I am doing a Cultural Center for my thesis studio. the research is in its incipient stages but i was wondering if anyone know of some really good precedents. thank you.
the idea of a Cultural Center emerged after realizing the diversity of the demographics in the city of Allston, Ma. The ultimate goal is to provide a 'place' where the people of the city can learn about each other's culture. I am still investigating the type of programs that Cultural Centers generally provide. I have been advised by my prof to expand my site which initially took up a core area within the greater site...this implies that the Cultural Center will become a part of a greater master planning+architectural problem. architecturally, I intend for the CC to become an iconic building which will challenge the rather tradinational image of the city. This 'place' which I want to create must make that part of Allston a memorable section within the city. I'm following Kevin Lynch's Neo Emprical ideology, which deals with the image of the city as the basis for my argument to solve a problem with an urban+ architectural dimensions and consequences. i hope i have been a bit more telling of my what topic implies. Suggestions on how to possibly think about the problem and approach it are welcomed. Thank you.
Happy to lighten up. Just want to help others from making the same mistakes I fumbled with my thesis. I tried to design (not plan) 100 sq miles of CA desert with mine.
Alston. that means you're either at MIT or the GSD... the Lynch reference makes me lean toward the gsd. either case, we know you're smart :-) so that's a big help with making a good go at this project... if I remember, there are some really good shwarma places in alston, that still the case?
Hmmm, is this an optional thesis, or is everybody required to produce one? Is the advisor assigned to you, or did you have to seduce them into working with you? (these add important levels of nuance into providing more snarky or useful posts).
so urban event space for exhibiting culture? is that the drift?
tree- im at Northeastern University. Allston was assigned as one of several sites in Boston where we could do our thesis project. And no it is not an optional studio...each student is supposed to propose an argument(topic) and solve it. and yes thats the drift. For example, i just found a fitting precedent- City of Culture of Galacia by Eisenman. Similar examples please....thank you all
Didn't know that NE had an architecture department- still makes you smart ;-)
So with a manditory thesis, the hoop is a little lower, there is more procedure and most of the students really don't give damn. But you do, which is good. But the instructor won't be pushing you as much or investing their energy to the same extent (ie more work for you)
look at Rem's thesis at the AA.
any West 8's project.
hedjuk's masques
and superstudio or antfarm
Dude. Dont do a cultural center. I cant even tell you how many cultural centers Ive seen kids do and Ive never seen a good one. Learning about other cultures isnt something people take a saturday to go do, and Id be very impressed if you could convince me otherwise. Culture is incidental, it happens at the beach or in a park or in your apartment building, not in some artificially forced environment. Id suggest if cultural exchange is something youre genuinely after, youd be much more successful to develop a program thats alluring enough to draw people from every demographic to the same place and just let it happen.
Cultural exchange in and of itself isnt really a thesis either is it? just like sustainablity isnt really a thesis. To what end? For what ultimate purpose? Cultural exchange may well be a good unto itself, but youve got to articulate why very specifically and how your building does that.
oe- Diversity is something that I find very important in society. Just on tuesday the population of the United States reached 300million, and the graphics indicated a significant shift in the demographic makeup of this country...the melting pot concept which America as nation embodies is becoming more evident...stepping away from this sorta macro perspective and looking at Allston, the idea is reflected on this microscale.. Store fronts are alligned with signs indicating the different nationalities that makeup this community. I walked along a block where houses were filled with satellites...what does this tell you? The speculation behind my argument(thesis) is that the influx of immigrants in the upcoming years is inevitable and consequently will further enrich the makeup of this community..therefore are the people to live amongst themselves ignorant of each other's culture? Perhaps thats the case in America, and i see this as problematic. what if the cultural center had programs such as exhibit halls or mini galleries showcasing art from the different nationalities...would this not be a place for you to check out on your visit to the city...On my first visit to the site I happened to discover a community of Brazilians at a park along the banks of the river(if you are familiar with allston that is). It was Brazils independence and these people were celebrating..quite a spectacular festive occasion however the venue clearly didnt not fit..where is the Vietnamese, Russian, Asian or the Middle Eastern populace planning on holding such events..I mentioned earlier however that the broader concept behind my thesis will transcend a mere cultural center program. the site is rather huge and will involve a master plan of some sort....In the spirit of the Neo Empirical Ideology I hope to create a "civic space" which will become a landmark in Allston..The Cultural Center becomes a piece of the greater whole...as to what other programs im pursuing im still wrestling with it. Thank you all for your input..
Alright man, youre on a good track. Its a tough one to tackle though. If theres anything thats going to be helpful, its going to be just going down there and interviewing as many people as you can. Find someone who can speak spanish or portuguese, seriously. Youre talking about a huge group of people who's indiginous sense of space and community are completely different from our own, and may not even be compatible with lynch or any of our other americanized expectations. Are there waves of immigrants that come and leave? Is it your hope that these people better thier economic situation and find better places elsewhere or for them to settle where they are? I would think it would be your job to understand each of these cultures, the way they view community interaction and find ways to meld those spatial expectations together. Id focus on the actual use of each space you propose, arts, recreation, commerce?
You could check out Renzo Piano's Tjibaou Cultural Center. http://www.adck.nc/
Also, I would suggest trying to learn more about the cultures you want to represent in your cultural center. How do they use space in their home countries? How does it differ between cultures? (For example, how do Brasilians vs Russians etc use space?) What similarities can you find across cultures? I can see how this might be a useful study for you; once you find similarities across cultures as to how they use/organize space, you can start to use that as a force shaping your design. Try not to restrict yourself to one theory or methodology about shaping and using space. At least not at this stage in the game. (Then again, I don't know how much research you've done already.)
If this was my thesis project, I would try to learn as much about the cultures I wanted to represent as I could. If you do expand your site, I could even see different cultural ideas about space influence different areas on your site.
Best of luck to you. I just finished my thesis and graduated in May. :)
a cultural center is a loaded proposal, which more than likely will completely overwhelm you. why don't you simply propose a park (since you already discussed your experience of differnet cultures in a park) - why fuck things up with trying to make a building bring cultures together. i know you have to create some kind of architecture, but i would argue that you will get a better cultural experience by simply walking down harvard ave. hell, bring the Mr. Butch Show to your final review - he plays a great kazoo.
how 'bout a concert venue for mexican and american bands to get together that straddles the border? that's a positive kind of cultural mixing. get some border state and mexican bands in there. it'd be a great place to hang out with los lobos, los super seven, los lonely boys, robert earl keen, reverend horton heat, wayne hancock, etc. it'd rival austin city limits!
I would propose a large smoke stack in front of the white house, built of solid aluminum (a native material to Iraqi), and adorned with a plethora of crude oil fountains. The main use would be to cremate the remains of fallen U.S. soldiers. The for will be very (literal) phallic form. And build a new one for each upcoming war, size of each one will be based on the amount of casualties.
Thesis
I am doing a Cultural Center for my thesis studio. the research is in its incipient stages but i was wondering if anyone know of some really good precedents. thank you.
Austrian Cultural Center - Raimund Abraham
check it.
your starting your thesis as a cultural center, or is that where your thesis research has brought you?
that is where my research has brought me...
what about a cultural center made it your theoretical end?
the idea of a cultural center is a pretty open ended idea in my eyes
the most sucessful thesis project are the narrowest in the question being poised and the restraints it poses towards the design.
you've bitten off more then you can chew.
oh, at least you're not creating a mediatheque- that is sooooooo last decade...
ouch treekiller..take it easy on me bro
the idea of a Cultural Center emerged after realizing the diversity of the demographics in the city of Allston, Ma. The ultimate goal is to provide a 'place' where the people of the city can learn about each other's culture. I am still investigating the type of programs that Cultural Centers generally provide. I have been advised by my prof to expand my site which initially took up a core area within the greater site...this implies that the Cultural Center will become a part of a greater master planning+architectural problem. architecturally, I intend for the CC to become an iconic building which will challenge the rather tradinational image of the city. This 'place' which I want to create must make that part of Allston a memorable section within the city. I'm following Kevin Lynch's Neo Emprical ideology, which deals with the image of the city as the basis for my argument to solve a problem with an urban+ architectural dimensions and consequences. i hope i have been a bit more telling of my what topic implies. Suggestions on how to possibly think about the problem and approach it are welcomed. Thank you.
like the TT-
Happy to lighten up. Just want to help others from making the same mistakes I fumbled with my thesis. I tried to design (not plan) 100 sq miles of CA desert with mine.
Alston. that means you're either at MIT or the GSD... the Lynch reference makes me lean toward the gsd. either case, we know you're smart :-) so that's a big help with making a good go at this project... if I remember, there are some really good shwarma places in alston, that still the case?
Hmmm, is this an optional thesis, or is everybody required to produce one? Is the advisor assigned to you, or did you have to seduce them into working with you? (these add important levels of nuance into providing more snarky or useful posts).
so urban event space for exhibiting culture? is that the drift?
I'll need to sleep on this.... good luck!
my culturaltheory
Vadro can you please come again?
tree- im at Northeastern University. Allston was assigned as one of several sites in Boston where we could do our thesis project. And no it is not an optional studio...each student is supposed to propose an argument(topic) and solve it. and yes thats the drift. For example, i just found a fitting precedent- City of Culture of Galacia by Eisenman. Similar examples please....thank you all
people do not want to learn about each other's culture...build a wall instead, project some bombs, long live 69 hooker street
build a cultural center that is a wall!
Didn't know that NE had an architecture department- still makes you smart ;-)
So with a manditory thesis, the hoop is a little lower, there is more procedure and most of the students really don't give damn. But you do, which is good. But the instructor won't be pushing you as much or investing their energy to the same extent (ie more work for you)
look at Rem's thesis at the AA.
any West 8's project.
hedjuk's masques
and superstudio or antfarm
Dude. Dont do a cultural center. I cant even tell you how many cultural centers Ive seen kids do and Ive never seen a good one. Learning about other cultures isnt something people take a saturday to go do, and Id be very impressed if you could convince me otherwise. Culture is incidental, it happens at the beach or in a park or in your apartment building, not in some artificially forced environment. Id suggest if cultural exchange is something youre genuinely after, youd be much more successful to develop a program thats alluring enough to draw people from every demographic to the same place and just let it happen.
Cultural exchange in and of itself isnt really a thesis either is it? just like sustainablity isnt really a thesis. To what end? For what ultimate purpose? Cultural exchange may well be a good unto itself, but youve got to articulate why very specifically and how your building does that.
Sorry to be a prick.
Allston was one of the sites in the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. You should consider culture from that standpoint.
oe- Diversity is something that I find very important in society. Just on tuesday the population of the United States reached 300million, and the graphics indicated a significant shift in the demographic makeup of this country...the melting pot concept which America as nation embodies is becoming more evident...stepping away from this sorta macro perspective and looking at Allston, the idea is reflected on this microscale.. Store fronts are alligned with signs indicating the different nationalities that makeup this community. I walked along a block where houses were filled with satellites...what does this tell you? The speculation behind my argument(thesis) is that the influx of immigrants in the upcoming years is inevitable and consequently will further enrich the makeup of this community..therefore are the people to live amongst themselves ignorant of each other's culture? Perhaps thats the case in America, and i see this as problematic. what if the cultural center had programs such as exhibit halls or mini galleries showcasing art from the different nationalities...would this not be a place for you to check out on your visit to the city...On my first visit to the site I happened to discover a community of Brazilians at a park along the banks of the river(if you are familiar with allston that is). It was Brazils independence and these people were celebrating..quite a spectacular festive occasion however the venue clearly didnt not fit..where is the Vietnamese, Russian, Asian or the Middle Eastern populace planning on holding such events..I mentioned earlier however that the broader concept behind my thesis will transcend a mere cultural center program. the site is rather huge and will involve a master plan of some sort....In the spirit of the Neo Empirical Ideology I hope to create a "civic space" which will become a landmark in Allston..The Cultural Center becomes a piece of the greater whole...as to what other programs im pursuing im still wrestling with it. Thank you all for your input..
Alright man, youre on a good track. Its a tough one to tackle though. If theres anything thats going to be helpful, its going to be just going down there and interviewing as many people as you can. Find someone who can speak spanish or portuguese, seriously. Youre talking about a huge group of people who's indiginous sense of space and community are completely different from our own, and may not even be compatible with lynch or any of our other americanized expectations. Are there waves of immigrants that come and leave? Is it your hope that these people better thier economic situation and find better places elsewhere or for them to settle where they are? I would think it would be your job to understand each of these cultures, the way they view community interaction and find ways to meld those spatial expectations together. Id focus on the actual use of each space you propose, arts, recreation, commerce?
yama yama that kind of thing.
You could check out Renzo Piano's Tjibaou Cultural Center. http://www.adck.nc/
Also, I would suggest trying to learn more about the cultures you want to represent in your cultural center. How do they use space in their home countries? How does it differ between cultures? (For example, how do Brasilians vs Russians etc use space?) What similarities can you find across cultures? I can see how this might be a useful study for you; once you find similarities across cultures as to how they use/organize space, you can start to use that as a force shaping your design. Try not to restrict yourself to one theory or methodology about shaping and using space. At least not at this stage in the game. (Then again, I don't know how much research you've done already.)
If this was my thesis project, I would try to learn as much about the cultures I wanted to represent as I could. If you do expand your site, I could even see different cultural ideas about space influence different areas on your site.
Best of luck to you. I just finished my thesis and graduated in May. :)
a cultural center is a loaded proposal, which more than likely will completely overwhelm you. why don't you simply propose a park (since you already discussed your experience of differnet cultures in a park) - why fuck things up with trying to make a building bring cultures together. i know you have to create some kind of architecture, but i would argue that you will get a better cultural experience by simply walking down harvard ave. hell, bring the Mr. Butch Show to your final review - he plays a great kazoo.
Jean Nouvel
Cultural and Congress Center
Luzerne, Switzerland
1993-2000
why not do a boston cultural center explore the culture of the city over time...
if lebbeus woods did a cultural centre what form would it take?
why not do a war centre or an armory center and call it a cultural centre. or try a centre for anti-americanism. an iraqi solidarity centre?
with a thesis i want feathers ruffled. contest the times we're livin' in, yo! get some rethinking going.
how 'bout a concert venue for mexican and american bands to get together that straddles the border? that's a positive kind of cultural mixing. get some border state and mexican bands in there. it'd be a great place to hang out with los lobos, los super seven, los lonely boys, robert earl keen, reverend horton heat, wayne hancock, etc. it'd rival austin city limits!
why not make a center for americans of prussian heritage!!!like me!!!
Tips from oe-
Spend 2+ years doing your own thesis,
come to archinect, talk about how your 2+ year thesis is the coolest thing ever,
give others help with their thesis because you have oh so much worthwhile advice to contribute.
I would propose a large smoke stack in front of the white house, built of solid aluminum (a native material to Iraqi), and adorned with a plethora of crude oil fountains. The main use would be to cremate the remains of fallen U.S. soldiers. The for will be very (literal) phallic form. And build a new one for each upcoming war, size of each one will be based on the amount of casualties.
Ive always wondered, are you related to venustiano?
And yes hes right dont listen to me ha ha ;)
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