A study of Nixon Presidential Library

Last week I mainly focused on studying about the Nixon Presidential Library. Well I say library its rather than a museum and country club. Because by the time he could get his presidential library built, he finally earned his reputation back and recover from the Watergate scandal. So what he asked his architect to do was to create “a welcoming atmosphere that would encourage people to visit and often return”.1

It seems that If there is one word to describe this presidential library, it has to be “Welcoming”. The Architect, Richard Poulos, used every architectural  language expressing a welcoming gesture in this project. The library locates on a residential area in Yorba Linda where Richard Nixon was born and raised in his boyhood. It is not a monument like the Kennedy’s library, one would probably  walking on the street and pass by this building without noticing it. But when standing in front of the entrance, people will be attracted by the axial view of the length of the reflecting pool and palm trees lining up by side of the one-story red-tiled pavilions. The grove is not only a decoration of the library, but also help visitors to recall the original appearance of the site: farm of the former President’s family.

Nixon Library is also unique in the way it displays. A series of exhibition designer’s art and artifice were used in the gallery. Exhibits such as a election campaign button, televised extracts of the famous “Checkers” speech and the Nixon-Kennedy debates as well as head phones on which one can hear portion of the Watergate tapes are side by side with the recreated and the imaginary.2 In this case, Nixon Library give a good example of modern organization that follow by the presidential libraries built in the 1990s.

Nowadays, Nixon Library is a place to organize multiple activities in town.  Weddings are the most common one. To accomplish the former president’s will, Nixon Foundation also accept meetings, parties as well as concerts in this library. It is a presidential library for visitors come from afar, but a local popular club amount the residents.

1. NIXON LIBRARY : THE DESIGN : Unmonumental Library
   Reflects Nixon’s Unpretentious Beginnings, Leon Whiteson, July 17, 1990, Los Angles Times.
2. Nixon Library Different form FDR Version, Jun 6, 1991,  Witold Rybczynski, The Free Lance-Star.

Olivia’s Propositions Studio

Last week my studio had the first review of the semester. The assignment was to create an “instrument” that in some way measures the environment or teaches something about a natural phenomenon. Each group of two students had to draw three topics from a hat: my partner and I got the words, “insect”, “wood”, and “topography”. We decided to construct a process which would allow the insects to be the instrument.

We decided to record the micro-topography created by mealworms as they move around an enclosure filled with sawdust. Using analog methods of photography, we developed photo paper after shining light though the insects’ container. In this way we took a “photo” every few hours to document the changes the insects made in the sawdust. This image is the nine “pictures” we took in order, and if you look closely you can see the slight changes between each one.

Although a little bit of a strange concept, it was fun working with worms and learning how to develop film! 

Studio Assignment-Precedent Study

Hi, everyone

I want to share something about my studio work last week.  Our assignment is to continue the precedent study.  It’s about using visual documentation and comparison of two selected architectural examples by a single architect.  These two projects, one sacred and one institutional, are to be used as a resource for our approach to site, programmatic relationships, material use, form, organization, hierarchy, etc.

The architect I got is I.M.Pei, famous for the pyramid on Louvre Museum.  He was borned in China but lived in USA, and this hybrid experience affected on his design a lot. The two cases I study are also interesting.  One is the National Gallery of Art East Building, which is in Washington DC. USA.  The other one is Luce Chapel, which is in Taiwan.  In the institutional case, the East Building, we can see how he responded to the context, like axis in the site and the west building.  We can trace Pei’s intention by its symmetrical shape and facade material, like marble.  In the sacred case, the Luce chapel, compared with East building’s steady shape, shows a strong trend of moving up forward.  It is located on the geometry center of a campus, representing the spiritual center of the university.

I think between these two cases, there are many differences, like scale and function.  But at the same they share many similarities, like symmetric.  It’s quite interesting that he designed two projects in different countries with different intentions, but gaining a kind of parallelism in some way.

Ying

Case Study — Sendai Mediatheque

Hi, everyone!

I would like to share something that I’m working with right now in our studio. We are going to design a presidential library this semester, so basically what we are doing now is try to figure out what a presidential library is. Each student in our studio was assigned to study two precedents, one is a former presidential library, another one is a project selected by our professor which shares a certain property with a presidential library.

One of my project is the Sendai Mediatheque, designed by Toyo Ito, a famous Japanese architect. Though it has been existed in Sendai for more than 15 years, the building still looks quite edgy. The main concept of this building is “transparency”, which is originated from the seaweed, something really soft floating in the aquarium. Toyo Ito pointed out that those aquatic organism gave him a image of fluid space, the space could flow constantly with air and light.

To realize his idea, he designed thirteen tubes to hold all the floors. Therefore, there are no walls and beams in this building. It is a building without barriers, because people can even see things through those load-bearing structures. Though these tubes seem like being twisted, actually they were designed to protect the building from the earthquakes.

What I learn from this project is the idea about “transparency”. I think it is an interesting aspect to design public buildings.

Reading Assignment of a Comprehensive Plan

Hello, everyone!

This week I worked with an assignment which needs my group to deliver a memorandum about a comprehensive plan to a fictional “boss”. After discussion, our group chose Grand Rapids as our city.

The City of Grand Rapids launched its Master Plan with acclaim in 2002, and the City has undergone a resurgence in recent years. The Plan’s sections focus on eight areas: Great Neighborhoods, Vital Business Districts, A Strong Economy, Balanced Economy, A City that Enriches Our Lives, A City in Balance with Nature, Partnerships, Development Character, and Area-Specific Plans.

I was most impressed by that the whole plan takes seriously its charge to represent the beliefs and interests pf residents of Grand Rapids. Residents’ goals for the city are synthesized in pithy and active statements. Besides, the plan uses appropriate scope. When discussing the development characters of Grand Rapids, the Plan strikes an appropriate balance between high-level visioning and detailed prescription. In addition to adopting a city-wide strategy, the plan allows for the creation of area-specific plans, which may be formally adopted into the Comprehensive Plan, but which have the higher purpose of stimulating neighborhood-based organization and activating citizen stakeholders.

While I think there are areas that the Plan may need to expand.First, the Plan does not provide data to corroborate its strategy. More extensive data and analysis may be provided to the public through supplemental literature. Second, although the Plan touches on funding, fiscal implications do not receive much coverage.

Best,

Xue

Reference:

The City of Grand Rapids Master Plan. (2002). Retrieved from http://grcity.us/design-and-development-services/Planning-Department/Pages/Master-Plan—Preface.aspx

READING ASSIGNMENT AND THINKING

Hi everyone,

For the past week, like the other architecture students, I did the precedent study on Columba Museum which deigned by Peter Zumthor. I think most of us were familiar with this building. Therefore, I would like to take about some other things which I believe it has more interesting.

I chose an elective course named Spirit Place, in every lesson the professor Chuffer will give us five words and let us thinking what is the meaning for ourselves. Draw a diagram to show those words’ relationship and how to connect each other. Meanwhile, he give some article for read and thinking.

In this week, Professor Chuffer recommend two article about “The Client in Architectural Education” which wrote by himself and Maurice K. Smith. When I read this two essays, there are some viewpoints make me thinking a lot, “we are challenged to master a prevailing professional self-conception of ‘architect as competent building-marker’… and move beyond. Therefore, how to be a competent building-marker, scilicet what quality should have for an architect. It is the most important as well as puzzled things for both students and teachers.

After reading, I guess that I have some new understand. We architects are the creators, as the leader in specialized fields we use architectural thinking to come up with creative ideas not a general solutions; the transfers which means we need to research and analysis of cultural, social and environmental issues and create a better life with better design; the crafters which means we can use the raw materials to manufacture, assembly and constructed beautiful and useful things; the cooperator, We can cooperate with others to propose creative solutions, rather than compromise with the practical problems. And the last is designer in which we should master the skills and understanding of building construction technology.

Imagine Flint

This week, one of my class have an assignment requires group work and to deliver a staff memo that critiques a planning document. My group chose the city plan of Flint. Imagine Flint is a comprehensive plan of Flint, a city located along the Flint River and about 66 miles from Detroit. This plan was adopted in 2013 and will last for around 20 years to be completed. The first picture above shows the theme of this plan- Imagine Flint Together.

Actually, when I saw this title at the first time, I thought it sounded like a group project of undergraduate students, but not an official urban comprehensive plan. Because the title is really romantic to some degree. However, When I worked deep into this plan, I was truly moved. I even can imagine how much great efforts those planners, city residents, different kinds of organizations make to this plan. It is really an excellent plan and I even could not make any critiques to any part of this plan at the first time I read it. When we group members met together, I told them:” Sorry, I could not find its weakness”. Other members laughed together and said, ” We too!” Actually, To be honest, some parts of this plan can be improved and make it much better.

This plan really paid much attention to the quality of people’s life and the connection between human and nature. Planners got involved in communities and tried to meet the goals with people’s real needs. Residents, all kinds of organizations effectively participated in plan’s making. They made their city together. This is the part that did impress me a lot.

At last, I wanna say it was the first time I worked together with native speakers. During the whole group work, all of them were really patient with my poor oral English and they really encourage me a lot. Really thank you guys! I feel so lucky to be in a group with you.

‘Lost Detroit’ Book Recommended by Mavis

I here recommend a picture book which I read in the summer term. ‘Lost Detroit’ shows the stories behind 12 Detroit city legacies which maintain the memories and the glories of the Motor city. When you go trough the amazing pictures in the book page by page, they will make you imagine the scene of the past days however which stand like the ghost house in Detroit nowadays.

I believe most of the buildings you have already pay a visit to, such as the Michigan Center Station, the Michigan Theatre etc. Some of them are being abandoned now, some are being transformed into other uses.

Since its an picture book which can give you a direct aspect of Detroit an won’t take so many of your time, it is worthwhile to read. And for the students who are doing projects in Detroit and haven’t got a deep view in the city, I recommend this book for you!

Evaluation of the Master Plan of Kyoto City

    

Hello everyone, see you again this weekend! Today I’m going to share one of our interesting assignments here.

This assignment is from the Course UP 505. It is a 4-member group project of a staff memorandum that gives reasonable critiques on a planning document. Our group members have chosen the master plan of Kyoto City to work on, and it is the first time that I have read an international plan, which made me fairly excited.

Before the assignment, we were all required first to do a bunch of readings to get a general idea of what an evaluation on a plan is and how its criteria is applied. After that, we had to read and study the plan carefully to see if the plan had well meet the criteria and finally give a summary as well as a conclusion. In the first picture is the note that I took when studying the plan alone, before the whole group get together to share with each other ideas. Though the plan has only less than 40 pages, compared to other plans that had hundreds of pages, it is quite a tough work, because it is more like a public policy rather than a traditional urban and regional planning.

I like team working. And from this assignment I think I really need to improve writing skills to convey clear and profound ideas with concise words.

System Thinking

Today, I will share my reading notes about reading materials in sustainable system class:

Linear causal mechanical explanation of dynamics are insufficient to understand complexity of environment

since they usually arranged in loop mechanical. What’s more, the connection between different elements in a system of several system are often not clear and sometimes potential. Research questions identify and explain interactions, relationships, patterns. The essential properties of the parts of a system can only be understood from the organization of the whole. System thinking provides us with a heuristic tool and common language for framing situations and exploring self-organizing phenomena to provide us with guidance about how to decide what is important to look at, and not look at. System thinking involved three phase: 1. framing the situation by generating a system description or map; 2. a description of the dynamics of the situation is developed; 3. synthesizing the understanding gained from the first two phases into narratives about how the situation might or could unfold in the future.