Towards Anarchitecture

Towards Anarchitecture, Part 3

AIAnyc Center - 16 December 2009

Three speakers, originally trained as writers, discuss their transition towards architecture.

Dan Graham’s current work includes interactive transparent sculptures. Formally, the pieces contains echoes of Richard Serra, substituting heavy sheet metal for transparent and translucent panels. The sculptures succeed in their claustrophobic feel and its somewhat disorienting, reflective funhouse quality. He’s a bit chatty and spends a lot of time explaining the meaning behind his work—which comes across as overcompensating.

James Wine, one of the original founders of SITE, describes buildings as sculptural objects. Not surprising, considering their BEST stores back in the 60s—which seems directly related by Gordon Matta Clark’s Building Cuts. SITE’s buildings tend to work at a visceral level---but comes across as empty upon further contemplation. Predictably, he finds inspiration in Libeskind, Gehry, and Zaha.

Vito Acconci provided the most interesting and complex work. He found that his gallery shows tended to be site specific espousing that art was contextual and not universal. His work demonstrates how architecture can activate space. Some of more interesting works include the US/Soviet Instant House, the West 8^th Street elevated subway façade, and the body umbrella. The island project in Austria is formally interesting, but comes across as lost between lightness and structurally brutal.

Vito Acconci’s Instant House

http://amica.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/searchq=AMICOID=MCAS.1984.6%20LIMIT:AMICO~1~1&sort=INITIALSORT_CRN,OCS,AMICOID&search=Search

The 21st Century Campus : Vendanta University, Orissa India

Vendanta University

India’s higher education is dominated by tech and trade schools that provide training for specific and existing jobs. Indias need for universities is further exacerbated by a system functioning well beyond capacity; Existing universities can only offer one seat for every 10,000 qualified applicants.

Vendanta University attempts to introduce a more western and multidisciplinary approach to education. The project is in its planning stages and sited near Puri, Orissa along the coast of East India. Ayers Saint Gross was selected for the master planning. They decided to impose overlapping ovals upon the site—a symbolic gesture to Indian mythology. It’s a bit of a one liner and relatively uninteresting. However, it does seem to service the needs of the campus efficiently

The primary task for the university’s success will be its ability to attract world class faculty while convincing the relatively conservative population that value can be found through studying art theory or sociology.

The 21st Century Campus Series

Adam Gross Design Principal, Ayers Saint Gross

Pawan Agarwal Civil servant in the Indian Government and author of Indian Higher Education, Envisioning the Future

19 Washing Square North

16 December 2009

East Side Access

Urban, underground, infrastructure….

The complexities of coordinating the MTA, LIRR, Metro North, Amtrak is quite a daunting task. We always hear whispers of a fabled Second Avenue Subway line and East Side Access. Most of the funding has been allocated and construction continues. Although completion dates tend to be fluid, the projects seem to be on track.

East Side Access routes the LIRR directly to Grand Central—thereby allowing direct access to the Manhattan’s East side. Currently, Long Island residents needing to get to the East Side are forced to either exit earlier in Queens and transfer to the subways or backtrack eastwards from Penn Station.

The project, in some form or another, has been 40 years in development. The design is scheduled to be completed in August 2010 with the project finishing up in 2016. The lengthy process, a discussion best saved for another time, stems from lack of funding and political will.

One hot topic always surfaces with massive public projects—eminent domain. In most cases, I’m fundamentally opposed to it. However, in this instance, the needs of the city outweigh the individual or corporations’ right to own property. As always, the “greater good” is a subjective matter. Simply put though, public transportation justifies eminent domain while a basketball stadium does not.

I look forward to seeing the final design. The duration forces the project to be amorphous, as technology and codes continue to evolve. Unfortunately, budgetary restrictions have eliminated a lot of direct street access from the LIRR. The new tracks will be constructed below the existing Metro North track. Thus, street access requires a much greater degree of vertical penetration than the Metro North and most subway entrances.

Misc Notes:

The project has been 40 years in development.

Design should be complete in August 2010 and completed in 2016

LIRR connected to the East Side of Manhattan

Frees up Penn Station

Trash removal through trains

4-5 townhouses removed for the 50th Street Vent Building.

Lots of street entrances were axed,