Showing posts with label Jacksonville Architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jacksonville Architecture. Show all posts
12.14.2006
Folio Weekly
Keep your eyes out for an article in Folio Weekly, mid January about me and Emerging Architects and our involvement with the Maritime Museum. I'll post the article myself when it does come out.
12.01.2006
The Vertical City
Earlier this week I posted a blog about the component parts of a thriving Metropolis environment. This got me to thinking about what a modern city should look like and there were some cities that came to mind. Tokyo, for one was top on the list. But, also, even American cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philidelphia and D.C. all came to mind in varying degrees as examples of what to do and what not to do in designing a new modern metropolis.
As you know, I live in Jacksonville, so I feel that my efforts and theoretical works should lend themselves to making this place into the modern marvel that I wish all cities of the future to be. And, so, I've now begun thinking, "What is a Skyscraper?"
And this is the heart of what I think will make the new modern Metropolis for our generation. But not just in a single skyscraper, mind you. What I am proposing is a complete redesign of an existing city structure in such a way as to connect everything with those component parts mentioned previously; commercial interests, transportation, housing. These are the building blocks of the Vertical City. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting a series of blogs investigating how an existing city structure can be transformed into a new vertical city completely connected within itself and it's surroundings.
The area that I've chosen for this little experiment is an area of downtown Jacksonville known as La Villa. It is an area of the city West of the downtown center just off of an existing elevated train line.
As you can see in the aerial above, La Villa is a neighborhood comprised of several city blocks bordered by a main highway to the West, the elevated train to the South, and two other main automotive arteries to the North and East. At an almost central location is the La Villa School of the Arts, a magnate elementary school. This will be the center of the New La Villa as you'll see in posts to come.
I welcome any and all comments or suggestions. Please, critique at will.
As you know, I live in Jacksonville, so I feel that my efforts and theoretical works should lend themselves to making this place into the modern marvel that I wish all cities of the future to be. And, so, I've now begun thinking, "What is a Skyscraper?"
And this is the heart of what I think will make the new modern Metropolis for our generation. But not just in a single skyscraper, mind you. What I am proposing is a complete redesign of an existing city structure in such a way as to connect everything with those component parts mentioned previously; commercial interests, transportation, housing. These are the building blocks of the Vertical City. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting a series of blogs investigating how an existing city structure can be transformed into a new vertical city completely connected within itself and it's surroundings.
The area that I've chosen for this little experiment is an area of downtown Jacksonville known as La Villa. It is an area of the city West of the downtown center just off of an existing elevated train line.
As you can see in the aerial above, La Villa is a neighborhood comprised of several city blocks bordered by a main highway to the West, the elevated train to the South, and two other main automotive arteries to the North and East. At an almost central location is the La Villa School of the Arts, a magnate elementary school. This will be the center of the New La Villa as you'll see in posts to come.
I welcome any and all comments or suggestions. Please, critique at will.
11.27.2006
Maritime Conclusion
On the 22nd of November I and a colleague of mine gave a presentation to the Mayor of Jacksonville of a proposal for a new Maritime Museum on a plot of land named the Acosta Site. The presentation itself went well. The Mayor was receptive and attentive to all that was said, as well as the visuals provided by us.
However, it seems that the Mayor and city council have had their eyes on that particular piece of land for quite some time and have no intention of letting it go to a museum. A mixed-use development is their vision. This is, as you can imagine, not what we had hoped for, but not entirely discouraging. You see, EA is still committed to helping further the architectural attitudes of Jacksonville, to re-educating the public on good and responsible design.
So, while we won't be building the latest and greatest Museum on the water, we may be engaging in some master planning of the entire site. This would include relocating an existing museum, a restaurant and a boat slip. The master plan would incorporate Friendship fountain, a landmark on the Southbank. All is not lost, and we will push forward.
The Maritime plan is not dead either. We, EA, will continue to work with them to try and find another suitable site for new construction, and possibly to get federal and state funding so that the financial burden does not solely rest on their shoulders. This is but a small hurdle in a much longer and more complicated process.
As it stands, the City of Jacksonville seems to be in what could be called a "holding pattern". By that I mean, there are projects on the boards that will go a long way to furthering the architectural beautification of the city, but the interest is lacking. There doesn't seem to be a firm foundation of people who would be willing to give up their McMansions 30 miles (and 1 hour) away for a new condo in a gleaming high-rise on the St. Johns River. This, to me, is strange. What exactly is it that drives us into the Suburbs? Is it the quiet peacefulness of the surrounding planted forests? Is it the memory of days long passed when "the city" was a haven for "undesirables"? I think mostly the latter.
Most people of an age and financial situation in the market for new property are not going to want to live in the middle of a downtown like ours. Not to mention the fact, like a previous post, there isn't enough of an infrastructure to keep people here. All of the grocery stores, shopping districts, and activities are outside of the city core. The problem is, the city officials know this, know how to change this, but quite clearly have no intention of pushing the issue towards effective change.
However, it seems that the Mayor and city council have had their eyes on that particular piece of land for quite some time and have no intention of letting it go to a museum. A mixed-use development is their vision. This is, as you can imagine, not what we had hoped for, but not entirely discouraging. You see, EA is still committed to helping further the architectural attitudes of Jacksonville, to re-educating the public on good and responsible design.
So, while we won't be building the latest and greatest Museum on the water, we may be engaging in some master planning of the entire site. This would include relocating an existing museum, a restaurant and a boat slip. The master plan would incorporate Friendship fountain, a landmark on the Southbank. All is not lost, and we will push forward.
The Maritime plan is not dead either. We, EA, will continue to work with them to try and find another suitable site for new construction, and possibly to get federal and state funding so that the financial burden does not solely rest on their shoulders. This is but a small hurdle in a much longer and more complicated process.
As it stands, the City of Jacksonville seems to be in what could be called a "holding pattern". By that I mean, there are projects on the boards that will go a long way to furthering the architectural beautification of the city, but the interest is lacking. There doesn't seem to be a firm foundation of people who would be willing to give up their McMansions 30 miles (and 1 hour) away for a new condo in a gleaming high-rise on the St. Johns River. This, to me, is strange. What exactly is it that drives us into the Suburbs? Is it the quiet peacefulness of the surrounding planted forests? Is it the memory of days long passed when "the city" was a haven for "undesirables"? I think mostly the latter.
Most people of an age and financial situation in the market for new property are not going to want to live in the middle of a downtown like ours. Not to mention the fact, like a previous post, there isn't enough of an infrastructure to keep people here. All of the grocery stores, shopping districts, and activities are outside of the city core. The problem is, the city officials know this, know how to change this, but quite clearly have no intention of pushing the issue towards effective change.
11.17.2006
Maritime Museum Part II
This blog has been a little overdue, and I apologize for that.
The presentation to the Maritime Board was a complete success. Our sketch model and presentation were widely accepted by the board members and they are very excited to move forward with the design. By moving forward I mean, we will be presenting the design and the Maritime Museum Boards' proposal to the mayor on the 22nd of November.
This will be an exciting opportunity for both Jacksonville and the Maritime Museum. The museum is in dire need of a new structure to house their vast collection of works and the city of Jacksonville is in dire need of a true piece of modern architecture, a signature piece that will serve as a landmark for the Southbank.
As you can see from the image, the New Maritime Museum rests along the edge of the Acosta Bridge facing the Northbank of Jacksonville and it's landmarks like the Bank of America tower, the Modis building and The Landing. The only real landmarks for the Southbank of the river are Ruth's Chris and the St. John condo. There is also MOSH and Friendship fountain, although the fountain is scheduled to be demolished in the future, but these elements have no real anchor with the Southbank. There is little continuity between each piece of architecture. This new museum, we hope, will act as a springboard for further development on the Southbank. We hope that building a singular landmark such as this will give rise to renewed interest in civic as well as retail development in the downtown skyline of the caliber that we see in other cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York City.
The City of Jacksonville has an opportunity here to affect serious change in the tone and pace of the downtown environment. It's our job to make them see that.
I'll be posting one more blog for this project in the coming weeks to give a final conclusion on the continued development and possibly construction of The New Maritime Museum.
The presentation to the Maritime Board was a complete success. Our sketch model and presentation were widely accepted by the board members and they are very excited to move forward with the design. By moving forward I mean, we will be presenting the design and the Maritime Museum Boards' proposal to the mayor on the 22nd of November.
This will be an exciting opportunity for both Jacksonville and the Maritime Museum. The museum is in dire need of a new structure to house their vast collection of works and the city of Jacksonville is in dire need of a true piece of modern architecture, a signature piece that will serve as a landmark for the Southbank.
As you can see from the image, the New Maritime Museum rests along the edge of the Acosta Bridge facing the Northbank of Jacksonville and it's landmarks like the Bank of America tower, the Modis building and The Landing. The only real landmarks for the Southbank of the river are Ruth's Chris and the St. John condo. There is also MOSH and Friendship fountain, although the fountain is scheduled to be demolished in the future, but these elements have no real anchor with the Southbank. There is little continuity between each piece of architecture. This new museum, we hope, will act as a springboard for further development on the Southbank. We hope that building a singular landmark such as this will give rise to renewed interest in civic as well as retail development in the downtown skyline of the caliber that we see in other cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York City.
The City of Jacksonville has an opportunity here to affect serious change in the tone and pace of the downtown environment. It's our job to make them see that.
I'll be posting one more blog for this project in the coming weeks to give a final conclusion on the continued development and possibly construction of The New Maritime Museum.
10.24.2006
The New Maritime Museum Cont.
This past Saturday, October 21st, I led a presentation of our design solution for the New Maritime Museum in Jacksonville, FL. The presentation was a success and we'll be moving forward with the design and a second presentation to the Mayor in late November.
At first I was a little apprehensive about how the Board would react to our desing. It is a very progressive solution for a museum of this type. But, we're moonlighting this, so we figure why not take it and run with it. It definitely paid off. Our design is clear, concise and right on with what they had envisioned for a new structure to house their collection. We're all very excited about the coming month. I'll be posting some images of the sketch model as well as some notes from the presentation soon.
So stay tuned for my next blog.
Ciao.
At first I was a little apprehensive about how the Board would react to our desing. It is a very progressive solution for a museum of this type. But, we're moonlighting this, so we figure why not take it and run with it. It definitely paid off. Our design is clear, concise and right on with what they had envisioned for a new structure to house their collection. We're all very excited about the coming month. I'll be posting some images of the sketch model as well as some notes from the presentation soon.
So stay tuned for my next blog.
Ciao.
10.11.2006
New Modern Maritime Museum
What is a Museum? According to the dictionary, a museum is a noun defined as:
- a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed.
- a building, place, or institution devoted to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, or artistic value.
- a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value.
In each definition we see the common thread of historical or precious artifacts. Each museum will differ in what, specifically, is housed within the structure. Some museums like the Louvre, in Paris
are more for the storage and preservation of precious artifacts rather than the display. And some, like the New Maritime Museum in Jacksonville Florida, house specialized artifacts (i.e. Aviation, Egyptian, Sculpture, Painting, and any other specified art).
So, you can imagine that special care must be taken when thinking about how a structure such as this should work.
The design is taking shape through the collaboration of several Architects and Designers. Here are several images that were generated at the last design charrette.
And of course, the product of these designs culminating in the presentation board seen above. I welcome any and all comments. This is a work in progress and I will keep regular posts on the process of development and the eventual final designs olution.
- a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed.
- a building, place, or institution devoted to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, or artistic value.
- a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value.
In each definition we see the common thread of historical or precious artifacts. Each museum will differ in what, specifically, is housed within the structure. Some museums like the Louvre, in Paris
are more for the storage and preservation of precious artifacts rather than the display. And some, like the New Maritime Museum in Jacksonville Florida, house specialized artifacts (i.e. Aviation, Egyptian, Sculpture, Painting, and any other specified art).So, you can imagine that special care must be taken when thinking about how a structure such as this should work.
The design is taking shape through the collaboration of several Architects and Designers. Here are several images that were generated at the last design charrette.And of course, the product of these designs culminating in the presentation board seen above. I welcome any and all comments. This is a work in progress and I will keep regular posts on the process of development and the eventual final designs olution.
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