Returning to the monastery project for a second quarter, I had a number of revisions to implement into my design. The most important change was to have more respect for scale. For the first round of the project, I took site clues too literally and designed at a site scale rather than at a human scale. This resulted in the town market ultimately being designed as a sunken football field.

The scale problem persisted along the central axis towards the monk residences. I stuck with a preexisting site dimension to determine my site design. In this revision phase, I tapered off both ends of the central axis to allow for a more gradual entry to the site as well as access to a cozy private zone at the end of the park. I looked to the FDR Memorial in New York City for inspiration in this design change.

Following major design changes, I shifted my focus to some of the practical applications and issues on the site such as water management. I decided to put a group of cisterns at the base of the agricultural fields to gather the majority of water coming from the highest point on the site. The bottom of the market was floored with a porous brick material for direct and deep soil infiltration. The park was raised above the existing site to create flow directions away from the active central axis.

The gradual elevation change through the market space, as well as general activities along and within the central axis, are illustrated in this flagship image through a blend of computer linework and hand rendering. Although reviewers partially thought of the design as being totalitarian in its dominant gestures at a site scale, the force in the design and captivation at a user scale justified the vast expanses. The large spaces made the user feel small, thus evoking a strong divine connection.

This exploded axon at a site scale shows the site systems in above and below ground groups in relation to the entire site design as well as the existing site.

At closer detail, the design of the ramped steps leading to the market space are revealed in this image. The fountain at the center of the space is a strong anchor for a passerby both on foot or driving along, as studied by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in "Architecture at 50 MPH." As seen in the Super Section, the scale of the user to the space is still of an odd proportion, but I find a similar intentional dominance through manipulation of scale in Saint Peter's Basilica.