My first project as a third year student was to design a monastery just outside of Philadelphia. My site, currently an educational agriculture facility in the Wissahickon area neighboring Fairmount Park, had a varying terrain, so I began by focusing mostly on the topography and existing landforms.
I founded the initial narrative upon a theme of contrast and immersion in nature. Then I chose the site. Part of the contrast was accomplished through the presence of two mazes for different prayer and meditation methods: A grid maze and organic maze.
To highlight the themes of immersion and contrast, I made the site layout such that the market would greet the user at the entrance. From there, the built facilities spread out to allow nature to envelope the user between activities.
My first project as a third year student was to design a monastery just outside of Philadelphia. My site, currently an educational agriculture facility in the Wissahickon area neighboring Fairmount Park, had a varying terrain, so I began by focusing mostly on the topography and existing landforms.
Studio 241
Diagrams and Drawings
Upon further refinement, built facilities were sized and placed throughout the site with focus on the central axis. The market place was sunken at the entrance to allow the user to ignore it and move throughout the site in a peaceful, uninterrupted manor - immersion in nature. Three large ponds were patterned across the central park space. However, they served as more than just ponds. Of the three, the two end ponds acted as skylights to the chapel spaces buried below at either end.
At the edge of the central axis, the average user would look out to the end of the park and see a clearing in the woods terraced by small garden spaces. This was strategically designed to hide the monk residences from direct view to maintain the sense of nature to the user.
The monastery parking area was sunken below the market space to aid in maintaining the sense of immersion in nature.
Upon further refinement, built facilities were sized and placed throughout the site with focus on the central axis. The market place was sunken at the entrance to allow the user to ignore it and move throughout the site in a peaceful, uninterrupted manor - immersion in nature. Three large ponds were patterned across the central park space. However, they served as more than just ponds. Of the three, the two end ponds acted as skylights to the chapel spaces buried below at either end.