Exploring the Threshold,

McGill Institute for public life of arts and ideas

Student : Benot Mc Namara
Advisor : Robert Mellin
December 05th, 2008


Bastion Bellelle, General Marc Ren Montalembert Tokyo Air, Thom Faulders Architects
Thesis description:

A constant that can be found in all architectures is the idea of threshold; an
intangible moment that delineates the inside out. Through this proposed institute
for public life of arts and ideas I intend to blur and enhance the idea of threshold
by offering a multitude of transition spaces in order to enrich the experience of
users and create a stronger bond between the building and its physical and
sociological context.

Can there be architecture without threshold? I think not. Threshold is precisely
what makes architecture. Not having a threshold would imply no transitions of
spaces, which is a continuous space therefore the outside. The creation a limits,
transitions and therefore thresholds is intrinsic to architecture. In our modern
society of consumerism, the question to ask is not whether or not we are
surrounded by thresholds but what is the quality of those threshold and how are
they incorporated to the building to create a better environment. I think it is
interesting to draw a parallel between thresholds in the field of architecture and
thresholds as sociological moment. For example, death and mourning, are the
most commonly situation to be associated to the phenomenon of threshold.

The rituals surrounding death used to be qualified by a series of events
spreading into time in order to make each death more bearable. Now this
threshold, transition moment between our life before and after is supposed to
last not months like but instants. There is an over simplification of the process
and the sequences implying a lost of quality I think there is a similar
phenomenon in architecture, the process of entrance; the transitional quality of
spaces are often under addressed and weak. Too often, the entry process boils
down to a marquise followed by a series of monotonous doors. I think that the
richness of a building should be judged mainly by the transition experiences it
proposes. In the way it suggest rituals that guides you threw a journey of
exploration. We would then address the issue of quality of the environment
creating transition experience. I think the threshold should be understood as an
event, a gradual transition towards a more inclusive interiority.





Schema 1.


Schema 2.

In order to illustrate my approach, I made two small sketches that express my
idea. Thus, the first oppose a gradual transition between the two spaces and a
radical switch. Both have thresholds but the first scheme proposes, I think, a
richer experience. In the second scheme, I conceptualize in a more direct way
my intents regarding the project. As a Russian dolls, the shells of the project are
layered in order to create a succession of spaces leading from the more public
oriented space to the more private space with the minimum use of doors.
Instead I intend to use mainly transparency, translucent, shadows and recessed
elements to distinguish and create transitions and decline the quantity and
quality of filters in order to make the threshold less definable and enrich the
process.











Final thesis description:

My final project materializes by creating a building for the McGills research
Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas. It is an existing institute of the
university, but who is now a mainly faculty-oriented institution. Its mission would
be broaden in order to incorporate a mission of communication and exchange
with the community; the creation and study of phenomenon related to public life
of arts and ideas. Indeed, McGill University is a major player of Montreals
cultural life. Each year, the university receives several renowned speakers; it
creates quality artistic works in all fields of study. Unfortunately, it is rare to see
manifestation of this outside the walls of the campus. I think it would be a great
opportunity to design a space of communication and research extra-muros. A
building that would foster the institute in an attempt for better breading of
university and the Montreal community in the bubbling Quartier des Spectacles.

In addition to the new mission, the institute would have the advantage of being
able to directly study the impact of arts and ideas on the public life. Creating
arts, testing ideas and studying the reactions triggered. Thus, researchers and
designers would be offered facilities for meetings, research, creation and also
some apartments for guests fellows invited in residence. I think this is a unique
opportunity to create and promote cultural identity of our university.

Thus, as envisaged by Louis Kahn, the creation of such a center is a unique
opportunity to redefine the mission of the existing institution. It is interesting for
a center dedicated to public life and which by definition is available to work on
the idea of a threshold to provide a sensory-based smooth transition between
the spaces and the porosity of the building.

Kahn worked toward creating buildings that could become symbolic
receptacles for communal identity while fostering agency and individual
participation.. He advocated instead that the architects act as a social
visionary and engineer, articulating his philosophy of Form and Design, in
which the architects first responsibility was to determine a social vision
a form appropriate, perhaps ideal, for every institution he designed.
Goldhagen, S., Louis Kahns Situated Modernism, Yale University Press,
2001


Site plan of the building in the hearth of Montrals Quartier des Spectacles

Thus, its institute would involve McGill in all cultural and artistic events taking
place in the neighborhood. The building would become its visual identity; it is an
emissary of the campus. The final localization of the building would be in order
to close the view of the newly created Place des Festivals. Such a positioning of
the building has also the advantage of giving back some intimacy to the small
triplex located on the corner of Jeanne-Mance street. The institute would also
create a strong link between the underground and place of festivals. The exact
localization as also been establish in order to be less affected by the shadows
generated by the new 87 meters tower of the Louis Boheme in order to
maximize the heat gain during winter time.

Conceptually the building is a series of boxes stacked on each other. Thus, each
box as different levels of transparency, it create a gradual transition from outside
to the inside core. The core is dedicated to vital function as housing, creation
and research. The zone between the core and the skin is for exhibition and
circulation purposes. It is divided into boxes allows for a gradual approach and
sensorial enrichment. The proposed route allows for a gradual acclimatization to
the environment and create suitable atmosphere each one of the functions.



Narrative of the transitions. From the most public to private environments.

The idea is to create a narrative in the approach from the outside to the private
area of housing. An example is the more public character of the exhibition space
is easily readable by its quantity of opening to the outside and even its link to
the Metro station.

The overall shape of the project was generated by the metaphor of considering
the institution as a living organism. The building is then conceived as an
outgrowth of the campus spreading underneath the surface, in the Metro
network and emerging on the site, at Place des Arts Metro station, to give the
ultimate form of the building. I considered this organism as a living organism
replacing its organs by needed function. Even if the resulting shape dont let it
see the way the positioning of function was establish relate, as in organs layout
to their interaction with each others.

.

Building linked through the underground



The interior layout was conceived as if this emerging organism was pushing up
the ground floor in order to emerge. As a result the pan of grass will become the
roof of the institute. Although intangible, this organism, this force is coated in a
sort of invisible resille, which link it to the campus. This "resille" gives the shape
of the opening in the ground floor and the shape of the organs; see the wood
volume.


Building as an organism

A growing organism, that emerged from the underground








This partial building section reveals the internal logic of the institution, there is
the presence of the wood volume laid on a red platform surrounded by an
invisible resille. This resille not only dictate the shape of the wood box but also,
as it is the link with the main campus, the opening in the ground floor. The
corridors of traffic are mainly located on the west faade and also offer small
patio area to foster impromptus meeting. Indeed, the wall of the facade is made
up mostly of translucent panel with a thermal resistance increased. These
panels also have the advantage of providing greater user privacy circulating on
the upper level of the project. The positioning of the building above the subway
rails could also use waste heat metro network to warm air from the building with
heat exchanger located in the slab level 0. Operable windows are provided in
order to maximize natural ventilation of the volume and enhance the comfort of
the occupants in the summer.

In the Axonometric view, we understand how the various elements of the project
come together and relate to one another. Thus there is the site that was dug in
its center for the exhibition space. The structural frame that is also structure and
support for exhibitions in which modify the space by creating sub-areas. Then
there is the element that red that acts as a table on which our cubes come to
rest. The cubes are composed of wood panels of wood slats sliding or flying to
adjust and adapt to the needs of users.




The main faade offers directionality towards the ramp to the Metro and on an
other scale the main campus. The slope north elevation also contributes to thos
directionality. Notice that the south and east facades are almost entirely made of
glass. Theses extensive glass facades on have two reasons. First, to maximize
heat gains in the winter and secondly make the building more permeable,
allowing the users to be able to easily read the building from the outside and to
connect to its surrounding from the inside. The symbolism is that the university
with this gesture demonstrating its openness to the society and proposes to
break the boundaries and thus to host visually or physically citizens in his heart.
Its a welcoming gesture. There is also the presence of a band and a rectangle
of roasted wood on those two facades, these two hides retractable scenes that
would deploy during festivals in order to make the institution vibrate and be part
of the festivals. On the south side, this wood element declines itself in ground
treatment that lead toward the existing metro station.




The north side elevation benefit from the limited sun exposure to grown a green
wall. As it is the extension of the green roof, it contribute to improve the overall
sustainability of the building but it is the. Both elements are the expression of
the displacement of the original turf original plan that was moved by the
outgrowth of the institute emerging from underground and thus moving the
ground at the roof level.

This elevation express adequately the transparency of the faade revealing the
at the background the wood latte volume. A wood element opaque during day
time and lighten at night. It will create a play of shadows and light illuminating at
night the place of festivals.

This view presents the vestibule of the multipurpose exhibition space as
envisioned. It proposes perforated steel bridges located underneath the red
element that delineates the double height space.


This image shows the upper part of the access ramp to office spaces research
and meetings that will accredit the teacher, to students and fellows to meet and
work in the mission of the institution.