FLASH POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATIONS (P.O.E.'s)
under construction...
Children's museum | Boston, MA
Zach Kalette & Chelsea Andersson
| childrens_museum.pdf |
WEILL HALL PLAZA | CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NY
Dan Arseneau & Jin Huang
According to the Olin Studio, the plaza's designers, the plaza was "inspired by Meier's building as well as the inherent nature of the site." It is easy to see how the space reflects the building, its rigid geometry and broad planes of uniform material show a similar character to the vertical planes that enclose and define the space. As for the nature of the site, the grading of the plaza reflects the deep gorges that border the main body of the Cornell campus to the north and south.
The northern section of the Weill Hall Plaza exists primarily as a space for movement. It contains only one bench and is not conducive to lingering or mingling. Instead, the plaza directs people to and from the northeast entrance of Weill Hall and provides them with the most efficient routes of access to the door.
Unfortunately, the styling of the plaza requires a high degree of maintenance that has not been fully administered. Because the design of the site is so heavily reliant on hard geometry and uniformity any imperfection stands out more than it would in a more curvilinear or rough-edged design.
In the site's defense, this p.o.e. was conducted at the end of winter and it appeared as if spring maintenance had not yet been performed on it.
Also worth noting is the seasonality of the main diagonal path across the site. During the winter the path is closed to pedestrians, eliminating one of the plaza's major circulation routes and blocking access to the primary experiential element of the site.
Though the plaza's manholes and drain inlets are rusting their red color creates an interesting visual contrast with the rest of the site.
The northern section of the Weill Hall Plaza exists primarily as a space for movement. It contains only one bench and is not conducive to lingering or mingling. Instead, the plaza directs people to and from the northeast entrance of Weill Hall and provides them with the most efficient routes of access to the door.
Unfortunately, the styling of the plaza requires a high degree of maintenance that has not been fully administered. Because the design of the site is so heavily reliant on hard geometry and uniformity any imperfection stands out more than it would in a more curvilinear or rough-edged design.
In the site's defense, this p.o.e. was conducted at the end of winter and it appeared as if spring maintenance had not yet been performed on it.
Also worth noting is the seasonality of the main diagonal path across the site. During the winter the path is closed to pedestrians, eliminating one of the plaza's major circulation routes and blocking access to the primary experiential element of the site.
Though the plaza's manholes and drain inlets are rusting their red color creates an interesting visual contrast with the rest of the site.
| huang_poe_weillhall_plaza.pdf |
| weill_hall_poe_v2.pdf |
Bailey Plaza | Cornell campus, ithaca ny
James Gross
| gross_flashpoe.pdf |
Bailey Plaza is situated adjacent to Bailey Hall on Cornell University' campus. The plaza is large, and very open. On the end farthest from Bailey Hall sites a large stone sculptural fountain. Water trickles from cracks in the rocks-calling to mind the jarring formations found in the gorges around which the campus sits. The site contains only 3 benches: each bench is made two solid pieces of wood. Each piece, up to 30 ft long, is cut from a single tree. Two types of blue-stone were used as paving. One blue-stone, with a natural cleft, designates the heavy walking patterns found through and around the plaza. The far end of the plaza, near the fountain, has a large trench drain capturing a majority of the sheet flow. The rest of the water is directed from the pavers in half inch grooves, allowing water to soak into the soil and spread to the planters. The plants range from maples and dogwoods to various other shrubs and ground covers. Most of the plant palette is native, and the designer uses plants with red leaves, berries, or blooms to match the colleges colors. Lighting is mixed between large, but clean and contemporary halogen overheads and the old, painted metal with large bulbs covering florescent bulbs. I initially visited the site in early spring, when the leaves had no yet returned to the trees. At first, the plaza seamed open exposed. It felt like an Italian piazza, void of plant life with few places to sit. The fountain was not running, and the space was bare except a few passing thru. I had the opportunity to return in early May, during finals week. The trees had begun to fill out, and my perception of the space changed dramatically. The plaza felt like an oasis, effectively protecting your senses from the street beyond the planters. With the fountain flowing, the soft sound of water trickling was tranquil. Many students were sitting on the benches, studying and reading material.
landwave | Boston, MA
Nathan LaPierre
| lapierre__flashpoe.pdf |
FRANKLIN SQUARE PARK | SYRACUSE, NY
Tom Christianson
| christianson_redthread.pdf |
