statement	introduction	site	program	methodology	precedents	development
site The 'site' is an immensely important component to the thesis. Not only does this proposal deem the conventional use of most sites as inappropriate, but finding the optimal site is essential to the avoidance of seeing the entire program undermined. My plan concerning the site is a cyclical sequence of proposals, investigations, categorization, and repossession. The sequence may begin or end at any of these points, but the initial intent is as follows: Ideas of the characteristics of the sites that are acceptable and desirable to the thesis will be classified; they may or may not exist within Los Angeles, and, if they do, they may not be immediately recognized. Next, locations throughout the land will be investigated for their resemblance to the proposed characteristics; these classifications will be open-ended enough to allow for the expectation of sites that will be discovered which demand attention but do not align themselves into the initial proposed descriptions. Next, the investigated and documented sites will be categorized in a system that will declare which introduction of programs, exchange of programs, or removal of programs, is most appropriate. The response to the site may be universal, in which case, each site determining how an absolute is adapted to it; inversely, the response to site demands may require a degree of capitulation to forces that are irrevocable. This final stage of repossession is naturally the question to be determined. Preliminary characteristics that the sites should carry:    marginalized    inefficient    abandoned    inconvenient    blighted    inaccessible    godforsaken    obstructed    stranded     Provisional Ideas for site typologies:    Vacant New (ex: office towers)    Abandoned Old (ex: unfashionable hotels)    Outmoded Industry + Trade + Enterprise (liability)    Bypassed Commerce (displaced infrastructure)    'dead technology' (ex: dirigible hangars)    Overzealous Anticipation (ex: rooftop parking)    metro stations ('top' and 'interior')     1) Vacant New (unleased office towers) To curb the vacancy rate of new space, particularly traditionally rigid shelters such as office towers and blocks, studies would be undertaken to discover the appropriateness and feasibility of reevaluating the need for a typical character of the 'office' tenants. Depending on the location and physical accommodations of the tower, various proposals could be made concerning alternative lifestyles for the occupants. Certain percentages of the tower could be rezoned or reinterpreted for use by tenant who typically would not inhabit - in some cases, not be allowed into - the towers. An example: The infrastructure and accessibility, of course, will strongly guide the course of these possibilities. Artist studios vs. recording studios.     2) Abandoned Old (unfashionable hotels) A simple cosmetic upgrade can often gather interest in abandoned or unoccupied buildings. In the common case of extreme disinterest in an entire district or township, the challenge would be to discover how drastic the architectural steps would be to discover must be before the interest has returned. The steps will possibly enter the realms of urban design, in which case the architect's interference may be inappropriate or absurd.     3) Outmoded Industry + Trade + Enterprise (liability) (fig. 1) At this point, all I can postulate is how an effective strategy of reoccupation can become attractive to the potential tenant, client, and owner. Of course, there is also the question of how these tenants, clients, and owners are identified, located and contacted. In the reoccupation of a heavily industrial site, there is the possibility that questions of health and safety will arise. They must be addressed, but care must be taken that economic concerns do not outweigh them. Perhaps architecture can exploit its utilization of the latest - insofar as the 'latest' is available to the public - technology to address this final question of economy, by providing answers that would conserve finances.     4)Bypassed Commerce (displaced infrastructure) (fig. 2) Southern California is full of instances where cities, towns, and intersections were once so tied to a line in between two places that - from 'nothing' - they almost became places -or 'something' - in their own right. A simple alteration in the flow of transportation, however, can leave a formerly thriving inhabitation stranded without means of support. Two questions arise: the first asks if something that once existed due to its proximity to a 'place' could become revalued for a quality I will call 'essential distance'; the second question asks whether or not these castaways are worth saving. 'Essential distance' refers to the degree to which a place can claim to be a retreat from the intensities of urban development upon which, ironically, it once thrived. Where once an establishment, such as a motel, boasted of its convenience to a thoroughfare, it can possibly be just as successful by exploiting its 'peace and quiet'. On the other hand, if these places that are severed from their lifeline are truly 'dead', there may be no reason to save them. As though subject to the process of fossilization, they may function more efficiently and serve more valuably as a ruin that they would as a salvaged wreck.     5) 'dead technology' (dirigible hangars) (fig. 3) These examples are similar to those caused by 'outmoded industry', but are less affected by excessive amounts of residue from the previous occupation and more hindered by formal conditions. The excuse for abandonment could be that there is no reasonable reuse for a space that was specifically and meticulously designed for a program so demanding that it borders on ornery. Is it then necessary that similarly extreme programs be found, or is there a simple key that might open the door to a more common set of programs? Is there something other than human occupation sought?     6) Overzealous Anticipation (rooftop parking) (fig. 4) In some cases, a developer may over-anticipate the physical requirements of a project's program. The local infrastructure may be substantial enough to accommodate a program that could be meant to supplement, augment, complement, or disregard the original program for which the infrastructure was built. The situation could also be one of a seamless reoccupation that nevertheless involves an unusable remainder of the original program. The rooftop parking situation could be examined with the intent to see what changes are most effective and affective to either the original or subsequent program. The choice of programs could be guided by the relationship between the existing sites. A high degree of interaction or circulation between the sites would support the implementation of programs that complement each other; for example, a rooftop neighborhood playground may bring in more customers for a grocery store. On the other hand, in situations where the entrance/exit interface between the store and parking lot is awkward or difficult to navigate, the park may be more appropriate above a program with which there is not an obvious correlation, such as an office supply store or infant hatchery, in order to prevent a tremendous expense that may occur with a reconfiguration of circulation.     7) metro stations ('top/street surface' + 'interior/circulation') At best, this is a sketch, as it hinges on the relevance of the metro in Los Angeles; can its academic consideration become anything more than a condescending musing or quaint departure from the norm? My interaction with the Los Angeles metro system has been limited, but there is a noticeable distinction between it and others with which I have more experience. If the Los Angeles metro does not carry the numbers, relative to the targeted population, that those in other cities are, would it become more attractive with attached program or would these programs disintegrate immediately? It is not beyond reason that that I am, if the reader will allow me the indulgence of use of the vernacular, 'way off base here'.     return to top   thesis content written by and property ashley moore, 2000-2015 valid: xhtml css