Spacial Alignment

Crystal Lake, IL
///September 2013

This is a look back at the entry level and the transit level of one of my old architecture studio projects for the city of Chicago. This was the transit oriented development at the cross streets of Milwaukee and California on Chicago's north side.

What I find interesting is how certain ideas and principles stay with us, and how they tend to translate through our designs and merge into our lives. Basically its interesting how looking at a set of plans can speak into the life or thinking of the designer. However feasible or not a plan is, the juxtapositioning of solid/voids and the alignment of these spaces is congruent in my drawings and even the very layout of my home studio.

On spacial alignment - (the self-promoted OCD architect) - I fall victim to this just as many of my peers, however, it is my believe that this disorder is pumped into our blood throughout our training. Whether you claim spacial alignment or not, the lack of proposed spacial alignment is just as much of an alignment as the latter. Void of any programatic elements, environmental factors, etc the elements broken down into simple shapes, when asked to organize or place the shapes in a relationship with one another, our immediate response is the understand the commonalities or differences between the two shapes before we can come to a decision of there spatiality in relation to each shape. At this point our preconceived ideas of what is 'right' step in. Do we separate ourselves from these preconceived ideas and roll the shapes like dice in hopes of an aesthetically pleasing outcome, or painfully/comfortably align the characteristics of the shapes. I would say that most designers understand the mental confrontation of walking the line between pain and comfort.

Producing something devoid of context and external factors is something I have not yet been able to do, however for some designers this may be their strength, and passion. It is my belief that neither is right or wrong, there ought to be a fusion of sorts that strengthens the idea of the project.

(my thoughts for today - if you care to discuss comment below)

entry level - orange suggesting 'el' stop station
(click to view large)

platform level - orange suggesting platform
(click to view large)