Latency
VatsalThesis
Fall-SpringArch
An Attempt
the Latent Qualities of
and Integrate Suburban Lifestyles
L i b e r a t e d
D e s a iB o o k l e t2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 05 7 3 - 5 7 4
t o L i b e r a t e
S u s t a i n a b i l i t y
i n t o U r b a n i t y
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
2
Contents
What is Latent?Thesis Topic
Goals and ObjectivesThesis QuestionsThesis Research
Precedent ResearchOn SustainabilityThesis Program
Site SelectionClimate Analysis
Site AnalysisProject Development
Site PhotosPreliminary SketchesExisting Master plan
New Master planDesign AnalysisDesign Phase 2Design Phase 3Design Phase 4Design Phase 5
Bibliography
34456 - 89 - 1 92 0 - 2 12 2 - 2 32 4 - 3 93 4 - 3 53 6 - 3 73 8 - 3 94 0 - 4 14 2 - 4 54 6 - 4 74 8 - 4 95 0 - 5 55 6 - 6 36 4 - 7 17 2 - 8 18 2 - 1 2 11 2 2 - 1 2 3
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W h a t i s l a t e n t ?Te c h n o l o g y a n d i n n o v a t i o n r e q u i r e y e a r s o f r e s e a r c h , g o v e r n m e n t f u n d i n g , a n d a l o t o f i n f r a s t r u c t u r e f o r i m p l e m e n -t a t i o n o f a p a r t i c u l a r p r o d u c t .
S u s t a i n a b i l i t y , a s a n i d e a , a f a d , a t r e n d i n t e r m s o f p r o d -u c t d e v e l o p m e n t a n d s a l e s , w i t h i n a r a n g e o f s c a l e s h a s s t o r m e d t h r o u g h m a i n - s t r e a m m e d i a . I t i s d i f f e r e n t f r o m p r e -v i o u s t r e n d s b e c a u s e t h i s n e w w a y o f l i v i n g h a s a d r a m a t i c e f f e c t o n o u r e n v i r o n m e n t .
H o w e v e r , i t i s t h e s a m e a s a n y o t h e r i n n o v a t i o n o r p r o d -u c t , b e c a u s e i t r e q u i r e s y e a r s o f r e s e a r c h , f u n d i n g , a n d i n f r a -s t r u c t u r e f o r i t s e f f e c t s t o b e n o t i c e d .
T h e e f f e c t s o f s u s t a i n a b i l i t y a r e l a t e n t . A l t h o u g h m a r k e t -i n g a n d p r o d u c t s h a v e b e g u n t o s c r a t c h t h e s u r f a c e , t h e r e a r e a l o t o f i s s u e s r e g a r d i n g t h e s t a t u s o f o u r e n v i r o n m e n t . T h e f a c t i s t h a t w e c o n t i n u e t o c o n s u m e a t a m u c h f a s t e r r a t e t h a n w h a t i s a v a i l a b l e . A l t h o u g h s o m e r e s o u r c e s m a y b e a v a i l a b l e , p e r h a p s t h e q u e s t i o n a t l a r g e i s d o w e r e -a l l y n e e d a l l t h a t w e c o n s u m e ?
H o w c a n w e b e g i n t o c o n -d e n s e , c o n s e r v e , c o l l e c t , a n d c o l l a b o r a t e a s a c o m m u n i t y t o h e l p i m p r o v e o u r e n v i r o n m e n t ?
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Thesis Topic
This project is the redevelopment of an urban infrastructure
incorporating suburban and
sustainable lifestyles. In essence, re-meshing
suburbia into urban environments to make
living in dense cities more appealing.
G o a l s a n d O b j e c t i v e s
W h y i s i t i m p o r t a n t ?
S u b u r b a n s p r a w l l e a d s t o h i g h e r l e v e l s o f C O 2 e m i s s i o n s d u e t o w o r k e r s f o r c e d t o d r i v e t o w o r k . S u b u r b a n s p r a w l a l s o e n c r o a c h e s o n w i l d l i f e p o p u l a t i o n s , d e f o r e s t a t i o n , a n d o c c u p a t i o n o f v a l u a b l e f a r m l a n d , a n d u s e s m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s f o r u n n e e d e d a d d i t i o n a l i n f r a s t r u c t u r e . Tr a c k h o u s e s a n d d e v e l o p m e n t s a r e c o n s t r u c t e d w i t h o u t u s i n g s u s t a i n a b l e p r i n c i p l e s a n d e f f i c i e n t d e s i g n . S u b u r -b a n s p r a w l r e s u l t s i n s e p a r a t i n g c o m m u n i t i e s a n d d i s s o l v e s t h e r i c h f a b r i c o f o u r d i v e r s e c u l t u r e s .
H o w d o I p l a n o n r e s o l v i n g i t ?
D e n s e l i v i n g e n v i r o n m e n t s t o d a y a r e n o t a p p e a l i n g t o t h e m a s s e s . T h e s e u r b a n e n v i r o n m e n t s p r o v i d e t h e n e c e s s a r y i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , w i t h o u t a d d i t i o n a l c o s t s , t o d e v e l o p s u s t a i n a b l e h o u s i n g . C u r r e n t z o n i n g t r e n d s d e p i c t a m o r e o u t w a r d s p r a w l i n g a p p r o a c h , h o w -e v e r , i f t h i s z o n i n g w e r e t o b e c o m e s t r a t i f i e d , i t w o u l d p r o v i d e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r t i e r e d d e v e l o p m e n t a n d u t i l i z a t i o n o f a i r r i g h t s o f l o w - r i s e b u i l d i n g s . W i t h t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n o f m a s s t r a n s i t , b e t -t e r s t r e e t s c a p e s , u t i l i z a t i o n o f a l l e y s , r o o f s , a n d o t h e r n e g a t i v e s p a c e s , a n d s m a r t , s u s t a i n a b l e p r i n c i p l e s , t h e u r b a n e n v i r o n m e n t c a n b e g i n t o a p p e a l t o l a r g e r p o p u l a t i o n s . O n e i n d i v i d u a l c h o o s -i n g t o m o v e t o a d e n s e u r b a n c i t y i s n o t g o i n g t o p r o d u c e a d r a -m a t i c c h a n g e i n t h e l e v e l s o f c o 2 g a s s e s , n o r i s 2 5 % o f p e o p l e . T h i s i s m o s t l y b e c a u s e , a l t h o u g h i n d i v i d u a l s m a y b e d r i v i n g l e s s t o w o r k , t h e i r h o m e e n v i r o n m e n t s t i l l i s n t s u s t a i n a b l e . H o w e v e r , w h e n 2 5 % o f p e o p l e m o v e t o a d e n s e c i t y t h a t h a s b e e n d e s i g n e d w i t h s u s t a i n a b l e p r i n c i p l e s , t h e e f f e c t s b e c o m e a d d i t i v e o r m a y b e e v e n e x p o n e n t i a l . A n d b y m a k i n g t h e u r b a n l i v i n g e n v i r o n m e n t w i t h s u b u r b a n c o n t e x t u a l e l e m e n t s , m o r e p e o p l e w i l l b e w i l l i n g t o m a k e t h a t m o v e .
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T h e s i s Q u e s t i o n s
W h a t w i l l I l e a r n t h r o u g h t h i s p r o j e c t ?
I w a n t t o d i s c o v e r t h e m e a n s a n d m e t h o d s t o z o n i n g , u r -b a n p l a n n i n g , s u s t a i n a b l e p r i n c i p l e s , b u i l d i n g r e - u s e , l a t e n t s p a c e r e - u s e , a n d p r o v i s i o n o f o t h e r i n f r a s t r u c -t u r e n e e d e d t o a t t r a c t a p o t e n t i a l s u b u r b a n u s e r t o a n u r b a n e n v i r o n -m e n t . M o r e s p e c i f i c a l l y , I w a n t t o b e a b l e t o d i s c o v e r t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d i n t e -g r a l m a n n e r i n w h i c h a l l o f t h e s e e l e m e n t s b e g i n t o s i m u l t a n e o u s l y c o e x i s t w i t h i n a n e w u r b a n m a s t e r p l a n .
Thesis Questions (cont.)
Are there potential alternatives and issues to be addressed?
As suburban sprawl invades valuable farmland, the population increases, and the amount of available resources continues to deplete, the solution to the
problem seems to be sustainable urban environments. However, what occurs to the existing expanses of suburban real estate? This project deals with inject-
ing suburban lifestyles back into the urban environment. Is there a possibility of implementing this new proposed system of a sustainable city back into the
suburban lifestyle? What will the differences be? If people choose to move from suburbia back into the city, what
happens to the vacant properties? Do they become scenes for crime and poverty? How do you address this potential outcome? What do you foresee as
a potential solution that addresses new urban cities, as well
as suburban developments?
This diagram shows the relationship between rural and urban environments and the need for a more integrated way of living. Perhaps there does not need to be a distinction between the two, and rather they exist as one larger environment.
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
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6Thesis Research
It is estimated that sixty percent of the popula-
tion in the United States is overweight, and 30
percent of the population is obese.
The list below shows how density and obesity
problems are related:
Lack of neighborhood side-walks and safe places for rec-
reation. Not having area parks, trails, sidewalks, and affordable gyms makes it hard for people
to be physically active.
Work schedules. People often say that they dont have time to
be physically active given the long hours at work and the time
spent commuting back and forth to work.
People living in counties marked by sprawling develop-
ment are likely to walk less and weigh more than people living
in less sprawling counties.
People in the most sprawl-ing areas are likely to weigh 6
pounds more than people living in the most compact counties.
The result of the study
provides us a basis point for investigation. A walking city under these
conditions is a goal of this project.
Thesis Research (cont.)
Human Inactivity Related to Sprawl
The lack of integrated cities, providing necessary living amenities, the great distances between living and working environments, as well as the lack of viable pubic transportation are causes for individuals to rely on cars. However, dense urban environments also have an increasing number of individuals who are overweight and or obese. The reason behind this is not the sprawl, although it is a factor for a lot of individuals, but that even in urban environments, the lack of a truly rich fabric of walk able streets does not exist. Individuals are more likely to walk in environments such as parks and river walks because they offer elements that dirty and dingy street sidewalks dont. The chart to the left shows how obesity has increased dramatically in US states, and that the US has the worst walk able cities in the world.
C a s e 1 :H u m a n S c a l e :
K e y E l e m e n t s : M a x i m i z e P r o x i m i t y M i n i m i z e D r i v i n g C r e a t e W a l k i n g C i t y
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Thesis Research (cont.)
Inefficiencies of Private Transportation
As the charts and statistics to the below depict, the inefficiencies of private transportation versus public transportation greatly out weigh their value to an
individual. The fact is that for every 1000 Americans, 765 of them have cars (Source: Green Car Congress). With the existence of suburbs, the separation from work, live, and play necessitate the existence for automobile ownership. It is also visible that the emissions from public transportation are significantly
less than automobiles, however current public transportation is still producing emissions. More sustainable solutions for public transportation need to be ad-
dressed through this project.
Thesis Research
Street congestion within a city is one of the leading causes to high percentage of CO2 levels.
The list below are facts from a study conducted by LTL Architects, published in Opportunistic Architecture.
25% of Urban traffic congestion is caused by people searching for parking. US Drivers spend 8+ billion hours per year stuck in traffic.
A lack of parking might be the issue, however its estimated that 1 meter of big box retail requires 1 meter of parking space. At current growth rates, Ikea, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and Kmart will cover the area of Switzerland in 40 years.
80% of crime at shopping malls and office parks occurs in the parking lot. A parked car is the second most popular site to conceive a child.
For 96 hours, over 100,000 people tailgate in the parking lot of the Florida-Georgia Football Game. The game runs about 3.5 hours with less than 75,000 Fans.
The result of the study provides us a basis point for investigation. Should cars be eliminated altogether?
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8Thesis Research
Suburban Sprawl is ex-pansive, inefficient, and
unsustainable.
Suburbs developed from an abundance of cheap oil and cheap land pric-es. All of our post WW2
wealth was invested in the infrastructure for
suburban lifestyles.
However, due to ris-ing gas prices, and the housing crisis which is
at its lowest point in the business cycle the sub-urbs have already begun
their decline.
The fact remains that the need for resources will never be subsided, and the continual rapid
consumption of avail-able resources will mean
increase in prices.
Larger Urban Cities will see a surge of develop-
ment within the business districts as well as water-front locations, however, the smaller more dense
cities, with access to local food production will be the ones who survive
this inevitable crisis.
The suburbs become the next stage of investiga-
tion.
T h e s i s R e s e a r c h ( c o n t . )
H u m a n I n a c t i v i t y R e l a t e d t o S p r a w l
L e v i t t o w n , N Y w a s t h e p r o t o t y p i c a l s u b u r b a n n e i g h b o r h o o d w h e r e c i t y d w e l l e r s f l o c k e d t o e n j o y a m e n i t i e s o f a l a r g e h o m e w i t h g r e e n l a w n . T h i s w a s t h e n e w d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e A m e r i c a n D r e a m . T h e l a n d w a s r a z e d o f t r e e s , a n d h o u s e s w e r e b u i l t i n r a p i d s u c -c e s s i o n , c r e a t i n g h i g h l y c o s t e f f e c t i v e h o u s i n g . H o w e v e r , a t t h i s t i m e , t h e s u b u r b a n f a d w a s a l u x u r y . N o w , t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f s u b u r b s r e s u l t s f r o m a n i n c r e a s i n g d i v e r s e p o p u l a t i o n , n e e d f o r h o u s i n g , a n d t h e v a r i e t y o f j o b s . T h e n e w s u b u r b a n n e i g h b o r -h o o d s a r e d e v e l o p e r d r i v e n , a n d a r e b u i l t w i t h o u t t h o u g h t t o s u s -t a i n a b i l i t y , e c o n o m y, o r e n e r g y c o n c e r n s . T h e g r a p h b e l o w s h o w s w h i c h o f t h e m a j o r s t a t e s a r e s t i l l s e e i n g r a p i d g r o w t h w i t h i n t h e s u b u r b a n l i f e s t y l e s .T h i s i n e f f i c i e n t p r o d u c t i o n o f h o u s e s h a s n o t s t o p p e d , a n d d o e s n o t a p p e a r t o b e s l o w i n g d o w n . W i t h t h e c u r r e n t e c o n o m i c c r i s i s , d e v e l o p e r s a r e s e e k i n g o u t b a n k s w h o w i l l f u n d n e w c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o j e c t s , m o s t o f w h i c h a r e i n A r i z o n a , a n d C a l i f o r n i a , w h i c h c o r -r e l a t e s t o t h e g r o w t h c h a r t b e l o w .
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P r e c e d e n t R e s e a r c h
T h i s p r o j e c t w i l l e x p l o r e p r e c e d e n t s i n t h r e e d i f f e r e n t f i e l d s . T h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e r e s e a r c h d o n e f o c u s e s o n s p e c i f i c e l e m e n t s w i t h i n a c i t y o r c i t i e s t h a t w i l l e v e n -t u a l l y i n f l u e n c e t h e o u t -c o m e s o f t h e m a s t e r p l a n , a n d p r o t o t y p e d e s i g n .
A d d i t i o n a l r e s e a r c h i n c l u d e s s u s t a i n a b l e t e c h n o l o g i e s , u r b a n - p l a n n i n g s t r a t e g i e s , a n d b u i l d i n g s c a l e p r o j e c t s .
I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t t h e s p e c i f i c c o r r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n s o m e o f t h e d a t a p r o v i d e d a n d t h e e f f e c t i t h a s o n o u r l i v i n g e n v i r o n -m e n t h a v e b e e n d r a m a t i c a l l y m a g n i f i e d o v e r t h e l a s t f e w d e c a d e s . T h e s u s t a i n a b l e p r i n c i p l e s w h i c h o u r a n c e s -t o r s d e v e l o p e d h a v e n o t c h a n g e d , b u t s o m e h o w o u r a b i l i t y t o e f f i c i e n t l y i m p l e -m e n t i m p r o v e m e n t s t r a t e g i e s h a s n o t k e p t u p .
T h r o u g h t h i s r e s e a r c h , t h e p r e c e d e n t s f o u n d b e g i n t o l a y a f o u n d a t i o n t o w h e r e t h e p r o j e c t w i l l a t t e m p t t o s t e e r i t s c o u r s e .
Statement Of Intent
Downtown Champaign
As the thesis research conducted to this point indicates, there needs to be a shift from suburban living lifestyles to urban environments. This shift
is a progressive and time consuming process, so as designers in the 21st century, how can we mitigate the latencies that exist in our urban environ-
ments to effectively make this shift easier to achieve. One such smaller metropolis is the city of Champaign, IL. More specifical-ly, the central business district which is bounded by Washington St. to the North, Randolph St. to the West, Logan St. to the South, and the railroad tracks to the East, has the potential to become a well designed, walkable,
sustainable, and habitable environment.Through a series of design phases, I plan on initially developing an Urban
Master plan for the central business district that focuses on a livable com-munity, density, and versatility in terms of zoning. These initial plans will be
the basis of investigation on a much smaller scale that will deal with the incorporation of suburban living lifestyles and mitigation of latencies which
exist in Urban environments.The Precedents to follow will be an exploration of different scales that will
help to inform the project of the successes of projects past. These proj-ects and precedent research will be a continuation throughout the project.
A more in-depth analysis of the Downtown Champaign central business district will follow the precedent chapter.
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Precedent Case 1:City Scale:
Portland, Oregon
Key Elements: Most Sustainable
US City Transportation
System Sustainable
Planning
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P r e c e d e n t R e s e a r c h ( c o n t . )
P o r t l a n d , O r e g o n
T h e C e n t r a l P o r t l a n d P l a n i s a s e r i e s o f U r b a n p l a n n i n g e f f o r t s s c h e d u l e d t o t a k e e f -f e c t o v e r t h e n e x t c o u p l e o f d e c a d e s . T h e p l a n w a s i n i t i -a t e d w i t h v a r i o u s m e t h o d s o f o u t r e a c h w h i c h r e s u l t e d i n m o r e t h a n 3 , 3 0 0 p e o p l e w h o p r o v i d e d t h e i r i d e a s o n w h a t w a s n e e d e d . T h e m a i n i s -s u e s d i s c u s s e d t h a t n e e d e d t o b e a d d r e s s e d , d e a l t w i t h t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , h o u s i n g , a n d t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . T h e r e w e r e a d d i t i o n a l p a r a m e t e r s w h i c h n e e d t o b e i m p l e m e n t e d i n o r d e r t o c h a n g e g r o w t h p a t -t e r n s w i t h i n t h e c i t y . A f f o r d -a b i l i t y , s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , c o m -m u n i t y - b u i l d i n g , a n d p l a c e m a k i n g w e r e a l l k e y e l e m e n t s w h i c h w o u l d t r i g g e r m o r e s u s t a i n a b l e g r o w t h .P o r t l a n d i s u n i q u e b e c a u s e t h e y h a v e e f f e c t i v e l y i m p l e -m e n t e d t h e s t r a t e g i e s d i s -c u s s e d a b o v e . T h e y h a v e m a i n t a i n e d a h i g h l e v e l o f s u c c e s s f u l u r b a n g r o w t h , a n d h a v e l i m i t e d s u b u r b a n s p r a w l . R e v i t a l i z a t i o n o f t h e i r C e n t r a l B u s i n e s s D i s -t r i c t , i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e i r m a s s t r a n s i t s y s t e m , a n d b e a u t i f i c a t i o n p r o j e c t s h a v e l e d t h e m t o t h e t o p o f t h e m o s t s u s t a i n a b l e c i t i e s l i s t p u b l i s h e d b y S u s t a i n L a n e s 2 0 0 8 l i s t . A t i t l e t h e y h a v e h e l d f o r f o u r c o n s e c u t i v e y e a r s .
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Precedent Case 2:Suburban Scale:
Key Elements: Increase Den-
sity Create
Suburban Lifestyle Reduce
Consumption of Re-sources
LT L A r c h i t e c t s
P a r k To w e r.
I n c o r p o r a t e s u s e r
n e e d f o r c a r s w i t h i n a
d e n s e u r b a n s t r u c t u r e
t o c r e a t e i n t e g r a t e d
l i v e , w o r k , p l a y e n v i -
r o n m e n t
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P r e c e d e n t R e s e a r c h ( c o n t . )
P a r k To w e r, LT L A r c h i t e c t s
P a r k To w e r a t t e m p t s t o i n -c o r p o r a t e p a r k i n g , l i v i n g , s h o p p i n g , w o r k i n g , a n d h o s -p i t a t i l i t y t e n d e n c i e s w i t h i n a d e n s e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e . I t e v e n a t t e m p t s t o c u t c o n -s u m p t i o n c o s t s w i t h a l a r g e p h o t o v o l t a i c s c r e e n w a l l o n t h e s o u t h s i d e . T h i s p r o j e c t s i n t e g r a t i o n o f p r o g r a m a n d p a r k i n g i s a w a y o f i n c o r -p o r a t i n g t h e s u b u r b a n c h a r -a c t e r i s t i c s w i t h i n a d e n s e u r b a n c i t y b u i l d i n g . T h e s u c -c e s s o f t h i s p r o j e c t c o m e s f r o m t h e f u l l i n t e g r a t i o n , n o t p l u g a n d c h u g o f f o r m u l a s .
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
14
Precedent Case 3:City Block Scale:
Key Elements: Building Reuse Fully Sustain-
able Architecture Effectively Pro-
vide for User Needs
E C O C I T Y, H a r b u r g
H a r b o u r , H a m b u r g , G e r -
m a n y. T h i s c i t y w i t h i n
a c i t y p r o v i d e s t h e
h i g h e s t s t a n d a r d s f o r
a n e f f i c i e n t , s a t i s f y i n g
l e i s u r e a n d w o r k p l a c e .
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
15
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
T H E E N E R G Y C O N C E P T
E C O C I T Y s o r g a n i c e n e r g y c o n c e p t a i m s f o r s e l f - s u f f i -c i e n c y, c r e a t i n g t h e s m a l l e s t p o s s i b l e e c o l o g i c a l f o o t -p r i n t . I t i s a s e l f - s u s t a i n i n g p l a c e t h a t d o e s n o t e x p l o i t , o r p o l l u t e t h e e n v i r o n m e n t b u t a i m s t o c o - e x i s t s i n h a r -m o n y w i t h i t s s u r r o u n d i n g s . T h i s i s g u a r a n t e e d b y t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f 2 1 s t c e n -t u r y t e c h n o l o g i e s s u c h a s :W I N D T U R B I N E SI c o n i c w i n d t u r b i n e s t o w e r o v e r t h e s i t e , g e n e r a t i n g t h e b u l k o f E C O C I T Y s e l e c t r i c -i t y . S m a l l e r v e r t i c a l w i n d t u r -b i n e s a r e d i s t r i b u t e d a c r o s s t h e s i t e , f u r t h e r p r o v i d i n g e m i s s i o n f r e e r e n e w a b l e e n -e r g y.
S O L A R E N E R G YS o l a r w a t e r h e a t i n g w i l l b e u s e d t o o f f s e t t h e u s e o f n a t u r a l g a s . S i t e l i g h t i n g w i l l b e p o w e r e d b y s o l a r t e c h n o l -o g y.
G R E E N R O O F ST h e m a j o r i t y o f a l l v i s -i b l e r o o f s w i l l b e g r e e n a n d p l a n t e d w i t h a m p l e t r e e s a n d f l o w e r b e d s , p r o v i d i n g a r -e a s f o r w a l k i n g , r e l a x a t i o n , c a f e s p a c e s e t c . T h e y w i l l h e l p s l o w d o w n t h e r u n o f f o f s t o r m w a t e r f r o m t h e s i t e a n d w i l l a v o i d o v e r b u r d e n i n g t h e m u n i c i p a l s t o r m w a t e r s y s t e m a s w e l l a s s i g n i f i -c a n t l y r e d u c e t h e h e a t i s l a n d e f f e c t o f E C O C I T Y.
M AT E R I A L ST h e p r o j e c t w i l l u t i l i z e e n v i -r o n m e n t a l l y f r i e n d l y m a t e r i -a l s w h i c h w i l l h e l p p r o m o t e a h e a l t h y i n d o o r b u i l d i n g a t m o s p h e r e . P a s s i v e d e s i g n t e c h n i q u e s a n d e f f i c i e n t f a -c a d e a n d b u i l d i n g d e s i g n w i l l r e d u c e e n e r g y c o n s u m p t i o n b y 3 0 % .
I
I
Treide
lweg
I
I
I
I
I
IV
I
I
I
Narte
nstra
e
IV
I
I
II
II
I
I
IV
P
I
II
I
I
II
III
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
II
II
II
I
5292
4326
2243 2260
2259
896
1015
2332
4344
3255
881
4836
893
956
955
4345
957
958
897
894
3252
3246
3247
892
895
2439
959
4830
2245
2333
2
3
3
3
1
4
4
4
7
6
2
4
5
5
2
3
3
4
14
5
3
10
13
2
9
8
11
2
12
3
1
21
1
19
1
16
1
21
14
1
25
112
1
23
T154
0
N0050
882
2
2267
5311
5092
883
4423
4831
2266
5312
2
903
B04
B03
NeubauHotel- / Broturm
B11B12
B13
B07B08
B10
B09
B01
B02
B05
B06
Neubau Logistikflchen
B11 und B12 - Bestand Hallen + Broanteil
Neubau Bro
NeubauParkhaus
Neubau Heidelberger(fertig gestellt)
Neub
au B
ro
(bea
ntrag
t)
Neubau Bro
Abriss Bestandsgebude Neubau nach historischem Vorbild.
Strassenfassade Bestand,dahinter Neubau Parkhaus.
Strassenfassade Bestand,dahinter, mit Abstand Hotel-/Broturm.
Maue
r Bes
tand,
mit D
urchfa
hrt!
NeubauParkhaus
Neubau Bro,nach hist. Vorbild
Bro (EG + OG)875 qm
Bro
(EG
+ O
G)
627
qm
Halle 770 qm
Halle 1.100 qm
Gebudetrennung
B14B15
Logistikhof
Gebudetrennung
Gebudetrennung
Bro
(EG
+ O
G)
320
qm Bro (EG + O
G)
600 qm
Halle 588 qm
Halle 522 qm
Halle 683 qm
Bro OG optional170 qm
GebudetrennungGebude-trennung
Gebude B13, B14, B15 auch als zwei Einheiten
oder als eine groe Einheit mglich!
Neubau Broturm/darunter Bestand Halle N
Bestand Gebude L
Bestand Kammfabrik
Flchenschema Masterplanmit Erhalt der Strassenfassadezur Neulnder Strasse
M 1 :1000Ecocity Hamburg Harburg07.05.2009
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
16
Precedent Case 4:Future Scale:
Key Elements: Community
Integrated Fully Sustain-
able Architecture Ultimate in
Net-Zero, Net- Positive Energy Design
M a s d a r C i t y i n A b u D h a -
b i , b y F o s t e r + P a r t n e r s ,
i s t h e f i r s t p l a n n e d c i t y
t h a t w i l l r e l y e n t i r e l y o n
s o l a r e n e r g y a n d o t h e r
r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y s o u r c -
e s , w i t h a s u s t a i n a b l e ,
z e r o - c a r b o n , z e r o - w a s t e
e c o l o g y
T h e c i t y i s p l a n n e d t o b e t h e n e x u s
b e t w e e n t h r e e s u r r o u n d i n g m a j o r
m e t r o p o l i t a n a r e a s . I t w i l l h o u s e t h e
s u s t a i n a b i l i t y i n s t i t u t e , a n d p r o -
v i d e s p a c e s f o r l i v i n g , w o r k i n g , a n d
r e s e a r c h i n g . I t w i l l f u l l y u t i l i z e a c t i v e
a n d p a s s i v e s u s t a i n a b l e s t r a t e g i e s t o
m a x i m i z e r e s o u r c e c o n s e r v a t i o n . T h e
c i t y w i l l i n c o r p o r a t e a f u l l y w a l k a b l e
l o w e r p l a z a , w i t h p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a -
t i o n a c c e s s i b l e f r o m w i t h i n t h e c i t y
a n d o u t s i d e o f t h e c i t y .
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
17
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
P r e c e d e n t R e s e a r c h ( c o n t . )
A s t h e f i r s t m a j o r h y d r o c a r b o n -p r o d u c i n g e c o n o m y t o t a k e s u c h a s t e p , A b u D h a b i h a s e s t a b l i s h e d i t s l e a d e r s h i p p o s i -t i o n b y l a u n c h i n g t h e M a s d a r I n i t i a t i v e . T h e M a s d a r I n i t i a t i v e d r i v e n b y t h e A b u D h a b i F u t u r e E n e r g y C o m p a n y ( M a s d a r ) , a w h o l l y o w n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f t h e M u b a d a l a D e v e l o p m e n t C o m -p a n y ( M u b a d a l a ) i s a g l o b a l c o o p e r a t i v e p l a t f o r m f o r t h e o p e n e n g a g e m e n t i n t h e s e a r c h f o r s o l u t i o n s t o s o m e o f m a n -k i n d s m o s t p r e s s i n g i s s u e s : e n e r g y s e c u r i t y , c l i m a t e c h a n g e a n d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f h u m a n e x p e r t i s e i n s u s t a i n a b i l i t y .
A b u D h a b i i s l e v e r a g i n g i t s s u b s t a n t i a l r e s o u r c e s a n d e x -p e r i e n c e i n g l o b a l e n e r g y m a r -k e t s i n t o t h e t e c h n o l o g i e s o f t h e f u t u r e . O n e k e y o b j e c t i v e o f M a s d a r i s t o p o s i t i o n A b u D h a b i a s a w o r l d - c l a s s r e s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t h u b f o r n e w e n e r g y t e c h n o l o g i e s , e f f e c t i v e l y b a l -a n c i n g i t s s t r o n g p o s i t i o n i n a n e v o l v i n g w o r l d e n e r g y m a r k e t .
A r e l a t e d o b j e c t i v e i s t o d r i v e t h e c o m m e r c i a l i z a t i o n a n d a d o p t i o n o f t h e s e a n d o t h e r t e c h n o l o g i e s i n s u s t a i n a b l e e n -e r g y, c a r b o n m a n a g e m e n t a n d w a t e r c o n s e r v a t i o n . I n d o i n g s o , M a s d a r w i l l p l a y a d e c i s i v e r o l e i n A b u D h a b i s t r a n s i t i o n f r o m t e c h n o l o g y c o n s u m e r t o t e c h -n o l o g y p r o d u c e r .
T h e g o a l i s t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a n e n t i r e l y n e w e c o n o m i c s e c -t o r i n A b u D h a b i a r o u n d t h e s e n e w i n d u s t r i e s , w h i c h w i l l a s s i s t e c o n o m i c d i v e r s i f i c a t i o n a n d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f k n o w l e d g e -b a s e d i n d u s t r i e s , w h i l e e n h a n c -i n g A b u D h a b i s e x i s t i n g r e c o r d o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l s t e w a r d s h i p a n d i t s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e g l o b -a l c o m m u n i t y .
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
18
Precedent Case 5:Pedestrian/Reuse Scale:
Key Elements: Community
Integrated Fully Sustain-
able Architecture Ultimate in cre-
ating a walkable, urban park
H i g h l i n e , M a n h a t t a n , N e w
Yo r k , J a m e s C o r n e r , F i e l d
O p e r a t i o n s , w i t h a r c h i t e c t s
D i l l e r S c o f i d i o + R e n f r o
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
19
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
P r e c e d e n t R e s e a r c h ( c o n t . )
H i g h l i n e , F i e l d O p e r a t i o n s , D S + R
T h e H i g h L i n e w a s b u i l t i n t h e 1 9 3 0 s , a s p a r t o f a m a s -s i v e p u b l i c - p r i v a t e i n f r a -s t r u c t u r e p r o j e c t c a l l e d t h e W e s t S i d e I m p r o v e m e n t . I t l i f t e d f r e i g h t t r a f f i c 3 0 f e e t i n t h e a i r , r e m o v i n g d a n g e r -o u s t r a i n s f r o m t h e s t r e e t s o f M a n h a t t a n s l a r g e s t i n -d u s t r i a l d i s t r i c t . N o t r a i n s h a v e r u n o n t h e H i g h L i n e s i n c e 1 9 8 0 . F r i e n d s o f t h e H i g h L i n e , a c o m m u n i t y -b a s e d n o n - p r o f i t g r o u p , f o r m e d i n 1 9 9 9 w h e n t h e h i s t o r i c s t r u c t u r e w a s u n d e r t h r e a t o f d e m o l i t i o n . F r i e n d s o f t h e H i g h L i n e w o r k s i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h t h e C i t y o f N e w Yo r k t o p r e s e r v e a n d m a i n t a i n t h e s t r u c t u r e a s a n e l e v a t e d p u b l i c p a r k .
T h e p r o j e c t g a i n e d t h e C i t y s s u p p o r t i n 2 0 0 2 . T h e H i g h L i n e s o u t h o f 3 0 t h S t r e e t w a s d o n a t e d t o t h e C i t y b y C S X Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n I n c . i n 2 0 0 5 . T h e d e s i g n t e a m o f l a n d s c a p e a r c h i t e c t s J a m e s C o r n e r F i e l d O p e r a t i o n s , w i t h a r c h i t e c t s D i l l e r S c o -f i d i o + R e n f r o , c r e a t e d t h e H i g h L i n e s p u b l i c l a n d s c a p e w i t h g u i d a n c e f r o m a d i v e r s e c o m m u n i t y o f H i g h L i n e s u p -p o r t e r s . C o n s t r u c t i o n o n t h e p a r k b e g a n i n 2 0 0 6 . T h e f i r s t s e c t i o n , f r o m G a n s e v o o r t S t r e e t t o 2 0 t h S t r e e t , i s p r o -j e c t e d t o o p e n i n J u n e 2 0 0 9 .
T h e p r o j e c t i n f o r m s t h e t h e -s i s b e c a u s e i t b e g i n s t o m e r g e t h e g a p b e t w e e n c r e -a t i n g s u b u r b a n e n v i r o n m e n t s w i t h n d e n s e u r b a n c i t i e s w i t h t h e u s e o f s u s t a i n a b l e p r a c t i c e s a n d u s i n g l a t e n t s p a c e s a s t h e m e d i u m . T h i s w i l l b e t h e e m p h a s i s o f t h i s t h e s i s .
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
20
S u s t a i n a b l e D e s i g n G u i d e l i n e sS c a l e : C i t y , B u i l d i n g , U n i t
K e y E l e m e n t s : E n v i r o n m e n t a l f a c t o r s S o c i a l f a c t o r s E c o n o m i c f a c t o r s M a t e r i a l s a n d p r o c e s s e s M e t h o d s o r f a b r i c a t i o n L i f e - c y c l e a n d r e - c y c l e D e n s i t y C r e a t e S u b u r b a n L i f e s t y l e
On Sustainability
Latency Liberated assumes the position of
addressing sustainability from the
standpoint of stopping suburban sprawl,
reestablishing the smaller urban downtown areas as living, working, and
playing environments, as well as creating a new
standard for sustainable living.
Using existing buildings, a new building typology will be discov-
ered, which will focus on creating suburban style
living environments within the individuals home.
Although a denser area within the urban
environment will be created, the quality of life that people tend to enjoy
within the suburban fabric will be the base
point of this study. It will be possible for people to
enjoy a lot of the ele-ments from
suburban lifestyles, however in a
new sustainable, urban context.
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
21
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
O n S u s t a i n a b i l i t y ( c o n t . )
S u s t a i n a b i l i t y A n a l y s i s
A n e w m a s s t r a n s i t s y s t e m w i l l b e i n i t i a t e d , r e d u c i n g t h e s t r e e t n o i s e , t r a f f i c c o n g e s t i o n , a n d p o l l u t i o n , a s w e l l a s c r e a t e f r e e r f l o w i n g p e d e s t r i a n s t r e e t -s c a p e s . T h i s u r b a n s t u d y w i l l u t i l i z e t h e l a t e n t s p a c e s a n d c r e a t e n e w g r e e n a n d o u t d o o r s p a c e s f o r r e s i d e n t s t o i n t e r a c t w i t h a n d e n j o y.
P r o x i m i t y , q u a l i t y , a f f o r d a b i l i t y , m o b i l i t y , s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , a n d e f -f i c i e n c y a r e a l l k e y w o r d s t h a t w i l l d r i v e t h e p r o j e c t s g o a l s . T h e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y a f f e c t s w i l l b e t r i - f o l d ; r e d u c i n g s u b u r b a n s p r a w l , r e - u t i l i z i n g u r b a n e n v i -r o n m e n t s , a n d c r e a t i n g s u s t a i n -a b l e l i v i n g e n v i r o n m e n t s w i t h i n d e n s e u r b a n f a b r i c s .
T h i s p r o j e c t w i l l d e a l w i t h i n c o r -p o r a t i n g s u s t a i n a b i l i t y a t m u l -t i p l e s c a l e s . F r o m t h e i n d i v i d u a l l i v i n g u n i t s , t o t h e a c t u a l b u i l d -i n g w h i c h w i l l h o u s e t h e m , t o t h e c i t y t h a t w i l l b e t h e h o s t t o t h e b u i l d i n g . E a c h e l e m e n t w i l l a t t e m p t t o c o n s e r v e r e s o u r c e s , i n c r e a s e e f f i c i e n c y, a n d p r o m o t e t h e w e l l b e i n g o f t h e u s e r a n d t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . S u s t a i n a b l e i n n o v a t i o n s w i l l b e r e s e a r c h e d a n d i n c o r p o r a t e d , h o w e v e r , t h e m a i n e m p h a s i s w i l l b e o n s m a r t d e s i g n , r a t h e r t h a n e x p e n s i v e , n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s .
A p p e a l o f t h e l i v i n g e n v i r o n -m e n t s m u s t b e a f f o r d a b l e t o t h e m a s s e s , o r e l s e t h e y w i l l b e l e f t v a c a n t . N e w t e c h n o l o g i e s , a n d l i v i n g s t y l e s m u s t a l s o b e a p p e a l i n g t o i n d i v i d u a l s , a n d t h e o n l y w a y t h e t r u e e f f e c t o f t h e s e s u s t a i n a b l e c i t i e s w i l l b e r e a l i z e d i s i f t h e i n d i v i d u a l s p r a c t i c e t h e s t r a t e g i e s t h e m -s e l v e s .
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
22
On Program
What is missing? Missing within cit-ies in general are integrated
green spaces, a lack of parking spaces, conges-
tion on the streets, and affordable lifestyles. Also,
there is an under utiliza-tion of negative spaces,
more specifically, alleyways and rooftops. There is also
a lack of indoor-outdoor freedom of movement, i.e.,
balconies. Suburban life-styles include backyards,
and separation of houses, which maybe a reason
why individuals choose to not occupy urban envi-
ronments. However, the appeal of good design, ac-cessible environments, and
a richer, greener lifestyle will trump the need to have
large, inefficient track-houses.
What is necessary? Sustainable and
smart design principles within the living environ-ments are of the utmost
importance. These ideals should also transcend to
office and retail zoning environments to maintain
a cleaner lifestyle. The streetscapes and negative spaces should be utilized
to their maximum potential, to minimize waste.
What would be beneficial? By providing a
trolley system, or some sort of light rail system,
the effectiveness of dense urban environments will be noticed. Cutting the
need for hardtop parking surfaces, congestion in the streets, and maximizing the
flow of streetscapes, the urban environment will gain
freedom and liveliness.
P r o g r a m m i n g G u i d e l i n e sL i v i n g :T h r e e s c a l e s o f h o u s i n g : A p a r t m e n t s , C o n d o s , a n d H o t e l s / H o s t e l sT h r e e s c a l e s o f A p a r t m e n t s : O n e B e d r o o m , Tw o B e d r o o m , a n d T h r e e B e d r o o mT h r e e s c a l e s o f C o n d o s : O n e B e d r o o m , Tw o B e d -r o o m , a n d T h r e e B e d r o o m
W o r k i n g :O f f i c e s p a c e s t o b e c o n n e c t e d t o L i v i n g s p a c e sS m a l l O f f i c e s f o r 2 0 - 3 5 p e o p l eM e d i u m O f f i c e s f o r 3 5 - 5 0 p e o p l eL a r g e O f f i c e s f o r 5 0 - 6 5 P e o p l eX L O f f i c e s f o r 6 5 + P e o p l e
P l a y i n g :B a r s , R e s t a u r a n t s , C l u b s , A r t G a l l e r i e s , M u s e u m s , a n d T h e a t e r s , e t c
S h o p p i n g :R e t a i l , H a r d w a r e , P h a r m a c e u t i c a l , G r o c e r y , F l o r a l , e t c
I n f r a s t r u c t u r e :P o l i c e , F i r e , H o s p i t a l , C i t y B u i l d i n g , R a d i o S t a t i o n , M e c h a n i c , W a -t e r / S e w a g e Tr e a t m e n t P l a n t , e t c
T r a n s i t :B u s s e s , Tr o l l e y s , W a l k i n g , B i k i n g , e t c
R e c r e a t i o n :P a r k s , G a r d e n s , Te r r a c e s , R o o f t o p s , E x t e n s i v e L a n d s c a p i n g , e t c
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
23
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
O n P r o g r a m m i n g ( c o n t . )
P r o g r a m m i n g N o t e s
A d d i t i o n a l r e s o u r c e s w i l l b e a d d e d a s n e e d e d t o p r o v i d e m a x i m u m l e v e l o f i n f r a s t r u c -t u r e w i t h i n p r o x i m i t y t o t h e l i v i n g e n v i r o n m e n t s . A s t h e p r o g r a m b e c o m e s m o r e r e -f i n e d , a n d t h e s i t e c o n t e x t d e t e r m i n e s w h a t i s m i s s i n g /n e e d e d , t h e p r o g r a m w i l l a l s o s t a r t t o p r o v i d e i t s e l f a s a p r o t o t y p e f o r n e w d e v e l o p -i n g d o w n t o w n u r b a n a r e a s .
L a r g e m e t r o p o l i s e s i n g e n -e r a l h a v e m u l t i p l e s e t s o f c o m p e t i n g m a r k e t s t o p r o -m o t e c o m p e t i t i v e p r i c i n g . W i t h a s m a l l e r s c a l e c i t y , t h i s m a y b e a n i s s u e o f o n e t y p e o f r e t a i l e r b e c o m e s a s o l i t a r y p r o v i d e r o f a p a r t i c -u l a r p r o d u c t . A n a n a l y s i s w i l l b e c o n d u c t e d t o p r o v i d e t h e n e c e s s a r y m a r k e t s t o e n s u r e t h a t a n a f f o r d a b l e u r b a n l i f e -s t y l e c a n b e m a i n t a i n e d .
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
24
Site Selection
Downtown Champaign, IL
Why this location?
The existing infrastruc-ture, the on-going efforts
to revitalize the central
business district, and the existence of a
campus-town nearby, providing a constant flow of new tenants,
Downtown Champaign provides a reasonable vehicle for this study.
The current zoning laws represented by the city
are effectively promoting sprawl, which
provides a good example of how restructuring the
zoning into a stratified arrangement can in-
crease the potential for Downtown Champaign.
It also is at a scale which allows a prototype to
be developed that can be either scaled up or
down to meet other cities needs.
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
N a t u r a l F a c t o r s :
G e o l o g y
To p o g r a p h y
H y d r o l o g y, s u r f a c e a n d g r o u n d w a t e r
S o i l s
V e g e t a t i o n , p l a n t e c o l o g y
W i l d l i f e , h a b i t a t s
C l i m a t e , s o l a r o r i e n t a t i o n , w i n d , p r e c i p i t a t i o n , h u m i d i t y
C u l t u r a l F a c t o r s :
E x i s t i n g l a n d u s e
Tr a f f i c a n d t r a n s i t , v e h i c u l a r a n d p e d e s t r i a n o n a n d n e a r s i t e
D e n s i t y a n d z o n i n g
S o c i o e c o n o m i c f a c t o r s
U t i l i t i e s , s a n i t a r y a n d s t o r m w a t e r s y s t e m s , w a t e r , g a s , s t e a m , e l e c t r i c i t y , a n d
t e l e p h o n e
E x i s t i n g b u i l d i n g s
H i s t o r i c f a c t o r s , h i s t o r i c b u i l d i n g s , l a n d m a r k s , a n d a r c h a e o l o g y
A e s t h e t i c F a c t o r s :
N a t u r a l f e a t u r e s
S p a t i a l p a t t e r n , v i e w s , s p a c e s , a n d s e q u e n c e s
P s y c h o l o g i c a l / e x p e r i e n t i a l f a c t o r s
S c a l e a n d p r o p o r t i o n
M a t e r i a l s a n d e x p r e s s i o n
P a r k s , G a r d e n s , Te r r a c e s , R o o f t o p s , E x t e n s i v e L a n d s c a p i n g , e t c
Legislative
MayorCity Council Member at LargeCity Council Member at LargeCity Council Member at LargeCity Council Member District No. 1City Council Member District No. 2City Council Member District No. 3City Council Member District No. 4City Council Member District No. 5
Administrative
City ManagerAssistant City ManagerDeputy City Manager for DevelopmentFinance DirectorCity AttorneyDirector of Public WorksPlanning DirectorNeighborhood Services DirectorDirector of Human ResourcesPolice ChiefFire ChiefLibrary Director
Gerald SchweighartThomas Bruno
Deborah FeinenKaren Foster
Gina JacksonMichael LaDue
Vic McIntoshMarci Dodds
Ken Pirok
Steven CarterDorothy David
Craig RostRichard SchnuerFrederick Stavins
Dennis SchmidtBruce Knight
Kevin JacksonM. Chris Bezruki
R.T. FinneyDavid Penicook
Marsha Grove
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
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Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
On Site Selection (cont.)
Current zoning indicates a dramatic need for change in order to prevent the continuation of sprawl and the effects of an unsustainable life-style. The downtown area is specifically zoned for retail and the commercial sectors, thus indicating a negligence for residential within this central business district. The incorporation of residential zoning within the existing down-town would merge for a more sustainable, live-work-play attitude.
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
26Site Selection
Downtown Champaign, IL
History of Site
Downtown Champaign began with the comple-tion of the Illinois Central
Railroad in the early 1850s. Following the
completion of that line, a small railroad town
began to emerge 2 miles west of Urbana. This
new town named West Urbana quickly began
to grow from a mere railroad station to a thriv-ing city center. By 1860,
the new town decided to incorporate as the City of
Champaign. By the turn of the century Downtown
had a metropolitan feel. Wood frame buildings
were replaced by stone and brick structures and
the boarded sidewalks became limestone.
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
G e n e a l o g y :
S a n d b o r n M a p o f C h a m p a i g n , I L
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
27
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
On Site Selection (cont.)
History
The automobile industry was quick to shift from war production and to dust off its 1942 models for the 1946 production year. The long decline in local bus service began as people wanted to drive instead of ride. Vintage buildings began to come down as individual businesses attempted to accom-modate the increased need for parking. A pioneer in this movement was Robesons Department Store. The City instal led parking meters to encourage turnover and prevent employees from monopolizing scarce places on city streets. But the proliferation of auto-mobiles opened a new threat to the down-town. People could drive further to do their shopping. Developers were quick to seize the opportunity and in 1959, Country Fair Shopping Center opened at the intersec-tion of Springfield and Mattis Avenues . In the downtown, owners of many of the older buildings constructed sleek metal facade treatments to modernize their businesses and thus make them appear more fashion-able to customers. But the knockout blow to downtown retai l was the development of Marketplace, a shopping mall located just north of 1-74 on Neil Street extended. Delighted to have the retai l expansion, yet at the same time desperate to appease and preserve the downtown interests, the City embarked upon a study of the aging area. The consultants recommended a plan which would have roofed over much of the central downtown area. The scale and costs of the proposal were staggering, far exceeding what could reasonably be built and sus-tained. The compromise was the pedestrian mall blocking off Neil Street from the corner of Main and Neil south a block and a half south to Chester Street. The idea, largely promoted by Downtown business interests, was to make the downtown more pedestrian friendly. Another part of the improvements was to take out the flatiron block in front of the Sears store and virtually the entire area to the rear of the store and in back of J.C. Penneys to create huge parking lots, al l in an effort to keep the two large chain stores downtown. It was all to no avail. Within two years, both Sears and J.C. Penneys had fled to Marketplace Mall. The pedestrian mall on Neil Street, the perceived trendy, miracle cure for downtown i l ls, made a downtown already diff icult to navigate because of its contorted street patterns, next to impos-sible. Sti l l larger parking lots were built, this t ime south of Main Street. That fai led to ar-rest the closing of the traditional downtown department stores-Lewis and Robesons - with Jos. Kuhn hanging on only by a sl iver. For a decade and a half, from 1975 unti l 1990, what had once been a vibrant down-town became virtually an 8:00 am to 5:00 PM operation. Even the major movie theaters - The Rialto, The Orpheum and finally The Virginia began to shut down, victims of the multiplex operations located elsewhere.
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
28
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
T r a n s p o r t a t i o n :
T r o l l e y , a n d B u s s e s
Tr o l l e y f r o m 1 9 2 7
N o r t h e r n A e r i a l o f D o w n t o w n
Site Selection
Downtown Champaign, IL
Status of Transportation
Buses first appeared on the streets of Champaign-
Urbana for a very short time in 1901. The Illinois Motor
Transit Company introduced service which only lasted
from February to December of that year.
In 1925, buses were used in conjunction with street cars.
This saved the Illinois Light and Power Company, the
owner of the trolley system, the expense of laying rails
and paving streets in some parts of the Twin Cities.
Best of all, it allowed transit to go where ever streets
were located.
Operations in the new Tran-sit District began August 2,
1971. Fare was 30 and transfers were (and still are)
free.
The MTD has had a close working relationship with
the University of Illinois since its creation. In 1973 two
Campus routes were cre-ated, the Illi and the Orchard
Downs. The Illi provided service nearly identical to
the present day Quad route. The Orchard Downs remain virtually unchanged from its
inception. U of I students paid 10 a ride or they
could purchase a semester pass for $20.
Today the MTD carries more than 10 million passengers per year. The Illinois Termi-nal was completed in 1999 and provides the MTD with
an enclosed transfer station and an extra form of income through the leasing of office
space.
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
29
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
On Site Selection (cont.)
History
The first horse drawn trolley trip con-nected Main and Market Streets (now Broadway) in Urbana with the Depot, which was the famous Doane House in Champaign. The Depot was located at Main Street and the I.C. tracks. Records state that A German named Fritz guided the horse and mule that pulled the coach and when he said Giddyap it was a momentous occasion. The trolley usually made seven trips a day and although the company hired the conductor, the driver provided the horsepower.
In 1890 William B. McKinley, founder of the Illinois Power Company, directed the creation of an electrified trolley system in Champaign. It is worth noting that over 100 years ago Champaign was already on the cutting edge of transportation technology. The electrified trolley system was built just 2 years after Frank Sprague had perfected the electric railroad in Rich-mond, Virginia.
One of Champaigns last trolleys at its peak, the trolley system provided service all over Champaign and Urbana. There were as many as 20 routes operating, including Owl Service which linked the cities through the night. There was also a trolley that carried passengers to what was then known as West End Park (now Eisner Park).
The last street car to operate in C-U made its final trip on November 10, 1936. Dr. Taylor was also passenger on that day. The National City Lines had pur-chased the system from Illinois Power and Light Company for $53,000 the previous October.
On Site Selection (cont.)
History
It wasnt long before Champaign began to out pace its sister to the east and quickly established itself as the commercial center of the region.
By the turn of the century Champaign was booming. Streetcars soared down its streets and shoppers flocked to its department stores.
Downtown Champaign experienced its greatest growth and prosperity right after the turn of the 20th century. By the 1920s Downtown had a fully devel-
oped streetcar system, brick streets, limestone sidewalks and a dense network of fine architecture. By this time Champaign had started to outpace Urbana as
the commercial center of the County.
T h e C h a m p a i g n S t r e e t c a r
s y s t e m e f f e c t i v e l y
m a n a g e d a l l p u b l i c t r a n s -
p o r t a t i o n w i t h i n t h e d o w n -
t o w n a n d s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a s .
T h e l a c k o f c a r s w i t h i n t h e
d o w n t o w n a r e a p r o v i d e d a
s t r o n g e r , w a l k a b l e c o m m u -
n i t y . R e s i d e n t s a n d v i s i t o r s
a l i k e r e l i e d o n t h e s t r e e t -
c a r s t o g e t f r o m o n e p l a c e
t o t h e n e x t
e f f i c i e n t l y
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
30S i t e A n a l y s i s :
P a r k i n g :
C u r r e n t s u r f a c e p a r k i n g i n v o l v e s s t r e e t p a r k i n g , p a r k i n g l o t s , a s w e l l a s o n e p a r k -
i n g s t r u c t u r e . S t r e e t p a r k i n g i s r u n t h r o u g h t h e c i t y a n d i s m e t e r e d . C a s h k e y s o f -
f e r a d v a n t a g e s t o c o m m u t e r s a n d r e s i d e n t s a l i k e , h o w e v e r t h e y a r e s t i l l e x p e n s i v e .
P a r k i n g l o t s a r e e i t h e r r u n t h r o u g h t h e c i t y o r a r e p r i v a t e l y o w n e d b y d e v e l o p e r s
o r r e t a i l o w n e r s . T h e p a r k i n g s t r u c t u r e o n H i l l S t r e e t i s t h e b e s t p a r k i n g s o l u t i o n
t o d a t e , b u t t h e s t r u c t u r e i t s e l f i s n o t s u s t a i n a b l e .
6ai`fai`5ZS_bS[Y` 3h[TdS`fYdai[`YU[fkUW`fWd
5a^adUaVWV_WfWd^STW^e_S]W[fWSekfaX[YgdWagfiZWdWfabSd] @cc_Zcfh\YWc`cfYXgh]W_Yfgh\UhaYYhmcifXckbhckbbYYXg.
N FYX1'$a]bihYgcf`Ygghc[fUV `ibW\cfWcZZYYhc[c
N 6`iY1&\cifaUl]aiaZcf `ibW\cfgcaY`][\hg\cdd]b[
N CfUb[Y1'cf(\cifaUl]aia ZcfUacj]YcfaigYiaj]g]h
N ;fYYb1%$\cifaUl]aiaZcfU XUm!`cb[aYYh]b[cfcih]b[Xckbhckb
H[e[fad^afeSdWWSekfaX[`VS`VWSekfageW :cifWYbhfU``m`cWUhYXj]g]hcfdUf_]b[`cWUh]cbgk\YfYdUf_]b[]gU``ckYX]bX]ZZYfYbhh]aY]bWfYaYbhgidhc%$\cifaUl]aia.
N afeaXabf[a`e 7\YW_Zcfh\YgY]Wcbg]bh\YaUdZcfjUf]cigcdh]cbghcdUm.7Ug\
7c]b
7fYX]h
7Ug\?Ym
5SeZ=Wke 5``XckbhckbdUf_]b[aYhYfgUWWYdh7Ug\?Ymg":cfacfY]bZcfaUh]cb WU``&%+"($'"+$)$cfj]g]h[YhXckbW\UadU][b"Wca"
BSd][`YSf`[YZf DUf_]b[]gacb]hcfYXAcbXUm:f]XUmibh]`-da"
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
31
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
GREEN STREET
SPRINGFIELD AVENUE
JOHN STREET
DANIEL STREET
CHALMERS STREET
HEALEY STREET
UNIVERSITY AVENUE
ARMORY STREET
PARK STREET
CHURCH STREET
HILL STREET
WASHINGTON STREET
FIR
ST S
TREE
T
SEC
ON
D S
TREE
T
THIR
D S
TREE
T
FOU
RTH
STR
EET
FIFT
H S
TREE
T
SIXT
H S
TREE
T
WR
IGH
T ST
REE
T
GREGORY DRIVE
KIRBY AVENUE
STADIUM DRIVE
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
PEABODY STREET
MAI
N Q
UAD
SO
UTH
QU
AD
ENG
INEE
RIN
G Q
UAD
WASHINGTON STREET
HILL STREET
CHURCH STREET
FOU
RTH
STR
EET
FIR
ST S
TREE
T
GREGORY STREET (Limited Hours/Buses Only)
SEC
ON
D S
TREE
T
ARB
OR
STR
EET
THIR
D S
TREE
T
EUC
LID
STR
EET
STOUGHTON STREET
WHITE STREET
CLARK STREET
WASHINGTON STREET
PARK STREET
CLARK STREET
WHITE STREET
SPRINGFIELD AVENUE
UNIVERSITY AVENUE
GREEN STREET
JOHN STREET
HEALEY STREET
LOGAN STREET
CHESTER STREET
KIRBY AVENUE
HESSEL BOULAVARD
LOC
UST
STR
EET
OAK
STR
EET
GREGORY STREET RESIDENCE HALLS
ASSEMBLY HALL
MEMORIAL STADIUM
ARMORY
HUFF HALL
LIBRARY
ILLINI UNION
ROSELAND CEMETARY
MOUNT HOPE CEMETARY
IMPE
SCOTT PARK
WEST SIDE PARK
I - 72 WEST I - 57 NORTH I - 57 SOUTH
I - 74 EAST I - 74 WEST I - 57 NORTH I - 57 SOUTH
I - 57 SOUTH
MAIN STREET
WAL
NUT
STRE
ET
CAMPUSTOWN
DOWNTOWN CHAMPAIGN
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
NEI
L ST
REE
T N
EIL
STR
EET
NEIL
STR
EET
STAT
E ST
REE
T
RAN
DO
LPH
STR
EET
PRAI
RIE
STR
EET
STAT
E ST
REE
T
RAN
DO
LPH
STR
EET
PRAI
RIE
STR
EET
WILLIAM STREET
CHARLES STREET
STANAGE AVENUE
AVONDALE AVENUE
ELLS AVENUE
BIRCH STREET
BUENA VISTA DRIVE
MAT
HEW
S ST
REE
T
FIR
ST S
TREE
T
SEC
ON
D S
TREE
T
THIR
D S
TREE
T
FOU
RTH
STR
EET
FIFT
H S
TREE
T
SIXT
H S
TREE
T
WR
IGH
T ST
REE
T
FOU
RTH
STR
EET
BU
SES
ON
LY
On Site Selection (cont.)
Master Planning Teams Assessments
Current trends include property values are continuing to rise due to ongoing redevelopment. Residential markets in Champaign continue to be strong in the southwest area and generally on the fringe of the city. Surrounding communi-ties use Champaign as an employment and shopping center. Champaign and Urbana are growing steadily. Downtown is becoming more competitive with Campus town and downtown Urbana. The public transportation system in the area will not change drastically. Neighborhood com-mercial centers are growing increasingly competitive with downtown. North Pros-pect and Marketplace mall are maintain-ing their status as the regional shopping destinations in the community and region. Downtown is drawing more visitors from regional locations. Additional commercial centers will be constructed throughout Champaign, increasing competition with downtown. Current renovations are add-ing demand to the downtown parking system.
Major Parking Lots
Major Green Spaces
Major Roads
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
32Site Selection
Downtown Champaign, IL
Status of City
The city of Champaign has developed a mas-ter plan and are in the
process of implementing numerous strategies for improving the quality of
life within the downtown area. One major element
discussed through the master plan, involves
the beautification of streetscapes as well as
the realization that there are a lot of buildings
within the downtown limits.
Clearview
Boulder Ridge (900 units)
Liberty on the Lake (374 units)
Sawgrass (400 units)
Charter Oak (178 units)
Ashland Park (538 units)
Prairie Creek (466 units)
Shurtz (800 units)
Legends of Champaign (435 units)
Ironwood West (208 units)
Trails at Abbey Fields (119 units)
Trails at Chestnut Grove (148 units)
Trails Edge (104 units)
Will's Trace (115 units)
Cobblefield (288 units)
Twins (240 units)
West Ridge (73 units)
Villas at Ashland Farm (152 units)
The Cove (78 units)
Seasons at Champaign (240 units)
Tuscany Pointe (96 units)
The Reserve at Stamey Farms (208 units)
Wellington Place (56 units)
Crowwood (64 units)
Aspen Gold (48 units)
DEVELOPING SUBDIVISIONS IN CHAMPAIGN GROWTH AREAS
0 0.5 10.25Miles/Planning Department City of Champaign Boundary
Interstate HighwaysStreets
Developing Subdivisions
February 2007
Note: Developments shown in yellow have allbeen approved for development. However,each subdivision is in a different phase ofcompletion. The number of units listedrepresents the approximate total of units oncethe development is completed.
Bradley Ave.
Curtis Rd.
StaleyRd.
Windsor Rd.
Kirby Ave.
Springfield Ave.
RisingRd.
Dun
canRd.
Mattis
Ave
.
Prospec
tAve
.
Neil S
t.(Hwy45)
Marke
tSt.
FirstS
t.
Olympian Dr.
Interstate 72
Old Church Rd.
Cardinal Rd.
Interstate
57
Bloomington Rd.
Interstate 74
Interstate57
Interstate Dr.
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
C u r r e n t P r o j e c t s :
C u r r e n t d e v e l o p m e n t p r o j e c t s a r e f o c u s e d a r o u n d t h e o u t e r c i t y l i m i t s . T h i s i n d i -
c a t e s t h a t z o n i n g w i t h i n t h e d i s t r i c t o f c h a m p a i g n h a s n o t c h a n g e d . A l t h o u g h t h e
m a s t e r p l a n p r e d i c t s t h a t t h e u p p e r f l o o r s o f o l d e r b u i l d i n g s w i l l b e c o n v e r t e d t o
r e s i d e n t i a l , t h i s i s n o t r e f l e c t e d i n t h e z o n i n g p l a n o f 2 0 0 9 .
B o o k l e t2 0 0 95 7 3
33
Thesis PreparationFall
Arch
On Site Selection (cont.)
Master Planning Teams Assessments
The projects on the boards focus mainly on street work, electrical work, and city sewage management. These projects are typically maintenance projects and deal specifically with routine year to year work. The work that is mentioned in the Cham-paign master plan are not shown on the current projects map below.
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
34
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
C l i m a c t i c C o n d i t i o n s :
T h e a v e r a g e t e m p e r a t u r e , p r e c i p i t a t i o n , h u m i d i t y , w i n d s p e e d s , s n o w f a l l , s u n -
s h i n e , a n d c l o u d y d a y s a r e a l l d e p i c t e d i n t h e g r a p h s b e l o w . T h e s e a v e r a g e s a r e
c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e U S a v e r a g e s a s a n i n d i c a t o r f o r t h e d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e n e e d f o r
d i f f e r e n t d e s i g n c o n s i d e r a t i o n s . T h e b e l o w d a t a i s a g r a p h i c a l v i e w o f s o m e o f t h e
p r e l i m i n a r y s i t e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s r e q u i r e d t o p r o p e r l y d e s i g n a b u i l d i n g .
Climate Analysis
Downtown Champaign, IL
Effect of Climate on Design
The climate has a drastic effect on the built
environment and can dramatically improve a
designs outcome if cer-tain climate mitigating
strategies are imple-mented. Solar gain, wind
speed and direction, humidity levels, tem-
perature, precipitation are some of the climac-
tic factors that effect a potential design. These
effects must be either mitigated or used as an
advantage when dealing with preliminary building
design. In terms of sustainable design that is inexpen-
sive, a simple study of a sites climate can inform
decisions of building orientation, facade
construction and foun-dation design without
having to spend thousands of
dollars investing in mechanical systems.
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On Climate Analysis (cont.)
Charts and Graphs
The charts to the left are a psychometric chart and a wind rose. The charts below indicate average annual heating degree days and cooling degree days, as well as annual average precipitation. The psycho-metric chart shows dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature, dew point, relative humiditiy, humidity ratio, specific enthalpy, and specific volume. All of the lines on the psychometric chart correspond to one of these variables. The blue line outlining the shape to the left on the chart depicts the most comfortable zones for which to design to in the specific climate of Champaign, IL. The wind rose illustrates the primary wind speeds and directions on average per year in Champaign. The psychometric chart helps to indicate more specifically the indoor conditions at which occupants are most comfortable, which deals specifically with mechanical systems design. The wind rose helps to indicate where potential wind turbines should be located in order to generate wind produced energy. The charts below, which indicate heating and cooling degree days, help to clarify how many days will require heating and cooling, as opposed to not using mechanical conditioning.
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S i t e A n a l y s i s :
D e m o g r a p h i c C o n d i t i o n s :
T h e D a t a b e l o w i n d i c a t e s a m a j o r i t y o f i n d i v i d u a l s a r e y o u n g , n o t w e a l t h y, s i n g l e .
T h e d a t a a l s o i n d i c a t e s a s t e a d y g r o w t h p a t t e r n f o r t h e a r e a .
Site Analysis
Downtown Champaign, IL
Demographics on Design
It is important to understand the present
economic and demographic data in order to facilitate the design process, be-
cause if the design calls for multi-million dollar
condominiums, and the demographic is poor-to-middle class, those
individuals would never be able to lease the condominiums and
therefore the project would fail.This is espe-
cially important when planning a city as the planning process in-
volves indicating shop-ping/retail, housing,
office building typologies within a certain area.
The demographic information relating to
the ages of individuals is important in determining
what types of buildings would be most appeal-
ing. If the individuals are elderly, a walkable city
still may not provide the best alternative.
The data provided will help provide a glimpse into the potential build-
ing types which will need to be incorporated
and designed in order to achieve a successful
project.
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Sustainability Analysis (cont.)
Charts and Graphs
The charts to the left indicate the sustain-able crisis that presents itself in the area of Champaign today. As the previous page indicates, a majority of individuals who are above a certain age own a house in the city, however those below a certain age, are mainly in high density housing. The chart at the top shows that a majority of individuals have a travel time to work between 10-20 minutes, which indicates relatively close proximity. Close proximity is one of the major goals of the project, so the trend supports the goal. However, the fact is that most individuals drove a car to work, which is something that is a cause for congestion within cities and results in inefficient use of land for parking. The chart at the bottom also indicates the ma-jor type of fuel used to heat homes. The trend for heating produced by gas and electricity is a cause for concern within the city, as gas and electricity are expen-sive, and non-renewable. If the electricity was generated by a sustainable source, the use of that energy as a heating source would be championed, however that is not the current case within the city. This data helps to inform the project goals further and supports the design intentions to incorporate sustainable technologies and mitigate latent spaces and create a walkable community.
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
38Project Development
Latency Liberated
How will the project progress?
The main emphasis of this project is focused
around implement-ing a new prototypical
planning system for smaller scaled cities. The
prototype will include ways of redeveloping a sustainable transporta-
tion system, a completely public street, without the use of cars, as well as a new integrated existing
building-new building typology. The project
will emphasize sustain-ability at every scale, and
will include suburban elements within urban environments to make
their development more appealing.
P r o j e c t D e v e l o p m e n t :R e s e a r c h :U n d e r s t a n d H i s t o r y , P r e c e d e n t s , a n d P r o b l e m s t o d e v e l o p a l i s t o f p r o g r a m m a t i c a p p l i c a t i o n s o f p o t e n t i a l s o l u t i o n s . U n d e r s t a n d i m p l i c a t i o n s o f n e w i d e a s t o p r o j e c t w i t h g o a l s o f s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , a f f o r d a b i l i t y , a n d u r b a n r e n e w a l i n m i n d .
P h a s e 1 :R e c t i f y z o n i n g l a w s t o c o r r e c t t r e n d s o f s p r a w l . A n a l y z e c u r r e n t z o n i n g o f D o w n t o w n C h a m p a i g nD e v e l o p a s t r a t e g y f o r s t r a t i f y i n g z o n i n g t o a c c o m m o d a t e f o r m u l -t i p l e b u i l d i n g t y p e sS t r a t i f i c a t i o n s h o u l d b e d e t e r m i n e d b y b u i l d i n g t y p e , p r o x i m i t y , a n d n e c e s s i t y
P h a s e 2 :A d d r e s s I n f r a s t r u c t u r e I s s u e s P r o v i d e s a f e , e f f i c i e n t , a n d r e l i a b l e p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t a t i o n M i n i m i z e o n s t r e e t p a r k i n g M a x i m i z e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f p u b l i c w o r k s d e p a r t m e n t s ( h o s p i t a l , p o l i c e , f i r e , e t c . )
P h a s e 3 :U r b a n M a s t e r P l a n E s t a b l i s h d e s i g n c r i t e r i a f o r d e v e l o p i n g n e w , m o r e e f f i c i e n t b u i l d i n g t y p e s C r e a t e h y b r i d c i t y ( u t i l i z i n g o l d a n d n e w c o n s t r u c t i o n ) C r e a t e f r e e f l o w i n g l o w e r s e c t o r t o u t i l i z e d e a d s p a c e s e f f i -c i e n t l y E s t a b l i s h c r i t e r i a f o r l a n d s c a p i n g , a n d v e g e t a t i o n w i t h i n e a c h c i t y b l o c kC r e a t e s u b s i d i a r y p a t h w a y s o n h i g h e r l e v e l s t o c r e a t e e f f i c i e n t t r a n s p o r t a t i o n t o a n d f r o m c i t y b l o c k sD e s i g n n e w s u s t a i n a b l e s t r a t e g i e s f o r c o n s e r v i n g , p r e s e r v i n g , a n d c o l l e c t i n g r e s o u r c e sD e s i g n n e w b u i l d i n g p r o t o t y p e t h a t i n c o r p o r a t e s s u s t a i n a b l e s t r a t -e g i e s w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g i n t e g r a t e d p r o g r a m t y p e s
P h a s e 4 :A n a l y z e n e w c i t y m a s t e r p l a n a n d c r e a t e c o m p a r a t i v e d a t a t o v i -s u a l i z e e f f e c t i v e n e s s a n d d e t e r m i n e s u c c e s s o f h y p o t h e s i sS p e c u l a t e o n n e x t p h a s e o f d e v e l o p m e n t a n d v i s u a l i z e p o t e n t i a l o u t c o m e s 1 0 , 2 5 , a n d 5 0 y e a r s d o w n t h e r o a d .D e v e l o p i m p l e m e n t a t i o n p l a n o f n e w u r b a n c i t y w i t h i n o t h e r c i t i e s
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O n P r o j e c t D e v e l o p m e n t ( c o n t . )
E x t e n t o f S i t e
T h e p r o g r a m a n d p r o j e c t d e f i n i t i o n w i l l b e t h e e x t e n t o f t h e b o u n d a r i e s o f D o w n -t o w n C h a m p a i g n . T h e i n c l u d -e d a r e a i s c u r r e n t l y z o n e d a s c o m m e r c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e i n t e n d e d i d e a w i l l b e t h e r e v i s i n g o f t h i s a r e a a n d t h e r e d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e t y p o l o g y c u r r e n t l y i n p l a c e . T h e e n d p r o d u c t w i l l b e a c o m p l e t e l y i n t e g r a t e d , s u s t a i n a b l e , a n d f r e s h o u t l o o k o n u r b a n - s u b -u r b a n l i v i n g .
New BuildingsOld Buildings
Public BuildingsStreet Parking
Parking GarageLimited Green SpacesLots of Latent SpacesExisting Infrastructure
Incoming Heavy TrafficConnection to Major Highways
Residential Units
On Site Selection (cont.)
Site Features
Existing Structures:
RestaurantsShoppingBarsHospitalEmpty StructuresTrain StationTrain TracksWarehousesParking LotsSenior LivingMixed Use Buildings
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
40
Design Phase 1
Downtown Champaign, IL
Existing Buildings
As part of the Site Analysis, photographs of the buildings within
the site limitations were taken.
As seen in the photos to the right make clear,
within American society, even in a small, rela-
tively close knit city, the dependence on cars is clearly an issue to
resolve.
Of 140 site photographs taken, 138 of those
photographs had a car clearly visible some-where in the photo-
graph.
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Site Analysis (cont.)
The presence of cars within the limitations of the site presents an issue in terms of achieving one of the project objectives. Creating a truly walkable city is difficult when the reliance on cars is so dramatic. In order to facilitate a walkable city, the reliance on cars has to decrease. Part of the reason for the abundance of cars is in part the abundance of surface park-ing, which inevitably makes it convenient for individuals to park as close to their desired location as possible. Although this convenience is important, it is more cru-cial for a truly integrated city where prox-imity of necessary amenities and stores becomes the foundation for planning.
If you take the example of a shopping mall, or even a strip center, which in to-days society are quite abundant, patrons come by car-fulls and park in expansive parking lots, only to get out and find themselves in a well designed network of stores and amenities. They dont need to drive from one store to the next because the convenience factor trumps their need to get back into their car and drive to the next location.
In the same manner, if a city is planned well enough, and the necessary amenities are in close proximity to other living/work-ing/play environments, a few well located parking garages will facilitate the same convenience as the large expansive, unsustainable surface parking lots like those that exist in mall lots, as well as the ones that currently exist in the downtown champaign region.
With the cars removed from the streetscape, the opportunities for better programmatic functions can occur.
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42
S k e t c h A n a l y s i s :
C u r r e n t C o n d i t i o n s :
T h e g r a p h i c s b e l o w d e p i c t l o c a t i o n o f m a i n p a t h w a y s l e a d i n g i n t o t h e c i t y , a s w e l l
a s l o c a t i o n s o f a m e n i t i e s , t r a n s p o r t a t i o n h u b s , a n d s t r e e t o r g a n i z a t i o n .
Design Phase 1
Downtown Champaign, IL
Existing Master plan
Before beginning the design process, it is
important to understand more graphically the con-ditions which plague the city of Champaign. The
existence of the major highways, the presence
of the surrounding, sister cities, as well as the Uni-
versity of Illinois all play into the current situation
within the city.
It is important to analyze the traffic conditions,
the organization of the streets, the location of the different amenities, and the current major public transportation hubs within the city.
Through this analysis, it is clear to see that
the traffic of University Ave., and Neil Street are the two major vehicular pathways into the city. This analysis helps to
gauge where to develop the walkable roads and
where to maintain the vehicular traffic patterns.
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Design Analysis (cont.)
Downtown Champaign, IL New Traffic Patterns
In order to create a walkable community within the immediate downtown environ-ment, the presence of public transporta-tion cannot be discarded in the design process. The public transportation provided by the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD), is a phenomenal system. As the precedent research pro-vided examples of trolley systems, which effectively created a more reliable and faster transportation medium, the MTD service already provides that.
However, the issue currently revolves around the fact that there is not a route which circulates the downtown environ-ment, but rather crosses through it. The routes leave the bus/train station on the South-East corner of the site and facilitate transportation mainly between the univer-sity, the downtown region, and the two shopping districts to the north and south of the downtown.
If there was a specific area within the downtown environment designated purely pedestrian, there would be a need for transportation around this area, as well as from the different parking structures to this area. It is important to maintain a maximum of a two block distance for walking between bus stop to destination in order to create a walkable city. This two block maximum is ideal because in the case of inclement weather or an elderly individual, a distance greater than that is too extreme, thus making the two block distance ideal. Different bus routes will be researched in order to provide the most ideal scenarios.
The notion of nodes is also a focus of implementation within the downtown environment. Currently there isnt a clear destination when referring to the downtown region. There are really no landmarks, or plazas which help to center growth around. These nodes will create a focal point for the city and help to ground it within its limitations.
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44
S i t e A n a l y s i s :
O r g a n i z a t i o n a l C o n d i t i o n s :
T h e s k e t c h b e l o w a t t e m p t s t o d e p i c t t h e d i f f e r e n t a v a i l a b l e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r i m -
p l e m e n t a t i o n o f d i f f e r e n t p r o g r a m m a t i c f u n c t i o n s . T h e m a i n a r e a i n r e d i s a l a r g e
l o t o f v a c a n t i n d u s t r i a l b u i l d i n g s w h i c h w o u l d s e r v e a s a p o t e n t i a l s i t e f o r d e v e l -
o p m e n t o f c o n v e r t e d r e s i d e n t i a l l o f t u n i t s .
Design Phase 1
Downtown Champaign, IL
Programmatic Design
Once the initial site observations are com-
pleted, the decision then relies on trying to figure
out where the opportuni-ties for improvements lie.
The series of sketches on this page are a study
of the urban condition as related to those oppor-
tunities. These sketches are process sketches
which ultimately help to advise design decision which inform the new
master plan.
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Design Analysis (cont.)
Downtown Champaign, IL New Street Organization
The strategies in trying to create a walk-able community deal heavily with the issues regarding the presence of cars and roads and spaces for parking. If these streets were devoted purely to pedestrian traffic, the opportunities for implementa-tion of different elements within the streets are quite abundant. The fact is that there are nearly 40-50 feet of space devoted to a 2 lane street within the streets of downtown.
By making the streets void of vehicu-lar traffic, the volumous space created presents a valuable opportunity for the integration of trees, plazas, bike paths, benches, and canopies, which really begin to make the street scape more ap-pealing to pedestrians, and thus drawing them from their dwellings into that street.
Currently, even with street traffic, patrons of restaurants choose to sit outside, and have that connection to the outdoors. The space allotted for tables outdoors on the sidewalks is minimal, and when pedestrians are walking by, those patrons are practically eating dinner with those pedestrians. There is no sense of per-sonal space which is left due to this lack of room on the sidewalk. By stretching the pedestrian path deep into the street, the restaurants can fully occupy this street for a truly outdoor dining experience. European plazas are filled with restaurant patrons sitting outside, enjoying a casual drink, dining with friends and family, truly immersed in the environment. They do not have the worry about street noise, car pollution, disturbing pedestrians, and the likes.
The street then becomes a medium for activity, and begins to liven and engage the community in a way never before experienced. This street which was once plagued by vehicular traffic, now begins to create a walkable community within the immediate downtown environment.
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Latency Vatsal
46
Design Phase 1
Downtown Champaign, IL
Existing Master plan
A more thorough analysis of the downtown mas-ter plan shows clearly
the lack of focal nodes, an abundance of street
parking, a lack of ameni-ties, and a rather unorga-
nized mix of buildings in terms of creating flow.
A
B
B
B
I
I
J
J
J
J
C
D
EE
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
F
F
F
L
O
O
F
F
FK
F
G
G
G
G
J
G
G
MH
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
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LEGEND
A - Structured ParkingB - Mid-Rise Office BuildingC - HospitalD - City HallE - Restaurant/BarF - Mixed Use Type 1 Housing/RetailG - Mixed Use Type 2 Retail/OfficeH - Mixed Use Type 3 Housing/OfficeI - BankJ - ShoppingK - Elderly HousingL - CondominiumsM - MuseumN - Train StationO - Vacant BuildingP - Surface Parking
Existing Building
Green Space
Vehicular Traffic Allowed
E
E
N
F
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
J
H
L i b e r a t e dD e s a i
Latency Vatsal
48
A
B
B
B
B
B
B
CD
E
FW
W
WW
F
G
X
X
G
G
G G
H
HH
H
H
H
H
Y
Y
M
MO
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Q
QR
U
N
N
I
I I
I
I
J
J
K
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
LL
LL
U
D
A
Design Phase 1
Downtown Champaign, IL
New Master plan
A truly walkable city is developed, full with
amenities for every pa-tron within the city limits.
High density, mixed-multiple use buildings become the typology
within the center hub of the downtown. The central node houses a large public plaza with a possible market that
spills out onto the space. Restaurants and bars
line the plaza to continu-ally bring people into the
environment.
A large outdoor garden and canopy system be-
gins to create a second-ary and tertiary level of
pedestrian scape which begins to activiate the
latent spaces left by the spaces between build-ings and the rooftops. Housing specific sec-tor is developed in the
old, vacant industrial lot to the upper right of the
si