Sinagua Natives and Highrises
One of the first people that lived in multi story structures close to phoenix were the Sinagua Natives; they would house, hunt, store, start agriculture, and have fun at their settlement. When I look at their choices of location for housing, I can see that they had achieved certain points:
The use of passive solar systems
Building in the belly of the cliff, with awareness of the summer sun angle provides shade when it is needed most.
The use of radiant heating/cooling
Having the buildings attach to the back of the cliff provides radiant heat transfers from the earth behind the cliff which is around 68 degrees all year round.
The view of the land below
By having a higher point of view which not only makes one feel more powerful, they could observe and administer the functions of what happens down below.
The choice of location to use a body of water for evaporative cooling
Locating within certain points of the cliff that are in the direction of the wind that flows over a body of water they used evaporative cooling and also received moist air during dry times of the year.
The separation of public and private spaces
Different families would choose different locations for housing their own (respecting privacy), and would function as a village once they were down within the land below (public domain).
The sense of security
As the families live in different clusters, they keep control of their small family easier and people living in a cluster respect one another. This sense of respect brings higher security to the family. (This is a result that is discussed in “Defensible Space Principles” by Oscar Newman, “buildings with a large number of families sharing an entry experience higher crime rates”, and also “The form of housing was shown to play an important role in reducing crime and assisting residents in controlling behavior…”)
The sense of community
Once the Sinagua Natives descend to the ground below, they start working on projects to help feed the community; some farm, others gather, while a few hunt.
The above mentioned is the foundation that makes the conceptual base for the design of this high-rise project.
The High-rise any highrise becomes a monument to the city it is built in. this monument will stand for 200 years. It is important to understand the impllications of such sculpture and how it can effect the people that see such a design. I have tried to work on a solution that starts with the life within and grows to embrace the history of its location. Using contemporary mrthods and materials I have created a form that is from its time and belongs to its location. What is the most important note in Music? I tend to think te silent note is the most effective note. The silent note calms the tensions and at the same time it amplifies what ever notes that come after it. Its nature is calm, however this silent note brings a certain suspense which elevates awareness. I have used this concept to seperate spces and mass, and also emphasize the sculptural forms that embrace the void. I like contrasts and appreciate how objects in contrast tend to show their forms and colors better. This is why I have used free forms in conjuction with boxes. I have started from the life within (The Frank Lloyd wright Philosophy) and moved towards a Le Corbu Structur and grid and then used J. Hayjduk free form within a rigid grid to express cliffs and the dwellings within them. The interstitial level is a representative of the Hoho-kum that are Native Americans that existed in this area, but dissapeared and no one knows what exactly happened to them. We have their footprints but they do not exist anymore. No one wants to acnowledge that their roots go back to Hoho-kums. The Cube (modern life) on the top is the intervention of the New America (us americans) and its movement towards the sky showes our extension in time. I have incorporated the principals of life found within Sinaguan cliff dwellings. Enjoy
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