Music as Space - An Environmental Interface

Our final project of the semester in environmental studio was to design a musical interface for a space along Market Street at the edge of campus where the Music building resides. Using the topographical map  and building, we created an interface (a boundary between two entities) that was designed for several functions:

- it should physically engage pedestrians walking along Market Street
-it should visually engage motorists driving along Market Street
-it should be expressive of music in its relation to the Music Building
-it should act as an interface between UNCG and the Lake Daniel neighborhood
-it should reinforce the architectonic qualities and acoustic potential of the resulting space between the interface and the Music Building
-it should enhance those qualities of the architectonic space as an outdoor concert venue

We started this project with a visit to the actual site.

The view from Market Street, looking South.

Houses across the street from Market, some of the trees and the brick retaining wall.

The ideal acoustic spot for a stage. 

Note the topography of the space (from the edge of Peabody Park).

I started with a three-dimensional concept and a few words to provide focus for my design. I wanted to investigate line through space and how it creates space initially.

interaction

elasticity

flow

zone

compression

movement

shape

line

negative space

From there, I began to consider the use of the space in its entirety. I realized several obstacles to creating any sort of interface for the side of the music building, and primarily my biggest concern was attracting people to the space and keeping them there. The music building is set back from the rest of campus, and I found that on several occasions when walking back, I wanted to stop for a bagel and coffee on tate street, which was a little roundabout of a route back to studio. This realization prompted me to consider adding in usable space for a potential cafe and an area for gathering and relaxing as a destination site in and of itself. Additionally, I originally thought to put the stage down towards the Peabody Park tree line, but upon further investigation of the site itself, I realized the ideal location acoustically is actually at the corner of the two main Music building walls. This allowed for a redefinition of the space in its entirety, and suddenly I found myself redesigning my interface to allow for both an attraction and flow of people from Market St, but also an acoustic barrier to the traffic and the music venue itself. 

This process started with a few sketches in plan, and then the construction of a space realized in a three-dimensional form. 

I then looked to materials, keeping in mind that I wanted the roof of the space to contrast to the material of the actual wall itself. I proposed concrete for the walls and architectural mesh for the roof to allow sunlight to filter through while still providing shade.