SMALL AT LARGE

THE VERTICAL CITY INITIATED A CONCEPT BASED ON AN ECOLOGICAL MEGASTRUCTURE. THE IDEA WAS TO MAKE THE MINIMUM IMPACT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY MAKING THE CITY AS SELF SUFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. I HAD A SINCERE INTEREST IN ECOLOGY AND FELT IT WAS THE LOGICAL SOLUTION. THERE WERE ALARMING PREDICTIONS OF OUT OF CONTOL WORLD POPULATION GROWTH, THUS THREATENING AND FRIGHTEN PEOPLE INTO CONSIDERING THE HUGE SCALE APPROACH I WAS PROPOSING. IN 1965 THE PUBLIC WAS JUST BEGINNING TO TAKE NOTICE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRIES NATURAL RESOURCES. INSIGHTFUL MEN LIKE JOHN MUIR HAD BEEN AWARE FOR DECADES OF ECOLOGICAL DOOM, BUT POLLUTION AND THE EFFECT ON HEALTH AND ANIMALS WAS STARTING TO BE DISCUSSED IN A SERIOUS WAY IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES. FEELINGS WERE MIXED. CAPITALISM DEPENDS ON GROWTH AND BUILDING ANEW. THE COSTS OF ECOLOGICAL CONCERN SEEMED SO REMOTE FROM ANY PAYBACK, SO ESTABLISHMENT RESISTANCE FOUGHT BACK .

THE OVERRIDING EVIDENCE OF HEALTH HAS THE UPPER HAND. LONGER HEALTHY LIVES HAS UNIVERSAL APPEAL. SMOG AND WATER POLLUTION WERE THE OBVIOUS SIGNS OF ABUSE.

LAND BECAME THE PRODUCT TO RESTORE. ALTHOUGH THE GLOBE HAS HUGE AMOUNTS OF OPEN WILDERNESS LAND, THE CANCEROUS DEEP PILE CARPET OF MANS DEVELOPMENT IS LEFT UNCHECKED. WHAT STARTED AS SMALL SELF SUFFICIENT SETTLEMENTS ALONG WATERWAYS TURNED INTO NEW YORK, PARIS, LONDON, BERLIN, HONG KONG, RIO, MOSCOW, LA ETC. THE CITES AFFECTING LARGE REGIONS FOR FOOD, WOOD, ANIMALS, FISH, WATER, POWER. THEIR DEMANDS FOR COAL MINING, PETROLEUM, RESERVOIRS, AND GARBAGE DISPOSAL REACH OUT TO THE FURTHEST MOST CORNERS OF THE WORLD.

THE VERTICAL CITY WENT UP TO PROVIDE HIGH DENSITY AND RESTORE THE LAND, STANDING ON POINTS THAT GRABBED THE GROUND , THUS DISTURBING THE LAND AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. ECOLOGY TO ME WAS A NATURAL EVOLUTION. I THOUGHT THAT IF PEOPLE BECAME AWARE OF THE ECOLOGICAL ISSUES, IT WOULD FOLLOW THEY WOULD ACCEPT BUILDING A MEGASTRUCTURE LIKE MINE. WE ARE IN A PUBLIC ACCEPTED ECOLOGICAL CRISIS NOW WITH NO HINT OF ECOLOGICAL MEGASTRUCTURES. THE THINKING WAS TRYING TO PRODUCE A BEAUTIFUL EFFICIENT ECOLOGICAL CITY. THE SOCIETIES REACT TO CRISIS AND VERY SELDOM ENACTS THE IDEAS TO PREVENT A CRISIS.

ONE OF THE CONCERNS OF THE DAY WAS POPULATION EXPLOSION. CITIES WERE EXPANDING AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE INNER CITIES WERE EXPERIENCING THE UPPER AND MIDDLE CLASS FLIGHT TO SUBURBIA; ALTHOUGH SUBURBIA APPEARS HARMLESS, IT HAS ALL THE DEMANDS OF INNER CITIES. TO KEEP THIS FROM SPREADING, INNER CITIES TOOK ACTION TO BEAUTIFY THEMSELVES, A PATCH UP SYSTEM AT BEST, FAMILIES WITH KIDS ASPIRED TO SUBURBIA. NEW LAWS WERE ENACTED TO PROTECT FARM LANDS AGAINST SUBURBIA, BUT THAT JUST PUSHED DEVELOPMENT FURTHER OUT WHERE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WELCOMED DEVELOPMENT. THE PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT IS FAMILIAR AND IT IS HAPPENING FROM PORTLAND TO TIJUANA. THE END RESULT BEING THAT WILDERNESS IS TURNED INTO GRAZING LAND, GRAZING LAND TURNED INTO FARMS, FARMS INTO ESTATES, ESTATES INTO SUBURBIA, SUBURBIA INTO MEDIUM DENSITY, MEDIUM DENSITY INTO HIGH DENSITY. THE LAND AS A NATURAL HABITAT IS DESTROYED. THE DIFFERENCE OF QUALITY IS DRASTIC BETWEEN A STREET BUILT OF ASPHALT OR CONCRETE TRAVERSED WITH BELCHING AUTOS, DARTING PEDESTRIANS AND EXCRETING DOGS CONTRASTED WITH A MEADOW WITH A SMALL CREEK, LUSH GRASS, MOSS, DECAYING WOOD, AND DARTING INSECTS AND BIRDS. THE MEADOW IS ALIEN TO THE AVERAGE PERSON. AND WILL EVENTUALLY BE REDUCED TO A VIRTUAL REALITY ADVENTURE. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A DIRT PROOF LIVING. THE SCOURGE OF THE FASTIDIOUS SOCIETY.

WELL, AS OF LATE THERE IS EVIDENCE CITIES ARE DESTROYING OUR SPERM AND THUS DESTROYING THE ABILITY TO REPRODUCE. WHAT IS SUGGESTED IS THAT AREAS OF ECOLOGICAL PURITY WILL BE USED TO HELP PEOPLE TO PRODUCE SPERM. FRIGHTENING, BUT ALL THE MORE REASON TO BUILD AND INTERACT IN HARMONY WITH NATURE.

WITHOUT VERBALIZING IT, I WAS REBELLING AGAINST THE PATTERN OF EXISTING CITIES. SINCE A YOUNG BOY I FANTASIZED ABOUT BEING IN SHERWOOD FOREST WITH ROBIN HOOD. ONE SUNDAY IN LA ,WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD, OUT ON A FAMILY PICNIC IN A PARK OF SYCAMORE TREES AND LUSH SPRING GRASS. I WAS IN SHERWOOD FOREST, I LOVED IT. IN THE LA BASIN THE ONLY HABITABLE AREAS ARE IN THE RIVER CANYONS. THERE IS A FEELING THAT LIFE IS SUSTAINABLE IN THESE CANYONS. MY FAVORITE PARK IN LA IS FERNDALE PARK. A SMALL CREEK CANYON WITH LARGE SYCAMORE TREES RISING FROM A BED OF FERNS. THE NATIVE AMERICANS LIVED IN THESE CANYONS. IN CONTRAST THE PLAINS WERE ARID. I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH DESERTS. EVERYTHING IS FIGHTING FOR LIFE. IF YOU STAND BACK AND VIEW THE DESERT ABSTRACTLY THEY EXSUDE A SURREALISTIC BEAUTY. BUT TO SURVIVE IS A PRESSURE COOKER. IT IS HOT, COLD, ARID, AND PRICKLY. THE NATIVE AMERICANS KNEW THIS AND LIVED IN PLACES THAT NURTURED LIFE. WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT WHAT OUR CITIES LACKED IT WAS NATURE. I WANTED TO IMMERSE PEOPLE IN NATURE.

FRESH AIR, GURGLING CREEK, LUSH PLANTS, AND SUNSHINE, THE PERFECT OUTING FOR ME, MY MATE, AND KIDS. CALIFORNIA DREAMING.

THE PUBLIC HAS A REVERENCE FOR NATURE: GRAND CANYON, SEQUOIA, TETONS, EVERGLADES, YOSEMITE, JAPANESE GARDENS, LONDON PARKS, CENTRAL PARK, GOLDEN GATE PARK, BIG SUR. , CEMETERIES, COUNTRY SIDES, OCEANS, LAKES, MOUNTAINS, ETC, WHY? IT IS INNATE. WE ARE ANIMALS AND PART OF NATURE. WE CRAVE TO BE AROUND NATURE. BUT NOTHING WILL SOOTHES OUR SOULS IF WE ARE IN A PERSONAL CRISIS. THERE IS SURVIVAL HIDDEN IN OUR INNER SOULS. IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA THAT YOU KNOW WILL SUSTAIN LIFE, AND SUDDENLY THE WATER AND POWER LINES ARE CUT OFF, SHOCKS THE SECURITY THAT BASIC MAN CAN RELATE TO.

MOST PEOPLE LIVE IN A TOTALLY DEPENDENT MANNER ON THE PROPS OF OUR CIVILIZATION. LARGE CITIES ARE THE AREAS THAT POPULIST LIVE. A PERSON RAISED FROM BIRTH IN A CITY USUALLY ACCEPTS THE LACK OF NATURE AND HARD URBAN SURFACES AS THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE. AND ACTUALLY DEVELOPS STANDARDS FOR DOGS EXCRETING ON SIDEWALKS, STREET SWEEPERS, ARC LIGHTS, SIRENS, AND GUN SHOTS. THE ELECTRIC LINES HUMMING IN THE FOG, CAR THEFTS, MACE CANS, STREET GANGS, HOMELESS TRAGEDY, NO FREE PARKING, ARE JUST PART OF THE PRICE OF LIVING IN THE COOL CITY. WHERE YOU CAN BUY MORE, BE ENTERTAINED MORE, BE EDUCATED MORE, AND WORK MORE?

THERE IS A FEAR OF BEING IN A COMPLEX THAT IS SO DEPENDENT ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE LEAST INTERFERENCE, LIKE A POWER OUTAGE REVEALS MAJOR AWARENESS OF THIS DEPENDENCE. THE IMPERSONAL NATURE OF CITIES COMPOUNDS THE LACK OF CONTROL ONE FEELS. EARTHQUAKES AND MAJOR FIRES ARE ONLY THE TIP OF DEPENDENCE. THIS RELIANCE DEFINITELY PUTS ONE IN THE HANDS OF OTHERS, STIFLINGS SELF SUFFICIENCY. WHAT A CONTRAST TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS THAT COULD SURVIVE COMFORTABLY IN HARMONY WITH NATURE.

BUILDING A CITY ON A VIRGIN SITE NEVER APPEALED TO ME. OUR EXISTING CITIES ARE A FORM OF RAPE OF THE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM.. I FELT IF A NEW CITY WAS STARTED ,IT TOOK AN EXISTING ECOLOGICAL BALANCED SITUATION AND CREATED A PROBLEM. THAT IS WHY EXISTING CITIES WERE WHERE I CHOOSE TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE. IF ONE JUST ADDED A NEW CITY WITHOUT TRANSFORMING THE EXISTING CITIES THE URBAN PROBLEMS WOULD NOT BE SOLVED, JUST MORE DESTROYED LAND.

BEING RAISED IN LA I ONLY KNEW LAWNS, CONCRETE AND AUTOMOBILES. WHAT I WANTED TO GIVE TO THE WORLD WERE CITIES THAT WERE NATURAL VERTICAL SHERWOOD FORESTS. I DETEST NEW YORK, CHICAGO, DETROIT – NOT TO SINGLE OUT ANY CITY, I DETEST CITIES IN GENERAL. LATER I TRAVELED TO LONDON, PARIS, BERLIN, SAME RESULT THEY WERE ARTIFICIAL, HARD EDGED, ETC. PRODUCING DESPERATION FOR ME.

THE INTIAL DIRECTION I TOOK ON REDOING DETROIT WAS TO STUDY THE RIVER AND DOWNTOWN. I PLAYED AROUND WITH SOME CARDBOARD SCHEMES. YES PLAY IS A MOTIVATOR FOR ME. IT OFTEN BREAKS THE ICE TO GIVE ME GLIMPSES. THIS HUGE SLAB BONE LIKE STRUCTURE THAT FANNED OUT OVER THE DETROIT RIVER. THE SKELETON STRUCTURE DEFINING ORGANIZATION. WHAT WAS LACKING WAS A SKIN TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER OR SENSE IT WAS UNIFYING WHOLE.

THIS WENT NOWHERE. YES FAILURE IS PART OF THE PROCESS. THERE IS THIS DOUBT OF, DO I STILL HAVE THE CREATIVE JUICES? OVER THE YEARS THIS HAS BECOME LESS OF A PROBLEM, BUT I STILL MAKE REPEATED MISTAKES AND FALSE STARTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET SOMETHING DOWN. THE PROCESS SUPURS ME TO EVOLVE.

I DID A MOOD SKETCH 3’X4′ FEET. I STOOD IN FRONT OF IT AND DREW WITH SWEEPING ARM MOVEMENTS. BEFORE PROCEEDING A DESIGN I MUST CAPTURE A FEELING. UNDULATING CURVES GIVE A FLOW AND HARMONY. THE LINE PATTERN OF TRANSPARENT OVERLAPPING UNDULATING SKETCHY LINE AESTHETICS. IT WAS A LABYRINTH OF SPACES THAT SPRANG FROM INTIMATE LIVING AREAS TO CAVERNOUS INTERIORS THE SIZE OF THE GRAND CANYON. THE STRUCTURE ACTED AS AN ARMATURE TO ENCRUST FOLIAGE. AT THIS STAGE I WAS NOT DEFINING THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, BUT THE FEELING OF THE SPACE. THE INTERIOR VOLUME BECAME THE CENTRAL COURT TO ORIENTATE AROUND. THE PEOPLE WERE SURROUNDED WITH SPACE, TOP BOTTOM, SIDES. LIKE A TREE HOUSE ON A GRAND SCALE.

NEXT CAME MODELS OUT OF BLACK SCULPTURE WAX. A STICKY CRUDE MATERIAL THAT I COULD NOT CONTROL. I AM BEST USING MODEL MATERIALS THAT CAN EASILY BE GLUED TOGETHER TO PRODUCE INTERIOR AS WELL AS EXTERIOR SPACE. IN ARCHITECTURE MASSING MODELS ARE USED AT THIS SCALE. THAT IS USING A MATERIAL TO ONLY SEE THE OUT SIDE OF AN OBJECT. I FIND THAT APPROACH LIMITING. THE SCALE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE VERTICAL CITY TOOK AWHILE TO FORMULATE A RATIONAL DESIGN. MY PROCESS IS A SYSTEM OF STUDY MODELS, SKETCHES, AND RESEARCH. WANTS ARE IDENTIFIED AND PURSUED. MY MIND GOES INTO A THOUGHT PROCESS THAT IS SUBCONSCIOUS AS WELL AS CONSCIOUS. OBSERVATION AND IN DEEPTH RESEARCH IS PURSUED. AT THIS STAGE I PLAY OR EXPLORE AS MY DESIRES TAKE ME. WITH PLAYFUL EXPLORATION I DISCOVER NEW THINGS, OFTEN BY CHANCE.

NATURE DEMANDS PATTERNS AND SYSTEMS. ONCE THE PATTERN IS ESTABLISHED THEN IT IS A MATTER OF INSERTING, VARYING, AND BUILDING ON THE THEME OF THE PATTERN. A HOLISTIC MEGASTRUCTURE, THAT DERIVED ITS INSPIRATION FROM NATURE AND PUSHED OUR TECHNOLOGY.

AT THE SAME TIME TAKING MAN THROUGH A WALK IN THE WOODS. A FILTERING OF LIGHT FROM ABOVE, THE GURGLING OF WATER DRIPPING DOWN TO THE WATER WAYS BELOW. I LOOK AT THE WOODS AS FRIENDLY AND NURTURING. SURVIVAL IS EASY WITH THE SHELTER,GAME.. THERE IS A DESIRE TO BE AROUND AREAS THAT ONE CAN FEEL SUSTAIN LIFE. GREENHOUSES HOLD A FASCINATION FOR ME. YOU ARE INDOORS, BUT FEEL YOU ARE OUTDOORS. THE ELEMENTS OF NATURE, BUT MAN IS IN CONTROL.

IN A COAT ROOM OF DONALD CLEVER IN SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE I HAD WORKED FOR A BRIEF TIME IN SAN FRANCISCO ON MAIDEN LANE ACROSS FROM THE MORRIS SHOP OF FLW, I HAD SEEN A SCULPTURE OF STRAIGHT STICKS THAT ROTATED ON A AXIS. REMEMBERING THIS SCULPTURE I DESIGNED AN UNDULATING SCHEME OF TWO SIDE WALLS. IT HAD ALL THE FLOWING LINE AND UPLIFTING PROJECTION THAT I WAS SEEKING. I PRESENTED IT BY CANDLE LIGHT IN MY STUDIO, GLEN PAULSEN, MY ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSOR , WALKED OUT IN DISGUST. FOR HIM IT WAS MUCH TOO ROMANTIC EMPHASIS ABOUT THE SHAPE. IT DEFINITELY HAD MY CRITERIA FOR BEAUTY. IT RAISED UP OUT OF THE FLAT LANDSCAPE AS STARTLING SOARING UNDULATING MAJESTIC MAN MADE MOUNTAIN. THE BACK SIDE OF THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS RISE DIRECTLY OUT OF ROLLING HILLS. THE GRAND TETONS RISE ABRUPTLY OUT OF JACKSON HOLE. THESE MAJESTIC RANGES NEED NO EXPLANATION . SIZE AND FLUIDNESS CREATE AN IMMEDIATE AWE OF BEAUTY. THE MODEL DWARFED THE EXISTING DETROIT TO A MERE SMALL CLUSTER OF RIGID BOXES. I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE SCHEME AND BY ACCIDENT THE FILM WAS SLIGHTLY EXPOSED AND CREATED A SHIMMERING PINK BEAM OF HIGHLIGHT ACROSS THE STRUCTURE. ALL IN ALL A VERY HEROIC SENSUAL SCHEME. I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT ONES LIFE IS ENRICHED BY BEING SURROUNDED WITH BEAUTY. AND AS A LATER CHAPTER WILL EXPLAIN THIS BEAUTY CAN BE DEFINED AND AGREED UPON BY A LARGE CROSS SECTION OF HUMANITY.

GLEN PAULSEN, MY MENTOR WANTED BACK UP MATERIAL FOR DESIGN CRITERIA. SO I SET ABOUT RIGOROUSLY PUTTING TOGETHER BACK UP MATERIAL. I RESEARCHED ALTITUDE CONDITIONS OF WORLD WAR TWO AIRPLANE PILOTS OXYGEN MASKS. THIS WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE THE HEIGHT OF MY CITY WAS REACHING 8,000 FEET AT VARIOUS POINTS. THE CONCLUSION REACHED WAS THAT THE PILOTS HAD TO KEEP PUTTING ON THEIR MASKS AT LOWER ALTITUDES , BUT NEVER REACHED THE 8.000 FOOT LEVEL. I MET WITH SOCIOLOGISTS AND STRUCTURAL THEORETICIANS. THE SOCIOLOGIST SAID, THAT THE EXISTING SOCIETY COULD LIVE WITHIN THE VERTICAL CITY. THE SAME ELEMENTS OF OWNERSHIP OF LIVING UNITS AND DOCKING AREAS WOULD BE TRADED FOR THE EXISTING HOUSES ON THE EARTH. THE CITY WOULD CHARGE TAXES FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE. SO BASICALLY CAPITALISM COULD FLOURISH. THAT WAS ASSURING BUT I WANTED AN EGALITARIAN IDEAL SOCIETY. THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER I MET WITH PUSHED ME TO MOVE BEYOND THE INITIAL SHAPE AND ADDRESS HOW THE VERTICAL CITY WOULD STAND UP.

DOWNTOWN DETROIT ON THE LOWER LEFT, THE DETROIT RIVER AND CANADA IN FOREGROUND, A SERIES OF CANALS UNDER THE VERTICAL CITY WITH PARKS TO THE RIVER.

THE GRAND CANYON INTERIOR SPACE, THINK OF THOUSANDS OF FEET HIGH,

THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SURFACE AREA TO ACCOMMODATE LIVING AREAS FOR HIGH DENSITY. THUS THE UNDULATING SURFACE.

THIS MODEL HAS ALL THE UNIVERSAL BEAUTY QUALITY THAT I SEEK IN A DESIGN. AN INSPIRATION TO THIS DAY FOR ME TO BRING TO REALITY.

A STUDY MODEL OF HOW LIGHT COULD BE BROUGHT IN ON A VERTICAL SURFACE WITHOUT DECREASING THE SURFACE AREA.

THE SKIN WAS WARPED AND COMPRESSION STICKS WERE INSERTED AS A MEANS TO CREATE LIGHT SLOTS

A SERIES OF DIAGRAMS THAT EXPLAINED THE APPROACH TO GROWTH, TRANSPORTATION, VEGETATION, STRUCTURE, WATER, PARKS, AREA USE ETC. I REFINED THE STRUCTURE INTO A TRIANGULAR STRUCTURAL DETAIL PATTERNS, BUT KEPT THE OVERALL LOOK. STRUCTURALLY I TRIANGULATED THE SKIN AND USED STRAIT LINE ROTATION FOR THE MAJOR STRUCTURE.

Constantinos Doxiadis THE GREEK CITY PLANNER, HAD A LINEAR CITY GROWTH PLAN THAT WAS BASED ON THE CENTRAL CIVIC AND BUSINESS FUNCTIONS EXPANDING BY CONNECTING TO LARGER BUSINESS CENTERS AND THE OUTER RESIDENTIAL EXPANDING AS WELL AS NEEDED. IN PLAN LIKE A SERIES OF )o)o)o)o)O) THAT INCREASED IN SIZE WHILE ADDING MORE o) AS NEEDED. THUS A CITY CAN EXPAND BY CONNECTING PARTS AND NOT REMODELING OLDER SECTIONS NOR TEARING DOWN OLDER PARTS. THE EXPANSION HAPPENS IN ONE DIRECTION AND HAS INFRASTRUCTURES, LIKE ROADS, SEWERS, AND UTILITY SYSTEMS INCREASING IN THE DIRECTION THAT THE NEW DENSITY NEEDS. AT THIS TIME Constantinos Doxiadis THE RENOWN GREEK CITY PLANNER HAD A DAUGHTER, A JET SETTER TYPE, ATTENDING THE ACADEMY ART SCHOOL AT CRANBROOK. Doxiadis LOOKED AT WHAT I WAS DOING. HE SAID LITTLE TO ME, STRANGE, BECAUSE HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS VERBIAGE. AT THE TIME HE HAD BEEN HIRED TO DO A MASTER STUDY PLAN FOR THE DETROIT REGION.

WHAT WAS REFRESHING ABOUT CRANBROOK WAS THE FREEDOM TO EXPLORE. I WAS IN NEW TERRITORIES OF APPROACH. WHAT SEPARATED ME FROM ARCHIGRAM AND OTHER HIGH TECT ARCHITECTS WAS MY ZEAL TO CONNECT TO NATURE AND MAKE A BUILD ABLE SOLUTION. THERE WAS NO ARTY POP CULTURE IN MY VIENS. I WAS DESIGNING A PARADISE CITY TO REPLACE OUR CITIES.

GLEN

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