A SPECTATOR’S COMMUNITY

Undergraduate Thesis Research Garrett Sweeden

Copyright © 2011 Garrett Sweeden

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission by the copyrighted owner. All images have been pro-duced by the author unless otherwise expressed.

G S

A Spectator’s CommunityGarrett Sweeden

Winter 2012ARCH 481

Studio StannardCal Poly 201112

Garrett Albert Sweeden

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Bachelor of Architecture. Undergraduate thesis.

2011-2012

Studio Stannard | Thesis advisor: Sandy Stannard

A Spectator’s Community, San Diego

Thank you:

Sandy Stannard Tom Fowler

Henri de Hahn

Jim Doerfler

Kevin Dong

Mom

Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to thank my wonderful wife. Your love and support throughout the long nights and trials of architecture school keeps me going.

Community and Public Entertainment Stadia and Place

Legacy and Planning

City Context

Site History

A Community Response

District Development

Weather data

Precedents

Found Form (Vellum_8)

Fall Design Charrette

Design Process

Works Cited

1 | Abstract

2 | Response

3 | Analysis

4 | Formation

5 | Appendix

Table of Contents

1 | ABSTRACT

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Community and Public Entertainment

While communities are formed by a collection of individuals, the strength of the community is found in the interactions of the individual parts to the larger social fabric. With the emergence of new technologies, social connection is becoming more instantaneous, while at the same time less personal. The term, community, is being expanded from a geographic closeness to now include those who have never met, but have shared data over a network. Historically, public entertainment acted as a catalyst in developing close-knit communities, but as the community bonds become loose and more spread out, the desire for coming together to enjoy a shared activity has lessened. Despite the growing dependence on digital interactions, communities that foster growth through public entertainment are thriving. Public entertainment brings many people together with a common goal, thus adding to the culture and connectivity. Ros Derrett states in his essay, How Festivals Nurture Resilience in Regional Communities, “The publicity festivals and events can generate for a community not only have a cumulative impact on the location as a tourist destination, but also feed into the image and identity of the community and assist with creating an appealing and consolidated sense of community.” 1

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Stadia and Place

The stadium, historically, represented the focal point of the communal experience. While the Flavian Amphitheater (Coliseum) is the most recognizable Roman amphitheater, it was not the first amphitheater constructed. The amphitheaters prior to the construction of the Coliseum, including the initial wooden amphitheaters for the funeral games, and the Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus were smaller and more local.2 These smaller venues became very popular, and the desire for a larger, more community space was realized. The Flavian Amphitheater was built as a monument to Rome’s greatness, and to promote interaction. While the seating of the Coliseum was segmented by class, the structure was conceived as a gift to the Roman citizens to promote community connection and Rome’s greatness.

Since the onset of modern technology, the stadium has become less of an everyday place. While societies still enjoy large-scale events such as sporting games, festivals and other presentations, these activities are now viewed as temporary events as opposed to cultural gathering centers. Modern sports stadiums are designed to be monuments to the games they host, but are not planned to be a space to enjoy outside of the sporting event. Many stadiums are placed in a large, empty site and surrounded by parking with total disregard for the context.

Roman Coliseum

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In the article “Chicago’s Two Sports Stadiums,” Roger Baade is particularly harsh on the design and planning of U.S. Cellular Field. He points out key design flaws that lead to a poor execution of public space. First, the proximity to the freeway and large parking lots isolate the stadium from local events outside of the baseball game. “U.S. Cellular field provides the classic case of the sports stadium as a “walled fortress” that internalizes all economic development.” 3 Second, the stadium does not promote a pedestrian promenade or the use of public transportation, and creates a large, congested place that is only used sporadically. Third, this project does very little to stimulate the local economy and growth because it does not introduce any new spending, but instead redirects the spending to a private entity.

LA Live is a very large development that supports a variety of activities. Since many types of programs are combined such as retail, restaurants, hotels, convention space, sports facilities, and performance spaces, the development is always in use.4 What makes it successful is that while all these programmatic elements may have individual venues, the developers of LA Live combine them all into a cohesive complex to ensure a consistent usage. LA Live is always active and is never sitting empty, with very little space wasted.

U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago

LA Live, Los Angeles

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Additionally, LA Live represents a new model of inter-action between developers, designers, and clients. Many designers collaborated on the project (Including ELS and Gensler), and ideas were shared productively. Often times, large developments are segmented into lesser parts, and the larger scope of the program is lost in translation. While the development can be seg-mented into a hotel, retail district, and a sports sta-dium, the planners worked together to make sure the large programs worked together to create a cohesive development.

Legacy and Planning

Due to the large amount of people attending sporting events and conventions host, stadiums and conven-tion centers pose a lot of problems for designers and planners. Due to the high flow of money within these events, the common misconception is that sporting events and conventions benefit the community in a positive economic way. While these venues certainly have the potential to be economic catalysts, special consideration must be taken to create a usable com-munity space.

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Andrew Smith made the point in his essay, Using Major Events to Promote Peripheral Urban Areas, that events (in this case festivals or other large gatherings) have been used to promote cities.5 While large scale events generate publicity for the host, cities need to have a clear long-term strategy to be able support the type of infrastructure needed to host these large events. Smith talked about the concept of “co-branding” as a clear solution. He posed the example of how the Tour de France and the host country, France both exist on their own right, but are co-branded to mutually benefit each other. France receives a lot of positive publicity from the event, thus leading to economic benefits.

The modern stadium is designed to be a global expe-rience. On the global stage, these venues need to fit into the larger context and address their legacy. With the onset of digital technologies, form is no longer the sole factor of the success of the project. The most successful projects will not act solely as a monument, but rather blend form and function together to create usable space throughout the life of the project. Olym-pic planners have a special obligation to establish a legacy plan into their master plans in order to continue the growth and prosperity their designs promise. The Olympic games go from country to country, but the venues are a permanent reminder that large scale pub-lic entertainment venues need to be programmatically adaptable to stay relevant.

6

1 Derrett, Ross, “How Festivals Nurture Resilience in Regional Communities”

2 http://www.roman-colosseum.info

3 Baade, Roger, “Chicago’s Two Sports Stadiums

4 http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~robsarm/The%20LA%20Live%20Project.pdf

5 Smith, Andrew, “Using Major Events to Promote Peripheral Urban Areas”

6 http://www.csmonitor.com/ World/2008/0721/p04s01-wogn.html

The 2004 Olympics games in Athens, Greece was a classic example of how a lack of long-term planning can be disastrous when large facilities are being designed and built. The facilities promoted cultural pride and boosted the local economy during the games, but when the Olympics ended, the city could not come up with a strategy to put the large stadiums to use. Today, 21 of the 22 venues designed for the games lie vacant.6 This gross waste of money and resources is a reminder of the importance of planning and flexible design.

Abandoned, graffiti covered Faliron stadium (Athens, Greece)

2 | RESPONSE

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City Context

San Diego is a city that has a lot to offer both its citizens and tourists. Its location and climate make it one of the more desirable cities to live in. A moderate climate, outdoor life is possible year-round. San Diego’s public transportation makes the city feel smaller than what it actually is. The public transit system makes many stops throughout the dense downtown and surrounding communities. The San Diego community is a very close community that bonds through public entertainment and enjoys many public entertainment venues.

The San Diego Convention center is the 24th largest convention center in America, and is the host to many popular events including the annual Comic Con.7 The San Diego Chargers are one of the most recognizable NFL teams, and have enjoyed a fair amount of success over the past ten years. The Chargers have very loyal fans, creating a strong sense of sporting culture in San Diego. The Padres, San Diego’s baseball team, recently moved into PETCO Park, the celebrated baseball stadium in the heart of Downtown. The green space behind PETCO Park creates a promenade where people enjoy an intimate feeling of “place”, which further emphasizes the community connections.

San Diego Skyline

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East Village History

The East Village is the biggest of the San Diego down town neighborhoods, and is in the process of being transformed into a cultural hot spot. The beginnings of East Village, however, were less than prominent.8 When San Diego was officially formed in the 1800’s, the East Village district was turned into an industrial-ized area with warehouses and power facilities. For a long time, East Village was not a place that people wanted to go and spend time in despite its size and potential. Soon, a disconnect formed between down-town, which was being culturally developed, and East Village. By the 1990’s, East Village had become very blighted, and was not a safe place to be. East Vil-lage saw a major shift in focus when the PETCO Park development was planned. The new Padre’s stadium cleaned up East Village and the district started to in-tegrate with the culturally prevalent downtown more. Today, East Village still in the process of rejuvenating due to the influx of pedestrian traffic the new baseball park brings.

PETCO Park, East Village San Diego

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San Diego Context

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A Community Response

While San Diego has many desirable qualities, the city is struggling to adapt to the pressing desire for more modern public entertainment venues. The San Diego Chargers’ football stadium is severely outdated by NFL standards, and while the San Diego Convention Cen-ter is the 24th largest convention center in America, the demand for public conventions and other activities greatly exceeds the available space.

Qualcomm stadium, the Charger’s current stadium poses several key problems for the city of San Diego. The stadium, itself, does little to address the commu-nity during the approximately 300 days that it is not in use. The site is removed from the life of the downtown, and while there is ample public transit, the stadium’s location creates a commuter lifestyle where people go to the game and leave right after. Qualcomm stadium sits on 166 acres of land, and the master plan consists of a 70,000 seat stadium surrounded by nearly 20,000 parking space.9 The setup does not encourage com-munity interaction throughout the year because the stadium was not designed to be flexible to allow many other uses.

Qualcomm stadium was built in the 1960’s during a time when it was normal to design a stadium and sim-ply surround it with parking.

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Qualcomm stadium was built in the 1960’s during a time when it was normal to design a stadium and simply surround it with parking. Due to the stadium’s age and the need for constant upkeep, the San Diego Chargers have been trying to have a new stadium built, but the team has faced constant roadblocks. While many key people in San Diego recognize the Charger’s importance to the culture of the city, viable plans have not been produced to make the new stadium a reality. Due to this frustration, the possibility of the Chargers moving to LA is becoming more and more plausible with the plans of the new stadium in downtown LA. If the Chargers were to leave San Diego, the culture with the team would disappear, drastically changing the community for the worse.10

The Convention Center at the southern tip of the East Village hosts many events that are vital to San Diego’s economy. Due to its popularity as a convention des-tination, the Convention Center is starting to put to-gether plans to expand an additional 200,000 sq ft. in order to bring in more events. This is another impor-tant project because if the expansion fails to happen, the city of San Diego will lose the potential for expan-sion of public events and activities.

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Qualcomm Stadium

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Dense Urban Corridor East Village edge condition

Main traffi c circulation Residential zone

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The East Village district in downtown represents an edge condition that divides San Diego into three parts. While it has the opportunity to blend the three parts together, the lack of planning has created a strong disconnect. The current trend of development in the East Village has focused on high rise condos and residential living, but little focus has been put on the ground level of interaction. The community experiences are found in the dense urban corridor of the downtown and the residential zone to the right of the I-5. While the city of San Diego is a very walk able city with a very capable public transit system, the East Village wastes a lot of space on surface grade parking where the space could be used for ground level green space, retail, and community facilities.

Program

While the stadium needs, convention center expansion, and entertainment district represent important individual needs, the success of the individual parts are directly linked together. While plans are being discussed for both a new stadium and expansion convention center space, both projects are very expensive, and represent a problematic planning view. The two proposed projects are attempting to modernize San Diego’s public entertainment venues, but their high costs and lack of coordination could

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Diagram showing the distance between the East village sports district (1) and the existing Chargers stadium (2)

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prevent both projects from moving forward. This thesis recognizes the importance of the pieces of the proposals, but critiques the way the pieces are kept separate from each other. This project however, proposes a new way of thinking about large public entertainment venues. As opposed to providing a new stadium separate from the new convention space and entertainment/cultural center, the programs are combined on one site in order to provide a cohesive, day-to-day usable community space. The success of this project will be that it will host activities throughout the year and rarely be left unused. Modern stadiums and entertainment centers are often times planned to host one specific function. While they are very crowded and have the potential to foster community connections on the days that they are in use, they are left to be vacant monuments the majority of the year.

Site

Sited across from PETCO Park and the existing Convention Center, the left over space connects well to the existing urban fabric. While the large parking lot creates a vastly under used void, the southern portion of the East village represents the optimal location for the sporting entertainment culture center. The community complex will bridge the gap between downtown and the residential neighborhoods, and address

S P O R T SS P E C T A T O RP L A Y !V E N D O R SC O M M U N I T Y

R E T A I LR E S T A U R A N TC O N V E N T I O NC E N T E RP L A Z A P R O M E N A D E

G R E E N S P A C EF I E L DP L A Y !C O M M U N I T Y

P A R K I N GBACK OF HOUSES E R V I C E S

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ground plane issues of the East Village. The parking lot is under used due to the abundance of downtown parking, and the site creates a connection to the existing convention center Due to the nature of the events the center will host, the area will always be in use, creating strong cultural connections and boosting the economy.

Site in context

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Site

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7 http://www.entersandiego.com/conven-tion_center.cfm

8 “San Diego upstart” LAtimes.web < http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/23/home/hm-guide23>

9 http://www.chargers.com/tickets/stadium/facts-and-stats.html

10 “Allowing the Chargers to leave would be a huge mistake” <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/853951-allowing-the-chargers-to-leave-san-diego-would-be-a-huge-mis-take>

3 | ANALYSIS

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Site

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District development

Since the development of PETCO Park, the East Village has focused much of its development on quality residences in the form of condo and apartment buildings.11 This initial phase of development has helped to offset the abundance of homelessness in the East Village, but the designers have left the ground plane underdeveloped. Much of the every day happenings occur in the Gaslamp Quarter and further West. Although Downtown San Diego can be clearly defined by the districts enclosed by the I-5, the planning of the districts create little overlap between functions, requiring travel to one district to the other for certain activities. The proposed site, at the heart of the East Village has the potential to cultivate a more fluid culture for San Diego. PETCO Park is already a popular destination, but it is in use for only part of the year. Additionally, the convention center brings in a lot of events, but the ground level of the East Village does not have enough program to create a balanced experience. The proposed public entertainment community space will encapsulate enough program: NFL stadium, retail, restaurants, community space, and green space to foster year-round community activities.

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BUS ROUTES

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Public transportation

Public transit lines create a dense network of transportation connection in the down town area of San Diego. The proposed site sits at the heart of the public transportation lines, but due to lack of functionality, creates a hole in the East Village. The trolly line runs directly through the site, creating the potential to add a drop-off point, servicing the new proposed stadium, PETCO Park, and the convention center. Masterplanning the site will be very important to ensure the project responds to the transportation grid, and does not create hyper density along the west edge of the site.

Parking

The East Village site contains all the necessary infrastructure to house an NFL stadium-mixed use project. In addition to the dense network of public transportation, there are over 50,000 parking spaces within walking distance, or less than a block to public transportation to the site.12 Approximately 2/3 of the East Village site is currently being dedicated to on-grade parking. While parking is a large concern, and a major design factor, a large parking lot is not the answer. To move away from the shortcomings of Qualcomm stadium, minimal on-grade parking will be provided. Rather, a

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TROLLY LINES

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PARKING

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EXISTING GREEN SPACE

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level of subterranean parking will be provided to maximize the site’s usable area. By reducing the number of parking spaces, more sustainable transportation methods will be promoted, adding to the health of the community.

Green Space

Despite San Diego’s moderate climate, Down town San Diego has very limited green space. The parks and green spaces are very sporadic, and do not create a focal point. A major component of the program for the proposed NFL stadium mixed-use project is green space. The green space will serve as a year-round catalyst of community connection due to the site’s central location. The park will be easily accessible by both the downtown residents and the communities to the east of I-5.

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For population ages 25 and over

High school or higher: 82.8%Bachelor’s degree or higher: 35.0%Graduate or professional degree: 13.4% Unemployed: 6.1%Mean travel time to work: 23.2 minutes

San Diego Demographics 13

“San Diego has a diverse base of industry clusters. Unlike other regions, our economy is not driven by any one company or sector...

...San Diego is also home to one of the nation's most highly educated populations, with a large number of colleges and universities spread across the county to train and retrain our workforce.”

-Grant Barrett

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Estimated median household income (2009)

San Diego:

California:

$59,901

$58,931

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Climate

San Diego is a very moderate climate, which is comfortable most of the year. Light precipitation throughout the year promotes many outdoor activities. Due to the proximity to the ocean, however, the site has the potential to get cold, so solar orientation needs to be considered. Solar gain on the Southern facade can help passively heat spaces, thus cutting down on mechanical heating loads. Care must be taken in the design of shading devices to prevent excessive solar gain during overheating periods.

Materiality will be an important factor in the design process. Surfaces that receive a lot of solar gain will be helpful in passively heating the spaces. Spatial planning and material selections will be an important factor in forming the buildings.

Wind Considerations

East Village is close to the ocean, so considering the wind is an important factor in sustainable design. Most of the wind comes from the North-West, so this will influence the master planning of the site. The programmed spaces will be aligned so they block the wind to allow for calm pedestrian spaces, and also to encourage natural ventilation inside the buildings.

Average Precipitation per Month

Average Wind Speeds per Month

Weather Data 14

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Temperature Range

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Sun Shading December 21- June 21

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Sun Shading June 21 to December 21

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January Wind Rose

June Wind Rose

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November Wind Rose

December Wind Rose

37Psychrometric Chart

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Design Strategies and Precedents

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Stadium as a Temporary Monument

The “Bird’s Nest” by world renowned architects Herzog + de Meuron is, without a doubt, an incredible structure. Despite being a monument to China’s rising economic power, the stadium has been primarily vacant since the end of the Olympic games. The Bird’s Nest proves that form alone should not be the main focus of the designers and planners. While the design of the Bird’s Nest is aesthetically innovative, the stadium, as a typology, does not question what a stadium is, or how it creates community interaction. To combat the $450 million dollars that the Beijing Olympic stadium cost to build alone, plans are being laid out to spend an additional $44 million dollars on adding a retail district and hotel to the existing stadium.15 With such economic weight that venues such as stadiums bring, special care needs to be put into the legacy planning to ensure that they will not become irrelevant in the ever-changing world.

Downtown San Diego does not need another monument to overwhelm the city. Instead, a community approach must be taken to ensure the success of the development. Rather than taking a form-driven approach to design, the development needs to be very analytical and flexible to provide community space.

“Just five months after the Beijing Olympics, the Bird's Nest is a cavernous museum searching for a new purpose...

... A symbol of China’s rising power and confidence, some doubt the stadium will ever recoup the $450 million the government spent to build it, particularly as China’s economic slump worsens.”

-Keith Bradsher, The New York Times

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A Community Approach

Heinz Field, the stadium of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is an interesting example of a stadium that starts to create community space. Heinz Field sits along the water overlooking the downtown, so the designers looked to the context to create the form of the stadium. The stadium is a “Horse-shoe” stadium where seating is along three sides to open the stadium up to the views of the downtown. The open end creates a pedestrian promenade along the waterfront, which promotes a better sense of connection to the context of the site.16

While Heinz Field does address some of the issues stadiums raise, several key concerns still remain. The site is a linear site, where the stadium sits to the right. The rest of the site is dedicated to on-grade parking. While tailgating is very important to the culture of NFL fans, more thought can be put into the actual mechanics of tailgating. If the parking was moved underground or reformed, the site could open up to more programs to further enhance the community connection. The stadium still functions primarily as a stadium, with little regard for potential of programming the rest of the year.

Heinz Field, Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers

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The World Games Stadium in Taiwan, proves that the stadium, as a typology, can positively influence the surrounding context. The main part of the design is the fluid solar panel skin that wraps around the stadium, creating a grand entrance promenade. Toyo Ito envisioned the stadium as a cultural focus and wanted to create open green space. The form of the stadium creates a focus leading to the grand entrance. The wrapping skin invites the pedestrians into the experience of the stadium, encouraging a continual dialogue between users and building. The 8,844 solar panels that cover the stadium’s cladding generate nearly all of the stadium’s energy, and directs some of the power into the existing energy grid.17

While the stadium is very monumental in size due to the form that extends past the limits of the stadium, Toyo Ito created a structure that starts to address the human scale element to stadium design. The grand entrance incorporates a lawn scape that encourages a community approach to sports viewing. The space allows people to view the game for a time without having to pay for a ticket, and, during non-game days, to bring people into the stadium for a community green space.

World Games Stadium in Kaohsiung, TaiwanArchitect: Toyo Ito

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10 Design’s proposal for the Dalian Library competition creates a unique landscape that fosters community interaction.18 The designers saw the problems with creating a building that does not respond to the ground plane. The concept for their proposal was to create a focal point for community gathering, and then to create a loop of program that responds around the community gathering space.

The way this proposal addresses the ground plane and deals with vertical elements will help form a better community space in San Diego. Careful analysis of the program and pedestrian traffic will be vital to the successful creation of form. Form that is interesting for the sake of interesting form will not work in such a dense site such as the East Village site. In this instance, form has the potential to guide pedestrian traffic and to respond positively to the context.

Dalian Library proposal Architects: 10 Design

11 “East Village Cleanup,” http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/water/sam_east_vil-lage_development.html

12 ccdc.com

13 http://www.city-data.com/city/San-Diego-California.html

14 Weather data produced by Climate Con-sultant

15 http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2008/08/whats_next_for_the_birds_nest.html

16 http://thenflchick.com/2011/01/stadium-review-heinz-field/

17 http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/7016/toyo-ito-world-games-sta-dium-in-kaohsiung-taiwan-opens.html

18 http://plusmood.com/2012/02/dalian-li-brary-10-design/10-design_dalian-library-21/

4 | FORMATION

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Found Form (Vellum_8)

Materiality: Cypress slab and steel Finish: Boiled linseed oil and finishing pasteDimensions: 16” H X 45” L X 24-36” W

Found Form represents the simplification of a table down to its core elements. Rather than processing the wood into lumber strips, which needs to be recombined to form a table, the material is left in its natural state to form a striking furniture piece.

The wood slab’s live edge creates a spatial experience in the living room because of the increase in width. The roughness of the natural material creates an interesting contrast to the typical modern design aesthetic. This piece captures the essence of modern need in an entertainment/ relaxation centered culture. The natural wood promotes a sense of tranquility and the steel makes a strong contrast to tie the piece together.

Left: Slab cut to size and sandedRight: Unsanded remaining slab pieces

46First coat of Linseed Oil

Dry fit mock up

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Found Form Final Photos

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Fall Design Charrette

The focus of the first charette was to figure out a quick concept for massing relationships and adjacencies. The intersection of the two large programmatic elements is a challenge when paired with the existing constraints of the surrounding urban fabric. Due to the size of programs, the placement of the stadium and convention center will be both the driving force of the concept of the project and will determine the success of the project. When placing the programmed spaces, care must be taken to maximize usability and ease of access of the development, while minimizing congestion and confusion.

From the quick charrettes, I learned that two placement schemes for the stadium will be possible. Due to the size in footprint, the stadium acts as the anchor to the project with the other programmatic elements interacting with the stadium to form a cohesive community center. The first scheme, as shown in the picture to the left, anchors the stadium in the right corner of the site. The strength of this scheme is that the new proposed stadium is not too close to PETCO Park. This creates breathing room between the two large program blocks to allow for a gradient of program to happen in between the two experience-based elements.

Two variations of the right-justified scheme

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The second scheme that came from the initial design charrette was placing the stadium along the left edge of the site. The strength of this scheme is the dialogue the placement of the programmatic elements creates. Due to the closeness of PETCO Park and the proposed stadium, a “stadium district” is created. Additionally, by moving the convention center program to the bottom left corner of the site, a closer connection to the existing convention center is created.

The main drawback to this scheme is that the close proximity of the two stadiums would create a lot of density along the left edge of the site. While the two sports are not in season during the same part of the year, two large program blocks such as the existing baseball stadium and the new, proposed NFL stadium could cause traffic issues.

The stadium oriented to the left

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Site Planning

In order to create a space that will be cohesive and fully integrated into the context of Down town San Diego, I spent a lot of time site planning in 3-d before looking at form. My initial reaction to the site plan was to place the stadium along the left edge of the site, close to PETCO Park. The proximity of the two stadiums to each other created a dense sports complex district that would create an interesting dialogue between the two venues. In order to create connection to the existing convention center, the convention/exhibition wing extended off to the bottom left corner of the site. The retail and public portions of the program wrapped around the southern side of the stadium, allowing for the opportunity to create a hybrid retail/sports environment.

In my next iteration, the stadium remained along the left edge of the site, but I switched the parking and the convention center. In this iteration, the convention center is pulled further away from the existing convention center, limiting the dialogue between the proposed and the existing. Ultimately, this scheme did not work because it chopped up the site and created severe parking issues.

First iteration

Second iteration

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In the third iteration of the site plan, the stadium is moved to the right edge of the site. This location provides more space in between the two stadiums, creating a usable pedestrian experience. I moved the convention center back to the bottom left corner because the connection to the existing building is key to the success of the masterplan. In this iteration, I lifted up part of the program to respond to the trolley line that runs through the site. As opposed to blocking up the site and redirecting the public transit, I started working with the transit line and using it as a design criteria. In order to maximize usable pedestrian space, and to create a community feel, I minimized on-grade parking, so the project moves away from the way Qualcomm stadium is designed.

Third iteration

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Stadium Design

Due to the density of the surrounding context, a major design constraint was that the stadium had to feel human scale and anti-monumental. In addition to the overall sense of reduced scale, the PETCO Park side of the stadium had to be the low point to minimize the shadow casting onto the top, left portion of the site. In my first iteration, I created a typical three-tier bowl where the form morphs and changes height level. The box seats are along the left side, minimizing the height of the left side. In order to create community scale, the bottom tier was sunk into the ground, so the ground plane serves as the main concourse level. While the form was responsive to certain site constraints, the form was too similar to many other problematic stadiums, and did not solve many issues.

In my next iteration, I combined a one-tier system with a two-tier system along the right side of the stadium. One tier stadium bowls are typical for college football stadiums because they sit lower to the ground and foster a sense of community better than multi-tier systems. By pushing the left side flush with the rest of the program, a greater sense of interaction with the every-day programs is created.

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Due to the moderate climate of San Diego, an open air stadium will perform better than a domed stadium. To further connect the community to the sporting culture, I looked towards horseshoe stadium designs. By opening the south end of the stadium up, the stadium opens up to the bay and invites pedestrian traffic, forming a grand promenade. While the retail along the southern end idea was interesting, the design did not respond to the context as well as the horseshoe designs did.

Form Finding

From the earlier study models that I built, I learned that the convention center space needed to have a wider foot print than I was previously designing. In the iteration, the project was turning into two destinations (convention center and stadium) connected by the public programs. In order to reinforce this connection, a continuous surface draped over the program blending the program together. The canopy blended from the stadium enclosure into the roof canopy covering the pedestrian walkway bridge.

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Solar Studies

The wrapping facade in the previous iteration was not very responsive to the contextual conditions, so I performed solar studies to inform the form of the cladding system. Solar radiation analysis on the East face of the stadium revealed that it receives a lot of solar gain. Drawing from the Toyo Ito stadium in Taiwan, these studies led me to integrate solar panels into the design of the cladding system in areas that receive the most solar gain. The East face of the stadium did not need to be uniformly curved, so the surface was redesigned to respond to the shading needs: more shading to the South-East, and less shading to the North-East.

My original design for the continuous canopy draping over the public program was very bulky, and was arbitrary in form. By looking at the solar radiation analysis, I cut the form down and placed the solar panels just along the bottom of the North-West facade.

Solar Studies

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A P E RT U R E :A Spectator’s CommunityGarrett Sweeden Studio Stannard Winter2012

PUBLICRETAIL

RETAIL

RETAIL

CONCOURSE

BOXES

CONCOURSE

CONCOURSE

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A P E RT U R E :A Spectator’s CommunityGarrett Sweeden Studio Stannard Winter2012

PUBLICRETAIL

RETAIL

RETAIL

CONCOURSE

BOXES

CONCOURSE

CONCOURSE

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PARKING

PU

BLIC

TR

AN

SIT

CONVENTION CENTER

HEALTH

PU

BLIC

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Form: Refined

The continuous surface that I was developing was running into several key issues. Rather than blending the programmatic elements together, the parametrically derived surface acted like an unintentional wall. The typical stadium typology creates a barrier, separating the public community from the privately owned stadium. This is in fact the exact opposite of what I set out to accomplish with this thesis. While the stadium DOES need enclosure, the surface has the potential to blend public and private space together. The solution was two parts: 1. Eliminate the continuous canopy because it did not perform well environmentally; it was merely an aesthetic gesture, and 2. Create slits in the enclosure surface to create a filter rather than an abrupt edge.

Refined Stadium Form

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Final Review: Winter

In addition to the surfaces, I was also struggling with creating an engaging project. While the program blocks extruding from the stadium created a literal “connection” to the stadium, the site was too constrained and boxed off. After reconfiguring the program and studying the site more, I developed a more responsive parti. The success of the project stems from the connection of the convention center to the site. The correct architectural solution is not to create a disruptive building that gestures towards the convention center, but rather to create space that brings pedestrians to and through the site. By manipulating the ground plane, a grand pedestrian plaza is formed in front of the stadium with community program all around. The deformed ground plane creates a loop where level changes are easily accomplished. Additionally, interaction with the ground plane makes the project feel more human scale, creating a community, rather than an amusement center.

X

The traditional stadium typology disrupts interaction, creating a “Walled fortress”

Open bowl to create pedestrian plaza

Break surface plane for community access points

Reform bowl to fit in context

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Connection of sports district to the existing Convention Center

Insert programConvention Center expansionCommunity program (retail, restaraunts, health center, and exhibition)

Deform program to create views and connection

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Site Plan

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Press/box seating

Main Concourse level

Retail/public level

Section Perspective

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W i n t e r Q u a r t e r

Final Review

5 | APPENDIX

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Print

Ali-Knight, Jane. International Perspectives of Festivals and Events: Par adigms of Analysis. Oxford: Elsevier Science, 2009. Print.

Kemp, Roger L. Cities and Sports Stadiums: a Planning Handbook. Jef ferson, NC: McFarland &, 2009. Print.

Vertinsky, Patricia Anne, and John Bale. Sites of Sport: Space, Place, Experience. London: Routledge, 2004. Print.

John, Geraint, Rod Sheard, and Ben S. Vickery. Stadia: A Design and Development Guide. Oxford: Architectural, 2007. Print.

Web

“Chargers Make Run at Convention-stadium Design” SignOnSanDi ego.web <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/ sep/19/chargers-asking-architects-convention-stadium-desi/>.

“Mayor’s Citizen Task Force On the San Diego Convention Center Proj ect” Final report- September 2009 < http://www.con ventioncentertaskforce.org/resources/meetingdocs/San%20 Diego%20Mayor%27s%20Citizen%20Task%20Force%20 Final%20Report.pdf>

“Allowing the Chargers to leave would be a huge mistake” <http:// bleacherreport.com/articles/853951-allowing-the-chargers-to- leave-san-diego-would- be-a-huge-mistake>

“dbrds blog” <http://dbrds.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/east-village- stadium-masterplan-concept/>

“PETCO Park events” < http://www.petcoparkevents.com/>

“San Diego upstart” LAtimes.web < http://articles.latimes.com/2008/ aug/23/home/hm-guide23>

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“Villeurbanne-Lyon Arena / Gensler” Archdaily.web < http://www.arch daily.com/165114/villeurbanne-lyon-arena-gensler/>

“AECOM’s winning vision for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Para lympic Games” aecom.web <http://www.aecom.com/News/ Sports/Winning+Vision+for+the+Rio+Olympics>

“A Post-olympics slump for China?” Newyorktimes.web < http:// www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/worldbusiness/04iht- yuan.4.14997832. html?pagewanted=all>

“As olympic glow fades, Athens questions $15 billion cost” <http:// www.csmonitor.com/World/2008/0721/p04s01-wogn.html>

“How does San Diego’s economy differ?” <http://www.voiceofsandi ego.org/cafe-san-diego/article_5b69ac50-eec8-11df-929d- 001cc4c03286.html>

“L.A. LIVE Recieves Community Impact Award” < http://westsidetoday. com/n2883/l-a-live-receives.html>

“Rio 2016 Olympic Park Masterplan” <http://www.e-architect.co.uk/ brazil/rio_2016_olympic_park_masterplan.htm>

Images

http://www.dailyventure.com/photo/Coliseum-of-Rome

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GdLEOPizIHc9w3ifX-FQYw

http://sportsfixchicago.com/2010/09/08/mayor-daleys-legacy/

http://www.bustler.net/index.php/article/winners_of_the_2010_los_an geles_architectural_awards/

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/uscellularfield/interesting/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4463034478_4a85ddae34_o.jpg

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http://www.universetoday.com/65240/greece-pictures/

http://www.50states.com/maps/california.htm

http://www.petcoparkevents.com/

http://www.city-data.com/city/San-Diego-California.html

http://www.condos92101.com/discover-downtown/district-map/

http://dbrds.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/east-village-stadium-master plan-concept/

Weather diagrams and strategies produced using Climate Consultant 5.1

http://www.wildbell.com/category/politics/

http://www.fluxarchitecture.com/sites/default/files/img_proyectos/flux- rio-boards-final-1_low_res.jpg

http://www.dailyventure.com/custom/rome_coliseum-1600x1200.jpg

http://www.stadiumpage.com/uscellular/CellPlane.jpg

http://ninapetronzio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/RITZ- CARLTON-LOS-ANGELES-DOWNTOWN_PLUSH-HOME- PREFERRED-VENDOR.jpg

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http://somethingfortheeyes.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/san-diego- skyline-t.jpg

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/pennsylvania/heinz- field

http://thenflchick.com/2011/01/stadium-review-heinz-field/

http://www.pv-magazine.com/typo3temp/pics/06063_01_Aussenansic htoFlammetif_2f32868ed8.jpg

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/7016/toyo-ito-world- games-stadium-in-kaohsiung-taiwan-opens.html

http://plusmood.com/2012/02/dalian-library-10-design/10-design_da lian-library-21/