Cincinnati 07

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
July 12, 2007

Date:___________________
Ashim Srivastava
I, _________________________________________________________,
hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of:
Masters of Architecture
in:
The School of Architecture and Interior Design
It is entitled:
Transition: A Spatial Translation
This work and its defense approved by:
Jay Chatterjee
Chair: _______________________________
Tom Bible
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Transition: A Spatial Translation
A thesis submitted to the
Division of Research and Advanced Studies

of the University of Cincinnati
in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE
in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design

of the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning
2007
by
Ashim Srivastava
B. Arch., Pune University, 2004
Committee
First Chair: Jay Chatterjee
Second Chair: Tom Bible
Abstract
‘Transition’ is the movement, passage or change from one position, state, stage,
subject, concept, experience etc. to another. It is also the process by which the
change or modulation happens. It provides a space to adjust from one experience to
another. There can be a complete transition of mental state, mood, personality or
lifestyle of an individual by transferring from one space to another. It might involve
anxiety, paranoia or thrill at one end and serenity or refuge on the other. This
compilation seeks a holistic perspective on ‘Transition, beginning with understanding
the term ‘transition’ and tracing notions of transition in architectural discourse.
Architectural experience of transfer or exchange can be best expressed through a
design of an Inter-modal station where these notions of transition can be explored at
a large and urban scale.
1) The project will be a spatial translation of various notions of ‘transition’ through
literature and precedents that express various aspects of this notion.
2) Apply and explore this study to design an inter-modal transit station.
3) The thesis will also investigate as to how transition spaces can be designed for a
seamless transfer from one space to another and one mode of transportation to
another.
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Jay Chatterjee, for his guidance, kindness and
faith and Professor Tom Bible for his valuable suggestions and constructive comments.
I express my gratitude to my family for their support in any endeavor that I wanted to
achieve. Without their encouragement, support and wishes I would have not been
where I stand today.
I would like to thank my fiancée, Neha, without whom I could not have completed my
thesis. She helped me and made sure I was never short of encouragement.
Finally, I sincerely thank all the people without whom this thesis would not have been
possible.
Table of contents
List of Illustrations ii
Illustration Credits viii
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Transition Space 1
Transition Path 5
Movement 7
Speed 11
Orientation 13
Seamless Transition 14
Chapter 2 – Precedent analyses

McCormick Tribune Campus Center, IIT Chocago 16
Aronoff Center for Design and Art, Cincinnati 24
Campus Recreation Center, Cincinnati 32
Stedelhofen Railway Station, Zurich, Switzerland 40
Chapter 3 – Program 47
Chapter 4 – Site 52
Chapter 5 – Methodology
Connections 62
Orientation 62
Integration of various modes of transportation 63
Speeds 64
Plans 66
Sections and elevations 70
Conceptual views 71
Details 74
Bibliography 78
Ashim Srivastava i
Transition- A Spatial Translation
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1: Introduction
Fig 1.1
Arrival, passage and Transition spaces
Fig 1.2
Transition paths traced by Zaha Hadid
Fig 1.3
Blurring various transition from one mode of transportation to another for seamless transfer
Fig 1.4
Lyons Station, France by Santiago Calatrava
Fig 1.5
Stadelhofen Railway station, Zurich by Santiago Calatrava
Fig 1.6
Fig 1.7
Villa Savoy- Ground floor plan
Fig 1.8
Ramp leading to the roof
Fig 1.9
Central Staircase
Fig 1.10
Fig 1.11
Lyons Station, France by Santiago Calatrava
Fig 1.12
Car Park and Terminus, France by Zaha Hadid
Fig 1.13
Mediatheque by Toyo Ito
Fig 1.14
Aronoff Centre, University of Cincinnati by Peter Eisenman
Ashim Srivastava ii
Chapter 2: Precedents
Fig 2.1
Existing Paths traced (by Koolhaas) between academic block and residential block
Fig 2.2
Paths incorporated through the building
Fig 2.3
The web of lines showing student flow and how the building took form
Fig 2.4
An elevated shortcut to Mies’s Commons building providing a clear view
Fig 2.5
Correspondence with Mies black columns
Fig 2.6
Merging the outside with inside
Fig 2.7
The column punctures through the roof to support the railway tube above
Fig 2.8
Literal response to Miesian Architecture
Fig 2.9
Literal response to Railways in IIT
Fig 2.10
Hanging Garden Court connecting the 2 buildings
Fig 2.11
Koolhaas uses Transparency to blur the 2 buildings
Fig 2.12
Simplicity and purity in the exterior to merge with Mies surroundings
Fig 2.13
Profile of the pre-existing buildings
Fig 2.14
Working out the Transition Spaces
Fig 2.15
Aronoff Centre connects
Fig 2.16
Ashim Srivastava iii

Entrance View showing the merging of the old structure with new
Fig 2.17
Blurring the built environment with the natural for seamless transition
Fig 2.18
Blurring transition from the old to new and vice versa
Fig 2.19
The atrium serves as a Cafeteria
Fig 2.20
Old merges with new
Fig 2.21
Overlooking spaces for visual connections with various spaces
Fig 2.22
Grand staircase - A transition path with various activities, spaces and views
Fig 2.23
Seamless transition from the new building to old: Language of the new carried through the
old.
Fig 2.24
Transition from a level below ground to a level above ground
Fig 2.25
The old part of the building shows how the vocabulary of the new building projects into the
old.
Fig 2.26
The Urban Setting
Fig 2.27
FIVE exiting paths through the campus centre
Fig 2.28
Peripheral flow of pedestrian traffic along the Main Street
Fig 2.29
Renderings showing the response to the urban setting
Fig 2.30
Continuation of Nippert Stadium
Fig 2.31
Visual connection between Main Street and class room waiting
Fig 2.32
Ashim Srivastava iv
Transparency
Fig 2.33
Running track with views to different activities
Fig 2.34
Visual Connections
Fig 2.35
The recreation center's roofscape seamlessly continues the oval curve of the stadium's
stands until meeting the straight edge of the center's Northeast portion.
Fig 2.36
Walkway at the second level
Fig 2.37
Platform at the first level
Fig 2.38
Site Plan
Fig 2.39
Pedestrian Bridges
Fig 2.40
Various Levels
Fig 2.41
Section showing different levels and speeds
Fig 2.42
Shopping below the platform level
Chapter 3: Program
Fig 3.1
Muni Street Light Rail Route is the fastest transfer to Bell Park from the Caltrain Station
Fig 3.2
Muni Busses Route serving the site and around
Chapter 4: Site
Fig 4.1
Ashim Srivastava v
Key Areas in context
Fig 4.2
Key nodes
Fig 4.3
Caltrain Extension Plan
Fig 4.4
Mission Bay proposed development plan
Fig 4.5
Meeting of two different city grids
Fig 4.6
Site Plan
Fig 4.7
Aerial views
Fig 4.8
View towards the station
Fig 4.9
The existing station
Fig 4.10
Waiting Hall
Fig 4.12
Interiors
Fig 4.13
Ticket booths
Fig 4.12
Interiors
Fig 4.13
Ticket booths
Fig 4.15
Transition from Caltrain Station to Pacific Bell Park
Fig 4.16
Pacific Bell Park and Water Front
Ashim Srivastava vi
Chapter 5: Methodology
Fig 5.1
Walking radius
Fig 5.2
Connections with various important areas
Fig 5.3
The latent pedestrian paths laid over the site according to the grid
Fig 5.4
Speeds segregated by levels
Fig 5.5
Integration of different speed at ground level
Fig 5.6
Fastest Path - Entering the station
Fig 5.7
Fastest Path – Existing from station
Fig 5.8
Platform Level Plan at - 36’-0”
Fig 5.9
Concourse Level Plan at - 18’-0”
Fig 5.10
First floor Plan at +-0’
Fig 5.11
Second Floor Plan at +18’-0”
Fig 5.12
Fourth Floor Plan at +36’-0”
Fig 5.13
Roof Plan at +59’-0”
Fig 5.14
Section A-A’ and Front Elevation
Fig 5.15
Aerial view of the plaza
Fig 5.16
Fast and slow movements
Ashim Srivastava vii

Fig 5.17
Various modes of transfer
Fig 5.18
Options for transfer
Fig 5.19
Spatial transition
Fig 5.20
Emerging from the subway
Fig 5.21
Shear wall detail
Fig 5.22
Plan showing 4 shear walls joined at the top to support the N-Girders
Fig 5.21
N-Girder Detail
Fig 5.22
Aluminum framing for façade glazing
Fig 5.23
Seamless merging of various languages of each transportation type
Ashim Srivastava viii

Illustration Credits
Architecture weak, Patterns of Home, Pattern Six — The Flow through Rooms: Arrival,
Passage, and Transition, The Taunton Press, 2002
Fig 1.1
Schumacher Patrick and Fontana Gordana, Zaha Hadid Complete Works- Major and Recent
Works, New York, Rizzoli International Publications Inc, 2004 – page 44-60
Fig 1.2, 1.3, 1.9, 2.38, 2.41
Alexander Tzonis, Santiago Calatrava- Poetics of movement, Universe Publishing, New York,
1999
Fig 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8
http://archive-ww.smt.city.sendai.jp/ja/data/mediatheque/competition/profile.html
Fig 1.10
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/eisenmancin/daapint2.html
Fig 1.11
http://www.arcspace.com/architects/koolhaas/McCormick-Tribune/
Fig 2.4, 2.8
http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/OedipusRem/koolhaasIIT.htm
Fig 2.6
http://photos.innersource.com/group/6610
Fig 2.5, 2.11, 2.12
http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0103/design_1-1.html
Fig 2.19, 2.20
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/eisenmancin/daap.html
Fig 2.22
Cynthia C. Davidson, Eleven authors in search of a building: the Aronoff Center for Design
and Art at the University of Cincinnati, New York, Monacelli Press, 1996
Fig 2.25
http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/ceonline06/0506feat.html
Fig 2.26, 2.35
www.maps.google.com
Fig 2.27
http://www.architectureweek.com/2006/0426/design_1-1.html
Fig 2.28
Ashim Srivastava ix
http://www.pritzkerprize.com/164/pritzker2005/univcincinnatti.htm
Fig 2.29
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=3350
Fig 2.30
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/archives/0610cincinnati.asp
Fig 2.32
http://www.uc.edu/virtualtour/quicktour/campusrec.html
Fig 2.33
http://transit.511.org/providers/maps/SF_411200714805.pdf
Fig 3.1, 3.2
http://www.bayrailalliance.org/caltrain_dtx
Fig 4.3
http://pub.ucsf.edu/missionbay/building/affordable_housing.php
Fig 4.4
www.maps.google.com
Fig 4.5
www.local.live.com
Fig 4.7, 4.16
http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/stadelhofen/index.htm
Fig 2.36, 2.37
www.calatrava.com
Fig 2.40
http://www.webseeings.org/quake-ii-zurich/
Fig 2.42
http://www.flickr.mud.yahoo.com/photos
Fig 2.39
Ashim Srivastava x
Introduction
Chapter 1
Transition Space
Transfer from one place to another happens through a connecting space. A
connecting space offers an introduction to the next space — arrival. It contains
movement as one travels from one spot to the next — passage/path. And it provides
a space to adjust from one experience to another — transition.1
Fig 1.1 Arrival, passage and Transition spaces
Incase of temple architecture, people need to be able to adjust from the secluded
and impersonal world of the car, to the communal and intimate world of worship. This
adjustment can not be made abruptly. To make a seamless emotional transition, the
individual needs a transition space in which to make it.
“You cannot step out of your car, cross a plane of asphalt, and enter directly into a
building without bringing a bit of impersonality with you. Consider an alternate
arrangement which has the central goal of giving you the opportunity to exchange the
1 Architecture weak, Patterns of Home, Pattern Six — The Flow through Rooms: Arrival, Passage, and Transition,
The Taunton Press, 2002. 152-156
Ashim Srivastava -1-

public face you wore in the car for an intimate face appropriate for the inside of a
sanctuary. After leaving your car you are led into a garden. The path to the church
exists out of a corner of this garden affording you a change in direction. As you step
upon the path your view is re-directed along a narrow way. This way leads to the
building and you catch a glimpse of it as you proceed. Traveling a short distance, you
arrive at a forecourt framed by building and colonnade. As you move under cover of a
portal, the main entrance lies ahead. The whole transition can take seconds or
minutes depending on the actual circumstances. The key feature is that you are
given a chance to pause, and be in touch with life, thus allowing you to become more
alive yourself.”2
Thus, experience of entering a building influences the way you feel inside the
building. If the transition is too abrupt there is no feeling of arrival, and the inside of
the building fails to be a sanctum. When the flow through different spaces is smooth,
the transition is gradual and the thresholds are marked, a building slowly unfolds,
revealing more about itself as it is used.3
While people are on the street, they adopt a style of street behavior. When they come
into a house they naturally want to get rid of this street behavior and settle down
completely into the more intimate spirit appropriate to a house. But it seems likely
that they cannot do this unless there is a transition from one to the other which helps
them to lose the street behavior. The transition must, in effect, destroy the
2R. Gary Black , research paper- The art of making Sacred Space
3Architecture weak, Patterns of Home, Pattern Six — The Flow through Rooms: Arrival, Passage, and Transition,
The Taunton Press, 2002. 152-156
momentum of the closedness, tension and "distance" which are appropriate to street
behavior, before people can relax completely.
Interstitial
It is Latin for "between spaces," and is commonly used to denote "in-betweenness".
Architects refer to the "interstitial space," as being neither inside any room nor
outside the building. Transition in this interstitial space occurs from old to new, inside
and outside, architectural space to urban space, one room to the other, one level to
the other and vice versa. The quality of transition points is based on their
connection, concentration and distribution functions. Every point is unique by
situation, disposition, design, as well as, character and volume of people flowing and
types of transportation modes.
Peter Eisenman describes ‘Space’ to be the initiating condition, and produces from
this a series of spaces which can be called ‘interstitial’, space which is neither the
product of a framing ground nor formed from the generation of a pre-existent figure.
He further elaborates, the interstitial to be a between condition, between figure and
ground, between form and space. It is a result of a process of spacing which involves
the transformation and recording of vectors, energy flows which have a mass, a
density, and energy.
Various connotations of the term ‘transition’ from different dictionaries are as
follows:
• In music
It is the shift in the key of a composition. Modulation is commonly employed as a
means of achieving variety in a composition and has been in use since the late 15th
century. It involves a change in stress, loudness, tone or voice.
The term modulation opens up whole new aspect of transition. Modulation covers
rhythm, sequence, variation, stress or emphasis on a particular part of construction
of something, progression and proportions (arithmetic, geometric, Fibonacci series
etc).
• In Grammar
Modulation is the use of a particular distribution of stress or pitch in a construction.
• In architecture
It is the act of modifying, regulating or adjusting according to due measure and
proportion. It is term also used for tempering or softening in passing from one
element, form or material to another.
• Transcendence
Transition sometimes is associated with ‘Transcendence’, which is a philosophy used
primarily with reference to god’s relation with the world. God is completely outside of
and beyond the world. It is contrasted with notion that god is manifested in the world.
‘Transcendence’ means ‘going beyond’ and ‘self transcendence’ means going
beyond a prior form or state of oneself.

Transcendental Meditation technique was found as a form of relaxation or stress
reduction in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is a mental technique involving
concentration, or those involving contemplation or active thinking. “The TM technique
involves an effortless repetition of a specific sound, called a mantra. This effortless
repetition, practised according to specific guidelines, enables the practitioner's mind
to settle down until the mental activity of ordinary waking consciousness is
"transcended" and a state of restful alertness is experienced.”-Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi
Transition is the movement, path or change from one position, state, stage, subject,
concept, experience etc. to another. It is important to understand important
characteristics of ‘path’ and ‘movement’ in architecture to get a holistic perspective
on ‘transition’ as a notion.
Transition Path
Kevin lynch (1960’s) in ‘Image of a City ’presents a cogent analysis of the transition
and transition path in an urban context based on orientation and mental images
people generate of a place through ‘cognitive map of the environment’. He
established the terms path, edge, district, node and landmark as important
characteristics for analyzing movement and orientation within a city.
According to, a transition needs to have with a clear and continuity that includes both
origins and destination. A path should reinforce “motion awareness” and offer a

degree of visual scope to enhance the observer’s sense of passage, distance, rhythm
and time.4
J.G Davis states a similar criteria - “For a path to be identifiable it must have strong
edges; continuity; directionality; recognizable landmarks; a sharp terminal; and end-
from-end distinction.”
For Zaha Hadid’s car park and station project in France, the overall concept is the
overlapping lines and paths (fig. 1.2) which are patterns of movement engendered by
cars, trams, bicycles and pedestrians. Each has a trajectory and a trace. Fig 1.3
shows how Zaha Hadid blurs transition from one mode of transportation to the other
by using various materials. “It is as though the transition between transport types
(from car to tram, train to tram) is rendered in the material and spatial transitions of
the station, landscaping and context”. 5
Fig 1.2 Transition paths traced by Zaha Hadid Fig 1.3 Blurring various transitions from one mode of
transportation to another for seamless
4 Thomas Barrie, Spiritual path, sacred space- Myth, Ritual, and Meaning in Architecture, Shambhala, Boston &
London, 1996. 37-38.

5 Schumacher Patrick , Fontana Gordana, Zaha Hadid Complete Works- Major and Recent Works, New York,
Rizzoli International Publications Inc, 2004. 44-50

Movement
Philosopher Henri Bergson’s philosophy involves a rejection of Aristotle’s philosophy
that assumes that one cannot have qualities without qualified, no quatities without
quanta, no movement without something that moves. This metaphysical doctrine
which Bergson denied, insisting that there are no things, there are only actions. He
elaborates:
“There are changes, but there are underneath the change no things which change:
has no need of support. There are movements, but there is no inert or invariable
object which moves: movement does not imply a mobile.”6
“Even if the building itself does not move, there are usually small elements of a
building, including doors, windows and elevators that do. Moreover, people are
climbing stairs and walking the corridors, rain is falling against the window panes,
water is running through the pipes, and so on. In recent Dutch architecture the
modes, patterns and intensities of movement in buidings have been thematized
architecturally either in order to transform the program or to determine the forms on
the basis of exact statistical data about moving elements, be it people cars or air in
AC ducts.” 6
In the book ‘The poetics of movement’ Alexander Tzonis presents works of architect
Santiago Calatrava, with a different dimension of transition in architectural terms
6
Jormakka Kari, Flying Dutchmen- Motion in Architecture, Birkhauser, Switzerland, 2002. 53-56.
where it can be associated with ‘movement’- of people, of vehicles, of structure or
implied by the building symbolically.
Calatrava introduces movement into three aspects of buildings: construction, vessel,
and envelope. Through them, movement plays a functional or symbolic role in three
ways:
1. The project parts move
2. They convey the idea of movement figuratively
3. Serves moving objects
Fig 1.4 Lyons Station, France by Santiago Calatrava Fig 1.5 Stadelhofen Railway station, Zurich by
Santiago Calatrava
In his numerous buildings, engineering projects, sculptures, and furniture designs,
Santiago Calatrava has developed a unique poetics of morphology that overlaps
structure and movement. Combining art and science, technology and architecture,
Calatrava's bridges and buildings create a sublime elegance in their urban contexts.
With dynamic curves, leaning vertical elements, and mechanically operable roofs,
they embody potential motion.

Fig 1.6 Stadelhofen Railway station, Zurich by Santiago Calatrava
Symbolically, ‘movement’ is meant to express, the rise and fall, the advance and
recess, with other diversity of form, in the different parts of the building, so as to add
significantly to the aesthetics of the composition of the building. “For the rising and
falling, advancing and receding, with the convexity and concavity, and other forms of
the great parts, have the same effect in architecture, that hill and dale, fore-ground
and distance, swelling and sinking have in landscape: that is, they serve to produce
an agreeable and diversified contour, that groups and contrasts like a picture and
creates a variety of light and shade, which gives great spirit, beauty and effect to the
composition.”7
Movement is also implied in the other two ways throughout the structure. It can be
read in the flow of forces channeled down to the ground via intricate configurations
7 Julian Small , Essay on The Architecture of Robert Adam (1728-1792),

of steel and ferrovitreous and reinforced concrete. Movement is concealed within the
profile of the columns, beams, platforms, roof and supporting walls.
The human form provides the raw material for some of Calatrava’s innovative
architectural and structural shapes, which reveal ribbon-like flow, torsion, and
unexpected visual tensions between support members and surrounding space.8
Poetics of Movement demonstrates a number of Caltrava’s projects where he
conceptualizes movement and considers multiple threads of pedestrian and
vehicular transition paths and pulls them through the site and building, effectively
composing an interface of movement paths.
For Villa Savoy, Corbusier determined the general shape of the ground floor from the
turning radius of car. He used ramps instead of stairs, as the main vertical circulation
so that the smooth motion of the car may be continued through the building. The
central staircase in Le Corbusier's Villa Savoy is directly connected to various
circulation routes in every direction. The ramps and staircases become a sculptural
feature in the villa and symbolize ‘movement’ that exists all through the building. In
this house Corbusier by attempting to vary scenes constantly and offering changes,
surprises the unknown. There is an ambiguous special transition from the point of
entry to the roof level.
8 http://www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org/Calatrava.htm
Ashim Srivastava - 10 -
Fig 1.7 Villa Savoy- Ground floor plan Fig 1.8 Ramp leading to the roof
Fig 1.9 Central Staircase
Speed
For his Stadelhofen Railway Station project in Zurich (fig 1.6, 1.7), he paid great
importance to the third kind of movement, i.e. the movement of the pedestrians and
the vehicles. The station accommodates multiple movements and articulates several
functional transportation components. “Indeed, the paths and passageways within
the station are intertwined like a smooth flowing circulatory system, directing
different types of movement. The highly regulated movement of the trains on the
ground level coexists with that of hurried pedestrians ascending and descending the
three levels via the stairs and escalators that’s criss-cross the shopping mall under
the tracks. Others cross above them over three pedestrian bridges, while less-harried
families and couples enjoy leisurely strolls up and down the hill and along the
promenade.” 9
Fig 1.10 Stadelhofen Railway station, Zurich by Santiago Calatrava
Speed of the observer affects the experience of space. Driving a car or just riding a
bicycle changes our perception of the street from what we would experience if
walking slow or remaining stationary. As the speed increases, the space narrows
down into a corridor ahead of us, weakening our awareness of what lies behind or
beside.10
9 Alexander Tzonis, Santiago Calatrava- Poetics of movement, Universe Publishing, New York, 1999. 44-51.
10 Jormakka Kari, Flying Dutchmen- Motion in Architecture, Birkhauser, Switzerland, 2002. 75-76.
Orientation
Apart from implying movement through geometry, Calatrava gives maximum
importance to directional orientation which is a critical requirement for serving
hurried travelers. “Rather than orientating movements of travelers using signs within
an undistinguished enclosure, or a “universal space,” as many designers of
contemporary terminals chosen to do, Calatrava channels and informs crowds
through the configuration of the building itself. This explains the size and the strong
sense of direction given to the elements of the complex and justifies the rhythmic
repetition of structural members as they relate to the movement of the crowds.”11
Fig 1.11 Lyons Station, France by Santiago Calatrava
“The need for orientation also explains the modulation of light, also conceived in a
directional and rhythmic way. Light is more sparse in the core of the station,
11 Alexander Tzonis, Santiago Calatrava- Poetics of movement, Universe Publishing, New York, 1999. 156-159.
becoming more abundant in towards the tracks and the outside”. This rhythm guides
the passengers in the Lyons Airport Railway Station (fig 1.8); their overall transition
from the outside to the platforms and also on their way out.
In the car park and terminus project, Hadid used the notion of cars as ephemeral and
constantly changing elements on site to layout car lots. These lots start off aligned in
north-south orientation in the lowest part of the site, then gently rotate according to
the curvature of the site boundaries (fig 1.9). 12
Fig 1.12 Car Park and Terminus, France by Zaha Hadid
Seamless transition
Transfer paths can lead us to an understanding of the building, its connecting spaces
and its outdoor spaces. Transfer from a one space to the other can be a
12 Schumacher Patrick, Fontana Gordana, Zaha Hadid Complete Works- Major and Recent Works, New York,
Rizzoli International Publications Inc, 2004. 44-50.
choreographed movement where the language of one space is carried forward to the
other in order to make it a seamless journey.
Toyo Ito’s concept of blurring for the Sendai Mediatheque project in Toronto was
about fusing physical world with the virtual world. He tried to blur the world of Media
with architecture. Zaha Hadid attempted to blur internal and external spaces for a
stage design for Belgian Dance Company in Brussels, providing dancers with the
freedom for seamless transition from reality to dream world to virtuality and back
again. In the late 1980s, Peter Eisenman explained his ideas of blurring. “It is not a
visual effect but rather deals with affect, that is, a strategy for exploring a mind/body
relationship in architecture that displaces the conventional or expected experience of
space. Blurring has many different definitions - the between, the interstitial - and
takes many different forms in the work”13.
Fig 1.13 Mediatheque by Toyo Ito Fig 1.14 Aronoff Centre, University of Cincinnati by Peter
Eisenman
13 Peter Eisenman, Blurred Zones- Investigation of the Interstitial, Monacelli Press, 1988
The thesis would be a study of the process of transition from one space to another. It
attempts to make transfer from one mode of transportation to the other in a fast,
seamless and efficient manner. Serving people transferring from one mode to
another, the project will convey the idea of mobility and dynamism, figuratively. The
project will connect the Cal Train Subway station with the Pacific Bell Park and the
Mission Bay. The subway station would have activities catering to the Bell Park,
Mission bay and the surrounding neighborhood like retail, restaurants, fast food
joints, pubs and outdoor spaces.
Precedent Analyses
Chapter 2
McCormick Tribune Campus Center, IIT Chocago,Illinois
“The McCormick Tribune Campus Center was designed as an architecturally-
significant addition to the already architecturally-significant Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe's 1953 Commons building in the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.
Design of the building actually began in 1997 during an international architectural
design competition hosted by the school. Finalists included Peter Eisenman, Helmut
Jahn, Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Sejima, and the winner, Rem Koolhaas. He worked
together with Chicago architecture firm Holabird & Root, especially on structural
engineering issues.
The site was previously merely a parking lot heavily trafficked by students over which
the tracks of the noisy Chicago El pass. An important aspect of Koolhaas's design
concept was to track the movement of students across the lot, which informed the
set of diagonal passageways that were ultimately built to serve as the center's
interior thoroughfares. Between these pathways were included a number of campus
functions, which had previously been spread around campus, such as the student
bookstore and the campus post office. Also involved was a connection to the new
campus cafeteria, to be created in a renovated version of Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe's 1953 Commons building. The process of creating this connection involved
significant architectural sensitivity in design and maintain the purity of van der Rohe's
designs.”14
Dining halls, student organization offices, bookstore, coffee bar, a student
recreational facility and a faculty club are located in the new campus center, unifying
in one building functions that had been scattered about campus. “The elevated has a
huge impact on IIT’s character. It demanded an innovative technological concept for
the train enclosure for an institution devoted to technology.” –Koolhaas
Fig 2.1 and 2.2 show how the sum of the student flows and the web of lines that
already connect the eastern and western campus were captured by Koolhaas. As
seen in figure 2.3, without fragmenting the overall building, each of the constituent
parts is articulated according to its specific needs and positioned to respond
precisely to contextual influence to create neighborhoods (twenty-four hour
commercial, entertainment, academic and utilitarian), parks and other urban
elements in miniature.15
Fig 2.1 Existing Paths traced (by Koolhaas) between Fig 2.2 Paths incorporated through the
Academic block and residential block building
14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCormick_Tribune_Campus_Center
15 http://webservices.iit.edu/iit_news/MTCC_metropolitan.asp
Fig 2.3 Web of lines showing student flow and how the spaces are formed
While its exterior does not attempt to upstage its Miesian neighbors, the interior is a
blend of sleek surfaces, layers of transparent and translucent walls, and distant
views captured through Koohaas's pedestrian boulevards. Here, Koolhaas pays his
respects to Mies, but also creates architecture on his own terms.16 Koolhaas has
tried to keep Mies alive in the new building and brings in his language into the new
campus centre. The campus center includes the existing Commons Building.
Koolhaas designs his building in a way, setting the older structure on display (fig 2.4)
that one can admire from the "Mies Bridge" near the campus center's entrance.
Fig 2.4 An elevated shortcut to Mies’s Commons building providing a clear view
16 http://www.architectureweek.com/2003/1217/design_4-3.html
Orange, the keynote color in the building's palette, is a unifying theme. It's crucial to
Koolhaas's concept of a wall of “Miesian interference” that wraps around the facade
and faces off against Crown Hall. The black Mies used to paint his steel reflects the
qualities of his buildings -elegant, strong, and protecting, but also mysterious and
forbidding. Orange is seen almost as its opposite - happy, warm, generous, and
invigorating, but also overbearing and superficial. Throughout, the beautiful, slender
versions of Mies's classic I-beam that support the structure are left exposed, as is the
single black beam that stretches high up inside the windows along almost the entire
length of the ballroom/auditorium section on State.17 As seen in fig 2.5 , the large
and slanting columns that support the tube are painted black to provide
correspondence with Mies’s black I-sections used throughout the campus.
Fig 2.5 Correspondence with Mies black columns
Moving through the center of Koolhaas's building are slanted concrete pylons that
pass through the ceiling. These beefy structural elements are indications of what
really makes the new campus center possible, for the entire building is designed just
under the El. Railway tube is exposed in parts of the ceiling in the interiors. These
17 http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/OedipusRem/koolhaasIIT.htm
elements reflect the overall character of IIT campus and its association with railways
(EL).
Fig 2.6 Merging the outside with inside Fig 2.7 The column punctures through the roof to support the
railway tube above
Koolhaas used unpainted green drywall for the ceiling. The white plaster “mud” used
to cover the screw holes joints and seams between the boards - usually applied
quickly and without any concern about aesthetics, since it would have been painted
over, resulting ceiling is a continuous expanse of large green rectangles framed in
white, each rectangle daubed with twin rows of small white squares. “It's important to
have these vast expanses of exposed Sheetrock," says Koolhaas, "because this is a
kind of return of Miesian Puritanism about steel, but in a more abject material.”18
Koolhaas's engagement with Mies and Railways is apparent (fig 2.8 and 2.9) in a
literal fashion also. The moment you walk in the door, an 18-foot-high portrait of Mies
is sandwiched between the panes of glass, so that you walk into the building through
his head. He also pays respect to IIT’s association with railways with literally stooping
his building to accommodate the railway tube above.
Fig 2.8 Literal response to Miesian Architecture
Fig 2.9 Literal response to Railways in IIT
Just outside the Center Court sports bar is a garden courtyard which connects it to
the neighboring Commons Building, the original student center. Completed in 1953,
it was the only major structure in the central zone along State between the campus
and the dorms. The Commons Building was another Miesian masterpiece -an
exposed-frame, glass-walled pavilion with an open interior that won an American
Institute of Architects award. Mark Schendel says the Commons Building used to be
“an orphan ...stranded in a parking lot.” Now the courtyard offers a “magnificent view
of the Commons. I think you will see it in a completely new way.” 19
Fig 2.10 Hanging Garden Court connecting the 2 buildings Fig 2.11 Koolhaas uses Transparency to blur
the two buildings
The two buildings meet such that one can walk seamlessly from Campus centre to
into Commons building and vice-versa (fig 2.10), but the Commons Building does not
change structurally. As Koolhaas puts it, the buildings "kiss but do not mate."
Koolhaas's campus center in this environment establishes its own identity on a
campus where it is hard to distinguish one building from another. It blurs the transfer
from one part of the campus to the other, where the transition paths carry
vocabularies of Railways and Mies architecture establishing his own identity; making
the transition seamless.
Fig 2.12 Simplicity and purity in the exterior to merge with Mies surroundings
Aronoff Centre for Design and Art, Cincinnati, Ohio
The initial phase of work at the University of Cincinnati was to develop the program
for the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning so as to reorganize the
existing 145,000 square feet of the building and build an additional 145,000 square
feet of exhibition, library, theater, studio, and office space. The challenge for Peter
Eisenman was to create a program for the facility consisting of old and new space
which would become the cultural focus for the College, the University and the
community. It unifies the four schools within the College thereby encouraging optimal
interdisciplinary exchange. 20
Fig 2.13 Profile of the pre-existing buildings Fig 2.14 working out the Transition Spaces
Fig 2.15 Aronoff Centre connects
20 http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/eisenman/projects.html
Developed from within the place itself - the site, the existing building, and the spirit of
the college - the work was to find the building in the site. Its vocabulary comes from
the curves of the land forms and the chevron forms of the existing building setting up
a dynamic relationship to organize the interstitial space (space between the two).
Eisenman produced an entity that integrates the existing red-brick dogleg Modernist
blocks, constructed from the 1950s through the 1980s, with the new wing. Inward-
turning, the long, low building sheathed in faceted sherbet-colored panels barely
emerges from its landscaped setting at one of the major entrances to the campus.21
Fig 2.16 Entrance View showing the merging of the old structure with new
21 http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/eisenman/projects.html
Fig 2.17 Blurring the built environment with the natural for seamless transition
The Atrium, passages, bridges and the grand staircase, all act as transition spaces in
the DAAP building. They connect the old building with the new Aronoff Centre.
Eisenman blurs the transition spaces while transferring from new to old and vice
versa. He took the language of the new building inside the old by gradually merging
the spaces (fig 2.18).
Identity is associated with individuality, distinctiveness, character or recognizability.
These spaces are not distinct from the adjacent connecting spaces visually,
nevertheless these spaces are identified for their individual quality and meaning they
possess. They have own unique identity and significance.
There is definite merging the elements in terms of flooring patterns, lights, ceiling
heights, wall finishes, offsets etc. As one transfers through the transition spaces the
spaces can be approached with a unique awareness, many things like destination,
rhythm of the movement, the spaces passing by and also the surface you are moving
along can be noticed at once.
Fig 2.18 Blurring transition from the old to new and vice versa
The atrium (fig 2.19, 2.20) is the social hub of the building where everything comes
together. It serves as a café, gathering space and as informal meeting space. Here
the underground appearance of a portico combines with the ceremonial ascending
motion of a public staircase.22 It rises between sloped walls along the building's
empty central volume. The drama of the old structure merging with the new can be
witnessed at the corner of the café, enclosing the volume of this interactive space.
Traditional round columns denote the "old" building side whereas unique faceted
columns are part of the "addition" side.
Fig 2.19 The atrium serves as a Cafeteria Fig 2.20 Old merges with new
22 http://www.floornature.com/articoli/articolo.php?id=216&sez=3&lang=en
Fig 2.21 Overlooking spaces for visual connections between different levels
Grand staircase’s long climb, beginning below ground level and ending at it, produces
a curious effect: the conventional notion of rising and lowering gives way to a kinetic
experience, allowing the users to experience "the continuity of rising and descending
in the depths of the structure".23 This transition space is solely used for transgressing
but it also holds design presentations and provides a relaxing environment for
students to sit and chit-chat, have lunch or use their laptop computers.
Fig 2.22 Grand staircase - A transition path with various activities, spaces and views.
23 http://www.floornature.com/articoli/articolo.php?id=216&sez=3&lang=en
The most dramatic impact of this building occurs when we are occupying the
interstitial spaces. We find ourselves very aware of the mundane, crude concrete old
structure with dark and dreary interiors that lack creativity, responsiveness, and
interest. Eisenman makes the users recognize the considerable power and impact
architecture has on our moods and attitudes as they transfer through these
transition spaces. There is an unambiguous transformation of mood, movement,
volume, light, material and other sensory experiences and Eisenman has attempted
to make it gradual and also obscure. He tries to create a mystery in transition from
old to new and vice versa. Transferring through the building is not mere moving from
A to B; it’s an experience and expects to raise intrigue in the users.
Fig 2.23 Seamless transition from the new building to new. Language of the new carried through the old.
“It continually challenges and fools the eye. Spaces expand and contract, always
presenting a changing aspect as one looks from one area to another. In a
conventional building, one walks down an institutional corridor, lined with office and
classrooms doorways. In Aronoff(which meets the same programatic requirements),
the corridors twist and torque through the building, turning the mere act of ‘walking
down the hall’ into an engaging experience.- Jay Chatterjee (Dean DAAP)24
Fig 2.24 Transition from a level below ground to a level above ground
Fig 2.25 The old part of the building shows how the vocabulary of the new building projects into the old.
24Cynthia C. Davidson, Eleven authors in search of a building : the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the
University of Cincinnati, New York , Monacelli Press, 1996. 8-12.
“What of it you see of it from the main boulevard to the north is just the hill
reproducing itself in different colors; what appears to a building is just the matrix out
of which the space inside is produced.
What one percieves, rather are pulses of space and the different registers of public
and private scenes that make up the ‘community space’. The platforms and terraces
that step up through the main space, delineate areas for review of the studio work,
bookstore, gallery, eating facilities and more.
What you percieve is space sliding away from you, doubilng back behind you, below
you and over you. Small tiers in spaces allow glimpses into more layers beyond; in
one moment, from entrance at the top of the site, one can see a set of apertures all
the way to the other entrance, 45 feet and 6 inches below.
The cheverons that have been pulled in from the circulation systems of the old
buildings punctures the space of the “wave”. The corridors of studios twist and
tunnel vission but never close or focus it.”- Michael Hays25
Spatial and visual transitions, overlooking spaces and level differences add to an
intersting experience while transfering from one space to another. Eisenman blurs
the transition between the exterior and interior, old and new, and also one level to
another to make transfer seamless.
25Cynthia C. Davidson, Eleven authors in search of a building : the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the
University of Cincinnati, New York , Monacelli Press, 1996. 20.-28.
Campus Recreation Center, University of Cincinnati,Ohio
The university found a need to fulfill the need for a sense of connection, a
pedestrian-oriented urban presence that would serve students and make the
University come alive as a vibrant place to learn. The Main Street complex is an effort
to create greater interconnectedness between buildings and unite the west portion of
the campus with a pedestrian streetscape.
Fig 2.26 The Urban Setting
Recently added to the Main Street complex is the Campus Recreation Center by
Morphosis. CRC is really five buildings in one, combining athletic facilities,
classrooms, and student housing. The building occupies a central location on the
University Campus and its principal strategy is to weave as a means of establishing
flow to resolve the site’s disparate staccato of existing buildings. Surrounding the site
is the Football Stadium, The Main Pedestrian thoroughfare, and a large campus
green. The project extends the unresolved open edges and weaves them together
across the facility.26
Fig 2.27 FIVE exiting paths through the campus centre
Building is based on five pedestrian walkways (as shown in fig 2.27) that pass
through and around the building. These pathways form a kind of bounding box for the
building. They were present even before the building was built. Due to these through
walkways that lead to different parts of the campus, the sense of movement is even
more felt visually and experientially. These paths have different activities around
them that make the transfer an engaging experience. Due to these paths running
through the building its intricate relationship with the site, the recreation centre
enhances the flow of pedestrian traffic throughout the campus. "The contoured
element of the housing building funnels students into the campus green, while
26 http://www.arcspace.com/architects/morphosis/univ_cinc/
secondary paths penetrate, intertwine, and wrap the university buildings." 27
Spanning a 53-foot grade transition, the building has these five major campus
pathways running through it and also connecting bridges to other structures.
On the ground level three public pedestrian walkways through the facility allow
access and insight to the various programmatic elements on the levels below and
above. Main Street develops into a passage through the building’s main entrance
lobby, passing a climbing wall and juice bar and inviting views up to the open fitness
areas or down over the pools and the basketball gymnasium. Along the east, a “Walk
of Fame” establishes a new access to the existing Basketball arena to the south.28
Fig 2.28 Peripheral flow of pedestrian traffic along the Main street
Thom Mayne developed a series of associated activities to engage peripheral flows
(fig 2.28) on the campus, in order to generate or augment an urban density and
encourage social interaction on the campus. Conceiving main circulation corridor as
a series of strands they placed “Main Street’ the primary campus thoroughfare in a
27 http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/ceonline06/0506feat.html
28 http://www.arcspace.com/architects/morphosis/univ_cinc/
way as to concentrate and direct the movement of students. Not only does the
building give the campus a nexus, but like much of the master plan, it provides what
both Hargreaves and Mayne dub “connective tissue,” drawing together disparate
parts of a domain that developed piecemeal, if not haphazardly.29
Fig 2.29 Renderings showing the response to the urban setting
As seen in fig 2.30, the housing block responds to the Engineering Research Centre
building designed by Michael Graves to the west and the edge of the stadium is
repeated in the undulated shape of classroom structure giving a sense of continuity
to the eyes. This element forms the urban edge of the complex along the Main Street
of the campus leading toward the campus green. The integration of Nippert and CRC
also includes a pedestrian bridge above the seating that provides a pedestrian
connection between both facilities.
29 Mayne Thom, Morphosis: 1998-2004 , New York, Enfield Publishers, 2006. 128-133.
Fig 2.30 Continuation of Nippert Stadium
As pedestrians approach the complex on Main Street, they are greeted by the
gateway formed by glazed classrooms above. It acts as a functional membrane
between the CRC and the rest of the campus. Transparency helps to activate
reciprocal viewing situations between students waiting for their lectures and the
pedestrian traffic below on Main Street.
Fig 2.31 Visual connection between Main Street and class room waiting
Fig 2.32 Transparency
“The recreation center wraps a plethora of student sport and activity facilities around
each other in a fanciful yet functional plan that places a premium on visual
connectedness throughout. There are: eight racquetball courts; a six-court basketball
arena bigger than a football field; a 50-meter pool; a 40-foot (12-meter) climbing
wall; a 17,000-square-foot (1600-square-meter) fitness and weight area; and a four-
lane jogging track suspended from the ceiling to float above the gargantuan
arena.”30
"Everything is about transparency," says Mayne. "It's about the social
interconnectivity of this very cosmopolitan space in the middle of the campus."
Emphasizing this transparency, the design includes glass walls that provide clear
sightlines through the interior, often from above and below. From the gymnasium, it's
possible to view Nippert Stadium and the Olympic pool. A four lane suspended
30 http://www.pritzkerprize.com/164/pritzker2005/univcincinnatti.htm
jogging track traverses the area above the basketball arena, while from the
restaurant there are views of the football field. Three levels of student housing,
organized in four-bedroom apartments, are lifted off the ground on pilotis and look
out over the folded roofscape, the stadium, campus green and the activities along
Main Street.”
Fig 2.33 Running track with views to different activities
Fig 2.34 Visual Connections
"The area was interesting. It wasn't a site in the conventional sense, and this is also
not a building in the conventional sense. Rather it's five buildings. If you take apart
the elements, you can see it's a collaboration of an urban idea. Everything in the
design is an interpretation of the connective tissue. In a sense, it's the opposite of
object building. There's no preferred view." -Thom Mayne
This design strategy of transparency and visual connections at different levels both
orients the users to the weaving nature of the building design and involves them in
the activities passing through them. These visual connections through openings and
glazed surfaces make the transfer from one activity free flowing and smooth. To have
uninterrupted views through different spaces, the building interior is unified by huge, soaring
steel trusses overhead. Structurally and sculpturally, each truss is different, creating an
ongoing feeling of movement that adds drama and differentiation to the oversized CRC
program.”31
Fig 2.35 The recreation center's roofscape seamlessly continues the oval curve of the stadium's stands until
meeting the straight edge of the center's Northeast portion.
To respond to the urban fabric and to accentuate the sculptural elements of the building, the
interior palette of the building were deliberately subdued: Grays with hints of yellow, green
and white. The grey, green and white within the structure respond to the grey, green and
white from the Nippert Stadium – the grey with white stripes of the grandstands and the
green of the field. From the outside, aluminum cladding and steel blends with the zinc
cladding of the neighboring Tangeman University Center and the Steger Student Life Center.
31 http://www.architectureweek.com/2006/0517/design_3-3.html
Stadelhofen Railway Station, Zurich, Switzerland
"The plot both slopes and curves along more than one axis. An abrupt change of level
from east to west, a gentle incline and then decline from north to south, and a sharp
lateral curve in the tracks the whole way across the site add up to a geometrical
nightmare or, as it turned out, a series of spatial opportunities." -Robert Harbison and
Paolo Rosselli.
Stadelhofen is a transit station in the center of Zurich, approximately 2 km away from
the main station. The dimension of the station is rather limited (270 x 40 meters),
however, it is an important node in the urban transport network.
Calatrava's challenge at Stadelhofen was to accommodate a new third track in the
existing train station built for 300 meters along a curved railway line running round a
hillside in the town center. Calatrava's design has excavated the hillside to add the
track, and then built the hillside back with a multilevel structure that restores the
walkways and bank above, while providing an open, naturally lit platform underneath
for the new track.32 The site is a large rupture in the urban fabric made as a result of
the remnants of the old system of city walls and an intrusive eruption of railway
tracks above ground. 33
32http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/stadelhofen/index.htm
33http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Stadelhofen_Railway_Stati.html
Calatrava introduces movement into three aspects of buildings: construction, vessel,
and envelope. Through them, movement plays a functional or symbolic role in three
ways:
4. The project parts move
5. They convey the idea of movement figuratively
6. Serves moving objects
Santiago Calatrava demonstrates ‘transition’ in architectural terms where it can be
associated with ‘movement’- of people, of vehicles, of structure or implied by the
building symbolically. "This large-scale attack on the urban landscape is
characterised by the organisation and repetition on the part of the constructive
element." - Santiago Calatrava34
Fig 2.36 Walkway at the second level Fig 2.37 Platform at the first level
Stadelhofen Station accommodates heavy traffic. As a result, the third track was
added along with an adjacent trackless platform. The design comprises of a
protective wall, which is set back from the platforms, a gallery which covers the
34 Alexander Tzonis, Santiago Calatrava- Poetics of movement, Universe Publishing, New York, 1999
railway on the side nearest the mountain, bridge connections and a retail level which
acts as an underpass to the intermediate track.
Fig 2.38 Site Plan
In this project, Calatrava paid great importance to speed of transition and movement
of pedestrians and vehicles. The station accommodates multiple movements and
articulates several functional transportation components. He conceptualized
movement and considered multiple threads of pedestrian and vehicular transition
paths and pulled them through the site and building, effectively composing an
interface of movement paths.
Fig 2.39 Pedestrian Bridges

Movement is implied throughout the structure. It can be read in the flow of forces
channeled down to the ground via intricate configurations of steel and ferrovitreous
and reinforced concrete. Movement is concealed within the profile of the columns,
beams, platforms, roof and supporting walls. Sleek pedestrian bridges come across
as dynamic movement paths at regular intervals. They facilitate fast transfer of
hurried users from one level to another one platform to another.
Fig 2.40 Various levels
“Indeed, the paths and passageways within the station are intertwined like a smooth
flowing circulatory system, directing different types of movement. The highly
regulated movement of the trains on the ground level coexists with that of hurried
pedestrians ascending and descending the three levels via the stairs and escalators
that’s criss-cross the shopping mall under the tracks. Others cross above them over
three pedestrian bridges, while less-harried families and couples enjoy leisurely
strolls up and down the hill and along the promenade.” 35
Fig 2.41 Section showing different levels and speeds
The promenade level is a slow speed area where shoppers are generally strolling and
are in no or less hurry to catch their trains. Here the width of the central passageway
is wider than the usual platform width to facilitate easy and clear and uninterrupted
movement of the fast moving passengers. Because shopping involves a lot of
lingering and slow activities, it has been totally segregated from the fast zone. There
is no attempt to integrate both activities. The station lacks a visual connection
between the fast and the slow movements.
35Alexander Tzonis, Santiago Calatrava- Poetics of movement, Universe Publishing, New York, 1999
Fig 2.42 Shopping below the platform level
Calatrava gives a lot of importance to directional orientation which he believes is a
critical requirement for serving hurried travelers. “Rather than orientating
movements of travelers using signs and symbols, Calatrava channels and informs
crowds through the configuration of the building itself and rhythmic repetition of
these structural members which lends a strong directionality. This rhythm guides the
passengers in the station towards the destination.
The curved site gives the façade an impression of movement. While the station is
largely hidden from the access to town centre, there are surprises and a variety of
perspectives after entering the station due to its curvilinear nature. People with
varios speeds can be seen walking at different levels. Walkways extend along the
length of the track at four levels: the platforms themselves, an underground arcade
beneath them, a cantilevered concrete promenade re-forming the hillside above the
new platform and the original hillside above that. Each level caters to different speed
users. Faster users are accommodated at the platform level and levels above it
where they move up and down to catch trains or reach their cars at the parking. The
station gives a picture of various speeds coexisting under one roof.
Program
Chapter 3
Due to the connection with Bell Park, which is the Giants home ground and with
China Basin waterfront, the station requires restaurants, pubs and retails to cater to
the visitors. These activities would be integrated with the station activities like
ticketing, waiting, security etc.
Mission Bay is served by Muni's Street Light Rail system, two bus lines and Cal Train.
A new Bullet Train has been proposed for connecting San Francisco to Southern
California. Therefore the Modes of Transportation to be integrated together are as
follows:-
1. Cal Train
2. Bullet Train
3. Buses
4. Muni Street Light Rail
5. Private Vehicles – Cars, Motor Bikes, Segways and Bicycles.
6. Cabs
Fig 3.1 Muni Street Light Rail Route is the fastest transfer to Bell Park from the Caltrain Station
Fig 3.2 Muni Busses Route serving the site and around
The proposed program is partly according to what has been actually proposed for the
site by the city and not entirely hypothetical. City has proposed a mixed use
development above the subway station comprising of retail and offices.
Due to the connection with Bell Park, which is the Giants home ground and with
China Basin waterfront, the station requires restaurants, pubs and retails to cater to
the visitors. These activities would be integrated with the station activities like
ticketing, waiting, security etc. This program is partly according to what has been
actually proposed for the site by the city and not entirely hypothetical.
The Program:
1. Retail 45,000 sq ft
• Book shop
• Gift shops
• Florist
• Convenience stores like 7 Eleven
• High End Retail Shops
2. Eating Joints 20,000 sq ft
• Coffee shops
• Restaurants
• Fast Food court
• Pubs
3. Kitchen 15,000 sq ft
4. Offices 35,000 sq ft
5. Plaza with vendors and sitting
6. Concourse
• Information 60 sq ft
• Telephone Facilities 36 sq ft
• Ticketing 72 sq ft
• Security Gates 60 sq ft
• Toilets 100 sq ft each
• Cloak room for passengers traveling long distance 200 sq ft
• ATM Machines 25 sq ft
• Vending Machines 50 sq ft
• Lost and found cum complaint room 100sq ft
• Tickets/Booking/Passes kiosk 100 sq ft
7. Back Office and Services
• Permanent Staff Office
Repair and Maintenance Department 180 sq ft
- Technicians (mechanical and electrical)
- Helpers – 2 nos.
Station Master/ Manager room with 2 clerks
Supervisor’s room with 2 clerks 200 sq ft
• Electrical and Mechanical Equipment
Room 150 sq ft
• Train Staff - 2 nos. 80 sq ft
• Cleaning staff 50 sq ft
• Store Rooms – tools, materials at site 500 sq ft
• Control room 200 sq ft
• Staff Toilets, Pantry and lockers 400 sq ft
• Lunch room cum meeting room 400 sq ft
8. Platforms 3nos., 6 trains
9. Bus Station
10. Cab pick up and drop off
11. Car pick-up and drop-off
12. Car and bikes parking 400 nos.
13. Bicycle Parking 100 nos.
Site
Chapter 4
Inter-modal Station
The precedents helped me understand some basic notions of transition like transfer,
connection, paths, movement and speed. In order to explore these notions at a
much larger scale, where they become more prominent, I chose a transit station in
which different modes of transportation integrate to form one cohesive system of
movement. The project provides an opportunity to investigate these dimensions of
transition at an urban scale.
Why San Francisco?
San Francisco is a place with one of the best transport network systems. It is one of
the most densely populated cities in the United States. The city is serviced by several
public transit systems. MUNI is the city-owned public transit system which operates
busses, streetcars, and cable cars. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the regional
transit system, which connects San Francisco with the East Bay and the San Mateo
County communities on the San Francisco Peninsula. In addition, a commuter rail
service, CalTrain, operates between San Francisco and San Jose. My personal
acquaintance with San Francisco also exposed me to the city and lifestyle.
Site Analysis:
Important Landmarks: Pacific Bell Park is the most important landmark located
around the site. It is exactly one block NE of existing Cal Train station. Water front
(China Basin) is a big tourist attraction and located one block SE of the existing Cal
Train station. Pier 40, 38 and 36 are located 3 long blocks away from the site along
the water front in the NE direction.
Fig 4.1 Key Areas in context
• Location: The site is located in proximity to the Pacific Bell Park which is the
Giant’s home ground and Mission Bay, a new neigborhood coming up in the
area. The existing Cal Train Terminal serves as a major mass transit station
for San Francisco. Currently ends 1.5 miles from downtown San Francisco and
doesn't connect directly to regional transit systems and most SF Muni bus or
rail lines. The existing Caltrain terminus is bordered by 4th street, King Street
and Townsend Streets. It houses a concourse for the arrival and departure of
trains, a bus stop, a Muni light rail stop and drop off and kiss and ride zones.
I-280 runs NE to SW across the SW edge of the site and merges into 6th and
King streets.
Fig 4.2 Key nodes
The Cal Train downtown SF extension would bridge this gap in the Bay Area's transit
systems. In November 1999, San Francisco Cal Train extension till the Trans-bay
Terminal at First and Mission Streets was proposed (fig 4.3). Due to this reason, Cal
Train has to go underground and hence there is a need to build a new Cal Train
subway station in place of the existing terminus. A high speed train line has been
proposed connecting San Francisco to southern California which would use one of
the four tracks coming into the terminus now. The station links the Silicon Valley, San
Jose, Southern San Francisco including the Airport and southern California to Pacific
Bell Park, water fronts, downtown San Francisco and Mission Bay.
This gives the city an opportunity to develop land on grade in addition to the subway
station. The city has proposed a mix of high-end retail, restaurants and pubs for the
design proposal. Along with the transit oriented requirements, the program would
also accommodate recreational services for the Bell Park and the water fronts/piers
like retail, eating joints, outdoor spaces and parking provisions.
Fig 4.3 Caltrain Extension Plan
Parking: Cal Train Terminus does not own, or have access to, parking in the area.
However, paid parking is available in vicinity. Alternate street parking is available on
Townsend Street, north of the station. Limited parking also is available near the 22nd
Street Cal Train Station. The Stadium provides 5,000 parking spaces and 6,500
parking spaces are available around the stadium within 5-10 minute walking radius.
The city has proposed parking for 500 cars on the Caltrain site for passengers and
retail users.
Neighborhood and Land-use: Mission Bay is a 303 acre neighborhood on the central
bayshore of San Francisco, bounded by Townsend Street on the north, 3rd Street on
the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and 7th Street and Interstate 280 on the
west. It was created in 1998 by the Board of Supervisors as a redevelopment project.
It has rapidly evolved in to a wealthy neighborhood of luxury condominiums, high-end
restaurants and retail, and biotechnology research and development. Some of the
notable features include the headquarters of the California Institute for Regenerative
Medicine, a new research campus of the University of California, San Francisco, UCSF
Mission Bay 6,000 housing units, with (28%) affordable to moderate, low, and very
low-income households, 6 million sq. ft. of office/life science/technology commercial
space, 800,000 sq. ft. of city and neighborhood-serving retail space, a 500-room
hotel with up to 50,000 sq. ft. of retail entertainment uses, a new 500-student public
school.36
36 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Bay,_San_Francisco,_California
Fig 4.4 Mission Bay proposed development plan
The site is predominantly surrounded by a high-rise residential blocks with some
neighborhood serving retail. Commercial blocks are located one block in the north-
east of the site and across the china basin. Some public amenities like tennis courts,
hospital and grocery stores are also within a block distance from the site.
• The Grid: The city's downtown streets are arranged in a simple grid pattern,
with the exceptions of Market Street, which cuts across the grid and starts
another grid parallel to it. The site is situated 7 blocks away from the Market
Street where the grid system becomes intricate due to the converging of two
different city grids. The site is situated 3 blocks away from the 16th street
grid. I the fig 4.5, the blue grid represent the Market street grid and green
represents the 16th street grid.
Fig 4.5 Meeting of two different city grids
Site Plan and images:
Fig 4.6 Site Plan
Fig 4.7 Aerial views
Fig 4.8 View towards the station
Fig 4.9 The existing station Fig 4.10 Waiting Hall
Fig 4.12 Interiors Fig 4.13 Ticket booths
Fig 4.14 Light Rail Stop on King Street Fig 4.15 Bus Stop
Fig 4.15 Transition from Caltrain Station to Pacific Bell Park
Fig 4.16 Pacific Bell Park and Water Front
Methodology
Chapter 5
Connections- A transit station connects various parts of the city to each other. There
were some important connections to be considered for the new subway station. The
station needed to be connected to the Bell Park, Mission bay, downtown, water front
and other important areas like Embarcadero within the walking radius.
Fig 5.1 Walking radius Fig 5.2 Connections with various important areas
Orientation- To facilitate fast transfer of people to these areas orientation of various
paths was given prime importance. The two city grids were brought through the site
to help to lay these paths according to the desired orientation. So the grid became a
guideline for rhythm as well as orientation.
Fig 5.3 The latent pedestrian paths laid over the site according to grid.
Integration of various modes of transportation:
Integration of various modes of transportation was done by segregating them by
levels based on their respective speed. Slow pedestrian activity was put on the upper
levels whereas the faster activities are below grade. Subway level (-35 feet) has the
fastest mode of transportation i.e. the Caltrain and Amtrack. The buses and the cars
come at the concourse level (-12 feet) where the passengers have an option for
transferring directly to the subway.
Fig 5.4 Speeds segregated by levels
Speeds- People coming to a transit station have varied speeds while transferring
from one point to the other. Some people use the station solely for transferring from
one mode of transportation to the other. Others might use it for miscellaneous
activities along the path like grabbing a cup of coffee, a quick meal, a phone call, or
waiting for a friend. There would be shoppers who have more lingering involved in
their pattern of transfer. The chart is a study of how the width of the path,
encounters, activities and other attributes change along the paths based on different
speeds.
Fast Speed Medium Speed Slow Speed
Travelers/Users People needing People needing People with

fastest possible some basic sufficient leisure
transfer amenities & short time
• Office, relaxation time on • Shoppers
residence, the way • Restaurant
school going • Office, users
• Emergency residential, • Tourists
• Base Ball school going • Base ball
Game goers • Quick Lunch/ game goers
Dinner
• Base Ball
Game goers
Distance to be Shortest Medium Longest
traveled
Width of Widest- generous Comfortable Just comfortable
passages 10 sq ft/person min 7 sq ft/person min 4 sq ft/person min
Encounters Basics Some important Retail, restaurants

amenities like and other program
coffee shop, requirements
convenient store etc
Traffic Minimum Medium Maximum
Intersections Minimum Medium Maximum
Waiting Minimum Medium Maximum
Table 5.1
Fast path is meant for the hurried passengers who want to transfer from one point to
the other without any pause. To make this path fast, it is kept detached from other
activities involving lingering. It is a path with travelators with breaks in between from
one end of the site to the other, providing the travelers with an option of stepping out
of the fast path at the next break. This path is adjacent to slower paths that connect
to the retail on both sides, where there is a lot of lingering involved.
Fig 5.5 Integration of different speed at ground level
Transfer from
• Bus
• Cab
• Car
• Light Rail
Fare Collection Equipment
• Wait in
queue
• Process
Ticket Acceptance Transaction
Toilet • Information
Platform
Waiting Aboard train
Fig 5.6 Fastest Path - Entering the station
Depart Train Arrive at Platform
Purchasing ticket
Ticket
Toilet
To Concourse
Exit Gate
Station Exit Destination
Fig 5.7 Fastest Path – Existing from station
Plans: The idea was to separate different levels according to different speeds;
starting from the concourse level where the car pick off and drop off facility provides
passengers with an option of transferring quickly to the subway. So the concourse
level becomes the level mainly catering to fast paced passengers and so does the
Caltrain platform level.
A ramp leads the passengers/users to the atrium at the ground level which is an
urban space in the site. Here the different speeds of transfer meet. It is an
integration of various speeds, activities and movements. Though the atrium involves
some leisurely activities it has visual connections with faster transfers all around it.
The people sitting and chatting at a vendor’s stall can see people transferring from
one point of the plaza to the other. These people see ramps connecting various levels
of the car parking and bicycle parking, escalators connecting different levels of the
building, travelators transferring people quickly to Bell Park and downtown area,
overhead bridges criss-crossing each other, linking various parts of the building.
The upper floors comprise of retails, restaurants, fast-food court and business centre,
all connected to parking with passages, escalators and bridges criss-crossing one
another. These are activities where there is a lot of lingering and stationary activities
which hinders movement of fast traveling users. All the convenient stores, quick food,
phone booths and other important merchandises that cater to passengers are at the
ground level.
Design was investigating the following three aspects:
1. How an “In-Between” space is activated by various kinds of movements- these
movements are either of people, machinery, vehicles or symbolically
conveyed.
2. How programmed activities, when strategically located, can charge an un-
programmed space.
3. Seamless transition between different modes of transportation and one space
to other.
Attempt was to draw the eyes along continuous and seamless lines of glass dividers,
steel handrails, escalators and travelators. These lines flow in parallel, bifurcate and
travel up and down through the section. The eye should never come to rest. While
transferring from one space to another, new vistas should open up in all directions.
“Maximum Circulation = Maximum Sales Volume” 37
Increased circulation means more time for people to notice and look around
merchandise they would otherwise never pay attention to. A properly located
escalator affords a wide, unobstructed view of surrounding activities. Passengers
should have a clear view of various merchandises while climbing up and down on the
escalators or strolling around in the retail corridors. They should have an option to
stray and take the shortest route to it.
Fig 5.8 Platform Level Plan at -36’-0”
Fig 5.9 Concourse Level Plan at -18’-0”
- 37 Koolhaas Rem, Inaba Jefferey, Project on the City 2: Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping, Köln,
TASCHEN GmbH, 2001. 346-349.
Fig 5.10 First (Ground) Floor Plan at -18’-0”
Fig 5.11 Second Floor Plan at +18’-0”
Fig 5.12 Fourth Floor Plan at +36’-0”
Fig 5.13 Roof Plan at +59’-0”
Sections and Elevation:
Fig 5.14 Section A-A’ and Front Elevation
Glazing helps in smooth transition from space to the other. Transparency helps in
avoiding compartmentalization of space by providing a continuous, fluid space of
movement. The glass in the elevation is a screen that displays various kinds of
movements.
1. Movements in the interiors like people walking and movement of cars and
bicycles in the parking are visible on the outside, which was an attempt to blur
the boundaries between interior and exterior to make seamless transition
from outside to inside and vice versa.
2. Changes in the color of the sky, movement of the clouds reflected on the glass
and the transition of daylight can be noticed on the glass façade.
3. The atrium that acts as an urban space and is opened up towards the mission
bay neighborhood. It marks the end of the pedestrian access to Mission bay.
Idea was to connect Mission bay and the station through an avenue that links
two important nodes at either ends; atrium at the station and waterfront park
on the mission bay end. This Atrium is intended to be a caricature of various
kinds of speeds and orientation of transition that occur inside the building.
Conceptual Views:
Fig 5.15 Aerial view of the plaza
Fig 5.16 Fast and slow movements
Fig 5.17 Various modes of transfer
Fig 5.18 Options for transfer
Fig 5.19 Spatial transition
Fig 5.20 Emerging from the subway
Details:
The structural details were based on the intension to achieve a columnless
uninterrupted atrium space for circulation. The idea was to have clear vision lines
from one part of the atrium to the other for easy and convenient transfer for fast
moving passengers. An uninterrupted space was necessary for providing user with a
sense of orientation and an obstruction free path to their destinations.
Fig 5.21 Shear wall detail

Fig 5.22 Plan showing 4 shear walls joined at the Fig 5.21 N-Girder Detail
top to support the N-Girders
Shear walls were the best solution to support the roof for 165 feet of span. A row of
shear walls that that divide the span into 105 feet and 60 feet holds the N-girders
supporting the roof. The retail columns terminate in between the ground and
concourse level with the help of 4 feet high N- girders that take the load of the
structure above ground floor. This was done to have uninterrupted space at the
concourse and platform level below. The bridges, escalators and inclined travelators
that connect about 200 feet plus spans are suspended from the roof with steel
cables in order to achieve continuous, columnless and seamless spaces.
Façade was designed to be transparent and hence glazing details were worked out. A
clear transparent glass with horizontal etching is fixed to the aluminum framing with
spider clamps. 1 foot horizontal etching bands at every 6 feet interval, lends a sense
of movement in the exteriors. The bands were placed such that they don’t interrupt
view people from inside.
Fig 5.22 Aluminum framing for façade glazing
A transition of materials can be noticed in the façade as the eyes move from left to
right and vice versa. Concrete parapets and columns of the parking structure on the
left seamlessly merge into a complete glass façade of the office building on the right.
The same transition is apparent transferring from right to left where the glass
dematerializes into concrete in a seamless manner.
Carrying forward the language from one mode of transportation to the other
seamlessly merges the transition from one mode of transportation to the other.
Flooring patterns guides and orients the users to and out of the building. This pattern
blurs boundaries between various modes of transportation and also blurs these
interior spaces with the outside. The language is carried forward to the transition
paths towards the Bell Park and Mission Bay.
Fig 5.23 Seamless merging of various languages of each transportation type
Bibliography
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Publishing, New York, 1999. 44-51, 156-159.
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Architecture, Shambhala, Boston & London, 1996. 37-38.
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Santiago Calatrava, Birkhäuser, Basel, Boston & Berlin, 1995
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Arrival, Passage, and Transition, The Taunton Press, 2002. 152-156.
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Press, 1988
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Major and Recent Works, New York, Rizzoli International Publications Inc,
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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

July 12, 2007

This work and its defense approved by:

A thesis submitted to the

Division of Research and Advanced Studies

in partial fulfillment of the

in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design

B. Arch., Pune University, 2004

change or modulation happens. It provides a space to adjust from one experience to

another. There can be a complete transition of mental state, mood, personality or

lifestyle of an individual by transferring from one space to another. It might involve

compilation seeks a holistic perspective on ‘Transition, beginning with understanding

the term ‘transition’ and tracing notions of transition in architectural discourse.

Architectural experience of transfer or exchange can be best expressed through a

design of an Inter-modal station where these notions of transition can be explored at

a large and urban scale.

1) The project will be a spatial translation of various notions of ‘transition’ through

literature and precedents that express various aspects of this notion.

2) Apply and explore this study to design an inter-modal transit station.

Illustration Credits viii

Chapter 2 – Precedent analyses

Ashim Srivastava iii

Ashim Srivastava vii

Ashim Srivastava viii

Passage, and Transition, The Taunton Press, 2002

Transfer from one place to another happens through a connecting space. A

connecting space offers an introduction to the next space — arrival. It contains

a space to adjust from one experience to another — transition.1

Fig 1.1 Arrival, passage and Transition spaces

individual needs a transition space in which to make it.

building without bringing a bit of impersonality with you. Consider an alternate

The Taunton Press, 2002. 152-156

Ashim Srivastava -1-

revealing more about itself as it is used.3

behavior, before people can relax completely.

It is Latin for "between spaces," and is commonly used to denote "in-betweenness".

connection, concentration and distribution functions. Every point is unique by

types of transportation modes.

He further elaborates, the interstitial to be a between condition, between figure and

density, and energy.

Various connotations of the term ‘transition’ from different dictionaries are as

It is the shift in the key of a composition. Modulation is commonly employed as a

century. It involves a change in stress, loudness, tone or voice.

rhythm, sequence, variation, stress or emphasis on a particular part of construction

of something, progression and proportions (arithmetic, geometric, Fibonacci series

Modulation is the use of a particular distribution of stress or pitch in a construction.

It is the act of modifying, regulating or adjusting according to due measure and

element, form or material to another.

Transition sometimes is associated with ‘Transcendence’, which is a philosophy used

‘Transcendence’ means ‘going beyond’ and ‘self transcendence’ means going

beyond a prior form or state of oneself.

Ashim Srivastava -4-

reduction in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is a mental technique involving

concentration, or those involving contemplation or active thinking. “The TM technique

involves an effortless repetition of a specific sound, called a mantra. This effortless

repetition, practised according to specific guidelines, enables the practitioner's mind

to settle down until the mental activity of ordinary waking consciousness is

"transcended" and a state of restful alertness is experienced.”-Maharishi Mahesh

concept, experience etc. to another. It is important to understand important

characteristics of ‘path’ and ‘movement’ in architecture to get a holistic perspective

people generate of a place through ‘cognitive map of the environment’. He

characteristics for analyzing movement and orientation within a city.