Recapturing

Cornell AAP 2018 3rd Year Option Studio
D/P 4.0 of Past & Future Building
Re-occupation of Old Industrial Structure

Team: Sibei Li

Site: Ithaca, NY
Date: Spring 2018

This Project intends to learn to use the debris of the last industrial age as a resource and to open up the possibility of lateral transformation of the existing building, infrastructure and technology. Through the process, the project discovered how and why buildings were made, and critically evaluated those ways and means; combined the “old” knowledge with the “new” one, and finally looked to the past to see the future. The project included two phases. Phase I studied the possibility of design for dis-assembly and re-construction; Phase II studied the alternatives for preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse.
The focus of the project will be an abandoned industrial complex constructed over half a century. Within it, the question of what to keep, what to destroy, what to do with the debris, how to address environmental contaminants and bureaucratic process will be raised. The specific focus on the studio will be the enclosure – that of the inside/outside, passive/active, clean/dirty.

Phase I

For Phase I, we extracted a couple of typical construction materials from different time periods. The materials included concrete, brick, wood, glass and steel, which represented each specific ages. These fixed spatial and temporal samples were connected by a series of flexible tracks on the ceiling. Through transformation, an abstract sculpture was reassembled from the construction debris.

Phase II

For Phase II, we explored how manufacturing systems (old and new) can be adopted by designers and co-opted by the users. The purpose was to create an innovative and fluid spatial experience by reusing the abandoned construction elements, including floor slab, columns, beams, doors and windows. Through reconfiguring the interior elements, the old industry has been transformed into an entire complicated mechanism that provides users a unprecedented journey. The visit will provide users a comprehensive understanding of its interior spatial relationships.