and place it on the upper porch area ro-tating it 90 degrees and cutting it in half you would get the exact dimensions of the porch of the upper deck.

Farnsworth Column Dimensions:

The column dimensions are set 22’ apart consistently around the building.

This repetative grid is then inset at the furthest edge of each floor plate by two modules or 5.5’. The dimensions of the column grid coorelates to the width of the lower plate and of the porch space above.

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Farnsworth Mullions, L - Angles, and Stairs:

If you divide the previously described col-umn module in half you get an 11’ spac-

ing. This spacing is equal to four 2.75’ modules in the x direction and is also the distance of the spacing between columns and L angles. While the columns support the roof the L - angles and mullions sup-port the enclosure of the Farnsworth.

Farnsworth Concluded:

The Farnsworth House, while a monu-mental example of rigor in architecture

falls surprizingly short when measured against an phenomenological or sensory experience. The Farnsworth House is, to put it simply, a bland and homogenous box that feels more like a machined part to be inserted into an industrial product than a place that mimics the vast range and beauty of human life.

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VILLA SAVOYE Le Corbusier. Poissy, France. 1928 - 1929

Villa Savoye follows along similar lines as the Farnsworth House, but begins

to free itself from the rigidity found in Meis’ work; while remaining a product of the Inter-national Style. Here, I examine this modern paradigm again while moving away, slightly, from a hyper rationalized language to one of austere expression. While Mies’ followed a rigid adherence to the implicit rules of the ma-terial confining him to orthagonal space, Le Corbusier in his earlier projects was rational in his compositions, but allowed the spaces he manifest to begin a subtle play with vol-ume and form.

Villa Savoye is essentially composed of three horizontal masses of different types

stacked on top of each other. These com-prise what Lance Levine calls the ground, earth, and sky levels. His understanding of Corbusier’s intent was that the ground floor remained in shadow sinking the walls back from the physical boundary of building and sky to create a place engulfed in shadow. Above this was the level of the horizon where your well to do, or more englightened per-son would dwell. This was the domain of the horizon where one would look out into the landscape from this protected level. Finally, the sky level was the domain of connection between individual and the sky. Similarly to the methodology of understanding and act-ing upon the Farnsworth House, I will learn as much about the architecture and then sug-gest ways the building could be acted upon based upon notions of the raw.

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Villa Savoye. Le Corbusier. Poissy, France. 1929-30

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Villa Savoye Cave Realm Organization:

The entrance floor to the Villa Savoye is comprised mainly of servants quar-

ters, a garage space for automobiles, and a sinuous ramp that brings the observer from the ground level to the level of human habitation. Pilotis spaced at 16’ on center create a perimeter around the ground floor with a double row of columns violating this perfect grid to signify the entry into the building. Here, it is important to take note of the column spacing. The perimeter col-umns create five columns lining each edge placing a column at the center of the com-position that would normally signify entry. While the perimeter line of columns by not signifying entry protects the core the col-umns that create the core of the grid split at this central column to provide the main entry into Villa Savoye.

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Villa Savoye Earth Realm Organization:

A sinuous movement up the ramp from be-low brings the observer onto the main floor

of the house. Or as Lance Levine labels it, “the earth realm.” This is the place for human habi-tation that exists between the earth below and the sky level above. Here, the building opens itself up creating a central exterior courtyard which the surrounding volumes enclose. All of the apertures in the exterior facade of the building are a slight variation on the ribbon window; a signature of the International Style. These apertures are meant to bring ones at-tention to the vast horizon that serves as the threshold between the earth realm and the sky realm. It is here that one contemplates their existence and place in this relationship.

Villa Savoye Sky Realm Organization:

The third and final piece to Corbusier’s mas-terpiece is the Sky Realm. This was a

place where man was to experience the sky and to draw connection between man and be-yond. The sinuous and flowing walls at this level are approximately 9’ tall and have only a single aperture in them. This is because this was a space for contemplating the unknown and to further that aspiration the walls serve to frame a view of the sky from any vantage point at this level.

While Villa Savoye is a masterful piece of modern archtiecture, it begins to break

free from Mies’ rigid expression of materials and begins to loosen itself from the modularity of the hard grid. What Villa Savoye lacks is a well thought out application of materials. Simi-larly to the Farnsworth Villa Savoye creates a strong beat, but lacks melody.

RAW 16 DeviantArt.com. 11.11.11. http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=person+glass#/d415n8e

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“The unsanitary old ghetto is much more real to us than our new, hygienic surroundings. We walk about as in a dream, and our our-selves only a ghost of past times.”

Christian Norberg-Schulz “Genius Loci “Towards a Phenomenology of Architec-ture”

DIVORCED FROM SENSATION

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P H E N O M E N O L O G Y a reaction to homogenaity

After analysing some primary ex-amples of modern architecture,

I began looking to sources of infor-mation, which suggested a more experience centered paradigm to-ward architecture. Phenomenol-ogy became an excellent source of human centered design and think-ing within the profession. What follows is a cursory explanation of the lineage phenomenologists are interested in and how that helped formulate a clear sense of direction for the raw.

“Questions of Perception”. Pallassmaa. Gomez. Holl. William Stout Publishers, San Francisco 2005

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PHENOMENOLOGYas react ion to ster i l i ty

Juhani Pallasmaa“I wish to express the significance of the tactile sense for our experi-ence and understanding of the world...”

“...I have learned that our skin is actually capable of distinguishing a number of colours; we do indeed see by our skin.”

“The Eyes of the Skin”. Pallassmaa, Juhani. John Wiley and Sons. West Sus-sex, England. 2005

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“Thinking Architecture”. Zumthor, Peter. William Stout Publishers, San Francisco 2005

P e t e r Z u m t h o r

“And I had come to the conclusion that , as a whole, I did not really like it. We dis-cussed the possible reasons for my im-pression and came up with a few details without arriving at a valid conclusion. And then one of the younger members of the group, a talented and usually rationally minded architect, said: “It is an interest-ing building for all sorts of theoretical and practical reasons. The trouble is, it has no soul.”

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Steven Holl. Perez Gomez. Ju-hani Pallasmaa

“The architecture of our time is turning into the retinal art of the eye. Architecture at large has become an art of the printed im-age fixed by the hurried eye of the camera. The gaze itself tends to flatten into a picture and lose its plasticity; instead of experiencing our being in the world, we behold it from the outside as spectaators of images projected on the surface of the retina.”

“Questions of Perception”. Pallassmaa. Go-mez. Holl. William Stout Publishers, San Fran-cisco 2005

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=senses#/dan3fv

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In my view, sterility is a by-product of singularly empoy-

ing a rational approach to design where order and con-trol take dominance. In this process materials relinquish their inherent beauty and tac-tility in service of function. i.e. permanence, control, order

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M A T E R I A L I T Y focusing the raw through phenomenology

Phenomenology examines the as-pects of architecture central to

our human experience. What does one see, smell, hear, and feel as they move through a building? While each of these are thesis topics or ways of thinking about building, in and of them-selves, I chose to examine materiality in architecture; because I believe ma-terials are how we tangibly engage a building. We understand friends and lovers through feel, smell, touch, and how they sound. In my view we have the ability to understand buildings in the same way.

What follows are they ways in which the raw defines material-

ity and how that drove the design de-cisions and selection of site and pro-gram.

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+ Materials whose expression in-spire contemplation of their living origins.

Growthexpression of l i fe

a comprehension of changing materiality as a reaction to sterilitythe r a wthe r a wi

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JellyBeanScenePhotography / Miscella-

neous

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=woven basket&order=9&offset=48#/d2c54sv

Na Hale ‘o waiawi(Roughly translated from the Hawaiian

language to mean: Wild Dwellings Built from Strawberry Guava).

The Contemporary Art Museum, Hono-lulu, Hawaii, 2003.

Photographer: Paul Kodama.

PATRICK DOUGHERTY

TREE BARK BASKET

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+ Materials whose expression inspire contemplation of their interaction with the elements of the chemical world.

chemicalWeathering

a comprehension of changing materiality as a reaction to sterilitythe r a wthe r a wii

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HybelResources & Stock Im-

ages / Textures / Rust

RICHARD SERRAThe Matter of Time

[2005]at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

http://blogs.artinfo.com/secrethistoryofart/2011/03/08/inside-the-masterpiece-serras-matter-of-time/

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CHANGE TOWARD DEATHlinking material and human expression

Thoughts about the relationship between materials that express

change through a comprehension of growth or decay; pushed me to thoughts of time. Should a thesis that addresses phenomenology through materials expression of change at-tempt to manifest a connection be-tween the materials to be used and the architectural experience? If so, what program is appropriate? After much debate, I chose to design a Mausoleum.

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The Taj Mahal1632–1653 Ustad Ahmad Lahauri

A white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal em-peror Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India” and one of the univer-sally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage

Wikipedia.com. 11.11.11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_mahal

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B r i o n To m b

http://designfun.net/designfun/node/15686

Carlo Scarpa

The Brion Cemetery is in San Vito d’Altivole near Treviso, Italy. Car-

lo Scarpa (1909-1978) designed the addition to a previous cemetery. The cemetery is a monumental tomb de-signed for the Brion family, founder of the Brionvega group. Scarpa himself is buried in this cemetery in a well hid-den spot, within the interstitial space created by the walls of the old and new cemeteries.

+ Upon examining a series of Mau-solea, it became clear that I want-

ed to design a mausoleum like the Bri-on Tomb that might manifest a more profound link between the weathering of materials and the aging of our phys-iological bodies. This stood in stark contrast to a mausoleum like the Taj Mahal, which attempts to separate it-self from the inherent change of our world.

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Siting the raw the decision for an urban mausoleum

From our breif analysis of modern-ism it became important to me to

place this architecture deeply within the urban fabric. If I am offering a cri-tique of the current model within which we build, then my intervention must stand in juxtaposition with to existing condition.

It also became important that the mausoleum be placed near the riv-

er. I believe the passing of the water draws a synonymous connection with the passing of time and therefore, the passing of our human lives.

Finally, the need for a sense of pri-vacy was paramount. While the

architecture should critique our para-digm the experience of death must be addressed delicately.

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goals for siting a mausoleum

RAW-DECAY Death is a private and personal experience. The project should provide a level of ISOLATION for its denizen.

URBANthe project should be contextualized by a large urban center and offered as a CRITIQUE of both how we live and build.

RIVERthe observation and contemplation of flowing water brings comprehen-sion of TIME. The project must be sited along the river edge.

RAW-GROWTHconnection with the land allows for the architecture to assimilate GROWTH through the use of vegetation.

the r a wthe r a w

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ROSEHILL CEMETERY

GETTY TOMB

MONTROSE CEMETERY BOHEMIAN NATIONAL CEMETERY

GRACELAND CEMETERY

OAK WOODS CEMETERY

+++

++

+

CONCORDIA CEMETERY + + NORTHERLY ISLAND

+ CHICAGO

+ GOOSE ISLAND

+ SIMMONS ISLAND

+ OAK PARK

+ BERWYN+ CICERO

+ PRESCOTTS ISLAND+ LA GRANGE

+ WOODED ISLAND

CH

ICA

GO

CEM

ETER

IES

W: CONCORDIA CEMETERY11.2 miles or 21 min [automobile]

N: GRACELAND CEMETERY6.4 miles or 15 min [automobile]

S: OAK WOODS CEMETERY10.2 miles or 18 min [automobile]

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CHICAGO RIVERconfluence

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RIVERLANDSCAPE

PEDESTRIANTRANSPORTATION

OFFICES APARTMENTS

SKYSCRAPERSAn experiential stratification of the site exists at Wolf Point

where you feel as though you are resting layers beneath the hustle and bustle of the city above. Here, the sounds of the city are filtered or reduced, yet you somehow feel connected to this place. The opres-sive feeling of this concrete jungle is still felt, but the connection with vegetation and flowing water miti-gates its intensity.

The layers of activity and experi-ence felt on the site I related to

the layers of earth and soil in which we bury our dead. By placing the mausoleum at Wolf Point, I was able to draw symmetry between the physically entombed and the clients, who after experiencing a loss, would visit this place through-out their lives.

Finally, an opportunity to bring life to the site was discovered

linking the architecture with the River Walkl. Now the project at Wolf Point could be thought of as an endpoint to bracket off the main branch of the Chicago River.

experiencing STRATA

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RIVERLANDSCAPE

PEDESTRIANTRANSPORTATION

OFFICES APARTMENTS

SKYSCRAPERS

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thesis human

GROWTHMaterials whose expression inspire contem-plation of their living origins.

PARKhuman vitality as expression of life

MAUSOLEUMhuman decay as expression of change

WEATHERINGMaterials whose expression inspire contemplation of their interaction with the elements of the chemical world.

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When trying to bring together the program of a park and

mausoleum at Wolf Point it was important to attempt to seamlessly bring these two programs together; to blur the lines between each while maintaining their identi-ties. The formal driver for this was hands folded in prayer. This strategy gave me the ability to keep each hand(programs) identity while stitching them together in a useful way.

From my thesis research I cre-ated a connection between

the park program and a chang-ing material that expresses growth. Similarly, the program of the mausoleum was related to a changing material that ex-presses decay or deterioration. This relationship would prove vital to breathe the ideas of the thesis into the opportunities encountered through the design process.

INTERFACING experience

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Formal Strategy and Site Constraint

using the context to generate form

There were three key issues that became important for the gen-

eration of the architecture. The first is the existing elevated street on the site, which had a prevalent 50’ struc-tural repetition on the site. Second, I chose to use the strata of activity found in section view and to use it in plan view. In this way I was able to mitigate the intesity of pedestrian and transportation traffic by increasing the repetition of interfacing forms at the east end of the site. This repetition smooths out as one moves from east to west through Wolf Point. Finally, the interfacing forms were tied into the elevated street to encourage connec-tion between the Chicago Sun Times building and the park below. The mausoleum forms were raised at the water edge to create habitable private spaces for the mausoleum clients.

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0Wolf Point1. EXTRUDE EXISTING STRUCTURE

2. REORGANIZE BANDS TO MITIGATE TRAFFIC INTENSITY

3. SKEW BAND AT CONFLUENCE FOR-MAUSOLEUM

4. INSERT PROGRAMS

5. REMOVE BANDS LEAVING GENER-ATED FORMS

6. ANGLE PARK FORMS TOWARD THE WATER EDGE

7. ANGLE FORMS TO CREATE HABIT-ABLE SPACE FOR THE MAUSOLEUM

8. INTRODUCE MAIN CIRCULATION PATH

9. SOLIDITY FORMS

10. CARVE PARK FORMS TO GATHER-ING GROWING LIGHT

11. CARVE MAUSOLEUM FORMS TO GATHER DYING LIGHT

12. FLATTEN SERRATIONS TO CRE-ATE HABITABLE PARK SPACE

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1 5 9

2 6 10

3 7 11

4 8 12

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Death as EXPERIENCEintroduction of client to influence local

design intent

With the formal site strategy devel-oped through iteration, I chose to

introduce three clients who would help inform the local or small scale design moves. The Mourner, The Endurer, and The Frequenter each have their own spatial, material, and experiential conditions which the raw attempts to resolve.

http://fr.flash-screen.com/free-wallpaper/free,wallpapers,55717/download,1024x768,.html

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MO

URNE

R

Mourner reaction

grade

sectional requirements

sky

earth

compress spaces to reduce central voidsingular connection with sky, but privatized

plan requirements

The mourner has recently expe-rienced the loss of a loved one.

The mourner grapples with death in its most profound manifestation. They desire close contact with in-dividuals who they feel have an emotional stake in their human ex-istence and want to share verbally or emotionally with the select indi-viduals the Mourner chooses.

Opportunities for connection with the outside world may be

present, but the Mourner decides

their level of engagement. Outsid-ers and new faces are unwelcome. The mourner desires contempla-tive spaces that allow them to fo-cus on one or only a few things. Interior spaces are preferred and attention should be paid to mitigate the cacophony of daily life.

*contemplative*internal*chosen level of engagement with others*most private

the

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RIVERLANDSCAPE

MOURNER

PLANmourner’s location

STRATAmourner’s location

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ENDU

RER

Endurer described

grade

park, vegetation

link realmsflicker between introversion and extroversion

sectional requirements plan requirements

The Endurerer has had time to negotiate and accept the loss

of a loved one, but now must cope-with the pain left from the detach-ment. Days and weeks may go by without thoughts of those lost, but flickers of the emotional scar will always remain.

The Endurer desires spaces that inspire the memory of their

loved ones. They visit the Mauso-leum of hold onto their memories. The loss of another contextualizes their lives and the events that have passed. These events serve as markers of the temporal distance

between their lives at the time of the loss and their lives now. The Endurer, like the Mourner, may desire to share thoughts, feelings, and stories of a lost loved one. Be-cause the Endurer has learned to cope with the loss their spaces can be more nuanced than that of the Mourner.

* remembrance* contextual* inspired* links internal and external experi-ences

the

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LANDSCAPE

PEDESTRIAN

ENDURER

PLANendurer’s location

STRATAendurer’s location

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The Frequenter is someone who uses the site primarily for the

park, not the Mausoleum. They live or work close to the site and see it as a useful ammenity to their daily lives. The Frequenter uses the park to gather with friends, share conversation, or simply en-joy nature. Their existence in the architectural fabric serves as a liv-ing veneer that veils the delicate emotions of the inhabitants below.

The Frequenter desires outdoor spaces that connect them with

the natural world and provide them with a sense of well-being. Spaces should offer repose within the ur-ban fabric while allowing them to observe the city as it is.

* ritual* serenity* gathering* unaltered view of their environ-ment

FREQ

UENT

ERthe

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LANDSCAPE

PEDESTRIANTRANSPORTATION

RETAIL STORES

FREQUENTER

SITE PLANfrequenter’s location

STRATAfrequenter’s location

SP

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MO

URNE

Rthe MOURNER’S SOLITUDE

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MOURNER’S SOLITUDEThe mourners find solitude in the

tombs located beneath the surface of the park above. Massive rammed earth walls divide the series of tombs between the Chicago Sun Times build-ing and the Chicago River. Inside, the mourner is given complete privacy from the city and allowed to grapple with the immense struggle and loss associated with death.

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ENDU

RERthe ENDURER’S GARDEN

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ENDURER’S GARDENThe endurer’s sunken garden mir-

rors the buried feeling of the mourners tombs. But, differing slight-ly in its relationship to the park, the sunken garden begins to open itself up to the sounds and experiences of the city above through the implemen-tation of a diaphanous cor-ten roof design that allows light and water to fall into the archiecture from the sky above.

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FREQUENTER’S RESPITEFR

EQUE

NTER

the

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FREQUENTER’S RESPITEThe mourner’s tombs and the en-

durer’s sunken garden spaces are contextualized by the active vitality of the park space designed with the Fre-quenter in mind. In the section below we can see the relationship between the entirety of the park and the mau-solem held below. This relationship is one of controlled connection where the Mourner and Endurer’s spaces are primarily separated from the nor-mative activities of the Frequenters above.

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EXPERIENCE AS rawa manifestation and description of how the clients experience the mausoleum.

The final piece of the raw that remains undescribed is the ceremonial proces-sion and how we experience the urban mausoleum. In the pages that follow I will illustrate where in the architecture the ceremonial procession is located and then describe how a client or visi-tor might experience this place.

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CEREMONIAL CHAMBER

PRE CEREMONY

POST CEREMONY

informal gathering before ceremony

closest to the river providing isolated connection with the river

isolated condition at the periphery of each tomb

The ceremonial procession begins by traversing a large ramped en-

try that brings you from beneath the elevated street down into the mauso-leum proper. Upon reaching the base of the ramp you enter through a set of double doors that open up into a pre ceremonial space flanked by the en-durer’s sunken garden.

As you continue your journey you are squeezed by two program-

matic elements that release you on the other side facing the main entrance to the ceremonial chamber. The cham-ber itself is designed so that the in-habitant must slip through the geom-etry to enter the chamber. In this way there is no direct sight lines between those walking around the chamber and those within the chamber itself.

Finally, you slip out of the ceremo-nial chamber and into the post

ceremonial space where you are con-nected with the Chicgo River and the sounds of the city in a privatized way.

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POST CEREMONYclosest to the river providing isolated

connection with the river

CEREMONIAL CHAMBERisolated condition at the periphery of

each tomb

CEREMONIALPROCESSION

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PRE CEREMONYinformal gathering before ceremony

FORMAL ENTRANCEcirculation and egress located in north-

ern hoods.

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Inside the Ceremonial Chamber the mourners and endurers gather to say

their final goodbyes before the physi-cal remains are entombed forever. Loved ones gather from across the city on this solemn day to witness a formal ceremony to aid in alleviating the pain of those lost.

A honed and slightly reflective con-crete floor draws a link between

itself and the river outside. Rustic stone benches remind the denizens of the hard realities of what it means to experience human passing. A quiet light baths the aged oak wood that adorns the walls. The wood fills the space with smells of a carpenter’s shop or an old wooden chest. The fo-cal point of the room is the wall behind the podium where a cooroding cor-ten steel is perforated by a single cross of translucent glass mimicing the cross-ing of the interfacing forms of the raw. Finally, small slits of light break through the translucent glass above head allowing the light of the sun to perforate the hood while blocking the views of the sky and large skyscrap-ers.

Within this space the sound of fall-ing tears, subtle sniffles, and

muted sobs fill the air.

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At the conclusion of the ceremony the mourners and gathered loved

ones are asked to gather underneath a twenty foot ceiling to chat or discuss the passing of their loved one or friend in an informal setting.

Here, the cor-ten ceiling continues out over the ceremonial cham-

ber and out over the flowing water at the confluence of the Chicago River. Supporting the vast hood are large glulam beams supported by board form concrete columns. The repeti-tion of the columns breaks free of the site boundary and pushes out into the water. As you informally talk with close family and friends you are given a private view of the river separated from the cacophony of pedestrians, horn honking motorists, and the clat-ter of the elevated train. In this place, you feel protected from the city and are allowed to slow down and expe-rience the passing of the water just above your knee height.

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Upon leaving the post ceremo-nial space it is time to move your

loved on into their final resting place. On your way from the ceremonial chamber to the tomb you encounter a sunken garden. Here, the sounds of the park space above filter in through a diaphanous cor-ten roof. The light from the sun filters through the cor-ten and casts onto a lush green garden. The smell of nature fills this space and you can witness small bugs flying by moving toward the light at the ceiling. Surrounding the sunken garden is a continuous bench space and you stop for a second to sit and experience this hidden treasure.

The floor continues the same re-flective concrete you traversed

in the ceremonial and post ceremo-nial chambers, but the walls here are quite different. Heavy three feet thick rammed earth walls surround this sunken garden filling the air with an earthy smell that makes you feel as if you have been buried yourself. Across the ceiling above the sunken garden you notice the same aged oak wood from the ceremonial chamber covering the geometry of the roof just above head.

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Finally, after passing through the sunken garden space you ar-

rive at the mourner’s tombs. Here, loved ones of the deceased gather to say their final goodbys and watch as their loved one is placed in their eter-nal resting place. The rammed earth walls you experienced in the sunken garden are even more prevalent here and the feeling of being buried is more pronounced. Perforating the cor-ten hood above is a large four foot trans-lucent glass band. Through the glass you can subtley make out the passing clouds of the city above. The cor-ten steel from the wall in the cermonial space and the sunken garden is con-tinued here in the tombs. Adorning the surface of the tombs themselves the cor-ten draws connection between a decaying materiality and the dead bodies behind the surface.

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The roof of the mausoleum is cov-ered with the graass and trees of

the park. Here, the sounds of the city are prevalent, but you are somehow one step removed from the intensity of the city. Frequenters gather here to experience the city in a more natural condition. The sound of the wind rus-tles the trees and shakes the blades of grass as children play and families visit. A series of decaying cor-ten hoods emerge from the green blades of grass that cover the park. As you walk along the main circulation path of the park you encounter the oppo-site side of the diaphanous cor-ten roof, which covers the sunken garden below. Here, you are reminded that while your jubilant experience of the park represents vitality and life, there is a harsher reality of life buried just beneath the surface.

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Finally, as you leave the urban mau-soleum you understand the vast

difference that exists between the infastructure of the city and the archi-tecture you just experienced. The re-lationship between decay and growth comes full circle and you contemplate the modes of existence in its most profound sense.

The shimmering reflection of the cor-ten hoods shakes and waves

as the blue water of the Chicago River passes by underneath. You look into the dark black shadows underneath the vast projected hoods and remem-ber the profound sadness you felt within.

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AFFECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

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SVERRE FEHNFehn, Sverre. “Sverre Fehn Works, Projects, Writings, 1949 - 1996. The Monacelli Press, Inc. 1997.Fehn, Sverre. “Sverre Fehn The Thought of Construction”. Rizzoli In-ternational Publications, Inc. 1983

JUHANNI PALLASMAAPallasmaa, Juhanni. “The Eyes of the Skin”. Pallasmaa, Juhanni. “The Thinking Hand (Architectural Design Prim-er)”.

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EDWARD HALLHall, Edward. “The Hidden Dimension”. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York.

BERNARD TSCHUMITschumi, Bernard. “Architecture and Disjunction”. The MIT Press Lon-don, England 1996. pgs. 62 - 64

CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SHULZNorberg-Schulz, Christian. “Genius Loci Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture”. Rizzoli International Publications, INC. New York, N.J. 1980.

PETER ZUMTHORZumthor, Peter. “Thinking Architecture”.

LANCE LAVINELavine, Lance. “Constructing IDEAS”. Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Com-pany. Dubuque, Iowa. 2004. pgs. 97 - 106

STEEN EILER RASMUSSENRasmussen, Steen Eiler. “Experiencing Architecture”. MIT Press 1964.