Matthew Persinger, The Ohio State University
Submission 0196
Existing site and organizational patterns latent to the historical and formal
contextual condition of Boston’s façades prompt a re-evaluation
of the physical and conceptual brick. A notion of using a traditional material
in a way to produce new organizations of connectivity and experience becomes
the grounds to weave a pattern that combines physical context, existing buildings,
and various urban-scapes with disciplinary fusing of landscape, architecture,
and public programming.
By abstracting brick patterning into a modular graphic system, a series of
manipulations of the graphic image allows for exploitation of material effects.
Organizationally the graphic blurs program dispositions, yet allows for spatial
variation to project pragmatic uses to the exterior. Logic of repetitious
modular elements at layered intervals produces a cloud-like, perforated canopy
with calculated densities and voids. The project considers the roof-scape
as a potential landscape by extending the site vertically. Imposing plan and
sectional thicknesses of graphic blending excites a reverberation between
urban fabrics of street, plaza, and edifice along with an obscuring, and preserving,
wrapper effect to the historical landmarks. The collapsing of historicism
linear procession with artifact, with current usage, along with the graphically
superimposed field give its ability to produce public space from both past
and new formations. Exploitation of a quiet characteristic of the situation
allows for a generous compromise both in physical, but also social interaction
between public and private realms. The proposal of the experiential graphic
produces a combinative statement of urban topography that unites histories,
building, and multiple public-scapes into an organizing image for the Boston
Center for the Arts.
