Goals:

 

• Architectural/Formal

• Social

• Political

• Economic

  Several sustainable practices in architectural preservation exist.  These practices tend to constrain, positively and negatively the above factors.  An understanding to the types of cities that exist today and language used is the first step.  Legacy Cities [1] are described as, “older, industrial urban areas that have experienced significant population and job loses, resulting in high residential vacancy and diminished service capacity and resources”.  Livable cities [2] include cities that have the above characteristics that create a sustainable living environment.  An overlap of these two types exist in the Midwest.  Currently, Milwaukee’s large industrial buildings such as breweries and warehouses are being transformed into business incubators and hotels as two examples.  To promote further or re-establish a sustainable living environment, the existing resource stock such as large open industrial buildings may be used to create multi use spaces.  The central use should include a public gathering space that may be used as a space for sharing ideas or group activities.  

 

  As important as interior spaces, exterior spaces should be considered in two scales.  Site plan and city plan are essential.  Characteristic obtained from the Martin Drive area include a repetition of large empty spaces surrounding public buildings.  Consideration of what could be placed in these empty spaces should be considered in accordance to appropriate preservation practices.  Significant façade changes for example should be carefully designed to agree with the context.

 

  The “green design lab” of the National Trust for Historic Preservation includes research and demonstration projects that are used to promote building adaptability [3].  Both scales of urban design approach are considered in the lab, site to community.  While it may be simple to create guidelines, specific locations pushes these other ways.  Current needs of the community are again one example.  As guidelines can help guide my design, the communities and other stakeholder’s views are essential. 

 

  Building specific rating tools include STAR and ARP [4].  The success of adapting a grocery store to a community use could be determined with the above ratings.  But again, the community and direct users of the area may also give relevant information and ideas to appropriate design.

 

1 Legacy city partnership, Legacy Cities Partnership.

2 Livable cities.

3 National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Green Lab.

4 Conejos, Designing for better building adaptability: A comparison ofadaptSTAR and ARP models, 41.

 

 

Architectural and formal:

 

  Types of architectural and formal themes can be found in urban planning literature as well as overall stakeholder’s visions.  Specific programming types can be introduced and inserted into available building stock of legacy cities.  A careful study of building conditions and forms are first considered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This structure, initially being built in the later 1960s has transformed over time.  A large cube to the left of the structure was added which cut off a rear path of travel, a city alley.  This simple cubic volume is attached to the original curved roof second cubic volume to its north.  Under this curve, slicing into the ground is a vertically rhythmed glass curtain wall.  Dispersed within large vertical sheets of glass sat large letters: K O H L S.  This façade was the primary billboard for the buildings use.  Traveling along the façade to the north is a continual glass box that wraps the corner and is ended with a continuing decorative block wall.  Protruding vertical bricks add slight ornament to the building.  The pedestrian scape of the façade is seen exenterated with a curved sidewalk which blends in with the existing parking lot.  Simple, clean lines and materials make this structure share similar characteristics with industrial buildings of the past.  NOTE: A slightly modern composition of the Kohl’s structure can be used to create sense of community memory as well as create a new modern design for the community to use.  This factor adheres to livable city standards [1], using this urban tool and resource to keep the historic character of this place.

 

  New building technology is emerging and allowing for larger and larger industrial modules.  Common square or rectangular shapes are constantly being used to construct large spaces.  Common industrial grids that will be used to explore include a: 10 x 10  20  30  40  50 .. and 5 x 5  10  20  30  40  50  ..

  

  An exploration of how these dimensions may breakdown will start to show different scale factors within the design.  An inherent human scale to the Kohl’s building is seen from its squat building form and mostly horizontal façade.  Green materials such as laminated wood products are also growing in relevance.  Additions to the Kohl’s commercial space can further be studied introducing pop up volumes or volumes extending underground.  While the currents site sits on the edge of a lower ground plane of the railroad, the building sits taller acting as a viewing area to the surrounding Harley campus and community.  This vantage point further establishes and tells a story of the common building stock of the initial stages of the 1900s neighborhood.  Similar to Thomas Hubka’s book, Houses Without Names, a nomenclature and classification of the work / live context is essential[2].  The location of the Kohl’s building also starts to explain the social themes within and surrounding the site.

 

1 Livable city

2 Hubka, Houses Without Names.

 

 

Social:

 

  Social themes include two critical categories, environment and community.  Maps and individual community member’s views help to further explain these two categories.  Health, wellness and safety of a building’s user must be considered.  Factors being studied include: runoff, wind and sunlight.  While these are all critical in designing a building, they are also critical when designing for a walkable path that traverses interior and exterior spaces.  Initial steps that may be taken when first designing large, empty commercial spaces include focusing on a façade or roof system.  As the building uses expand over time, further steps to make the building environmentally friendly may occur.  (NOTE) As tactical urbanism approaches [1] tend to occur in public spaces, these can be tested to be used in interior spaces as well.  These small occurrences can also be designed in a layered approach to again align with a communities needs over time.  These approaches also need to comply with the area that is being studied.  For example, capturing a sites sense of place was accomplished in Martin Drive by creating wind catchers that created an overall mural.  Individuals in the community were encouraged to take a single catcher.  This made a literal connection throughout the neighborhood.  This idea may also be rethought to an interior approach.  An art space may be created on the interior of the Kohl’s building by its users.  The act of creating an interior mural that hangs from the exposed structure is one example.  A second approach included focusing on what one encounters while walking through a neighborhood such as trash cans.  These were reimagined into community event boards and interactive pieces.  Being placed next to street curbs may slow traffic and create a visually pleasing path.  Further design using resources such as ASLA, American Society of Landscape Architects [2] can further create environmental and community health benefits.

 

  In relating to the large population of Martin Drive’s high elderly population, Daniel Bluestone’s case studies of historic preservation and how composed space can elicit memory are critical in designing both structures and a walkable landscape [3].  Working from a gridded approach may further elicit sense of memory and can further become a wayfinding approach.  The topographic qualities of this place may also help further this idea.  With a constant slope towards the railroad valley that slides along Martin Drive East and the industrial area to the south adds to a major landmark, the railroad. 

 

  As Kaufmann describes unprotected resources of some communities, Roger Trancik explains three theories of spatial design theory in his book, Finding Lost Space.  Trancik explains, “Aspects of planning guidelines including nodes and landmarks of cities [4].  As nodes and landmarks of cities, large or small, are important they may be used as valuable resources.  These are points that the community knows by memory, even if that place has changed over time.  These places may even be points, lines, or views that have seen change over time by community members and by the observer and researcher.  Many examples exist in the Martin Drive area such as street name changes and paths of travel.  These simpler places will be further tested and shaped into wayfinding approaches.

 

  Audax Mabulla explains approaches to setting aside space for protected landscape and building space in his study on Tanzania’s protected areas [5].  Mabulla further describes how human and nature interaction can occur in interior and exterior spaces.  This has been a commonality throughout the world from Mabulla’s studies in Tanzania to Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings and projects in the United States.  A disconnect between human and nature interaction exist in terms of protected and unprotected spaces.  As some historically significant buildings are protected, ignoring of the surrounding landscape exist as some forces such as development occurs.  In a recent Milwaukee article, moving of a historically significant home may occur. (FIND AND LIST ARTICLE).  As the home will be protected the surrounding land will change as development occurs.  Appropriate measures should be taken to achieve positive heritage management.  If the home is moved from its location, its memory as being some type of landmark in that place will be erased.  The question to answer is how to approach historically significant locations, properties, parcels through its surrounding community and through design.  During my study of my Kohl’s building site, these ideas have been challenged.  The below graphic shows a street, parking lot and building layer as it stands and how I imagine it being redesigned to be used as a walking path.

 

(INSERT IMAGE OF HAND DRAWN DESIGN)

 

While drawing this initial proposal, past and current history has had an impact.  The proposal includes small niches within a slight hill, of a past homes foundation.  These niches are carefully planned based on a pattern of industrial columns and shapes such as gears.  With help from John Gurda’s book, The Making of Milwaukee, design choices have emerged such as the idea of a rich industrial past [6].    

 

1 Tactical Urbanism

2  ASLA

3  Bluestone Daniel, Case Studies.

4  Trancik

5  Mabulla

6  Gurda, John

 

 

Political:

 

Political themes include city to state wide initiatives and goals.  This is achieved through comprehensive planning of space and environments.  Challenging of these initiatives and goal is necessary in the development of contemporary programming, explained above in Ned Kaufman’s view of Preservation practice and Mabulla’s case studies.  Mabulla’s studies may also be studied in terms of community stewardship.  As zoning rules and regulation exist throughout the world these may become issues that negatively affect preservation practices.

  Through initial site visits and community interaction stewardship, or an individual’s caring of his or her property and community, has emerged.  Small community practices such as empty lot design approaches and increasing curb appeal has occurred.  Taking this step further may have more than one affect.  Greening an edge of a walkable path may have positive health and environmental effects.  As my initial approach to rethinking the layering of a full public zone – street, to a semipublic to private zone – a building’s interior and walkable path is challenging [1].  

 

1 Zoch

 

 

Economic:

 

  Economic themes in some instances decide what can and cannot be created.  As maps of the areas poverty levels explain, this is one aspect to be considered from initial design to lasting and future planning.  Affordable housing practices will be considered through materiality and functional approaches.  Other important factors include:

• Availability of resources

• Time and willingness of owner upkeep

• Future affects

• Qualitative and SWOT analysis

 

 

Programming Themes:

 

• Create safety

• Create place to come to - awareness

• Create pleasing aesthetics

• Create catalyst