CAROLINE ELLISBarnard + Columbia | Architecture

6054 AltschulBarnard College

New York, NY 10027

Contents

Chandigarh: Public Space CategorizedIntervention proposals to reclaim Chandigarh’s open spaces.

The New Town Field Guide.Photography.

Ice Device to Ice Cream ShopIce cream shop on the 53rd St. and Park Ave median

conceived from pedestrian traffic and wind flow analysis.

Billboard / GardenVertical garden in East Harlem that rises high above the elevated Metro North elevated railway

that uses advertising principles to create an environmentally and socially sustainable vertical community garden facility.

Traffic Patterns on 53rd StreetAnalysis of the traffic patterns on 53rd Street between Madison and Lexington Avenues

that uses hand drawing techniques to articulate pedestrian traffic patterns.

Trinity Churchyard Viewing PlatformA raised structure over the historic Trinity Churchyard

whose form derives from analysis of people’s lines of sight.

DISPOSING

NAPPING

PARKING

STORING

WALKING

POP-UP WEDDING

PLAYING

DIVIDING

DRYING LAUNDRY

Cha

ndig

arh

| Pub

lic S

pace

CAT

EGO

RIZ

ED

Much of the identity of Chandigarh’s sectors centers around its public space. As the greenest city in India, and coined as the “City Beautiful,” it is indisputable that open space abounds here.

But Chandigarh suffers infrastructural difficulties that keep its residents from capitalizing on all of the potential laid out in the original plans. To westerners accustomed to constant civic regulation and structure, the informal uses of the parks can be seen in positive or negative lights.

This project acknowledges the biases of the westerner, but quickly moves past judgment to make objective responses to the current public space conditions.

This project seeks to identify and define the characteristics of Chandigarh’s parks, and outlines possible interventions that might be undertaken throughout the city. The goal of these interven-tions is not to serve as set design schemes, but rather as a means to start a conversation with the residents and everyday users of Chandigarh’s parks, who are most familiar with the parks’ needs.

Originally presented in conjunction with a powerpoint presentation and a film interpreting the ground plane condition in Chandigarh; a powerpoint presentation of 7 New Towns from around the western world; and a publication of a New Town Field Guide detailing the conditions of the 7 New Towns and Chandigarh.

DESIGN III SENIOR STUDIOFall 2011Critic: David Smiley

First impressions of Chandigarh’s pocket parks documentation and classification

The initial reaction to Chandigarh’s green spaces might be characterized by shock. They deviate from the lush greenery connoted by Le Corbusier’s original sketches and plans for the prototypical sector. These drawings tend to assert themselves more strongly in one’s pre-conceptions of a city lacking Google Street View and whose current state remains relatively underdocumented on the Internet.The filter of one’s own western understanding of what a public space is, influenced greatly by Olmsted’s iconic Central Park and New York City more recent public open space renovations, is also likely to affect one’s expec-tations of the pocket parks. In Chandigarh, the difference in the definition of public and private behavior is exhibited in residents’ uses of the public parks. It is not uncommon to drape wet laundry on the fences sur-rounding the parks, and the ubiquitous playground equipment is often in a decrepit state, but typical western “acceptable” uses abound as well. The goals of the project was not to “train” Chandigarh’s inhabitants to view their pocket parks in the western sense, but rather to bring a greater order to the informal uses that make these open spaces what they are and to facilitate a more enhanced usage of the parks.

Alter your perception

Chandigarh’s public parks as seen through a negative / western lens

and through a positive / nonwestern lens

PARKING

MONDAY

PARKINGRotating system by which parking is permitted in certain parks, on on certain days

STORAGEShelving structures keep construc-tion materials off the ground

NAPPINGCots fold out from wall providing for local -siesta- culture

STRAIGHT PATHSPaved straight paths allow for streamlined through traffic of pe-destrians and small vehicles

TRASH DISPOSALFume hoods allow for trash burning while reducing harmful pollution

LAUNDRYA bungee system provides a tem-porary means for drying without compromising entire space

How can we intervene in Chandigarh’s public parks?

Chandigarh as one of 8 new towns:

the NEW TOWN FIELD GUIDE:

CHANDIGARH, INDIABRASILIA, BRAZILCERGY-PONTOISE, FRANCEMILTON KEYNES, UKRESTON, USAVALLINGBY, SWEDENPENDRECHT, HOLLANDVESHNYAKI, RUSSIA

SCA

LE C

OM

PAR

ISO

N

PRELIMINARY ANALYSES

Columbia

Manhattan

Pendrecht

Mayer Superblocks

Chandigarh Sectors

Mumbai Slum

Chandigarh, IndiaNovember 2011

Chandigarh, IndiaNovember 2011

The ice device advantage of the cooling effects of the wind to keep the ice cold. The ice cream shop on the median on 53rd and Park Avenue draws on the science of the ice device.

By placing the ice cream shop on an angle on the median and exploiting the ice device’s wind funnel shape, I redirected the path of the wind and 53rd street pedestrians to shape season-specific public spaces.

The interiors / programmatic spaces were derived from the negative spaces created by the form of the building.

The crux of the project lies in the paradox of exterior interiors, or environments that are insular but at the same time completely open to the environment.

ICEdevice to ICECREAMshop

DESIGN I STUDIOFall 2010Critic: Janette Kim

windflowthroughicedevice

PLAN 1/32”=1’

PARK AVE

park ave

52ND ST

53RD ST

building building

53rd st

53rd st

53rd st

53rd st

SEAGRAM BUILDING

RACQUET CLUB

LEVER HOUSE

Win

d fl

ow p

atte

rns

Park

Ave

nue

and

53rd

Str

eet

seagram building

racquet club

park ave plaza

SECTION 1/32”=1’

park ave

park ave

52nd st

building building lever house

SEAGRAM BUILDING

PARK AVE PLAZA

RACQUET CLUB

SEAGRAM PLAZA

WIND PATTERN

POTENTIAL PEDESTRIAN PATHS

HEAT FROM SUNKEN PLAZA

cross section1/8”-1’

up

up

downdooownn

locationmedian between 52nd and 53rd streets on park avenue, at the intersection of mies van der rohe’s seagram building, s.o.m.’s lever house, and mckim, mead & white’s racquet club.

goalto design an ice cream shop comprising of multiple microclimates and keeping with the circulatory nature of the median

challengesnature of the median as a stop-off point rather than destination; crosstown traffic flow decreases a good deal moving east of park avenue

productan open building with interiors and programmatic spaces derived from the negative spaces created by the shape of the structure. the wind funnel shape functions is a means of redirecting both pedestrian pathways and cooling air flow. the microclimates pro-duced allow for season-specific spaces: “summer” spaces such as an outdoor movie theater on the roof and a sunken, heated “winter” courtyard nestled below the apex of the building.

structurepoured concrete with steel infrastructure

up

up

downdooownn

winter conditions

summer conditions

plan1/8”-1’

plan1/8”-1’

cross section1/8”-1’

up

up

downdooownn

locationmedian between 52nd and 53rd streets on park avenue, at the intersection of mies van der rohe’s seagram building, s.o.m.’s lever house, and mckim, mead & white’s racquet club.

goalto design an ice cream shop comprising of multiple microclimates and keeping with the circulatory nature of the median.

challengesnature of the median as a stop-off points rather than destination; crosstown traffic flow decreases a good deal moving east of park avenue.

productan open building with interiors and programmatic spaces derived from the negative spaces created by the shape of the structure. the wind funnel shape functions as a means of redirecting both pedestrian pathways and cooling air flow. the microclimates pro-duced allow for season-specific spaces: “summer” spaces such as an outdoor movie theater on the roof and a sunken, heated “winter” courtyard nestled below the apex of the building.

structurepoured concrete with steel infrastructure.

up

up

downdooownn

winter conditions

summer conditions

plan1/8”-1’

plan1/8”-1’

Billboard / Garden

DESIGN I STUDIOFall 2010Critic: Joeb Moore

design 1, project 2, fall 2010

SITE | Above and below the elevated MetroNorth railway on Park Avenue bet. 111th and 112th Streets

East Harlem is a neighborhood where fresh produce is extremely difficult to attain. However, it is not lacking in residents striving for healthier lifestyles. This vertical garden draws from its unique location between a school and a community garden. It is sustain-able both because of its garden aspect and for its teaching of healthier food habits. Building on the motif of billboards throughout Manhat-tan, the growing walls of the garden also function as billboards advertising and advo-cating for the garden.

lect

ure

hall

clas

sroo

m

com

mun

ity

kitc

hen

outd

oor g

arde

n

mov

ie th

eatr

e

PLACING-PROGRAM INTO RAMPS

PLACING GROWING SCREENS INTO TRUSSES

Cross section 3/32”=1’

Cross section 3/32”=1’

Sectional perspective

Plan 3/32”=1’

53rd Street

Park

Ave

nue

Lexi

ngto

n Av

enue

Madi

son

Aven

ue

TRAFFIC PATTERNSon 53rd Street

ABSTRACTION STUDIOFall 2009Critic: Todd Rouhe

At four points along 53rd Street between Madison and Lexington Avenues, a 3-foot wide roll of common white paper was rolled out on the sidewalk perpendicular to traffic.

Data was collected to examine the pedestrian traffic flow when the paper was rolled out without explanation, and when a person holding a clipboard and asking -survey- questions stood on the paper. Footprint data was collected by spraying the paper with water before and throughout the experiments.

On site, the speed of the people passing over the paper was approximated and noted. Their behavior was also noted. Off site, the footprints left behind were examined.

Pedestrians were wary of the paper.Many stopped at the paper and pondered its purpose.Several jumped over it.A few redirected their paths into the street to avoid the paper.Many sped up to cross over it.

A few stopped to answer questions. Fewer still inquired about the paper. Most veered away from the clipboard-wielding person. Many sped up to avoid the clipboard-wielding person. Clipboard person seemed the distract people from the paper’s presence.

53rd Street between Madison and Park Avenues

53rd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues

plan

walked over at same speed

REACTIONS OF PASSERSBY TO PAPER AND SURVEYTAKER

53rd Street between Madison and Park Avenues

53rd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues

passed over with longer stride

attempted to jump over but landed on paper

jumped over completely

Trinity Churchyard-VIEWING PLATFORM

This device was invented to measure the angles of people’s heads around the Trinity Church cemetery. It was used to assess the most popular sights viewed from the church-yard.

From this, the viewing "funnels" integral to the design of the platform were determined.

The platform sits in a controversial position above the graves in the southern section of the historic cemetery.

PERCEPTION STUDIOSpring 2010Critic: Nicole Robertson