The "people mover"...
The central figure vi sable to all levels/layers of the store.
This space will weave inside and out of the store... each stop along the way providing for a different view...
What happens inside of the "people mover"?
What is the experience inside and outside of the "people mover"?
Will the experience inside be the same or different from the outside?
I want to exploit the working components of the "people mover", structure, culture, surroundings... How can this concept be explored into the rest of the store?
Is there a way to have the "people mover" open to the outside?
Some of my initial concepts of the space were:
-LAYERS-TOUCH-VISUAL-OPEN-SEAMLESS-CLEAN-FORMAL-MATERIAL
This "people mover" can address all of these ideas. The travel of the unit will penetrate all the layers. There will be visual clues of both the store and square that it fronts. The material (glass) can create openness, both visually and physical.
The elevator at the ICA provided me with inspiration and direction to follow in developing this element. The large scale of such an item can allow the elevator to be much more than just an elevator or "people mover", it can stand alone and also compliment its surroundings. The elevator used as a means of transportation from one level to the other is common and often not thought of anything else. Done right the "elevator" can set the mood/anticipation for what the destination will be.
On the outside looking in the experience is much different. At the ICA, every time I saw the elevator running I wanted to ride it again. Like a revolving canvas, each ride will provide a different, although similar experience.
At the Apple store it can be: buying the latest Apple invention, going to an event on the roof top gallery or plaza or heading out to the "observation deck" to people watch.
2 comments:
Do you know of the people mover in Detroit? Very similar in concept to the HighLine (as showed by Liz Diller at the ICA) - an elevated transit system that goes around, over, under and through buildings.
Detroit's people move is a loop. The HighLine's is a line. What is yours?
Both of those first two examples are quite large in scale (i.e. 10+ city blocks). The typical people mover in a building (given the scale) is an escalator or an elevator. Thoughts?
Is the people move the primary (or only) means of vertical circulation?
I am curious to read your answers to your own questions. And to mine too.
I would caution you on one aspect - scale. This (new) element is something that is "global" to your project - i.e. it operates at the scale of the building. As it has not yet been designed, it could prove to be a significant effort. Therefore I suggest you start small. Answer all of your questions with text - describing the people mover, and then select a specific "stop" and a defined "stretch" of mover and then progress it architecturally. Otherwise I fear you will not get to focus on the scale that this assignment is concerned with (and how you can continue to explore your theoretical standpoint at different scales).
In all honesty, it does not matter to me what the overall path of your people mover is. What matters is how does it interface with the building at any particular point.
Chris,
Thanks for the insight and reinforcement. I have been have those same issues with scale and experience. If the size of this "people mover" is to work the way I really was thinking about it it will over power the store and really it will be a "people mover" of three floors and oh by the way an Apple store... I don't want that.
I will repost to these questions...
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