Site Selection

Option #1
For my site I chose South Station in Boston, MA. My thesis is mainly about how materiality and the haptic design can promote a sense of speed. I felt that it was very important for my project to be located in a dense area that was used as a travel space used for movement. South Station is a large station that is comprised of pretty much one large space with many kiosks and tables and chairs. There is no sense of materiality or the idea of designing for the human. My goal is to create a series of intimate spaces (lounge, bar, food court, ticket booth...) within this train station, and possibly the bus terminal that will cater to the needs of humans and allow them to have a space within the crazy train station where they can relax and become aware of their surroundings.

Aerial View.

Front of South Station.

Walking in the train station off the street.

View towards the trains.

Large open waiting area.

Train platform.

Option #2
Or I was looking at Cambridgeside Galleria Mall because it is another fast paced, motion based location. My goal is also to create a series of intimate spaces (lounge, food court, store...) within the mall that will change the speed of the user.

Aerial View.

Floor Plans

Exterior of Mall.

All Three Floors.

Second Floor View.

Program Narrative v2

I’m at school and I have to catch a train to go home. I walk to the subway station, wait for the train hoping it’s not going to be running late. When it finally comes I hop on and try to find an empty seat, but of course there is none so I have to stand. Next couple of stops people load onto the train and it becomes very crowded. Everyone is standing so close to each other and bumping back and forth. Park Street comes and it’s time to get off the train and switch to another train. I run to the next train, and it’s the same thing, I’m stuck standing up.

At the South Station stop I get off and rise into the train station. People are running everywhere trying to catch their trains. I go into the ticket line and things slow down, well the speed of the workers does so we become impatient and antsy. The fact that the ticket booth is out in the open with everyone rushing around you doesn’t help this situation. Finally I order my ticket and notice I have a few minutes to spare. I’d like to grab a bite of food so I go into the food court and grab a cookie, and on my way to my seat I almost get clothes lined by a few people. Gosh, I wish there was a nice space to sit and relax rather than sitting in the open with people rushing around you.

            My train gets called and I go out to the platform and barely notice my surroundings, well I only noticed them because I was looking for them. I walk across a plain gray concrete slab and pass steel overhangs that protect people from the rain. What a horrible job they do anyways. There’s more people outside waiting for their train but don’t have anything that really tends to their needs except for the overhand that shields the rain. Wouldn’t it be nice if people had their own space out here on the platform too? I get on the train and my blood pressure goes down because no longer do I feel rushed from my surroundings.

Program Diagrams v3

Program: Train Station with a series of lounges, bars, food court...


Concept Diagram

Circulation Diagram

Adjacency Diagram

Program Narrative

The modern world today is based on technological speed and control; therefore the visual sense has become the dominant sense. Ever since Greek architecture, buildings and objects have been designed for the pleasure of the eye. For example, between the signs that say ‘Do not walk on grass’ everywhere in parks and the ‘Do not touch artwork’ signs in museums we are not allowed to experience the world through our other senses. This is where haptic architecture can help reconnect us to our environment, and to ultimately to ourselves. “Haptic architecture promotes slowness and intimacy, appreciated and comprehended gradually as images of the body and the skin.” (Juhani Pallasmaa) Hapticity, or the sense of touch, can be broken down into subcategories of pressure, pain, warmth, cold, and kinesthesia. Kinesthesia is what Pallasmaa was referring about, the awareness of the position and movement of the body.

The program I will focus on will be that of a student center on a college campus. There are always people coming and going during class breaks, or after class is out. Some students just need a place to hang out while they wait between classes, some go into the stores or cafes in a rush to pick up something quick, while some go to socialize with other students in their school. There are many different uses and speeds that a student center accommodates. The student entering the building will enter through the main door into the student lounge space where people can kick back and enjoy themselves. As one continues to circulate throughout the building there are game rooms where students can meet up with others to compete at their favorite games, then grab a drink or snack at the café next door. Between classes some students may want a private space to cram for that test in one hour and will head upstairs through the smaller lounge into personalized study spaces designed just for them. At night in the large student lounge there may be concerts, comedians, and other forms of entertainment.

Program Diagrams v2

Circulation Diagram

This shows the different speeds of the occupants and the program in relation to the materials used. Some juxtaposing areas correlate to certain scenarios in the adjacencies diagram.

Adjacencies Diagram

This diagram proposes different ways to deal with adjacencies of juxtaposing speeds or materials.

Program Diagrams v1

Program: Student Center

Conceptual Ideas on Program

Diagram of Activities & Circulation

Diagram of Adjacencies

Walk Through the City

Material palette from my walk from the Prudential through Fenway and back to Wentworth.

Idea Map & Visual Abstract v3

Updated Thesis:

The modern world today is based on technological speed and control; therefore the visual sense has become the dominant sense. Architecture has become a race for the most aesthetic or tallest building. In the Western world we have neglected our other senses and now we feel detached and alienated from the world. Sensory architecture is the best way to slow down the world, and reconnect humans with our surroundings. “Haptic architecture promotes slowness and intimacy, appreciated and comprehended gradually as images of the body and the skin.” (Juhani Pallasmaa) Architecture that is stimulating to all or multiple senses can be fully appreciated by humans. The objection of my investigation will be to focus on creating an architecture that is not only stimulating to the eye, but also to our haptic senses. The sense of touch is a very complex sense that includes temperature, pressure, muscular, and pain. The center of my study will be based upon materiality, texture, weight, and light and shadow.

Updated Idea Map:

Updated Visual Abstract: