Tag Archives: DUMBO

Peer Design Review

DD Peer Review: Mike Lindenmeyer

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EVALUATION

Mike and Torin’s project revolves around the incorporation of two primary design ideas: “temporality”, as in non-permanent fixtures, and “kinetics”, as in movable elements, all to establish a hub for the arts and food scene of Dumbo, Brooklyn. The design looks at the existing industrial aesthetic of Dumbo as well as the heavy indie culture present in the area and incorporates these ubiquitous themes into their proposal.

Temporality, being one of their primary motivating design ideas, Mike and Torin decided to employ food trucks, movable art installations, and two variations of dynamic building pod units which can be assembled into endless arrangements including ice rinks, theaters, etc.

To further emphasize temporality, the team took steps towards making the lower level(s) of their building have different degrees of permeability which increases based on the buildings’ position on the site. Permeability eases access into the central courtyard where temporality, in the form of building pods, art installations, and food trucks, takes place.

The team’s second motivating idea, kinetics, overlaps extensively with the first. Because of the transient nature of their central courtyard, where endless activities and conditions are possible, the aforementioned building pods, art installations, and food trucks are encouraged to be shifted and manipulated depending on the events taking place.

It’s clear that Mike and Torin’s project is highly sensitive to the interests of the youthful, indie residents of Dumbo, Brooklyn. The biggest strength of Mike and Torin’s project are the endless opportunities available in this highly customization scheme; an aspect worthy of recognition. The initiative this team took in developing creative temporal strategies (i.e. manipulation spaces) should be applauded.

Additionally, this project raises thoughtful questions about the importance and the necessity of a hub in Dumbo and reacts accordingly. The motivating ideas are legitimate and the scheme is responding to a worthy concern which is both laudable but not too ambitious. The design development phase of this project has taken great strides since the schematic design review, fixing some of the design flaws that were present in the first scheme such as the hydraulic elevator stage area. The general organization of the proposal, having the majority of program (though permeable on the ground level) organized around the perimeter is a strong move because it allows for a variety of events to take place in the center. Additionally, setbacks like the one at Jay Street allows for ease of entrance at critical entry points. The logic behind this organization is well defined and allows for efficient circulation.

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On a master plan level, this scheme works, however the relationship between Mike and Torin’s buildings, needs revising. There is simply a lack of cohesiveness in the design language from one building to another. Mike’s theater anchored by two boxes, and Torin’s curved gallery (akin to the Law building on campus), simply do not work together to create one unified, architectural design. However, simple moves may ease the tension between these two competing designs. One such move may be get rid of the boxes adjacent to Mikes design and bridging the gap between the gallery and the theater.

Upon closer analysis of the theater proposal, one cannot help but note the bold move that is the graceful, Frank Ghery-esque curve to define the, orchestra, balcony, foyer, and stage areas. However, Mike’s need to account for other programmatic necessity such as the restrooms, box office, and storage, etc. means that he has tacked on two wings to the theater which heavily clash with the formal curve. As a result, the boxes are drawing more attention to the design than the curve itself.

CRITIQUE OF CRITIQUE

The jurors comprised of professors, Darla Lindberg, Jamie Cooper, Reggie Aviles, and Sandra Staub. The majority of the jury harped on mostly the same couple of issues: The need for Mike and Torin to make one cohesive project, 2) the awkward boxes flanking the curve of Mike’s theater. Darla in particular noted that the boxes adjacent to Mike’s theater stood out more than the curvaceous theater itself, quite the opposite of what Mike intended.

Playing off of this idea, Jamie cooper added that there was an urgent necessity to create a language of either horizontality, verticality, curved elements, or linearity. Adding to this, Cooper noted that the boxes really missed an opportunity to emphasize Mike and Torin’s motivating idea; temporality.

Reggie had more specific comments concerning the curve of Torin’s gallery, noting that the gallery does not have to curve because of the site’s slope, something that may lend some flexibility to the team when they go back to revise their schemes.

Sandra reinforced these ideas once again by emphasizing the need for the team to work together. Her main point was that Torin and Mike’s project, while having strengths on their own, do not speak the same language, and therefore break the consistency of ideas they had to begin with.

Assignment Posts

DD PEER REVIEW: REBECCA LEFKOWITZ

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Design Development Peer Review

Designer(s): Rebecca Lefkowitz & Laura Deluca

Rebecca and Laura started their presentation by siting the lack of a strong entrance into Dumbo, Brooklyn. Their design was a step towards addressing the lack of an entrance into the rapidly developing area via a major transportation hub. The transportation hub would service taxis, bikes, buses and cars as well as a car sharing service, and convert those means of transportation to pedestrian movement. Their meandering path then engage the pedestrians, providing movements for them to relax, work, and eat along the way. Continue reading DD PEER REVIEW: REBECCA LEFKOWITZ →

Peer Design Review

DD Review – Lap of Luxury

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DD Review – Kyle McAlpin

Kyle and I are working in the same group for the project. He focused on the luxury housing element of the DUMBO Brooklyn site which is located on the Front Street side above the market place. He began his presentation by explaining the layout and organization of the units, which was well exemplified by his precedent of the Kanchanjunga housing units in Mumbai, India. The model was well crafted and exhibited the level changes within the apartments as the group made a sectional cut through their site.

There is a theme of point circulation, elevator shaft and staircase, which provide a private entrance to the housing throughout the site. The luxury housing circulation coincides with the market stalls below, which carries tenants above to their lofts. The living spaces of units are situated towards the hustle and bustle of the city while the sleeping quarters face the inner courtyard for a more peaceful environment. There are three interlocked apartment complexes within each of the units that allow for dynamic ceiling height and split level changes, which are arranged in a way to provide a sufficient amount of ventilation and light throughout the building.

The overall concept is to bring visitors through the site through the program spaces we have created. While the point circulation provides upward circulation, Kyle’s horizontal layout of the units emulate open and porous movement from the street side view to the inner courtyard views within the units. However, one issue the jurors had involved the point circulation and its limited means of egress. In NY, a dwelling with three or more stories in height should have at least two means of egress from every apartment that should also be remote from each other. There is little space to work with on top of the market area for housing but a possible means of egress could be implemented horizontally through the apartment units, such as a walkway that connects and continues its way through each units that leads to a fire stair on each end of the exterior of the building. This would allow for more circulation to flow from unit to unit instead of stay stagnant between the cores of the buildings.

Another point the jurors mentioned is the vast change of scale in comparison to each program of the project. Currently, around the corner from our site, there is a developing apartment complex called 51 Jay Street Lofts which is similar in size to Kyle’s proposed plans for luxury housing. However; his designs are very large when juxtaposed to the family units across the courtyard and even the market below. They seem to take over the façade of Front Street. A potential change that could happen is spreading out the units across the entirety of the street on the site and shortening the heights of the lofts or getting rid of the top floor units. As of now there is a clear divide along the site where the units and the market stops next to the office space that should be developed. If the housing units were expanded across the site, the lower part of the building could be utilized for parking, which is a necessity for rich loft owners in the city.

Most luxury apartments also have many amenities, which is what makes them so expensive and a valued part of the real-estate market to the wealthy. The jurors mentioned that it would be a good idea to allow for a larger private green space for the residents, which could possibly be implemented on the rooftops since they would receive a great amount of natural light, as they are the tallest building on the site. The 51 Jay Street Apartments have a large rooftop terrace with outdoor kitchens, a fireplace and even outdoor showers as well as a landscaped private central courtyard. Besides the large window walls that provide great scenic views of DUMBO and an open floor plan with high ceilings that sit within the luxury style requirements, there are also amenities like a large storage facility, a fitness room (health club), a swimming pool and large terraces or patio spaces that could be added to the units. There could be opportunities to add amenities because the designs of these lofts only offer housing as of now. The amenities will really help with the selling point.

Juror Critique

In general, the jurors did not have much to comment about the project. I felt that there was not enough feedback given to the students that could help further the development of their design. They seemed rather inconclusive about the design although they bought the idea of porousness through the site. The jurors appreciated the legibility of the drawings but wished for more perspectives and elaboration on the public and private courtyard spaces. It also seemed that they made more critiques on the office and parking deck that the group did not focus on when designing. However, it made sense that these two program spaces are crucial elements in the design as the housing directly relates to residents needs for traveling to work and parking for their own homes.

Photo Credit:  http://ny.curbed.com/tags/51-jay-street

Project Statement

Design Development: Easing Access

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Schematic Design 

Dumbo,  Brooklyn, often regarded as an up-and-coming, urban hot-spot, prides itself on its trendiness, youthful vibes, and  industrial chic culture. Over the past eight years, Dumbo has undergone tremendous renovations, repair, and an influx of artists and youth alike. To the east of this booming neighborhood, Vinegar Hill has not  thrived and prospered quite to the same degree as Dumbo, despite similarities in demographics.In an effort to integrate Vinegar Hill into Dumbo, our design takes advantage of the site’s unique placement on the border between these two neighborhoods. Our project creates pedestrian malls that branch out from Jay Street—a heavily pedestrian and commercial street—and Bridge Street, a  residential street of Vinegar Hill. The pedestrian streets  ease the transition between the  different conditions at the East and West side.

The architecture calls for a condition where people from each neighborhood funnel into pedestrian malls and congregate with their neighbors, integrating the two groups of people. By providing entertainment, dining, retail, and residential options, all logically sequenced throughout the site, the two groups come together in unison, bridging the cultural gap between the two neighborhoods.

Because of the emphasis on social interaction, the site operates on a few levels of circulation To accentuate the stratification of program, various levels of circulation exist. The ground floor level exists for the everyday citizen, a means to explore the retail and entertainment available at the site and as a means of compelling the resident of Dumbo and Vinegar Hill to stroll through the plaza space in an effort to connect the two neighborhoods more.

Design Development

The market, and its immediate context (the office tower and parking garage), has become the focus of the design development phase. The “levels of stratification” in the market, has taken a new meaning and form since the schematic design phase. Whereas at schematic design, the buildings (market) and the levels of circulation (generally platforms on stilts), were two separate entities, this time around, the market has become the means of circulation in two axes: the first axis between the parking garage and office tower, and the second axis between the plaza and street level. The market, as a shell, has essentially become a series of ramps, “strung taut” (think a rubber band between two solid masses) between the office and parking garage. The result is a series of alternating ramps with program on and underneath the inclines. An industrial style market, with linear circulation (a la Chelsea Market) exists on the ground floor. The second floor, a series of cafes and dining options, and market stalls on the exterior. The top floor, bars and green spaces to appreciate the view of the plaza and the remainder of Dumbo. Such a strategy has facilitated access to the market (and its subcomponents), from every point including the plaza, parking garage, the office tower, and the street level. Now a businessman on lunch break need not have to venture more than a few floors down to get lunch.

In accordance with the concrete shell of the theater (across the plaza), to maintain consistency and legibility between the gestural connection of both buildings, the market is composed of concrete slabs, and glazing to indicate internal program. Depending on the program’s function, the glass has varying degrees of permeability such as accordion doors, solid glass, traditional doors, and revolving doors to adapt to seasonal changes. Structure, as a result, is relatively straightforward, a concrete column grid supporting concrete slabs.

Assignment Posts, Project Statement

The Loaded City

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The DUMBO area, like every city, is divided sectionally into multiple zones of inhabitance. These are the underground- defined by transportation like subways and tunnels- the ground level that can be characterized as fast-paced, commercial use and area of the most activity, and the zone above the ground of which we no longer relate to the streetscape. This project realizes these distinctions and incorporates these levels creating a loaded city where these zones exist in harmony with each other.

Twisting the building form into an S-shape allows for views into areas of program that would normally be separated by virtue of height and creates two interior courtyards that connect the two busiest intersections around the site. Along the exterior of the S, a bikepath extends from the ground plane at each intersection which allows for movement through the site in a unique loop. As a pedestrian pathway it also works to allow for exploration of the multi-level building. This pathway incorporates various green spaces and areas of communal meeting.

We began by shuffling the program and mixing up the layers of a traditional city. For instance, the housing that is at the top level of the building, resembles a set of row homes, which have been elevated effectively bringing the ground plane of a city to a new level. Doing this gives us several advantages, one being the incorporation of a front and backyard- something usually not allowed for with a traditional rowhome.

Other areas of program still exist within their respective realms. The market place takes up the entirety of the first floor along Jay Street. This is because a commercial presence was still important to engage pedestrians. ­

The DUMBO area is defined by its strong presence of art and culture. The area was had originally been a strong factory based community that revolved around industry, but more recently it has taken a turn towards the arts. With this in mind, the center of our ‘loaded city’ becomes the theatre; the aspect of program that we believe embodies the culture of DUMBO. The theatre is pushed into the ground which opens up the plazas to each other and allows for the roof of the theatre to act as an outdoor amphitheater in the summer months. This provides access to both plazas and creates an interaction between the two very different areas. Above this, the bikepath floats as a thin plane bridging the two sides and connecting the stepped buildings elegantly. By nature the theatre is a blocky, stereotomic object. However in this instance it has been molded in a way that makes it tectonic and allows for views to be maintained between the two plazas.