Week 5 – Sustainability / Equity Development

This week I spent time developing one of the edges of the street a bit further. I tried to include elements to make the space more resilient and equitable. The intent was to take higher-speed traffic and to group them. I took bikes and vehicles to live in a similar space. An elevated berm would buffer the slower pedestrian traffic, and the canopy from the dome would extend over these spaces to provide respite from inclement weather. At the entryway of each perimeter building, a formal space adorned by a large tree and seating arranged side by side captures the message of Socrates’ Phaedrus teachings. I intend to refer to these openings as dialogue gates, designed to encourage the passing traffic to pause and be encouraged to chat?

In terms of the preservation, there is a sensitivity to preserving the iconic façade and form of the existing building while adding the functionality that is proposed. The green space created will take on its own identity. The space that is created between the new buildings and the existing capitol building creates a new identity of blocking out the urban fabric from views within the capitol, which will allow for the respite that is required when having conversations with any real meaning. The dome connects the entire form as one space and protects the people within. The dome can open and close as moments require. The dome intends to have more rigid structure elements that define a form. Still, the overall weight of the structure visually will need to feel light and to achieve this. I intend to utilize lightweight materials such as ETFE.

• How does your design address social equity and ecological sustainability? 

Equity is the word of the day. Not Equality. Equality is the traditional American concept. The Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” The 14th Amendment to the Constitution provides that all citizens must receive “equal protection of the laws.” In the traditional understanding, Equality means something simple and easy to implement. The protection of the rights of all individuals, along with the invasion of none of those rights.

Representational equity is when two or more represented groups are standing on a relatively equal footing. To prove representational inequity, therefore, one need not show discriminatory policy. All one must show is the unequal outcome. Corporations and their lobbyist have equal access to their representatives, but the outcomes are unequal. Increasing the number of representatives is one of the tactics in improving access and reducing the concentrated interest of lobbyists. 

Ecological sustainability is built into the overall redesign of the Capitol. The focus is on increasing the amount of sustainable green space, the replanting of all existing trees, and the softscape increased in scale. This will be achieved by having green roofs and removing the vehicular parking that currently exists on the site. The parking garage that will be integrated has a green roof. The Scope of Work for any construction must also adhere to ecological sustainable practices. 

• How does the master plan, siting, building program, circulation, and massing allow accessibility and transparency? 

The perimeter that builds up and defines the street wall along the perimeter on the North, East and South portions of the site will be both visually and physically transparent. The buildings will integrate softscape and create areas for conversation with the public. There is also a green ring that encircles the Federal portion of the Capitol building. This entire path is accessible to the public at both the grade portions and when it elevates into a bride that wraps around the Eastern portion of the site. 

• What is the experience of the users/visitors of the building and how does that experience reinforce your thesis statement? 

The experience of walking along the complete green path allows visitors to walk from a lower level of grade from the Capitol to its highest point which will be higher than the Speaker of the House. A primary concept is to reverse the order of hierarchy and put the People above the Government. The large arena space reinforces the growth of representation to the people and allows the Government to continue representing its people rather than special interests.

• What measures can you address to improve your building’s thermal performance, biophilia, water management, and other environmental issues? 

A large dome encompassing the entire site will create a micro-climate and controlled space that can reduce the overall mechanical load and multitudes of enclosed buildings under the canopy. In my analysis, I have found that a 10% decrease in mechanical systems is possible.

This week I spent time developing one of the edges of the street a bit further. I tried to include elements to make the space more resilient and equitable. The intent was to take higher-speed traffic and to group them. I took bikes and vehicles to live in a similar space. An elevated berm would buffer the slower pedestrian traffic, and the canopy from the dome would extend over these spaces to provide respite from inclement weather. At the entryway of each perimeter building, a formal space adorned by a large tree and seating arranged side by side captures the message of Socrates’ Phaedrus teachings. I intend to refer to these openings as dialogue gates, designed to encourage the passing traffic to pause and be encouraged to chat?

In terms of the preservation, there is a sensitivity to preserving the iconic façade and form of the existing building while adding the functionality that is proposed. The green space created will take on its own identity. The space that is created between the new buildings and the existing capitol building creates a new identity of blocking out the urban fabric from views within the capitol, which will allow for the respite that is required when having conversations with any real meaning. The dome connects the entire form as one space and protects the people within. The dome can open and close as moments require. The dome intends to have more rigid structure elements that define a form. Still, the overall weight of the structure visually will need to feel light and to achieve this. I intend to utilize lightweight materials such as ETFE.

• How does your design address social equity and ecological sustainability? 

Equity is the word of the day. Not Equality. Equality is the traditional American concept. The Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” The 14th Amendment to the Constitution provides that all citizens must receive “equal protection of the laws.” In the traditional understanding, Equality means something simple and easy to implement. The protection of the rights of all individuals, along with the invasion of none of those rights.

Representational equity is when two or more represented groups are standing on a relatively equal footing. To prove representational inequity, therefore, one need not show discriminatory policy. All one must show is the unequal outcome. Corporations and their lobbyist have equal access to their representatives, but the outcomes are unequal. Increasing the number of representatives is one of the tactics in improving access and reducing the concentrated interest of lobbyists. 

Ecological sustainability is built into the overall redesign of the Capitol. The focus is on increasing the amount of sustainable green space, the replanting of all existing trees, and the softscape increased in scale. This will be achieved by having green roofs and removing the vehicular parking that currently exists on the site. The parking garage that will be integrated has a green roof. The Scope of Work for any construction must also adhere to ecological sustainable practices. 

• How does the master plan, siting, building program, circulation, and massing allow accessibility and transparency? 

The perimeter that builds up and defines the street wall along the perimeter on the North, East and South portions of the site will be both visually and physically transparent. The buildings will integrate softscape and create areas for conversation with the public. There is also a green ring that encircles the Federal portion of the Capitol building. This entire path is accessible to the public at both the grade portions and when it elevates into a bride that wraps around the Eastern portion of the site. 

• What is the experience of the users/visitors of the building and how does that experience reinforce your thesis statement? 

The experience of walking along the complete green path allows visitors to walk from a lower level of grade from the Capitol to its highest point which will be higher than the Speaker of the House. A primary concept is to reverse the order of hierarchy and put the People above the Government. The large arena space reinforces the growth of representation to the people and allows the Government to continue representing its people rather than special interests.

• What measures can you address to improve your building’s thermal performance, biophilia, water management, and other environmental issues? 

A large dome encompassing the entire site will create a micro-climate and controlled space that can reduce the overall mechanical load and multitudes of enclosed buildings under the canopy. In my analysis, I have found that a 10% decrease in mechanical systems is possible.

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Review Proposal and Site/Program Development

Question 1 – What work did you do this week and what new insights did you gain from your explorations

Answer 1 – This week I looked at the circulation of vehicular and pedestrians through the site. Paths of access for the public – diagramed overlays of the plan from last weeks presentation to think through the circulation of each floor.

There are other ways for the public to engage with congressional representatives and those areas are being designated as “conference” areas where conversation can happen. There are areas adjacent to their offices they can host visitors and open “protest areas” Next steps will be thinking through how the public moves through the building for a variety of purposes.

Question 2 – What was the feedback you received in the review? What parts do you agree or disagree with?

Answer 2 – A controversial and thought-provoking Thesis for sure. The conversations tended to evolve around two topics; the first is the overall form and the second is the security of the building. Below is a sampling of the comments that I received, but I have reduced the full list and focused on comments that will require a better understanding when being presented. 

Comment from Karen Nelson: What do you value about the political processes of the US? What needs revision? What needs keeping? Restoring?

The immediate need is that we have taken away the diversified strategy of governance that was more local. It is common to focus on federal laws, and the media perpetuates this idea. Rather than allowing citizens within California, Massachusetts, or Florida to make their laws and decisions to govern themselves, we focus too wholly on the federal level. To battle this, we need to make it more combative, with more debate. We cannot have critical laws contingent on how one individual will vote and whether we can sway that person. That is the sign of the times when we look at one Senator and say, ” How will he vote, and it will impact all citizens. The goal would be to scale up representation (of the people and not representatives of dictators). The legislators would only pass laws that are genuinely bi-partisan and have obvious benefits to the people. If the legislators cannot agree, that means that it should not be legislated at the federal level and that the States need to take a more significant role in passing laws that would be needed to protect and promote the citizens of that State. That is the overall thinking. I need to find a way to manifest them in the overall Thesis. Right or Wrong, that is the stance that I am taking on the proposal, and I want to try to explore that further. If anything, the Thesis will cause discussion around a serious problem that we have, and I am just trying to put out into the world what I think the solution is. 

Comment from Susan Morgan: be mindful of the use of terms: “preservation” has specific meaning and expectations, in distinction from rehabilitation, conservation, etc. https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments.htm

Yeah, this is important. Carl even mentioned this… I want to find a way to talk about it as being a problem and holding us back. Carl’s comment about preservation rules would make my proposal impossible, which is precisely the problem. 

Question 3 – How do you plan to address your critiques in your work for the rest of the semester? What additional research is necessary? What design problems do you need to resolve?

Answer 3 – In order to address the comments the presentation will need to be an expanded version of what I presented. I will need to supplement the presentation with some of precedent studies that I had done last semester. This will help to justify my design decisions more precisely. 

A deeper understanding of the kit of parts. For example, to know what the significance of the glass dome is. 

The design problem that needs resolution is the conference areas and the overall circulation of the building. Once there is a better understanding of the circulation I can move into the form in order to more quickly get into the design documentation of the building. Part Two of this Week

I put together a series of diagrams below. I looked at the vehicle killer access to the site as well as the pedestrian access to the site. I’ve also indicated as section with the plan highlighted boundary. This is helping me to understand the change in elevations along the length of the site. 

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Thesis – Week 4 – Progress

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Thesis – Week 2 – Pecha Kucha

Karen Nelson Comments

• Q1. Provocative spatial and political argument
• A1. Thank you. 

• Q2. Maintain only an image of representational democracy?!
• A2. This is my nod to the embedded corrupt nature of a system with a locked representation while we can have our first trillionaire and how a small handful can manipulate a small group (non growing representatives). The corruption will only become worse… There are other solutions, but I am trying to maintain the form of an idealistic form of what it should be rather than the reality of the situation

• Q3. How do you make decisions about the form of the project? How serious… how sci-fi?  Is it worth contrasting our numbers to those of China and its larger legislature?
• A3. I have a precedent I am using within my research about the Galactic Senate in Star Wars, which is about the monumentality. I am also using the Nazi Capital as a precedent for the propaganda piece and that is when I relate it to China. A representative republic needs to have an answer, so it doesn’t get left behind, and can continue to be relevant. I like to make a comparison of the church using the best “artists” like Michelangelo to showcase. The best of the best was used as an association. This is similar to Celebrities, Athletes, Institutions, etc. They use the best of the arts to illustrate their propaganda to get an association bump. It is important to have a form that reflects that in order to compete against authoritarian governments. We don’t want the next generation of surface thinking to be “China is cool” and “America is dead” 

Daniel Daou Comments

• Q1. Concur, very provocative. But the symbolic dimension needs to be foregrounded. the driving argument can’t be a merely functional one.
• A1. I have a precedent of the nazi capital, which its intent was to create a monumental space that would be a symbol of power. The goal was to have delegates that arrive to brag about the architecture back home. This happens a lot in China and UAE, and it has very valid societal impacts just by being a symbol (propoganda). There are overlaps of China (Communism) and their use of propaganda and how a representational democracy can combat that propaganda without feeling left behind.

• Q2. What would the “terms of criticism” be?
• The terms of criticism are as follows: 1) Is there a space to meet with representatives in a more direct and neutral way? The intent of the space would be to acknowledge that both parties; that of the representative and the citizen, are equal and there is not hierarchy above one another in these dialogue zones to better understand the needs of the community. 2) When the representatives are working, can the public see them? 3) Is there space for the public at hearings, committees, office meetings, and when congress is in session? 4) Does the building meet the standards of a healthy working atmosphere (healthy building)? 5) Does the building have a monumental stance in its environment that can command attention?

• Q3. How do you evaluate how successful your design/research is? Does anything go? Speculation is perfectly fine, but internal narrative self-consistency becomes paramount.
• A3. On the surface it is speculation, and hopefully the supporting documentation can support my Key Performance Index, which is: 1) Increase the Size. 2) Balance of Security and Openness. 3) Creating spaces for Collaboration and Conversation. 4) Creation of regional zones of lesser magistrates that will have a standard operating procedure of judgement in order to pass any potential legislation on to the Federal Senate and House for a vote. 

Susan Morgan Comments

• Q1. worth including in an intro why we should keep/add on to the existing capitol building versus step away and create new, adaptable facility for proper representation. Side note: in the world of digital meeting, to what extent is the assumption of physical presence appropriate for the next 50+ years?
• A1. Great point on a focus on the keep/add of existing capital vs new. I explored this idea early on and there is some interest in exploring it further, but it tended to not be manifesting itself in form, but rather a cerebral push and pull about the proper way of representation when it intersects technology. I can get carried away with this idea, because it is rich. 

• Q2. With such direct visual comparisons to Buckminster Fuller and Norman Foster, you should be explicit about these references and acknowledge their relationship to assumptions and visions for the physical expression of political engagement. 
• A2. Understood. I do have these references in the expanded version of the presentation, but I will ensure that I make reference within a reduced presentation as well. 

Ekaterina Siemoneit Comments

• Q1. Some sketches reminds me of Reichstag glass dome by Norman Foster. Was it your inspiration?
• A1. Yes I did look at this building. It is very beautiful. I also looked at some concepts for the Tokyo Stadiums that have a wrapping path around the building. Very good catch!

Molly Boudreau Comments 

• Q1. Seems costly. Maybe they should all remote work instead? Ha!
• A1. I understand you are being playful, but I think we both know this could be a reality very easily, and I touch on it slightly, but don’t go too much into it because of my bias towards built form. 

Ryan Hoppe Comments

• Q1. What security considerations have you made about having a public elevated platform above a house of government given what we saw in January?
• A1. I intend to touch on the full history of attacks on the Capitol. I specifically touch on “1983 U.S. Senate bombing” by the New Communist Movement. I am focused on the fortification from weaponry and bombs along with cordining of populations. 

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Thesis – Week 1 – Revisiting and Expanding

Thesis Overview

The topic explores the governance of a civilization by the people and how to develop the least corruptible form of government, and how Architecture plays a role. History and recognition that some government Architecture begins to outdate and restrict the people. How can Architecture redefine the relationship between its representation and the people it represents? This topic is vital to all our civilization as there is a built constraint of the bruilt form. Still, it lives in a world where the monetary, corporate interests, and political beliefs are ever-changing and growing.

Thesis Statement 

• The issue I am addressing: Effective governance of a people is contingent on having proper representation that is proportionate to the population as it grows and evolves to create a more perfect union. 

• Hypothesis for how the issue can be addressed through design, as specifically as possible; and The U.S. Capitol building needs to be increased in size in order to follow the same trend line of representation to population. The Capitol building has stopped its growth, but the population has continued to increase in size.  To design a building that can accommodate the current representative needs spatially and how it can continue to grow with our population. Create additional program to accommodate intimate and group conversations with the representatives. 
• The program, site, and other information you propose to use as a test of your hypothesis. Design vignettes of the programmatic spaces as a comparison and illustrate the improved scenario. 

Kit of Parts

Preservation – The preservation of a social contract

Preservation – The preservation of historical architecture

Monumentality – Impressive scale; to inspire; to bring attention to

Hierarchy – Public officials should be physically lower, vulnerable to the public

Light – Natural light to enter the space and provide a stronger connection with the outside 

Openness – Physically and Virtually more accessible to the public

Transparency – Meeting logs, conversations, emails, available openly without FOIA. 

Softscape – Landscape areas for conversation in a “natural” environment. 

Dialogue – You face your enemy; you sit with your friend. Changing the way we sit with our representation. 

The Watchtower becomes the Watchedtower.

Terms of Criticism

Is there a space to meet with representatives in a more natural way?

When the representatives are working, can the public see them?

Is there space for the public at hearings, committees, office meetings, and when congress is in session?

Does the building meet the standards of a healthy working atmosphere (healthy building)?

Does the building have a monumental stance in its environment that can command attention?

Design Directions

A monumental building that commands attention and open to the public. A Grand scale that can accommodate public viewing and all representatives with future growth. 

A lesser magistrate models. Abandon the capital building and rebuild state capitals to draw attention to the strength within the state and to make them more accessible locally. 

A focus on security and accessibility – Design a building that is resilient to not just future climate change but to a populace that needs to balance the security and safety of the public as well as the accessibility of the public. 

Research

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates – Matthew J. Trewhella 

Site Selection 

The site still makes sense. I have a drive to complete the thesis as started. The foundation is strong and there are moments that need to be defined and those placemaking situations will require more research in order to have some key performance indices for whether or not they are successful or not. 

What is the Thesis

The primary objective of a thesis statement is to be that constant reminder of what the topic is. This helps to ensure that we don’t go off topic and keep the focus on the initial system. For instance, I was asking a research question of what are the factors that lead to society to circulate large scale buildings and bring attention to it. Monumentality plays a big role and in the Nazi capital it was purposeful to bring attention to the grandeur of the place and their society, so others who would visit would “write home about it.” The kit of parts are the moments of the placemaking that can define the spaces within the overarching building that will support the openness, transparency, and accessibility of the building. 

Update August 15

Terms of Criticism (Revised)

Is there a space to meet with representatives in a more direct and neutral way? The intent of the space would be to acknowledge that both parties; that of the representative and the citizen, are equal and there is not hierarchy above one another in these dialogue zones to better understand the needs of the community. 

When the representatives are working, can the public see them?

Is there space for the public at hearings, committees, office meetings, and when congress is in session?

Does the building meet the standards of a healthy working atmosphere (healthy building)?

Does the building have a monumental stance in its environment that can command attention?

For the design direction, I’d stick with the Capitol, but I do like the idea of also pursuing smaller buildings too. Perhaps the design direction you go in has a large building, but then also has smaller buildings spread out with passageways between them – where people from different parts of the country work. That way, you’d balance accessibility with the ability to close off paths – and focus on smaller representative groups collaborating together before bringing legislation to the larger group.
I really like this idea. There might be a Standard Operating Procedure that associates with these smaller rooms. I am thinking simple rules and if it makes it past the smaller committees then it can be presented to the larger federal level. 
1) Delete existing laws/regulations… For every bill proposed a proposal of revision or dissolution of an existing law/regulation must accompany it. 2) Parties Involved… Who does this benefit?3) Impact of existing state laws (other states than the repesentative)… How many State laws will this proposed bill impact negatively/positively. Is this law in opposition of State Laws? Is this law in support of existing State Laws?
It would be interesting to explore what those spaces could look like architecturally. 
I think this is an important step to a Representative Democracy is having a system to deal with any new proposals to check against itself. We often make so many laws that are contrary to other states and even existing laws. The Legislators tend to pass this off on the Judicial system to resolve the conflict, and it perpetuates the idea that the Judicial system is making law, while the onus is on the Legislators, but they don’t have a system like this to check against. It would be a great idea to explore what those spaces and interactions look like architecturally. I have diagramed these relationships below. Showing how the people can interact within a space with regions and states and then those regions will be able to check against themselves before moving to the floor of the federal legislators. This is necessary in my design because there is such a strong Federal power that it needs multiple checks before arriving. 

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