PJD Distance M.Arch Semester 3

I received some fantastic comments as a result of my previous SD Bubble Diagram post. Perhaps the best was from Eric Stark, a Professor of Architecture at the University of Maine at Augusta, and a past instructor at the BAC (I have included some of his comments below for all to read).

To summarize, Eric raised the concern that my design intent was not clear through my latest posts. Of course, much of this is because of the nature of this coursework. Visitors to the blog are at a disadvantage at times seeing bits and pieces of the project but not being able, or having the time, to go through all of the posts to follow all of the progress. But, nonetheless, that is no excuse for my design intent not to be crystal clear to anyone who visits my blog. It should be the first thing that visitors see, providing a rubric for my work to be judged by. So, I felt that this was a great opportunity to revisit, refine, and repost my design intent.

As Eric puts it, Intention comes in 3 parts. Why? What? How?

Why? (Why am I doing this project?)
Bangor is the cultural center of much of northern and eastern Maine, yet it is lacking any signature piece of civic architecture to reinforce its status as the nucleus of this large and geographically dispersed region. This project aspires to address that need, and to create something that the region can take pride and claim as its own.

What? (What is my intention? What drives my design work?)
The intention of this project is to capture the spirit of this proud region in a piece of civic architecture which will be embraced by the community; to design a place which will serve as a symbol of the area, and emphasize Bangor’s role as the center of the northern and eastern Maine region.

How? (How will my intention be achieved in my design work?)
The intention will be achieved by creating a place which is inspired by the identity of this region in its materiality and architectural character, locating it on a site of historical significance which is physically and visually accessible, and which fosters a sense of pride and community in the region.

Peter,What I am missing is your intention for the project. I do not know how to judge which bubble diagram is the 'better' one b/c I don't know YOUR parameters. The link to the water might be a good move in one scenario, but exactly the wrong move in another. I would suggest that you need the intention to start making these important decisions.

My thoughts on intention:It comes in 3 parts, Why? What? How?

Why: this explains (in 1-2 sentences) why you are even doing the project. This you have in your early writings.

What: this is the intention. What drives your design work? What makes your project YOUR project, and not just the design of the civic center? (ideally 1-2 sentences)

How: how will your intention be achieved in the design work? Not specifically (b/c you don't know that yet) but rather what architectural tools do you plan to use to achieve the intention? (view, connection to landscape i.e. river, invitation to community). Ideally these have some relationship to the ideas of the intention. (1-2 sentences)I would suggest thinking of this piece as a basic description of the project. If you were not the designer, but if another designer were going to do this work, what would you give him/her as a guide toward your intention and ideals?

Maybe most of this is somewhere in the postings, and I just don't see it. But I would argue that it wants to be evident, both for critics, but especially for you.Program needs analysis. If you are making bubble diagrams you are speaking to relationships (don't forget that the site, the festival, the river are also part of these relationships). I believe you need to analyze at least the major relationships to best understand how they are working. The relationships are not just bubbles in plan.