Tschumi's concept for Parc De Villette

John Cage, Where R=Ryoanji R/7, 1991

A custom program which randomly distributes program

Playing cards

This studio explored the contemporary significance of the bank, and its juxtaposition with a site-derived, secondary program element. A group of us were given a large vacant site in the commerical warehouse district, with a truckstop forming the other half of the program. Though the idea of a truckstop was related to the site and its surroundings, it is unusual to find one in an urban area.

This studio, and my approach to the project were highly conceptual. I was primarily interested in exploring the potential friction and tension between such diverse program elements.

One precedent thatI examined is the Parc De Villette by Bernard Tschumi. Tschumi explores a method of breaking apart program elements and recombining them in a grid of points that are evenly distributed across the site. This was useful, but I felt that the rationality of Tschumi's grid organization lacked the essence of chance and casual encounter- those serendipitous moments that characterize the urban experience.

I found the nature of chance and uncertainty in a peculiar series of drawings by the composer John Cage. As a disciple of zen buddhism, Cage had studied the I Ching - a zen doctrine which describes how to place stones in a random manner in order to fashion a garden. He created a series of drawings that traced the outlines of stones and called them "Where R=Ryoanji" after the Ryoanji garden in Kyoto. Andrew Culver, Cage's apprentice, created a digital version of the I Ching which is available for download here. Similary, I created my own program which randomly scatters 15 "stones" across the site.

I created a deck of "playing cards" from these images and randomly selected one of the cards from the deck, and made it the basis for my schematic design. From this scheme I created a rock garden on the site.

"Vernacular architecture" in the commercial warehouse district

Formally, I was interested in evolving the "vernacular architecture" of the homeless that dominated the area around the site. Just as urban theorists in the third world now advocate the natural evolution of temporary shelters into more permenant urban settlements, I pursued a similar avenue of development for the homeless in Downtown Los Angeles. Though housing the homeless is not part of the program, I though it important to establish a precedent of formal evolution in this neigborhood. I also found a formal connection between the eroded geometric forms of these tents and the eroded stones of a zen garden.

Siteplan

In relating the program to this experimental schematic design, I tried to maximize the interaction between users of the two different program elements. Though the site was quite large (2 acres), much of the space would be used as parking for large trucks. Also, the program prescribed a parking lot for the bank customers. I located the truckstop and the truck parking at opposite ends of the site. Similarly, the bank customers must pass by the truckstop on their way from the parking lot. Though I must stress that none of the parking was outlined like a traditional lot. Like elements in a John Cage installation, the unchoreographed movements of the trucks and cars activate the everchanging site.

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

Bank Plan	Bank Section
Truckstop "Dining Room" Plan	Truckstop "Dining Room" Section
Truckstop "Living Room" Plan	Truckstop "Living Room" Section

View into Dining Room	Facing East from Bank Office
Night Perspective	Bank Teller Counter