Scandere Chapel

Scandere Chapel – Antwerp, Belgium, 2010

You are a pilot. You fly small planes over populated areas disseminating some corporate slogan or another, usually something you don’t necessarily agree with, in order to pay the rent and send the kids to school with proper shoes. You are high in the sky most days with a perspective not easily had by the common person. But even with all this time being elevated, being physically closer to the Gods, it won’t make you a better person and won’t improve your chances of getting to heaven. But having an elevated view might potentially elevate your mind. Free it from the mundane constraints of being grounded. Allow one to consider the spiritual possibilities that await. This potential is what the Scandere Chapel will offer the worshippers, global travelers and every day citizens of Antwerp.

The Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp has had a long and difficult history. The first, and what would end up being the final, stage of construction of the Cathedral was completed in 1521. Now, after almost 500 years have gone by, there is an opportunity to continue where the master Architects have left off. There is an ‘absence’ above the south tower. However, in this absence there is nothing truly to be missed. The Cathedral has lived on just like the south tower never intended to exist in the first place. When something has not existed from the beginning, and it is not missed, then this presents a blank canvas for new ways of thinking. History should not be forgotten. But it also would be a travesty to literally regurgitate and build a historical thread of thought taken from the 16th century as if we were still living in that time. The original Cathedral architects, Jan and Pieter Appelmans, if they were alive today would not want to merely implement the design that was on the drawing board 500 years ago. They would surely insist on designing something that takes into consideration the breadth of knowledge that has been gained over the last 500 years. They would insist on making a meaningful, purposeful and profound statement to the city and world through their architecture.

Repose, reflection, religious ceremonies, and revenue. The experience of the Scandere Chapel officially begins at the base of the south tower. It is here, in the darkness, one becomes aware of a rectangular shaft of light emanating through the center of the roof and touching down to the ground floor. Like a bolt of light being directed down from the heavens. One enters this orb and either ascends, slowly, walking up step by step, winding around the perimeter core. Or, ascending quickly using the translucent enclosed elevator lift, one reaches the chapel. This space accommodates the more intimate weddings and funeral services. The Cathedral can hold up to 25,000 people and comfortably seat 2,400. So the chapel is intended for private and personal services, accommodating from just a few to under 200 people.

Another main goal of the Scandere Chapel is for the generation of revenue. The Cathedral costs upwards of 1.5 million Euro per year to maintain. Currently donations are made by visitors and also for ceremonies such as weddings but this revenue will substantially increase with such an icon and the promise of visual and mental expansion. Many people, including tourists to Antwerp, will wish to take the sky lift for magnificent views of the city. Also, visitors will be able to walk completely around the north tower and take in all of its historical grandeur as if they were angels with wings guiding them high up in the air.
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© a n d r e w m. w e n r i c k

The Future Anatomy of the Dingbat

The Future Anatomy of the Dingbat – Los Angeles, California, USA

The Dingbat. Quickly designed and constructed investment properties for those in Los Angeles around the 1950’s and 60’s ready to capitalize on the mass migration to the City of Angels. Fifty years later, there are not a lot of positive things to be said of the Dingbat. One clue is the name. The only thing special about the Dingbats is the fact that we have a collection of this mediocre kitsch architecture. So what do we do? It’s simply not economical to raze them all and start over. That would not only be a huge expense, but also a complete detriment environmentally. So for the time being we must work with what we have. Over time, though, the dingbats will disappear and no one will know to miss them.

Los Angeles is about diversification and so should be the response to the Dingbats. We must do for the Dingbats and their neighborhoods not what they did for us, which is apply a mediocre solution across the board cookie cutter style, but address them individually in order to create a more livable and diverse environment. There should not be just one solution to the retrofitting of the Dingbats. What is needed is a kit of parts solution which assembles to create unique neighborhoods.

Through the use of this kit of parts the Dingbats will benefit in many ways. Namely, from the reduction of hardscape through increased and diverse green space inclusion, introduction of mixed use into these homogenous neighborhoods, provide for a more elegant solution in storing automobiles, and address the current lack of density for today’s standards. And all of these solutions will also provide the much needed texture and architectural relief from the current plethora of blank facades.

GREEN SPACE. All areas, public, semi-public and private spaces, are in need of improvement and inclusion of green space, but the public and semi-public design solutions will have a dramatic effect on the urban fabric. At the street, there are three options presented diagrammatically for creating a green path which will draw people out of their cars and onto bicycles and sidewalks.

i. Wide and continuous green path at street edge through elimination of unnecessary paving and reduction of entry width of driveways from the street.

ii. Center median green path. This solution will slow traffic down in the neighborhoods and provide a walkable and sittable area under a canopy of trees.

iii. Habitable alleyway. Heavily planted and inviting to the pedestrian with connections to the green alley from the street with through paths between buildings.

INFUSION OF MIXED USE. By bringing jobs into the Dingbat neighborhoods we will be creating a mixed use environment and also putting less pressure on our dependence on the automobile. Living near work and working near home. This will go a long way to taking cars off the roads and will also bring a new life and energy to these very static environments. Possible business opportunities include a café, daycare facility, small offices (especially arts oriented), gallery, a playground or other entrepreneurial spaces that provide for adaptable, changeable and fluid programs. Also, an outdoor small theater or movie screening space would entice neighbors out of their units and into a social setting. There are plenty of blank Dingbat facades that would be perfect for projecting a film just as if we were at the drive-in theaters.

PARKING. The fact is, not like other cities, everyone has a car in Los Angeles. Sometimes even two or three. But this culture will change and it is coming quicker than we think. In the meantime the parking and paving issue needs to be addressed. A quick improvement would be to reduce the dimension of the curb cuts at the street. Right now the majority are a two car width. The best solution is to bury the cars under the structure, out of site. Ideally the access point would be from the alley in the back in the building. Other solutions include building common car parks (parking garages) for each neighborhood or architectural car lifts at specific building units. A quick fix would be to visually screen the cars from view if they must remain parked in front of the buildings.

DENSITY / ARCHITECTURAL.

In reality, are major renovations worth it? The Dingbats are cheaply built and it may cost nearly the same for a major renovation and addition as it would to raze the site and start from scratch. This can not be done for all the Dingbats, obviously, but for some in serious decline or of irreconcilable design motives, it may be the best solution. As noted with the building massing diagrams, there are several options for increasing density on a Dingbat site by using a portion of the existing building. This can be done by cutting off the front, middle or back of a Dingbat and adding up and out from that point. These addition/renovations will then accommodate the inclusion of personal green/outdoor spaces and social spaces for individual buildings either up high or on the ground.

For the majority of the solutions listed above to work, this development plan will require updates to the zoning codes, more flexible parking regulations and assistance from state and local regulatory agencies. The benefits for all will be lasting.

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2010 © a n d r e w m. w e n r i c k

Riverside Public Library

Riverside Public Library, 2007, Riverside, CA, USA
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This proposed addition and renovation to the Riverside Public Library will serve to strengthen and reinvigorate the urban conditions at the city center through the use of four proposed climate specific elements; the Courtyard, Pergolas, Groves and Water. Incorporating these design elements will bring light, air and green space deep into the building’s core, create shaded transitions from the street, soften the edges and pay homage to the city’s citrus legacy and cool the air and provide soothing sounds. Beyond the virtues of each of these architectural elements they together create a cohesive sustainable whole.