(to peel) a factory
gsapp / m.arch / 2022
site: houston, tx, usa
instructor: Wonne Ickx, Productora
team: Aditi Shetye
What happens if we look at architecture and the cities we build as just temporary iterations of built form? Adaptive reuse would no longer be only defined as the repurposing of abandoned historic structures into a new building. Still, we would also understand that the ‘new building’ is the potential site for new construction and new adaptation. This idea resonates with the idea of a ‘circular building economy’ establishing a shift in thinking away from perceiving buildings as monoliths of permanence, but to become the repository for materials that will one day be re-appropriated for other purposes.
The conservation of land (by continuously re-activating the same site) and the building as a material bank, will be two important factors to be implemented, underscoring that every building is a temporary answer for temporary need. (studio brief by Wonne Ickx)
The lot on 2800 Bissonnet Street houses the former Coca-Cola bottling plant, designed by architectur and engineering firm Stone and Pitts from Beaumont, Texas. The innovative industrial building becam an important reference project for many following bottling plants nation-wide and internationally
The architects received a Meritorious Design Award by the Texas Society of Architects for the plan in 1950. The following year, 1951, the project also received a First Honor Award by the America Institute of Architects. The U.S. State Department selected it for a traveling exhibition entitle “Distinguished Contemporary American Buildings.” It was featured on the cover of the February issue of Architectural Record in 1951 and showcased as part of a lengthy illustrated article entitled “Industria Buildings” (many of the historic images shown in this document are extracted from that edition).
One of the most characteristic features of Stone an Pitts’ main building facing Bissonnet Street was the strong dichotomy between the open glazed ground floor level and the limestone-clad upper level. The transparent lower level was not just simpl repeating the modernist gimmick of transparency, but also established an experimental new relatio between the industrial-mechanical interior of the building and the public realm. Visitors and passerb where encouraged to look into the building at the fascinating modern machinery ‘displayed’.
The architects received a Meritorious Design Award by the Texas Society of Architects for the plan in 1950. The following year, 1951, the project also received a First Honor Award by the America Institute of Architects. The U.S. State Department selected it for a traveling exhibition entitle “Distinguished Contemporary American Buildings.” It was featured on the cover of the February issue of Architectural Record in 1951 and showcased as part of a lengthy illustrated article entitled “Industria Buildings” (many of the historic images shown in this document are extracted from that edition).
One of the most characteristic features of Stone an Pitts’ main building facing Bissonnet Street was the strong dichotomy between the open glazed ground floor level and the limestone-clad upper level. The transparent lower level was not just simpl repeating the modernist gimmick of transparency, but also established an experimental new relatio between the industrial-mechanical interior of the building and the public realm. Visitors and passerb where encouraged to look into the building at the fascinating modern machinery ‘displayed’.
Our project thesis stems from our research on the expansive impervious surfaces of Houston’s cityscape, and its vulnerability towards natural disaster because of it. Past storms like Hurricane Harvey have caused serious damage to the city due to this imperviousness. By looking closely at our existing site, it is apparent that most of the grounds consist of asphalt and concrete hardscape. With the high risk of natural disasters hitting the city, it is inevitable that the site will be flooded again and again in the foreseeable future. After the site visit, we believe that the current conditions of the foundation are actually well maintained. /our proposal alters the existing buildings as minimally as possible, focusing mainly on the ground surface in between buildings to bring porosity to it through specific land operations. By intertwining the background task of climate mitigation win the process of creation, we hope this incubator inspires its users to generate designs that are responsive and responsible.
