|
Thesis - Week 4. Behind the lines

September 29, 2009
by Jason Cross

Thesis now has a title, a concept, a production stream and a wealth of work to be done. Here is my current thesis proposal – I am sure it will change some more.


Patterns of Contingency

The idea of permanence and stasis defines with the way we plan our cities as well as the way we design and construct our buildings. Working on models of essential form, based on ideas of efficiency and economy, today’s solutions to temporary, seasonal and affordable housing reside within the rigid logic of the orthogonal based economics of production. Geometry and performance are given a backseat to the ideals of affordability and cost. Be it mobile homes or apartments – these options are not generally considered efficient or affordable as an long term solution to specific housing needs, nor do they provide any lasting tertiary programmatic opportunities that could be exploited if some assumptions were reconsidered.

Vail Colorado creates a unique condition within the discussion of accessibility and employee housing to antagonize current preconceptions of affordability and occupancy within this housing type. First, the tight environmental footprint, site adjacencies, and environmental conditions create issues that can not be answered by endless arrays of trailers. Secondly, property values force enclave developments which in turn have created zones of unwanted densities that degrade experiential value. Thirdly, Vail’s long term growth from ski resort to proposed Olympic destination in 2026 – from winter sport retreat to year round event and entertainment center – creates opportunities of hybrid use, seasonal flexibility, environmental adaptation and programmatic integration.

With resort employment itself becoming a lifestyle – more and more people will be living a seasonal life. With each seasonal activity there is an employee whose lifestyle itself has become the commodity on which the experiences of visitors is intertwined. Evolving from a purely winter recreation venue into entertainment, film, and event center – Vail is a truly multi-event destination. From seasonal flexibility of use, adaptation, and materiality to a merging with mixed use programmatic abilities, eventually trending towards the hosting of a wide array of events ranging from trade shows to sports championships with an eventual rail from Denver, to hosting the Olympics in 2026. Daily, seasonal, event, and long term variables are to be parametrically evaluated and considered as points of interrogating geometries and conditions. Looking at these models I plan to produce a series of potential occupancies through time. Adapting to use, condition, and environment through material, structural, and infrastructural richness – occupying a variety of specific site conditions – ranging from natural / built interface to highway overpass occupancy, infrastructural node to seasonal surface condition – ultimately resulting in a series temporal occupancy proposals that share in a varied spatial condition. A manmade intervention that acts in similar response to the environment in which it is contained.