We're going to start tonight.

Or we're going to show you
tonight some recent projects but

we're going to start a little
bit earlier and go back to some

very early projects we did is
when we were students on which

the twenty year anniversary is coming up
this far as actually upon us this fall.

I'm Dave and I met twenty years ago in
graduate school first first semester.

We were in we shared a studio
together with Scott Cohen.

Yes there were.

Just to take their heads up.

I thought we were best
buddies isn't best as we are.

I hate her.

And.

Cut off.
Jean shorts but

many of these days I don't know
what's going on my belt but

there is a little bit of
something going wrong for sure.

And this is that we we were photographing

the competition birds we brought down
with Scott Cohen over summer and

for some reason decided to
take a picture of ourselves.

I don't think I'd judge do
a great job of describing our

our our work here and our the reason for

us coming to Atlanta which was to work for
Mack Scott in America even.

Mentor was incredibly
important architects and

people in our professional and
personal lives.

And so.

With that and
on topic of tonight's lecture.

We're going to show you some
of these projects that.

Just a couple very briefly that we think
have resonance in our current work.

And you can decide that for
yourself yourselves but

David's going to take off from there OK.

It's worked.

Yes.

OK And
we're going to show two quick projects.

I just want to say at
the outset that when Brian and

I were in school it was a very
productive time in outside of studio.

We felt that we were doing as much if not
more outside of the classroom together

with coconspirators and
friends as we were in and

we made many many projects and movies and

installations and for fun because
they were part of our self education.

We want to share too with two
of them with you tonight.

In one thousand nine hundred five when
we were second year students we were

invited to travel with Rem Koolhaas for
a week.

And tour his buildings and
to make movie about his work and

we propose a movie it was our proposition
and it was actually competition we

wanted and we were amazed that we got
the opportunity of six of expenses paid.

And we made a twenty nine minute movie
called I fell to her right here.

So this works.

You know.

And showed it to the entire
our fellow student body so

we're going to we're not going
to show you a bit of it.

We're going to this.
This was a super eight movie this was on

super rich back a few steps of
media in the media world but

that a stewardess navigates
through an uncertain world.

If this works here.

You know.

Will go on out there.

Bombs explode at random and
industrialists Dons rubber gloves for

fear of germs as he swims incessantly
on his rooftop pool back and

forth back and forth back and forth.

A peddler sells rubber balls in
the waning light of dusk a priest.

Offer solace.

But with conditions and the stewardess
meets the priest for an illicit interlude.

Shot on location in Rem Koolhaas
is stall in Rotterdam.

Congrats boat in Lille and

his villa Belov a project which
many of you might know in Paris.

The film interrogate some of
Koolhaas his most trenchant troops

by the way this is Brian
in costume myself.

We were actors as well as producers.

The naked section.

You'll see here of.

Congrats of of the can stall.

The under programmed epicenter of this
is a model of Congrats Bo in Lille

in the floating swimming pool.

All of this as a cast of hapless
characters wanders through a neo

modernist dystopia.

In as much as Koolhaas posited his
architecture as scripting plots

conceiving of sequences of episodes
chains of events that build suspense

we sought to use architecture as both
a setting and a provocateur were of story.

We were interested in seeing if buildings
specifically Koolhaas as buildings

could be narratives waiting to happen.

The second project two years later.

We were in our final year.

Those of you who have been
around long enough will remember

in one thousand nine hundred six there
was a very significant competition for

the extension to moma it was a big deal.

And ten firms were short listed and
invited.

And we'll show you we have we
can go through the list but

what's more important is that for

some reason we decided that we would enter
the competition as an uninvited team.

Without an invitation and
without without any real standing.

We decided to enter and
we've never shown this before.

This is the first time ever.

It's been anonymous to this point so
I don't.

What the fallout is
going to be at the time.

No to say A plus X. was the was the name
of the group this was a we were we

would sit ourselves and the reason
why we did is because we thought

ourselves as architects Plus
did an element of the unknown.

An element of uncertainty.

Right.
The image or

which could always be replaced.

As a heady times one nine hundred
ninety S. OK the seven degrees.

And it's up well you know.

So so

we were very self-important we said Well
clearly we should enter this competition.

And we did.

And so all of these articles came out in
late fall of two thousand and six and

this in a lot of press about this.

One thousand nine hundred ninety
six had been and so on others.

A lot of press generated about it and

we timed our proposal to be delivered
right is they would start to deliberate.

The ten finalists and knock it down
to three and go on from there.

And so we're going to walk
you through our proposal.

This is the A plus X.
entry for the extension to moma moment

never suspected what their actions
would yield modern economic analyses

the ideology of growth the act of
collection the rhetoric would become

architecture the conceptual clam and
the conceptual

section by the way these are graphs that
Moamar themselves produced for fundraising

purposes a decade previously you decided
to turn them back and turn them into their

own architecture so they might be
trapped in their own vision of progress.

But what sort sort of architecture
could fathom this transformation

from diagram to building.

The Corbisiero slept.

Nice wept.

Where is the extension to MOMA.

Midway between Grand Central and
Central Park.

So our site plan.

The scheme is composed of thirty eight
two hundred forty seven foot tall

vertical walls were.

No structure between them except for beams
which would provide lateral stability.

Circulation would always be impermanent

every time you wanted to mount a show you
would need to recreate the circulation

of all paintings all pieces of art
were to be pulled out of storage and

displayed permanently salon
style on all of these walls.

This was one of the big impetus for
the design and the extension is that they

had so many pieces in storage
that that weren't on display so.

So here's our program had a diagram.

This is our construction schedule.

As you can see if they had chosen our
entry we would still be in construction.

Now just look at that twenty years is
short time for a significant institution.

So we have the construction
of circulation.

So you can see all the paintings would
be hung permanently on these walls and

every time you wanted to mount a show.

You'd have to construct
a different path of circulation.

There's a little guy carrying a panel.

To find the painting that
would progressive Levy and

show that you wanted to display
in the presence of excess.

This is a installation view of a for
example.

You wanted to find a site.

You'd have to find your way
by constructing your path for

the site is the elevation.

Then what we did is we wrote
an article by Herbert.

Some of you might realize OK but

we wrote an entire article and it was
about who won the proposal Hertzog and

demure and of course would win
the proposal would put a little German on

there came up with
a scheme charcoal studies.

And of course this was a spoof.

But in the course there's lots of
lines in here about how it is absurd.

No construction of history
comes without its cracks and

we even put in our own proposal as if to
say this is a defacto decision we know

you're going to select it's over.

You know we just want we
want to call you on it.

So what was the trail of this
we received correspondence from.

Terry Riley.

Thank you very much.

And this was a memo that he forwarded
to all the staff to make sure to read

the proposal.

We receive reviews in our
publications calling it a significant

activity that prop should be considered.

And we were even in the permanent
collection of MOMA.

Which was just a profound achievement for

us never to be heard from
never to be heard from again.

And what happened.

Well of course history took its course and

you know should Taniguchi once
a it's a beautiful building.

But what was important for
us at the time was that as students even.

If we were not asked to do this but
we felt the need to create a manifesto for

ourselves and so we wrote these manifestos
and we did these pamphlet architecture and

sent them around and

when we pulled this out recently just to
see if this was at all worth discussing.

We came upon this phrase that
the proposal as we envision

it is that once imponderable and yet
entirely possible that you know.

OK that's something for us.

To take away from these
two little examples

buildings as narratives waiting to happen.

At once imponderable and
yet entirely possible.

Maybe dreaming when your students.

But something that is a touchstone for
when you're trying to actually practice.

So we move to Atlanta.

A landscape of possibility.

And you know you get out of the studio and
you try to make your mark.

So what we're going to do now is show
you quickly a first few projects small

projects but we're touchdowns for most
of the first few years of our practice.

Again.

Emptiness and possibility.

Finding a warehouse and
that's been abandoned.

And west side of town and.

Undertaking a project which
perhaps is a bit absurd.

Entirely impossible yet also ponderable.

To turn something that's completely
forgotten into something a possibility for

yourself and this is both a very
personal project because it's you

who are reflection you realize that you're
trying to become the architect that you

that you want to be and you have to do it
yourself no matter what your practices.

And so over a period of six months and
then two years and

so on the constructing of a space which
could then be a space of possibility for

the office this is our office.

It's the courtyard many
of you've been here.

This is the this is actually this is where
we practice now this is in two thousand

and one while both of us were still
practicing with next going to Merrill

nights and weekends.

Just like all of you spend your nights and

weekends doing what you
want to do if you doing it.

That's what sets.

That's how you shape your
viewpoint of the world.

So this next project is.

Again a small gallery and
in park here in Atlanta

this is not a shot of the project but
this is an image from my post.

Katrina house in New Orleans where through
the act of of Saint Paul's a pastor.

On the on the ground it truth is revealed.

This project for white space gallery.

Had a really.

We had to find find a project working
with it in eighteen eighties brick

carriage house in the back
hit the right button here.

Here's your carriage house in the back

of a Victorian how to manage
a Victorian house built.

An eight hundred eighty S.
the carriage house.

When the owner received it in one thousand
purchased in one nine hundred seventy S.

was dirt liked and and but

inhabited by I think about nine people.

And when we were brought on it was just
it was full of junk and mechanical

equipment and the desire was to put
a contemporary art gallery in the space.

Another part of it had already
been cleared out for that but

we were to create a gallery
out of the entire space.

And all really the presence
of what was there as it was

we felt wanted to be retained.

But the question was how to
introduce something new and

contemporary in this world
without without destroying it.

Letting the strength be from
the simultaneous existence

of two other piece which
are really one reality.

We've discovered the plan is very simple.

It's three rooms and the primary
entrance is through the first gallery.

There's an overbroad which for
this was a stable.

This was the carriage house
the carriages would be partier and

the horses were in this section
with the partition here and

you you move through here and then
this used to be innocent a stair up to

the driver's loft apartment and

story was removed before we here
we simply slept in some panels

which are rather surface indifferent
to the windows existing windows and

and then they seemed all pivoting panel
which you cannot see the pivoting lines

here a very tricky detail as it were
to make an impossible condition.

Flexible one for the gallery.

So quick quick act of making
panels afraid after all.

So there's a infrastructure
to achieve this.

And the result is framed

Wells floating off of existing
walls a leering of space and.

In the contrast which kind of sometimes
a contrast can get out of your control.

Indifference to the sources
of light of natural light and

through that indifference telling
us something about the the.

The new and old together.

Again I'm not going into
every detail on this project.

I have a couple projects will
go into greater detail but

this shows this is the pivoting panel.

You can barely see there's a single
hinge in the corner which this

fourteen foot long panel then can with
the push of a finger rotate out and

and change the that room from
a destination to a to a path.

And this is the little stairs space.

You can see the remnants of that
where the stair had been and

they painted on either side.

Before our time.

This is also used as a gallery
exhibition room by the owner.

Susan bridges.

The next project is we have
an opportunity to do something similar but

it's a front to back relationship
An old to new relationship in the end

of the park and
it's a residential project.

The High Museum is up here
up Peachtree fifteenth

Street coming through as the park and
the owners wanted birth to relate to.

When park.

And.

To midtown skyline.

They purchased this one nine
hundred ten Italian I was sure.

She were cedar shingle house.

With this kind of thing in the backyard

this edition had been put on
in the fifty's and sixty's.

But here's a relationship or
here's our house here.

The starting point and
this is the Midtown skyline and

they were very interested in
how the backyard faced this and

the front face that and
they wanted both simultaneously.

They wanted some a piece
of both in this house and

this was a view from the backyard.

To the skyline.

Well with getting a piece of a skyscraper
in a domestic setting brings up

something like the examples glass
house we filled Johnson's glass house.

But in the neighborhood we also had this

kind of traditional back accessory
structure often painted black.

And in part of the structure
in the hands of the park or

these alleys that run behind the houses.

And there was an element of both of these
we wanted to carry into the project.

So this diagram shows the kind
of the splitting of the old

hearts a new house in our house our
project really was a replacement of

the additions made over time that
meant nothing with something that

was a new piece of architecture that
was meant to strongly relate to the.

To the kind of original house now how

there are many many examples of
this throughout architecture.

Itself this one of our favorite you.

Examples in Milan ready and.

And yet this kind of contrast
is not all we were after so.

This slide that we have
after shows a concept.

Well it's order and decrepid where

the way something in this case is
decaying the car and the building.

Brings them into proximity.

It gives them something in common and

it's that commonality which can relate
to things that are very different and

have different meanings and
different reasons for being.

So of course to cope with
aggression we had to take out.

These meaningless as we basically

considered additions
to the original house.

Kind of scrape it clean and the project
then is about how what do you put back

that can generate a meaningful dialogue.

Never get this quick or
write well this needs drawings or.

We found out this projector has no
ability to adjust differently than this.

So they read the front facade and
back Assad and

this shows the front and the old and the
new relating to each other in drawings.

I'll take you on a little tour
the term the terms of the.

Project old house groupings

of windows new house groupings
of window shingles shingles.

There was a lot of investigation
of relating one thing to the other

without obviously copying
your mimicry and.

Creating a completely new
spatial arrangement on.

The interior so
our the new house has a dynamic

kind of spiraling set of four plates
that are offset floor to floor and

and a stair which links those
in a step a stair that is

very intense a piece of structural and
architectural design also.

One that is is a straight
there is a string.

It's a string or less stair it's
centrally just a folded plate.

Welded steel where the structure
is in the treads and risers.

Landing as is hung.

And then wrapped primarily by grass.

This shows the stair from one view.

It's improbably thin and the other view it

is opaque of course but as you're citing
down the main corridors of the house.

You see nothing or
next to nothing obstructing the view and

this kind of blow
a photograph shows you the.

The result of this is.

You feel to be suspended or
in space in this in a structure.

It's kind of a so unique environment.

Interior in that regard.

The curtain wall custom curtain rod

that wraps in on itself and

several moments where that the actual
structure turns to the outside and

the glass just becomes
suspended on the interior.

Hard to see in this image but and
then there are rooms within the house.

This is a bedroom that is hanging
present in the kitchen space and

from that it's a guest bedroom.

That when the curtains are open.

You're looking out on the kitchen.

There are grass wares that
also open up to this.

But making putting the guests in a
position of being able to close their room

offor be present in in the house
in the center of the house.

It's mainly for family members so

that was desired by the owner
this shot however shows then

kind of the main thesis of the project
which is this relationship of old to new.

It also puts on display the neighbors

in a way that's that
construction shot this is a.

When the house is complete very
dramatic and close view this is not

filled Johnson's five hundred or
one hundred acre estate in Connecticut.

This is midtown very congested.

But residential neighborhood so
you have this situation with neighbors.

And that can all simply be
obscured to some degree.

But this shows the real kind

of life of this this side of the new house
and prosody of the glass the collapsing

of space from looking from the old
house through an exterior space

to that to the living room
looking back out to the backyard.

And this is that the main kind
of collapse of old and new.

In two thousand and eight and
then a contemporary art center.

Stuart and Stacey Hello.

Thanks for coming.

I asked if we would be interested
in doing a project with no.

Determination or
are predisposed pre you know predator.

Anation of what it would be but
there was a show called.

Mergers and acquisitions where
artists were architects would

be paired with specific pieces of artwork
and make a response in the gallery.

And if those many of you do but for

those who don't know Gordon matter Clark a
seminal artists from the late sixty's and

early seventy's the piece that
we were asked to respond to and

this is going to magically work in
action cutting into a specific building.

In the piece that we were asked
to respond to was being go nights

which was a house in upstate
New York I think and Love Canal.

But not mistaken.

This is a piece of photograph
owned by John Wieland who

loaned it to the institution.

And we looked at the photograph and

were asked if we would like to make
some kind of an installation at the CAC.

And so
after scouring the Building Bryan and

I came upon this one corner
which had been hidden.

We'd previously been open to for
years have been closed and

decided that there was
real potential there.

And.

Through a process of removal rather
than addition in the by studying

Gordon mathematically in the reproach in
the theses that developed out of his work.

We understand that in fact we could
say something by saying less than

doing something.

By by not doing something
we could say more.

And so we decided to reveal the space.

And we came to understand that this
whole part of the gallery here.

Is in fact below grade and so

we drew a line with a saw tracing exactly
the the line of great on the other

side of the wall into the gallery and
we trace it all the way around.

Inside this triangular space.

Starting here.

Tracing around all way to there you can
even see it with a dry wall dust and

then we discovered an old window which
had been ripped up fifty years prior.

And we.
That back up.

The trick though is that
the window had long been

been covered over with existing grade.

So you have this very strange and
pine kind of impossible existence of

a window into the earth
because the use in time and

regrading as has put them in
a conflict position and so by simply

backing up into history a bit and
opening it and be able to reveal a moment.

In which you can situate yourself.

That was the thesis right.

You know formerly been born or.

How could you refined yourself both
in terms of orientation to the city

of the window and also orientation
to all the years that had passed.

Prior to your time here.

So we were able to uncover
this kind of unbelievable

interactive space every time it
rains the walls leaked it was wet.

It was it was quite interesting.

So that.

Turned out to be a very important
project force which will come back to.

We kept as we had we did this and it was.

It was not long after that
we responded to an R.Q.

from Georgia Tech for
the first Center for the Arts renovation.

So this is now go into this a little
bit the there are the renovation.

They are if you for the renovation.

Acknowledged some of the.

If anyone any of you and

I'm sure many of you know this building
acknowledged some of its shortcomings.

But it's.

It is a building located on
center central campus built in

one nine hundred ninety S..

As part of it a collection of buildings
in addition to the student center.

The student services building and

the first center were built
all in one fell swoop.

And.

But the building is very isolated
from the campus you might say.

And the institute is interested
has been interested in

somehow making the act of creativity
in its relation to technology

present on campus and the idea was that
this could be a project to help do that.

This shows the first relative to
first drive in tech Parkway and

as you know the access
to this building is for

visitors from outside of campus
is primarily in this direction

service to the building
comes from the north and.

But it's a hard bubbling to find and

if not a memorable building
once you get there.

I think we're going to have a problem with
our drawings but this existing conditions

is meant to show where the first center
is really should to Smith call and

a very important Plaza.

That is a circulation path.

Across campus down to tech green so
comments here tech green here.

The situation is all relatively new.

We we were shortlisted and we were
given a week to develop the scheme.

For the interview two and
we will show you our

initial reactions to the project this
building this is the view of the front

I mean it's a building that's hiding in
plain sight is I we talked about it it's.

It's almost inaccessible.

And most people many people
don't even know it's there but

it has two components it has the first
Center for the Performing Arts and

it also has a student run
organization drama tech in the back

which at the time of construction
was determined should go in

had a relationship with performing
arts and should go in this building.

But this is a you.

Primary experience of this building
we would say just before you think

the Issa too wanted to at these simple
points improve arrival experience

make a memorable destination add
performing landscapes create a nexus or

connection between the interior of the
building and the campus and vice versa.

Create multiple performance spaces
where there is currently only one

eleven hundred seat.

Main Stage.

And then within that for
the main stage or mean performance talk.

Improve the relationship between
audience in the performers.

So looking at exit examples that they
brought to our attention of things

that they like to
the performance harp very

connected to the out out of doors and
a foot through these quickly.

Outdoor performances balconies impromptu
ways to experience performance

here is a lobby where the Diaz is

you're going to use a balconies
informal seating casual or

integrating performance into the life
of the school the use of to.

Here you can see people
walking by outside.

Unexpected events.

What constitutes a performance.

Looking in back at the.

This is a bird's eye view of Atlanta
eight hundred ninety two and

this building has not only
was did was it built.

Over what was a former street.

It was built over a former waterway.

And we see that in this in the existing
site here is that Earth photograph

from the one nine hundred seventy S.
before the first time I was built so

you may recognize.

We are in the School of Architecture.

Here the story.

There here if we go looking very askew.

Here is Van Weir and Bunker were angry.

This building spent turned out
to take green is right here and.

Hemphill was erased to

make the campus connect across it
partially race let's say there used

to be a street car you can see all the old
railroad rail lines that were torn out.

This is bogs chemistry to the left.

More gracious the student center
before the addition and parking lot.

That's here now and
in one nine hundred seventy.

This was the chemistry building.

Now this chemistry going solid masonry
all the way down to the ground a very

different approach to building another
in a campus context then had been taken

previously by Heffernan or

bad Barry with skyll scholars is fantastic
building that lifts off the ground and

though the land form flows underneath it.

Even in architecture the building.

We're in now the massive brick is lifted
up and the land flows beneath it.

So this kind of craft Mr Desires.

For this building this
this exhibit the east

elevation of existing East elevation of.

The first Center.

And all approach was
with very limited means.

Means I will add just to simply
slice the brick away at the base.

Parallel with the grade.

Make a line in the building that relates
to the landscape and make a new entry for

drama tech and a new entrance.

Kind of re address the the plaza as well.

And with this there was some notion
that we have to readdress and

re build the plaza and
its relationship to the student center.

Would be part of the.

Project as well as
the current amphitheater.

That's out there.

This shows then that edge trying
to create an edge it was not

simply a flat integrating but
we the idea and section into the plan.

This was a view from
the early in the interview

scheme of that entrance to drama tech.

On the north side or
south side of the plaza deemphasizing

the flight our Beyond and
creating some layers which

this in this example project I
think you can occupy below this

is a performance space in the National
Gallery that you saw before and but

much for the first time we have these
flight hours monolithic flight hours.

What can be done to to promote
technology in a prayer for

presence of technology on campus.

To create a beacon and we look to
different media related ways and

traditional ways of creating this
strong sense of that T.V. and event.

And we proposed.

Cannily Vered marquee of sorts.

And that using the existing
stairs to cut in to a new Plaza.

Well we also had years
of you connecting those

pieces the focused project at the time
was just on this edge of the building.

This is that a little addition for
drama tech just to make a new entrance.

And then the front door and
it really was about the lobby and

the new so relation to the to the campus.

A diagram of what the first
center is today still is today.

A simple relation drama Techmeme stage
galleries of sorts in the front and

an open air theater.

Are preparing their lives to create for
the pearl venue's Inside Out of recitals

repository rehearsal hall new
black box Studio Theatre.

And do have this

enlarging the zone of influence of
the first center out into the landscape.

So.

Letting the campus flow through the lobby.

With galleries and
what you see successfully in the class

Commons Commons as gathering
spaces student use spaces and

making the building one that's
approachable and usable by students.

So essentially we we took this notion
as once we had the project and

we're developing it.

Further even more aggressive
kind of carving of the.

Program volumes.

With this notion of time these lines
to campus parts and landscape.

Movement.

Going to focus in on a front.

This shows we had a two story
scheme in at the at the lobby.

This is a performance stage and.

Concessions and then a new new.

Entries into the main space.

Is a step two balconies above for
overlooking all of this and donor

event room and then I like it because
of the typographic difference here.

We could and
exit out almost of slight ramp down to

the great up here even though
your floor above the lobby.

This shows that kind of
relationship to the grade there.

And this is our final proposal

basically bookending

the existing building and doing nothing
letting it exist but modify it.

And from the inside.

Looking past performance to the campus
beyond from the upper balconies down

to the performance space below looking
out to tech green beyond this view.

And the campus also has to step
way back and with a landscape

architect David Hill teaches at Auburn and
has a studio there now with dirt studios.

We did an extensive.

Landscape project as
well where the edge of

tech green was decidedly made
something different a very

rough textured landscape and the kind of
setting of the building now upon this.

Mechanic mechanized platform
the topography would would roll

out further and it would also allow for
excessive accessible paths.

Through the campus.

So BACK OF HOUSE new entrance
to deemed all theater.

That's the Black Box Theatre and

new rehearsal scene shops etc with
an upper upper level as well.

And this is final view of that
very similar to our initial

our initial one week.

Concept but
this is about nine months later.

On the air.

The idea was to do this it take
the existing performance or

redefine the shape to.

Accommodate better coup sticks as well
as a more contained intimate space.

Here's a this shows.

Basically the introduction of wires
which are meant to reflect sound

back to the audience support the sound
of versus existing situation which.

Really.

Notorious for not doing that.

And modifying a section from the existing
section to one which treats the.

Three secure sticks as
important part of the space.

This is existing as are is just
a model of the existing And

then the proposed so

existing from the stage proposed
splitting the aisles on new seats.

So just to read about the landscape is
a very important part of the project that

at this particular moment there is the
desire for a strong pedestrian connection.

This is hardly legible.

But.

Around to the first center and
around the first center.

There's also this period preexisting
hydrologic condition where.

Roger here wants to flow
two words tech green.

And we looked at both prioritizing both
but in the end have something that

accommodates both simultaneously
where the Plaza still quite large

is interrupted by ways bars of seating and
an amphitheater

blocks but these are also the path
of water and there's the water would

run underneath here but
would be exposed in a in a rain situation.

And then we really addressing this
the space between tech green and and

the first center.

As a very different landscape
than it is today and

different than
the Georgia Tech House currently.

The.

Which is we've got a couple more
projects to share with you.

The title of the of the talk
tonight is contingency.

And what we've come to understand.

Our practice is that we have to embrace
unknown's at the beginning of a project

and we have to actually make them part
of the project that architecture for

us and maybe it's a way of just.

Having enough time in the profession and

everybody begins to realize that it's not
about control or necessarily design or

solving problems or any of this were even
if you have an agenda stirring the pot.

It's about finding the givens that
you're that you start with and

then officially putting them in
opposition to each other and

then somehow to still in so
that a project comes out of

these disparate realities that
you're given those that you impose.

And we think about that is contingency.

Contingency is uncertainty.

As a starting point but

also as a conclusion which
can be unsettling sometimes

that there are preexisting conditions
such as in the first center such as in.

Warehouse that you start
with that is a premise but

also we we think it's important
to assert that there are multiple

realities that are dependent upon
each other at the end of the project.

So what we are coming to terms
with in our practice is that.

We're interested in a distillation that
sponsors attention of difference within it

to try to capture an example of that
is the project which George mentioned.

This is this is a new synagogue for

a conservative Jewish organization in
Sandy Springs just north of the city.

And they came to us about three years
ago and this is their starting point.

They had been a growing
congregation two incredible.

Rabbis and they were renting
a room in a Jewish school and

and they were about to
undertake fundraising for

a new building this is the starting point
I want you to remember these aren't you.

Also the starting point was that
they had just purchased a Chevrolet.

Body Shop.

So you have conservative Jewish
synagogue Chevrolet pain body shop.

Two very different realities.

Put on the table to you.

You have the essential requirements of
a synagogue could be any space really but

you need the Torah scrolls and
you need the reading table in the Bema and

the attorney and so on.

And but you have the framework of
a Chevy auto dealership building.

Now this is the sales room.

We were working in the paint shop but
so be it.

Same blue stripe.

That's that's what's important.

It's OK.

So I'm not going to linger
too long on some of these but

you can see what we started with.

Not only did we start with
the drive in building but

we also started with a build
a building that was on

finished grade which had been chopped down
twenty seven feet below the existing rate.

Original grade.

Grade we were dealing with surrounded
by on two sides of a cinder block

retaining wall.

However inside incredible
potential long span steel

structure free space of about
seventy feet between columns.

Really you can do anything and so

when again as part of an interview process
we put ideas on the table and we said

we think that what we need to do is
lift the building to reveal the exterior

to make a connection to the natural
surroundings and we also need to carve.

We need to make a connection to the sky.

We need to take a twenty four
thousand square foot building and

allow you to reconnect to the exterior.

Otherwise you remain in
this enclosed space.

As the site of the Trowbridge this is
Trowbridge row this is Roswell Road.

And this is the dealership.

This is our site.

Surrounded by asphalt all sides suburban
conditions are very tough to reuse.

Subsides drawings blown out.

But this is the existing condition and
the real key to this project

was that the building is was
twenty four thousand square feet.

But the program was only
twenty thousand square feet.

So you take an opportunity
of a mismatch and

you say I'll maybe we don't
need to build it all out.

We will instead of just leaving this
shelled out will make a next year.

Your space and

that exterior space can be the organizing
principle of the whole project.

These are skylights.

This is the completed plan.

With this courtyard in the front and

apertures of light sprinkled
throughout the building.

And through a series of courtyard schemes
quarter to the front corner to the back.

But you're in the middle

how to capture light users lighting study
models with just a desk lamp over them.

What does it mean to bring light
down into the middle of a space and

have a sacred space on one side and a
social space a gathering space on another.

But the presence of the exterior.

And if we make a commitment to
making a courtyard how do we

what does that afford us
as a reconnection to to

be surrounded by raising this
wall up to seven feet two inches.

You know seeing more cars.

The asphalt surround is gone.

It's a race.
So

your vision is to the canopy into the sky.

So that's what we did.

And here we are carving
out of the building.

Removing parts of one reality
to make way for another.

Taking.

Compositionally a mass that's on
the exterior and flipping it up and

put it in the canopy out of it.

But having to work with what's there and
and

you know waving very comfortable
with the fact that there's so

much of the reality of the existing
building that we can't change.

But we have to find a way
to introduce a new one.

Even the bollards those are existing.

A courtyard.

Made up of three significant
spaces exteriors courtyard.

Courtyard interior social hall and
a sanctuary.

For entrances here you have
a delayed entrance to walk through

the building before you
come to the middle.

You've no idea where you're
going until you get there.

Then you're situated between this this
view shed of light and the sacred.

Thank you.

A space on the other side.

Just to walk through it.

Front door which is purposefully hidden.

So you create the sense of discovery.

You spin back around you in this contained
space with inside outside space overhead.

Insurance is a social hall.

This this project.

It is an extremely difficult budget this
is one hundred in one thousand dollars

a square foot.

That means anything to anybody.

In here which is almost nothing to work

with it's just enough to
do what you need to do so

we were constantly having to make design
decisions in the context of every dollar.

But the essential stayed in
place which is that there was

a connection between the sanctuary
in the social hall to have

overflow seating which could go all
the way out into the courtyard.

Detail of the courtyard.

I can't read these drawings but

this is a plan of the sanctuary
seating in the round.

That was purposeful.

For this type of congregation to not have
a formal frontal relationship to be in

a group setting and
that really set in motion the whole

idea of the sanctuary
which is that it would be.

A space that was circular
in a way it was gathering

in a square ish plan in the ceiling.

Based on discussions with the rabbis
in the congregation would be buoyant

it would be tent like.

So that while you're inside this space.

You don't feel like you're inside of a
building you have you sheds to the out of

doors as well as the construction of the
ceiling all these planes are determined

by angles of incidence and reflection for
acoustics so that the space could be very

bright for natural acoustics and music
which is important to the congregation.

The two were we were giving of
the building committee of in progress but

you can see how by creating you remember
those skylights from the diagram were

were flooding light down on
the perimeter of this room

to eliminate it from the exterior rather
than having light overhead in this room.

The finished you.

Remember the orange chairs and use them.

I just want to say that the we were.

A lot of the discussions about
the geometry in the room had to do with

the fact that often people are sitting
in the space for three hours and.

And they.

We wanted something that was they
wanted something that was quiet.

That wasn't that wasn't
distracting of your attention but

that would hold your attention.

If your mind as your mind wandered and
a lot of this dissociation of geometry

from the very rectilinear situation
that we started with was induced through

this conversations with the rabbis about
the ability for your mind to wander and

to to have this connection to
even the liturgy in that regard.

You could spend a long time talking about

the symbolism in the formal arrangement
of the reading table especially the ark.

But one key feature is that the door of
the Ark slides into this not in the wall.

Hebrew alphabet is read from
right to left Torah scroll is

initiated the beginning of
the of the ceremonial New Year.

Roll it back up and start from the
beginning and so there's a very important

idea of that the beginning is
the beginning to an endless reading that

always goes to infinity and in this case
it goes from right to left because of the.

The way that you read the Hebrew language.

So this panel slides into this pocket
to reveal the the Torah scrolls.

And other things as well but it's one.

There are quiet spaces as well.

These this is a skylight above.

There are remnants of the building
existing building that you encounter

by chance that are purposely not align so
that.

You do encounter them and
you remember that this was a car.

Shop.

And just a quick view around the exterior.

This is the existing condition.

Just a row of drive up doors.

And.

Well the problem we had was
to put classrooms on the back

again what we did is we put windows
up high to focus your view.

This is blown out here but

because of your view up to the natural
skylight on top of that retaining wall.

Instead of the cars.

The choice of materials is
not only an economic one.

But also a material but

also material in a static one to create a
space between two types of concrete block.

And these preferred light
both the sanctuary but

also the arc that is light
from above with the.

Symbolism.

There are these moments which are.

In a way confounding but
also very pleasurable you might

say where you have these two realities at
once you have the existing tilt up panel.

But we've cinder block.

You have an old concrete apron
with the need to extend a walkway

around the corner.

You have a drive in day but
now you have offices behind.

So in a way it's juggling the contingency
of what's there before and

also what you have to layer on but
not necessarily or a scene.

The former.

That's in this process going
to show one more project and

then we'll let you go well with one
more project in a little depth.

This is a project on campus.

Also the school building construction

right outside of the door
of this building.

We're here.

This is the site.

This is in one nine hundred fifty eight.

And if you remember that parking
lot from a previous slide.

You just go through a couple slides here
to show you how dramatically the campus

is changed.

But one persistent thing has been
this tiny little building here.

It's like the forgotten little brother.

Sitting there alone.

And that's what's makes it so
special is that for some reason it

endured while the city just the city
the campus just exploded around it.

Streets moved massive buildings.

This guy stays here.

So that puts a lot of
pressure on this project

school building construction
eleven thousand square feet.

The other significant pressure is
the fact that this little building has no

protection from the from the sun.

There's no shading.

It's completely exposed.

And it's very difficult to inhabit.

So what you have is a double
loaded corridor with no views out.

The existing condition.

So the current floor plan and plan and
this is our proposed site plan.

We'll talk about why this is but

where we've developed the whole
building shading strategy where we keep

the existing building but we simply
put a huge baseball cap on top of it.

To shade it so that we're cheating
some sustainability objectives.

You know in a very low tech way rather
than a very expensive high tech way.

This is the existing building.

In order to determine the.

Shading we simply took the source of the
conditions of the worst solar heat gain

on and in this case you'll see winter.

The shadow it creates and

we flip that over to the southeast
in order to shade the façade.

Same.

So that's the that's the southeast.

Same for the West.

And for the summer.

I mean I'm in for the summer.

Six P.M. so you end up with an outline
around a simple building which is

activated and interesting but
simply a result of.

The need to shade the building.

It's not a composed thing.

And so this is a diagram of
the process of this project.

This we also produce just for

the interview we remove the entire
skin remove all the interior walls.

We insert new walls new
curtain wall around a new

steel superstructure and lever in twenty
eight feet out over a campus pathway.

And then a shading system
over the entire east and

south side the benefit of this is not
only that it shades the building.

But that it also stage the pathway.

So the during the summer months.

You have a protected space
out in front of this

this little building in
the sea of other buildings.

But just to give you a taste of
what how this is generated or

solar diagram showing that by ten A.M.
in the summertime the entire building

is shaded and the canopy is
what's taking the solar gain.

We generated these for
each of the extreme conditions.

So existing condition.

Post.

Except in what you find is often what is
most interesting about a building for us.

We have the existing structure
of both steel and concrete.

That we want to put on display and
clad it in a curtain wall system so

that we're not hiding it again and it
becomes this rusted steel primer becomes

exposed becomes part of what's expressed.

If you walk across the clouds bridge.

Many of you might now begin to understand
that this is it asserts a presence.

Not only in shading but
also by claiming this exterior space.

This whole area of landscape is
essentially now becoming the front porch.

The front lawn to this
building's front porch

on this major spine through our campus.

So just to close.

We.

When we're going to talk
about a couple things and

one then we're just going to show you
a couple quick shots of things that

are happening right now in our office
when we talk about contingency.

We've talked about how
we've we embrace it and

how it's fundamental to our practice and
we think that's a good thing.

We also want to make a point that creating
buildings that embody uncertainty

is very different than having
a practice that has uncertainty.

This is important to understand.

Where in this setting we're talking
about the project of architecture.

But when we're in our office.

We're talking about.

The responsibility is
the delivering projects and

these are two things that
have to happen in parallel.

So the world looks to us

though our clients look to us
as people who have to deliver.

If you removed.

Uncertainty and eliminate unknown's and
resolve problems and

take responsibility
legally professionally.

But the project is in fact one
which in bodies the opposite.

So that we can have this tension.

Retain the uncertainty and
create surprise and allow differences and

even provoke from time to time but
you can only do this.

If you do this in a way they can't mix
in order to make them both happen.

So last couple slides.

This is how some can look park.

This is the backyard.

Client wanted an expansion of
almost eight hundred square feet.

We would fill the entire
backyard if we did that.

To the zoning line.

Can't do that.

What happens if you put
some of it below ground.

And it starts to get
a little more manageable.

What happens if you put then
the bulk of it upstairs in

the second story becomes
even more manageable and

you're able to retain this backyard and
keep it in active backyard.

So we've taken an existing bungalow
which are everywhere in the city

are often just very lovely and
we've extended it out the back.

And kept the connection between
a kitchen and the backyard.

By making this lower floor very small and
making the upper floor bigger.

There's the arrow.

Now you know it's connected
because I put in there on.

So quickly just going up the driveway.

These are some these are some stuff where
we can see this at all in this project.

I'm sorry let me just go to the next one.

But the idea is that we
create a house which has

an interior space are out of
the exterior along the back.

And in a way it creates
this this view shed.

The up stairs is forgotten because it's
above the porch level and the lower

floor connects to the back yard and you
exist in this negative space column free.

On a small footprint because you put
program underneath and above that and

that mean about six hundred square feet
six hundred six hundred six hundred below.

Lastly.

Lastly just to give you a glimpse of
a project that's almost complete.

Elana Contemporary Art Center renovation
we've been working on the summer and

all of you October nineteenth is the.

The grand reopening you might say our
party promises to be quite an event.

I hope you all be there.

I am.

Very fascinating institution and

fascinating facility
very close to our campus.

Marietta is right here the engineers
bookstore is right here.

You're all familiar with that and

this is the as
the Standard Oil Company of Kentucky.

A truck maintenance depot.

But in one nine hundred ninety nine
hundred eighty nine ninety the what was

the nexus Contemporary Arts Center
purchased.

This much of the property and
converted the front half

into art galleries and
the back half into studios for

artists very important part
of their mission as well as

a press building for
the then operating Nexus press.

The building was renovated in one nine
hundred ninety from this truck depot into

an art gallery.

That was done before our time.

This is this is the building as the.

Original architect.

I think you found it.

This was close to opening day and.

The courtyard or
plaza front entrance plaza.

This was the view in one
thousand at that time.

Upon entering the front doors and

this is The View today
very similar to it wasn't.

How it was in one nine hundred ninety but.

Some.

Changes in.

What we've what we had

as a starting point is somewhat of
a confused identity for the institution

where you write upon entry you have
path leading back to some dark corners.

This was a lieutenant that was
imbedded between the lobby and

the main galleries that Tenet is now gone.

And then arrive at the main
galleries which are amazing.

Spaces but just due to you know over time

you see the system of lighting
the Scarlets are fabulous.

But you see not much

intensity between the way
the architecture supports

the institutional mission and

over time that that is common for
institutions but

our strategy very simple
was to take the existing.

Footprint and
we were standing right here looking at.

Down this path.

Down this view this you
the yellow here our educational

components of the contemporary's
mission the T.L.

is a gallery exhibition spaces and
this was the tenant in the middle.

As well as new lighting and H.B.C.
we're basically just trying to

pull out the gallery and introduce it
to you at the moment of entry redefine

the entry experience to make sense out
of a very chaotic spatially chaotic

condition and along with that because the
tenant is gone in the middle of the space

introducing an educational lecture
hall component vast greatly needed

resource for
the Contemporary right in the heart

right opposite the galleries around
a piece of second lobby myself.

So just a few shots three.

In fact our last three slides.

It's in construction.

So there's a lot of chaos still but
this is now the view upon entry the WRAL

the main role of the gallery slipping
out to meet you at the front door.

And poor you back.

This is the opening into the lecture hall.

And.

The main galleries new lighting and

articulation with paint.

There was a real interest in creating
taking advantage of the existing

space through the use of lighting
to create a much grander scale so

that instead of having these
incandescence lights on the wall.

You're lighting the entire
fifteen foot wall.

It's just it in a dramatically
changes the space in terms of just

the scale of it because of
the way the light falls.

And this is the view of
the lecture hall and

how the light from the skylight which
was formally kind of chopped up and

not very present is now made
very important in this room and.

I think that.

This is our last hour when one thing is
very interesting had a comment from a good

friend of ours who toured a space
recently and he said he said

We found this a great compliment
in fact but he said this is

this is almost architecture but
it's it's not trying to entertain you.

It's just trying to direct your attention.

And.

That I think is one of the goals
is directing your attention so

that you can contemplate things rather
being rather than being entertained at

every turn and I think that that
was a wonderful comment for

us because it sums up the challenge and

really the the potential of of what we've
been working on these last few years.

So for that thank you very much.

This guy.

Ron.

I know we've gone terribly long.

Glad to entertain some
questions if there are any.

The rights go up.

I have to say we have Jason how often and

Stephen the fish are here
to employees with us.

Stevens a student in undergrad.

No question.

So

the question was about the synagogue and
the footprint of the existing building

was much larger than the program and
how did we deal with that and

it was essentially through
setting aside spaces that.

He would not build in those became
exterior spaces the original.

Impetus of the conversation was well
let's just shell that space out and

grow into it centrally make a dark room.

And our proposal was no let's actually
make that an advantageous space from

the beginning which they had only
programme a sanctuary in a social hall.

The whole courtyard which was as big as
those other two spaces is something new

that came out of that difference
between the size of the building and

program so that was the main strategy.

And.

Thank you very much.

And here was thank you thank you.