Update to Diagram

This is an update to the previous diagram that compares all of the selected buildings that were a part of my study.

The diagram shows the visual relationship of all of the buildings that I have studied during this course: Times Square Tower, The Actor's Equity Building, The Time Warner Center, The Columbus Circle Building, Atlantic Terminal Mall, HL23, and The Church of the Guardian Angel. 

Atlantic Terminal Mall

Atlantic Terminal Mall houses most of the activity that I observed near the site.  Once we entered Fort Greene it was evident that most of the people that visit the mall are locals, and they tend to gather in small clusters around the neighborhood.  This could be in part because of the large construction happeing in the area.  Atlantic Terminal Mall has a transient relationship to its site and users. It is a major node for travel, Atlantic terminal is the third busiest terminal in New York, it is a place where people travel through but not necessarily travel to unless they where shopping.  The mall occupies almost 300,000 square feet of space and houses popular mid income level retail stores such as Target.   

Atlantic Terminal Mall: Height:  88m Building Uses
- mixed use
- office
- restaurant
- retail
- station
Structural Types
- highrise
Architectural Style
- postmodern
Materials
- masonry
- glass
- steel
- brick

Atlantic Yards: Willamsburgh Bank Contrast to Atlantic Mall 2

Atlantic Terminal Mall

 Atlantic Termiinal mall is the latest development near Atlantic Yards.  My observations were as follows:

1.  Construction wtihin the boundaries of Atlantic Yards.
Prospect Hieghts lowrise structures contrasts with the highrise buildings beyond and form a imaginary boundary along Flatbush  by there stark architectural style and hieght differences.
Material changes occur within the side walks as New York's famous stone side walks are being replaced for concrete.

2. People gathered outside of Atlantic Center Mall to sit within the small public space
 people gravitated more towards  areas where there are people

Example of how people tend to use the public space, no one sat on the other end of the stairs, although there is plenty of room, there were no people near.  

Built:  2002
Building Uses:  mixed use for office, restaurant, retail, station
Sturctual Types highrise
Architectural style:  Postmodern
Materials: masonry, galss, steel , brick
Height:  88m
Floor Count:  15

A

Atlantic Yards: Willamsburgh Bank Contrast to Atlantic Mall 1

One Hanson Place, also known as the Williamsburgh Saving Bank Tower,   is an Art Deco Romanesque building that during its time, dominated the Brooklyn landscape.  It was built in 1929 as a residetial/ office building.  The materials of the building are masonry, steel, lime stone, and gold (dome). The AIA Guide to New York City says, "inadvertenlty, this was new york's most phallic symbol... dominatin the lanscape of all Brooklyn." it stands at 512 feet (156m) tall, and is the 3rd tallest buiding in Long Island and one of the tallest four sided clock towers in the world. 

Today it is a landmark that can be seen from the ground, a great distance away.  Its location, it was built during a time when Brooklyn was begining to develope and had little impact on the surrounding buildings that it dominated due to its

Built:  2000-2004

floor Count:  57

Structural Type:  Highrise, Atrium

Architectural style:  Modern

Materials:  Glass, steel, granite, concrete
Building Hieght:  229M  751.31FT

Architects:  Skidmore Owings and Merrill LLP
   
BUILDING USES
 - MIXED USE
 - HOTEL
 - OFFICE
 - OTHER
 - RESIDENTIAL
 - RESTAURANT
 - RETAIL
 - THEATRE

Times Square: One Times Square Building and The Actor's Equity Building

 

From visiting the site, One Times Square is on an North-South Axis that is visble by both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.  The Times Square Tower rests just behind the historic One Times Square, covered in signage.  The Actor's Equity Building, also a historic building at the site has a different relationship to the observer, its side is used for advertisement and in some way had an advantage to the tower in that it is able to use two sides for display upon approaching traffic whereas The Times Square Tower and One Times Square side views are blocked by adjacent buildings. 

One Times Square
Built: 1904
Roof Height:  395ft (120m)
Floor Count:  25
Structural Type: High rise
Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz, James C.
Developer: the New York Times
Architectural Style:  Art Deco
Materials:  granite, terracotta, marble, concrete paneling 
Building Use: Office for The New York Times later

Times Square Tower
Built:  2004
Roof Height:  726ft (221m)
Floor Count:  47
Structural Type: Highrise
Architects: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Delveloper: Boston Properties
Materials:  Glass, steel, concrete
Building Use:  Office, retail


The Actor's Equity Building
Built:  1924
Roof Height:  202ft
Floor Count: 17
Structural Type:  Highrise
Architects:McKim, Mead, and White Architects

Materials: Blass, steel, concrete


Buildng Ues:  Office Restaurant

Abstract

Introduction

Buildings account for 40% of the green house gases emitted into the global environment.  I seek to expand upon the incremental progression of knowledge on how urban development patterns affect our environment overtime and how those changes may affect our environment in the future.    My research is a focus on comparing the transitioning between the oldest historic buildings to the newest development in each of our site locations: Columbus Circle, Atlantic Yards, Times Square, and The High Line in terms of scale, usage, and social impact over time.  With this I hope to understand how large scale-influential projects transitioned within each location and to document the socio-economic and architectural conditions that impacted each succeeding development.  I hope to gather specific data on site conditions, leisure activities, building typologies, and background research to demonstrate the societal impacts of each site.  From this information I hope to then produce a more detailed story into how and why we have developed and where our cultural impacts have led.

 Methods

§  Field visits to gather information through observation of pedestrian use of the site, record data in a spread sheet to compare sites.

§  Research historical and modern building types and chart materials, structure, uses, etc.

§  Diagram and chart activities and development patterns

Results

After charting the materials, site impacts, and evaluating the use patterns during each site development I noticed a trend in the need for taller structures to accommodate population demands, the movement towards greener building, and architectural styles following significant social changes in the U.S.  After charting the activities at each location, I noticed that the buildings surrounding the sites significantly impacted the sites’ focal range, activities, and use of space. 

Conclusion 

The High Line is an example of an anti- thesis to the perception of bigger and stronger.  After studying its program and development, there were no oppositions to its development, as a natural resource, it provided what the large scale structures seem to take away: the human scale, a sense of space and place, and visual continuity.  I conclude that as a nation we are transitioning from a need to express the might of our nation to a realization in the finite application of consumption; a need for conservation and adaptive reuse have become more evident.

The Building Contrasts

The HL23 building is one of the newest developments along the High Line.  I choose this building due to its unique shape and position on the walk path that creates a slight overhang that adds a definition to the space around the building in its relation to the other buildings within sight.  The HL23 was designed by Neil Denari, a California Architect that designed one of the most ambitious buildings in Manhattan.  The resolution to setbacks for the parcel is ingenious as the narrow footprint widens as it goes up.  The HL23 is a 14 story condominium designed in a structural expressionist style that articulates the structural elements of the building form as part of its aesthetic feature.  The building protrusion over the park  contrasts with the one of the older buildings along the path, The Church of the Guardian Angel.

The Church of the Guardian Angel was built in the 1930s by John Van Pelt.  The longest side of the building faces South to the High line. 

http://www.homedesigninterior.org/tag/hl23/