HonorsThesisTemplate

Copyright © by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo 2007

All Rights Reserved

SANTA MONICA CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM OF ART

A DOCUMENTATION OF THE DESIGN

PROCESS AND EVOLUTION

by

LIESIL ALDERFER ARREDONDO

A Creative Project

Presented to the Faculty of the Honors College of

The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements

for the Degree of

HONORS BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON

May 2007

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Fond regards to Professor Martin Price for his wealth of insight and for allowing

me the opportunity to see architecture through his eyes. I would like to thank the

Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, David Jones, whom has earned

my trust and admiration. As my Honors College Mentor, numerous times David Jones

has been willing to lend his professional advice and recommendations. My deepest

gratitude goes to Associate Dean David Jones for his assistance in making this Honors

distinction possible.

The spirit of the Honors College has been parallel to that of the School of

Architecture. That is, to push one’s self beyond where you first thought you could.

Having gone farther than first imagined, feels great! The time and effort that UTA’s

professors, Honors counselors and staff have invested in me is much appreciated.

May 08, 2007

iii

ABSTRACT

SANTA MONICA CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM OF ART

A DOCUMENTATION OF THE DESIGN

PROCESS AND EVOLUTION

Publication No. ______

Liesil Alderfer Arredondo, HBS - Architecture

The University of Texas at Arlington, 2007

Faculty Mentor: David Jones, Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture

The presentation includes the investigation of a given site and the process of

developing a design for a museum of contemporary art that will engage the complexity

of the context in which it would sit.

The chosen site is the Santa Monica Pier. The Pier is a rich fabric including a

mix of cafes, shops, vendor carts, aquarium, carousel, arcade, Ferris wheel and parking.

The solution takes into consideration the important role and unique spirit of the pier.

Contemporary art comes in all shapes and sizes, which requires versatile spaces

in which to be displayed. Folding spaces into horizontal floor planes and roof planes

that are in communication with the site is a focus that when tempered with a reminder

iv

that the simpler the form the more powerful, proves to be an exciting challenge. One

philosophy being considered is that a contemporary art museum might contain galleries

to confront art, because many contemporary artists prefer confronting spaces not neutral

ones to display art.

The project includes several different media in expressing the architectural

concepts of the design. Plans and sectional drawings and a sequence of

parti/developmental drawings will be shared along with small, abstract, conceptual

physical models to express pure form. Large physical models will be shared to express

feelings in three dimensions.

The solution involves a spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and

spatially exciting to move through. The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though

space, to involve a relationship between art and architecture.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS................................................................................................ viii

Chapter

1. SANTA MONICA ……................................................................................ nn

1.1 Santa Monica Pier…………...................................................................... nn

1.2 Program for a New Museum.................................................................... nn

2. CONTEMPORARY ART............................................................................. nn

2.1 Contemporary Art ............................................................................... nn

2.2 Understanding Contemporary Art............................................................ nn

2.2.1 Tim Hawkinson………………………………………………………….…… nn

2.2.2 Brice Marden............................................................................ nn

2.2.3 Bruce Gray................................................................................ nn

2.2.4 Frank Stella.............................................................................. nn

3. THE PIER - SITE ANALYSIS..................................................................... nn

3.1 The Pier – Site Analysis........................................................................... nn

3.2 The Santa Monica Pier and Context........................................................ nn

vi

4. DEVELOPING FORM ............................................................................... nn

4.1 Developing Form ............................................................................... nn

4.2 The Evolution of the Form.................................................................. nn

5. DEVELOPING SPACE ............................................................................... nn

5.1 Developing Space ............................................................................... nn

5.2 Developing Space ............................................................................... nn

6. CIRCULATION………................................................................................. nn

6.1 Circulation……….................................................................................nn

7. ORGANIZATION ……................................................................................ nn

7.1 Organization …................................................................................... nn

8. PLANS AND SECTIONS............................................................................. nn

8.1 Plans and Sections...............................................................................nn

9. FAÇADE DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................ nn

9.1 Façade Development........................................................................... nn

10. OVERVIEW……………............................................................................. nn

10.1 Overview………............................................................................... nn

CREDITS................................................................................................................... nnn

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION......................................................................... nnn

vii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure Page

2.1 Tim Hawkinson: “Uberorgan”......................................................................... 6

2.2 Brice Marden: “Cold Mountain 3”.................................................................. 7

2.3 Bruce Gray: “Angry Dog”............................................................................... 8

2.4 Bruce Gray: “Triad Chair”............................................................................... 8

2.5 Frank Stella: “Moby Dick”.............................................................................. 9

2.6 Frank Stella: Berlin Exhibition........................................................................ 10

2.7 Frank Stella: “Prairie, (incorporating the ship)”.............................................. 10

3.1 Google Earth: Santa Monica Pier ................................................................... 12

3.2 Santa Monica Pier Site Detail.......................................................................... 13

3.3 Autocad Drawing of the Santa Monica Pier.................................................... 14

3.4 Santa Monica Hippodrome on Opening Day 1909.......................................... 15

3.5 Google Earth (Hippodrome highlighted)......................................................... 15

3.6 Current Day Photo of Hippodrome.................................................................. 15

4.1 Initial Idea Sketch............................................................................................ 17

4.2 Sean Townley: “Wave”................................................................................... 18

4.3 Study Model of Initial Form............................................................................ 18

4.4 Waves of the Pacific Battering the Pier........................................................... 19

4.5 Crowds that Frequent the Pier......................................................................... 19

viii

4.6 Sketch Developing Preliminary Form............................................................. 19

4.7 Study Model of Preliminary Form .................................................................. 19

4.8 Simple form studies considering Movement and Accentuation of Pier.................................................................................. 20

4.9 Study Drawings: Accentuation of Pier............................................................ 20

4.10 Model: Accentuation of Pier............................................................................ 21

4.11 Study Drawing: Movement of a Wave............................................................ 22

4.12 Movement of a Wave....................................................................................... 22

4.13 The Study of Motion to Develop Form........................................................... 22

4.14 Progressive Models: Developing Form........................................................... 22

4.15 Progressive Model: Developing Form............................................................. 23

4.16 Long figure titles should not extend too close to theright margin, break the line and single space the entry like this................................................................................................... 23

2.4 Be sure to align all page numbers against the right margin............................. nn4.4 Long figure titles should not extend too close to the

right margin, break the line and single space the entry like this................................................................................................... 19

2.4 Be sure to align all page numbers against the right margin............................. nn

ix

x

SANTA MONICA

CHAPTER 1

1.1 Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier, home to the historic Hippodrome and its carousel, is

finish line to the famed Route 66. It is a 1,600-foot-long wooden pier that acts as

carnival, market place, amusement park and fishing wharf. All of its hats are worn

simultaneously and all work together as an artistic collage. The fluid and multifaceted

environment of the Pier screams at a chance to be home to a contemporary museum of

art, in a sense it already is the museum. Located 16 miles due west of Los Angeles, the

Pier draws large crowds all year round.

To assess the needs of the future museum a visit to the existing Santa Monica

Museum of Modern Art at Bergamot Station was valuable. The visit brought to my

attention the need for a flowing gallery space, in which to view art. Versatility of space

is important for different Contemporary Art offerings. Some modern art requires the

placement of walls to be an integral part of the works themselves while certain

collections require no walls at all. The requirements and open concepts needed to

1

insure this versatility is what will be studied and developed as the form and space of this

contemporary museum of art evolves.

1.2 Program for a New Museum

The current museum director, Lisa Malandry, shared that the entire gallery

changes its collection on display every three months. Reconfiguring the space is a

necessity and the new museum must allow for the ease of continual reconfiguration.

The director’s wish list for the new museum includes a need for space not to

compete with the art. She communicated the need for a neutral space with a program

that includes 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of:

galleries

book store

administrative offices

food area

loading

parking

The square footage may be added to if eliminating existing functions to be

replaced within the new concept. The existing museum is 10,000 square feet.

The project includes the investigation of the given site and the process of

developing a design for a museum of contemporary art that will engage the complexity

2

of the context in which it will sit. There are several expressive locations at the pier to

choose from. The pier is a rich fabric which includes a mix of cafes, restaurants, shops,

vendor carts, aquarium, indoor carousel, play land arcade, ferris wheel and parking.

The solution takes into consideration the important role and the unique spirit of the pier.

3

CHAPTER 2

2.1 Contemporary Art

To begin, it is necessary to understand the many different shapes of

contemporary art and what it includes. Developing a design for a museum of

contemporary art involves a process that includes acquiring an understanding of what

contemporary art is. Viewing and conceiving the depth of shapes that contemporary art

takes on is the crux of understanding the requirements of a contemporary art museum.

A study of well known artists of the 20 th and 21st centuries is necessary to understand

the mindset and requirements of displaying their art appropriately. Contemporary art

comes in all shapes and sizes, which requires versatile spaces in which to be displayed.

2.1.1 Understanding Contemporary Art

Professor Martin Price suggests that the “philosophy should come from an

architectural concept that has a point of view, containing galleries to confront art,

because artists prefer confronting spaces not neutral ones to display art”. He states

“perhaps a museum can be an art work as well as merely a container for art”.

2.1.2 Tim Hawkinson

Looking at a few of my favorite contemporary artists’ works will show the

breadth of art work available to museums today. Tim Hawkinson works with a varied

medium. One of his most written about pieces is the Uberorgan. It is a massive

4

musical instrument that fills any gallery it visits. Each site it goes to changes its size

and complexity. A quote from Tim Hawkinson shows his thought process,

“I made really basic shapes and then really crude drawings or patterns of the shapes. It's good that they were so crude because it really allowed for a lot of play in the actual fabrication when we started sewing them together. I mean these balloons are huge. Like the size of a small school bus. To sew them there was one person on the sewing machine and two other people that were there just to feed the material through. There was a lot of mass to deal with just in their uninflated state. Well using the materials, just these thin membranes filled with air, it had a very attractive quality for me. Thinking of sculpting with air. In a lot of my work I use transparent materials, especially in mechanical pieces, because I like to be able to see what's going on and keep everything very light and visible. This had kind of an ethereal quality that really appealed to me. And also, it was a really economical way of filling the space and I liked the idea of traveling light. This thing that could really go up in a week and it's just so expansive and organic also.”1

A paragraph from Moshun Jacker’s essay about Tim Hawkinson explains more

about his work and inspiration process and how the viewing leaves the observer.

“His work often engenders an element of performance, highlighting an interest in surrogate interaction. The fact that much of his work deals with elements of time be it music, clockwork gears, thumbnail growth, or machines recreating his signature, alludes to the artist’s desire to somehow live and interact beyond his mortal limitations. Much like the engineers and designers making products that seem to live autonomously among us (ie: Prague’s clock tower, a Mercedes Benz, ATM’s, this computer I am typing on). Time and space always have hovered as themes in his shows but this show is more concise. The time it takes a normal reader to finish Moby Dick, the time it takes to sail across a sea or the time it takes to digest a Hawkinson piece in our own Uberorgan all deal with prolonged periods of time.”2 

1 http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.html2 http://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.html

5

Figure 1.1 Tim Hawkinson: “Uberorgan”

2.1.3 Brice Marden

Brice Marden is another favorite artist of mine. His Calligraphic line paintings

are gorgeous, and require very large wall area. William Ganis writes about his works:

“In 1987 Brice Marden astonished the cognoscenti with his calligraphic line paintings. These new works, though understated, seemed brash compared to his signature monochromatic panels with nuanced beeswax and pigment. For three prior decades Marden’s work was grounded in layered physical materials whose surface often took on the sensuousness of human flesh….

Marden’s first major linear painting series, “Cold Mountain,” extends the ailanthus drawing technique to oil paint, linen and monumental scale. Cold Mountain 2, 1989-1991, shows an organic scaffold of somber blues, blacks and whites on muted warm ground. Like the drawings, the lines are expressionistic and prone to accidental occurrences. The marks constantly shift weight, direction, and trace hard angles along with liberal curves….

As the decade progressed, Marden’s palette became hotter and more vivid while his lines became more controlled. Painterly nuances once derived from paint layering now in the nineties come from a material paucity in thin washes and flat paint application. In dematerializing his already spare

6

technique, Marden sometimes sands the paint to the canvas’ nap, thus literally leveling the hierarchy of support and medium.” 3

Figure 1.2 Brice Marden: “Cold Mountain 3”, oil on linen, 9’x 12’

2.1.4 Bruce Gray

Bruce Gray, who has a broad variety of work including furniture pieces and

sculpture, speaks of his art in an interview with Robin Emerson of Strobe Magazine:

"I like to avoid pretentious art scenarios. I'm not really too much for that; I think my art speaks for itself. If I was going to glue a cement brick to a wall, I'd have to come up with a major line of bullshit for it." His work is frequently very humorous, and he says he likes to make "...stuff that can cheer you up. Why shouldn't you have things in your home that make you smile or brighten up your day?" he asks. "I'm not really into depressing art. I appreciate some of it, but I can't really picture having it in my house where I'd see it all the time." 4

3http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/BM.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/brice_marden.html&h=377&w=500&sz=279&tbnid=6j6A7_iwIwGyYM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrice%2Bmarden&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

4http://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.html

7

Much of Gray’s work is constructed by hand in welded aluminum. The "Angry

Dog": (16x48x16) functional art table is fabricated in steel and painted with high quality

automotive enamels or powder-coated.

Figure 2.3 Bruce Gray: “Angry Dog” Figure 2.4 Bruce Gray: “Triad Chair”

Bruce Gray created his Triad Chair completely by hand. The individual pieces

of aluminum sheet were cut with a 40 amp plasma cutter and MIG welded with a 1 lb

spool gun. Gray chooses to use aluminum for its shiny appearance, easy workability,

corrosion resistance, and the light weight material makes his limited edition sculptures

easier to handle and ship than other materials.

2.1.5 Frank Stella

The final contemporary artist that I will share is by far my favorite. Frank

Stella’s range of work is broad. The early works known as the “black paintings” show

8

precision and rationality that characterizes minimalism. Although those early works are

minimalist in nature, his more recent work has evolved over the years into something

very different.

Figure 2.5 From Stella’s “Moby Dick” exhibition

“His innovative and influential use of irregularly shaped canvases first appeared in his metallic series in 1960. Later examples of his work stress color in decorative curved motifs. In the 1970s and 80s, Stella abandoned the studied, minimalist aesthetic in favor of a more improvised, dynamic, and dramatic idiom in mixed-media. During that time he abandoned flat paintings and instead created large, jutting, multipart, three-dimensional painting-constructions that often incorporate bright colors, enlarged versions of French curves, and lively brushstroke patterns.”5

5 http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0846629.html

9

Figure 2.6 An exhibit of Stella’s work in Berlin

As Stella has changed, his work has also grown in size. An example of this is

his Prairie collection of sculpture.

Figure 2.7 Stella: “Prairie, (incorporating the ship)”

This brief look at Contemporary art is meant to communicate the size

requirements and diversity of spatial needs in Contemporary Art Museums.

10

CHAPTER 3

3.1 The Pier – Site Analysis

11

Every site has its strengths and weaknesses. The Santa Monica Pier is an

amazing draw to people, and because of this will be far more lucrative a site than the

current Burgamot Station. In addition to this strength, the Pier has a built in character,

an entertainment district in its own right. While being the right sort of environment for

a Museum of Contemporary Art, the Pier does have some flaws to address. While

looking for possible flaws, the layout and existing circulation of the site must be

analyzed. Ultimately, the site analysis looks at how the Santa Monica Pier will

influence form which in turn affects gallery space.

3.2 The Santa Monica Pier and Context

Because the Pier is the primary element of the site, it must remain hierarchically

most important. Nothing on the site should steel away the importance of the Pier. The

goal therefore is to engage the pier with the new museum design.

Figure 3.1 Santa Monica Pier

Taking a look at the existing site layout brings some problematic areas to my

attention. Site improvement observations:

12

• Parking lot overwhelms the site

• Difficult transition from parking to pier

• City storage trailer and work yard an eyesore

• Continuity lacking along the ground level pedestrian walkway

• Walkway loses effectiveness when confronted with parking lot

There are three elements to focus on:

Figure 3.2 Santa Monica Pier Site Detail

• Major pedestrian path from parking and the beach. (green)

• Building housing shop, café and two apartments up stairs. (orange)

• City storage trailer and work yard. (red)

As the primary goal is to engage the pier, my chosen site takes cue from the

pedestrian path, following the meandering curve it makes, connecting the beach and

parking to the Pier.

13

The building housing shops, a café and two apartments on its second floor,

appears to be haphazard, a building that has been added onto for each new function. To

engage the pier on both sides, the new museum will utilize this land and include the

existing building’s functions into the museum’s plans, as required in the program.

The land now used as a Santa Monica City work yard and storage facility will

also be used for the new museum, creating a rectangular swathe surrounding the Pier.

Its storage and City work area will be incorporated into the new museum plans.

Figure 3.3 Autocad drawing of Santa Monica Pier

The solution is a contemporary art museum that connects, in a multi level way,

the beach, walking path and parking to the pier.

The site has one building that is considered precious to the history of the Pier

and the Santa Monica community. The Hippadrome, an oddly shaped building is

protected by the local Historic Society. The building, directly across from our building

site, takes its shape from the famous carousel it houses. Its cone shaped roof is one of

the defining elements of the Pier.

14

Figure 3.4 Picture of Hippodrome in 1909 Figure 3.5 Hippodrome on site (highlighted aqua)

In developing the form of our new museum, the Hippodrome must be

considered. Because of its unique shape and historic preservation, competing for

dominance of form is inappropriate. The form chosen must not match the Hippodrome

in oddity; rather it should minimize itself, leaving the stage for the building that has

held its ground for nearly 100 years.

Figure 3.6 Current day view of the restored Hippodrome

15

To recap, the site’s advantages are:

• The chosen site connects the beach via the walking path and parking to the pier.

• The new museum will be located at the main entry of the pier and will be the first pier attraction available to visitors.

• The museum will serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level and the lower beach level.

Having the site chosen, naturally leads into the development of form. The curve

of the pedestrian pathway, as well as the meandering of the beach, both play a part in

the evolution.

CHAPTER 4

The challenge set before me was to develop a design that involves the land.

Professor Martin Price suggested that, “the land should not just be sat upon but

integrated into the concept fold. A simple composition of oneness of form down into

the ground and up into the sky. Lift the ground up into the sky and bring the sky down

into the ground.”

16

Figure 4.1 An initial idea sketch

The concept of bringing the sky into the ground along with the contributing

oceanic environment surrounding the Pier lead to incorporating the movement of a

wave into the form. The nature of a wave stirs up and mixes earth with air, this initial

idea was a place to begin.

4.1 Developing Form

17

Figure 4.2 Sean Townley’s “Wave”

The ebb and flow of the incoming and outgoing waves creates movement that is

emulated in the initial form. Study models worked with the idea of this tidal movement.

The project includes several different media in expressing the architectural

concepts of the design. Small, abstract, conceptual physical models express pure form.

Large physical models express feelings in three dimensions. Developing a sense of

movement in the initial model helped later models find their form.

Figure 4.3 Study model of initial form

The dominate element is the Pier, enveloped by the movement of the ocean and

the goings and comings of the people who frequent it. The pier is the only thing that

remains stationary while a world of movement surrounds it’s every member.

18

Figure 4.4 Waves of the Pacific battering the Pier Figure 4.5 Crowds that frequent the Pier

That movement will be reflected and will encompass the new museum, as it will

be a connector between the beach at the lower level and the Pier.

Figure 4.6 Sketch Developing Form Figure 4.7 Form evolving into geometric shapes

The Pier, being the primary element, must be accentuated.

19

Figure 4.8 Simple form studies considering movement, while accentuating the Pier

• In this exercise the Pier is cradled by the form. Initially the Pier would have

appeared to be resting on the form, yet after considering other options; the act of

touching the pier lessened its due place in the hierarchy.

Figure 4.9 Study drawings toying with accentuating the Pier

• Surrounding the Pier, yet leaving a void between the form and it, accentuates its

importance.

20

Figure 4.10 Study model considering the accentuation of the Pier

Interacting with the Pier becomes the focus, keeping in mind the abstract form

of a wave.

The essence of a wave is defined by its movement; pulling up, pushing down

and stirring up. Positives and negatives come into play, creating a rotation of angles.

The rotation of angles is in essence the rotation or planes. This movement, like a wave

can be repetitive, yet at the same time is so unique in its every individual motion.

The idea of consistency of inconsistency is exciting. This concept is complex to

confront, while keeping in mind that simple forms are most powerful. Creating a form

that emulates this idea in a simple way is a challenge. Because of the depth of meaning

behind movement being transformed into a stationary form, the evolution takes on a life

of its own.

21

Figure 4.11 A study of motion Figure 4.12 a churning wave coming in

and then going back out to sea

Figure 4.13 Sketch using movement to develop form

From the initial form a quite different creature evolves:

Figure 4.14 Progression of Study Models Developing form

22

Figure 4.15 Progression of study models developing form

Studying the site shows the importance of the pedestrian pathway leading from

parking to the beach, and indirectly to the Pier.

Fugure 4.16 Initial study drawing of the footprint embracing the pedestrian pathway

The walking path allows for access to the museum from the lower level as the

Pier is linked to the upper level.

The museum will serve as a means of circulation between the two levels.

Figure 4.17 Geometric form follows the grade of the hillside

23

Figure 4.18 Figure Ground view from the Pacific

• The curve of the beach is a guide for the contour of the form.

• The Pier pierces through the heart of the form creating a separation, an

opportunity to distinguish service from served.

The context determines the placement of the form on site. Our main concern is

to work with and not take away from the historic Hippodrome, while still accentuating

the pier. This is done successfully by allowing the narrow end of our form to rest on the

side of the Pier where the Hippodrome is dominant. The form is therefore not

competing with the existing context, but in an indirect way, allowing the Hippodrome to

remain the dominate member on the entertainment side of the Pier.

The form has been developing. Interior space and circulation naturally are the

next step in the process of designing the museum.

24

CHAPTER 5

One of the challenges set forth was the concept of the need for a flowing gallery

space, in which to view art. Versatility of space is important for different

Contemporary Art offerings. Some modern art requires the placement of walls to be an

integral part of the works themselves while certain collections require no walls at all.

The requirements and open concepts needed to insure this versatility is what will be

studied and developed as space and circulation of this contemporary museum of art are

conceived.

5.1 Developing Space

The possibility of art being of immense size, as in Tim Hawkinson’s Uberorgan,

requires a flowing space and varied volumes of height to be available. To achieve a

continuity of space and circulation, different studies toyed with the use of planes as

circulation. Floor planes becoming larger ramps in which the whole floor moves the

visitor through the collection.

25

Study exercise of floor planes acting as ramps

Space and circulation in this instance are one and the same. Though the

exercise above explains the concept of rotation of planes to serve as circulation, fitting

all of the ramps within a box limits our space versatility. Rather than spiral circulation

the next exercise is an attempt to use different combinations of ramping with as little as

possible being parallel.

Sketchup study of planes

Exhibition space is also acting as interior circulation, while creating level

changes as it flows. This space is creating different vantage points in which to view art.

The museum goers will be looking down and up at art displays on multi-levels as they

move through the space.

26

Study models exploring spatial sequences

Objectives of spatial sequences

• Utilizing gradual ramps to guide the viewer through the collection.

• The ramps are not merely corridors of circulation but spatial planes housing art.

Professor Price describes the dynamics of the spatial planes that should be

sought. “Create and think in cross section. Fold spaces into a fluidity of horizontal

floor planes and roof planes that embrace and envelop the site. Dynamically push out

and pull in transparent and opaque surfaces.”

Preliminary study model working with ramping planes

27

One discovery from such exercises was that space is more exciting when

looking down on it, than when looking up. This discovery brings us to the point of

developing circulation.

Sectional model of exhibition spaces

28

CHAPTER 6

The main entry has a very important role to play in creating a dynamic first

impression of the space. The elements that can help entice the viewer’s senses are

multi-levels on one floor, interesting volumes of space, double and triple volumes, and

circulation entering in and out from interior to exterior and back again. It is a goal to

touch on each of these points in determining the entry sequence, and the ultimate

architectural promenade.

Study of entry ramping and planes

The pier is the primary line of motion:

29

The crowds that frequent the Pier

6.1 Circulation

While there are two major circulation routes on the site, the Pier is the primary

line of motion. It is important to vertically have the main entry closer to the level of the

Pier than to the lower level Pedestrian path.

Section showing pier level in relation to museum main entry level

30

Diagram showing main entry from the Pier

The museum will serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level

and the lower beach level, connecting the beach and parking to the Pier. Because of the

dynamic quality of the pier, and the reputation of being an entertainment district, the

appropriate mode of circulation should be a leisurely one. In keeping with the gradual

movement through space it is important to continue using ramps to create spatial

interaction even in those zones that are strictly circulation, appose to stairs. To

accomplish this, the continuity of the ramps from interior to exterior will be used to

network the pedestrian pathway to the Pier.

Diagram showing the sequence of exterior

circulation from the Pier to the main entry

and on to the pedestrian pathway below

31

Entry from the Pier – orange / Entry from the walking path – green

The pier is the primary line of motion, as the primary goal is to engage the pier,

the ramping from the pedestrian path moves in and out between the interior datum wall

of the museum, and the imaginary zone created by the meandering curve of the walking

path it rises from.

Datum wall (red) / pedestrian pathway (green)

The system of exterior ramps connect the beach and parking to the Pier, with

museum entry accessible from both.

32

From the entry we move to the challenge of developing a successful interior

circulation. Professor Martin Price suggested that the solution will involve a “dynamic,

spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and spaciously exciting to move through.”

The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though space, to involve a relationship

between art and architecture.

CHAPTER 7

7.1 Organization

A system of hierarchy is apparent when studying the final form. The larger and

more dominate wake of the tidal form is reserved for the dominate function of the

building. That is, the Exhibition Halls and Gallery are housed on the right hand side of

the building, the taller end of the proverbial wave.

Cross-sectionally, one can view the Exhibition Hall cradling the auditorium.

This placement is a metaphor referring to a space reserved for lectures and educational

offerings, where the artist expounds upon the works surrounding those in attendance.

33

Spatial organization charts:

Exhibition Hall cradling the Auditorium (a gem, the source of knowledge)

Function is separated by the pier, service functions placed on the left Those functions to be celebrated and served are placed to the more dominate right

Celebrating the exhibition and gallery space is important, and the chart above

depicts a hierarchical order. The Pier is accentuated by the careful enclave created by

the surrounding museum. Second only to the Pier is the exhibition space, leading to and

cradling the auditorium. Administrative function, acting as literal land-lord, is placed

on the highest floor, symbolically reining over the apartments and retail space below.

Developed model

Organization of each individual floor goes into much greater detail, yet for the

most part the individual floor plans follow the organizational diagrams on page 33.

34

CHAPTER 8

8.1 Plans and Sections

The ground floor is accessible from the pedestrian pathway and the parking lot.

Directly across from the Hippodrome are spaces reserved for retail and café usage (blue

on the first floor plan, next page). The scooping down of the form on this side of the Pier

brings the building down to human scale, offering services to the pedestrians at ground

level.

35

Also at ground level is the Santa Monica City storage area and work shop (teal on

the first floor plan, next page). This being replacement space for the eliminated work yard and

storage trailer on the current site. Access to the work shop is recessed under the main

entry of the museum, acting as a subservient service area to the public domain. This

area may also serve as an annex to the city parks department, a ‘behind the scenes’

beautification office.

A covered loading dock leading to the museum is also intended to conceal the

City service vehicles gaining access to the work shop.

8.1.1. Plans

8.1.1.1 First Floor

36

Blue – Retail/Café

Aqua – City use (Replacing storage trailer and work yard)

The second level houses three apartments that may be kept to offer

accommodations to the visiting lecturers or to be leased on a monthly basis to bring in

revenue for the museum or City (yellow on the second floor plans). Each apartment has access

to a balcony acting an exterior leisure area.

Exhibition and gallery space (tangerine on the second floor plan) is accessed by way of a

wide ramp coming from the floor above. The way of egress, in addition to the

emergency exit that leads to stairs and elevators on the left side of the building, is

through another wide ramp leading up to the exterior patio beneath the Pier (the exit doors

of this ramp are shown on the third floor plans).

Also on this floor is the Auditorium, the culmination of the Museum tour.

37

8.1.1.2 Second Floor

Tangerine – Exhibition Hall

Peach – Auditorium

Purple – Public Restrooms for the Gallery

Aqua – Storage and Art Prep rooms

Yellow – Apartments

Entering the third floor by way of a wide ramped plane leading from the main

entry on the forth floor, allows the visitor to view the second floor double volume space

below and any large scale sculptural works on display from both levels. The exhibition

space is also acting as interior circulation, while creating level changes as it flows. This

space is creating different vantage points in which to view art. The combination of

interesting volumes of space, double and triple volumes, and circulation ramping on the

inside and outside of the main exhibition space creates multiple ways of viewing the art

on display. The museum goers have the opportunity to experience art on a variety of

levels as they move through the space.

38

The primary entry to the administrative offices is from the “patio” directly

beneath the pier. The patio is accessed by way of a ramp leading down from the pier.

The patio acts as a lounge area that has ample room for cart venders and may be a

favorable location for an outdoor market. The patio is also the main exiting point for the

museum, and will support ample traffic for venders.

To the left of the offices is a large interior reception/waiting room that is flanked

by a private conference room.

8.1.1.3 Third Floor

Tangerine – Exhibition Hall

Green – Administrative Offices

As stated earlier, space is more exciting when looking down on it, than when

looking up. On the forth and entry floor, the element that helps entice the viewer’s

39

senses is the multi-levels spawning from one floor. The architectural promenade begins

on the median level and allows the meandering spirit of the visitor to take charge. The

visitor has a vantage point of planes leading up and down to choose from, a dynamic,

spatial circulation pattern that is sequentially and spaciously exciting to move through.

The goal is to develop a sense of art moving though space, to involve a relationship

between art and the viewer experiencing the art in multiple space offerings.

The ticketing and entry foyer is culmination to an entry corridor created by a

cantilevered wall that marks the arrival from the pier. The entry foyer enables access

to the museum gift and book store (blue on the forth floor plan). An angled wall defines the

separation of the gallery from the circulation zone; this wall also separates the retail

function of the museum (book store/gift shop) from the art itself, keeping the spirit and heart

of the museum pure and unadulterated.

A contemporary mural painted on the entry corridor wall would be visible from

the Pier and would act as a draw to ramp goers entering from both the Pier and the

pathway ramps.

Model showing possible mural on the interior entry corridor wall / red indicates possible location of digital screen

40

Another appropriate place for a mural or possibly a digital screen, advertising

the collection on display, would be the exterior wall of the gallery flanking the Pier

(shown in the model on page 32), a visual offering for those commuting through the causeway

created by the museum building surrounding the pier.

8.1.1.4 Forth Floor

Tangerine – Exhibition Hall

Blue – Book Store/Gift Shop

Green – Ticketing and Entry

Reviewing the sectional drawings helps to visualize movement through space

vertically.

An exterior circulation zone (denoted in pink) is broken up into two parts. The

literally exterior portion of the zone is to the right of the datum wall, and the interior

41

portion of the circulation zone sits between the two great load bearing walls. This

interior zone of circulation is intended to act as the “safe zone”, to withstand heavy

loads that may persist in the case of an earth quake or tidal storm.

8.1.2. Sections

Tangerine – Exhibition Hall

Pink – Circulation

Aqua – City use – Storage

Green – Administrative Offices

Yellow – Apartments

Peach – Auditorium

Blue – Retail/Café

Knowing the layout and organization of the interior sheds light and

understanding on what is required to develop the Façade.

42

CHAPTER 9

9.1 Façade Development

Many factors contribute to the evolution of a façade. Allowing interior function

to be readable from the exterior is one way to begin the process. In the case of a

contemporary art museum, lighting must be factored in. Contemporary art museums

43

must be versatile in the ability to produce natural and artificial light. The roofing panels

on the Santa Monica Contemporary Art museum would be fabricated in a way that they

are easily retracted into the upper roof to be stored in order to allow for natural lighting

should the current display call for it. When the panels are shut, the interior is

completely void of natural light and lit by artificial means, as many art works require.

A sculptural composition by Frank Stella grabbed my attention while searching

for inspiration regarding the museum’s façade.

Study of Frank Stella piece Model showing façade negative and positive form

The forms and voids that Stella pushed up and down, communicated a

movement that was related to the movement of the ramps of the museum design. The

roof façade adopted the movement of the gradual dissolve of the entry ramp into the

form. The balcony zone for the second floor apartments mimicked this void while the

Pier acted as a protrusion as if playing a game with additive and subtractive elements.

44

The front façade, visible from the pedestrian pathway and sea side of the Pier,

also plays a game with positive and negative voids, reflecting the inner workings of the

circulation ramps. The stationary rise and fall or the ramps appear to be in motion,

much like the workings of the entrails of a machine with people as the conduits.

Model showing undulation of the ramps reflected in the front façade

A review of the elements that are echoed in the façade:

• The rising and falling of form and void

• Positive and negative space

• Contemporary art museums must be equipped for natural and artificial lighting depending on the collection’s specification

• Fenestration is hidden until needed

• Entry void draws visitors into museum

45

Lastly, yet most importantly, the museum must fit into the context. As stated

previously, the presence of the Hippodrome must be considered. Because of its unique

shape and historic preservation, competing for dominance of form is inappropriate. The

form chosen must not match the Hippodrome in oddity; rather it should minimize itself

allowing the Hippodrome its earned status.

To accomplish this contextual unity our form narrows as it transfers functions

from the gallery side of the Pier to the administrative office side. This narrowing of

its stature decreases the importance of the form on the side of the Pier where the

Hippodrome is dominant. The form is therefore not in competition with the existing

context.

46

The main entry into the Santa Monica Pier with a model of the museum design inlayed

47

CHAPTER 10

10.1 Overview

The Santa Monica Pier is a dynamic site that is a rich fabric that can sustain a

contemporary art museum successfully. The new museum proposed would be located at

the main entry of the pier and be the first pier attraction available to visitors. The

museum would serve as the gateway to the pier from both the upper city level and the

lower beach level.

Objectives Met:

• Fits into the context of the Pier

48

• The solution connects, the beach, walking path and parking to the pier.

• Surrounding the Pier, yet leaving a void between the form and it, accentuates the importance of the Pier.

• Contains galleries to confront contemporary art, multi-levels on one floor, because space is more exciting when looking down on it.

I will leave you with a quote that has everything to do with a museum of art and

its spatial requirements. The ability to experience art in diverse settings, allowing for

several different views while moving through dynamic spatial sequences, is what I

strove for in designing the Santa Monica Contemporary Museum of Art.

“The form in which space is presumed to exist is the framework of our perception of the world. Space, as idea, is the intangible qualifier of our vision of form, of location and dimension, establishing the relative measure among physical things.”

Steven Kent Peterson“Space and Anti-Space”Harvard Architectural Review

49

Figure : Model inlayed into aerial site photo

50

APPENDIX A

TITLE OF APPENDIX HERE IN ALL CAPS

51

Appendix A Content

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

CREDITS

Photo Sources:

Thanks to Nelson Cuellar for sharing his photos from Santa Monica, taken Fall, 2006.http://www.isama.org/conf/isama00/wlms/moca-org.htmlhttp://www.gardendome.com/uberorgan/Uberorgan.htmlhttp://the-artists.org/ArtistView.cfm?id=8353EA24-BC89-4188-B90A29438F1955ABhttp://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.htmlhttp://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/latest3.htmlhttp://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E3DE123DF930A15756C0A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fS%2fStellahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_StellaPhotos of models and drawings taken by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo

Models and Drawings:

All models were constructed by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo

All drawings by Liesil Alderfer Arredondo

Quotations:

Quotes from Professor Martin Price were from personal notes taken from lecture and from course syllabus.

Peterson, Steven Kent, “Space and Anti-Space”, Harvard Architectural Review

Websites consulted for Artists’ background and interviews:

http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0846629.htmlhttp://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/strobe2.htmlhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/BM.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.earthlink.net/~dadaloplop/brice_marden.html&h=377&w=500&sz=279&tbnid=6j6A7_iwIwGyYM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrice%2Bmarden&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

59

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/clip2.htmlhttp://www.slowcrack.com/artlooknyc/uber.html

60

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Liesil Alderfer Arredondo’s professional goals are clear and they have

everything to do with Architecture. Her goals revolve around becoming a Licensed

Architect. Upon becoming licensed, she plans to form her own firm. The firm will be

defined by a concentration on sustainable design. Her interests are focused on

designing eco friendly living and working environments. In addition to an Honors

Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Liesil Alderfer Arredondo has a minor in History.

This distinction was earned in order to set a foundation for a professorship in

Architectural History if so desired in the future.

61