Sleight of Home

by Emily Marina Morillo

Sleight of Home

Sleight of Home
by Emily Marina Morillo

California Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo College of Architecture and Environmental Design Bachelors of Architecture Fall 2012 through Spring 2013 Studio 400 | Karen Lange

1. Prologue

xv

Abstract xvii The Man(ifesto) Wearing Rose Colored Glasses xix Issue: Conjuring Reality xxiii

2. The Gospel of Storytelling

Make-Believe Vellum: The Magic Carpet Case Studies Teatro Olimpico The Shoppes at the Palazzo

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3 4 14 19

3. The Good Old Days

Under the Influence: Scotch and Nostalgia Case Studies Forestiere Underground Gardens Winchester Mystery House

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23 25 29

4. Site: The Old Chimney

Maps Perceptions Rose v Jade 24 Hour: Mirages

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32 35 42 45

5. Trick or Truth

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TABLE of contents
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6. Telling the History of Dirt

Learning On the Go The Symbol of Home

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55 57

7. Actualization
Sketchbook Drafting Table Self-Sufficiency

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59 67 70

8. Zip
Collaboration Under Pressure

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82

9. Built
Sliding Plan Photos Last Thoughts Historical Shadow Iconography Archaeological Excavations Of the Earth Isolation Production Value

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88 89 91 93 93 95 97

10. Model Citizens

Treasure Box Detail Show Wheel Barrow

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99 101 103

11. Appendix
Notes Image Credits

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109 113

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[Skip the next 2 pages if you really love surprises.]

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SPOILER ALERT!

Dunnigans Gap Exploratorium

Reedley, CA, USA
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Disclaimer: What you are about to read is a series of attempts to understand nostalgia and my childhood in the San Joaquin Valely. It took a ton of digging to find the architecture.
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SPOILER COMPLETE.
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PROLOGUE

Sleight of Home

Abstract

SLEIGHT OF HAND | slt v hand [noun]1 1. manual dexterity, typically in performing tricks: dexterity, adroitness, deftness, skill. 2. skillful deception: deception, deceit, dissimulation, chicanery, trickery HOME | hm [noun]2 1. the place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or household 2. a place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates

Like sleight of hand, Sleight of Home is deceptive in nature. Drawn from nostalgia and memory, it lives in limbo between reality and fantasy. By realizing the power of nostalgia, history becomes ethereal. Truths are distorted and forgotten by the mind. As a result, the home is one of facades from memory. The interior and exterior are in disagreement in the way that memory and truth are.
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The MAN[ifesto]
Wearing Rose Colored Glasses

The well-kept sidewalk gives way to a wooden bridge; fronds from a flourishing banana invade crepe myrtles. Fourpart harmonies of The Mellomen yield to exotic birds and tribal drumming. Your gaze fills with an old hut and a working bazaar. And just like that, everyone must play a part. Forced onto a new stage, who will you be? The explorer, lost upstream deep in the Congo or the indigenous royalty, ruler of the jungle. Dont panic. There is no wrong answer here. Just let your new reality seep into your bones as you play. In Disneyland, time moves forwards, backwards and sideways in the matter of a few steps. It proves to be an experiment of theme through every sense. There is a natural curiosity that compels us to entertain and delight. We have spent millennia writing fables and myths that have given us wings, gills, and x-ray vision. Only recently, with the advent of the amusement park has this fantastic realm been introduced to reality. We are willing to suspend disbelief as we walk onto a stage.
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 This sense of play is a quality not many places have, and rightly so. A dreamers paralysis is not ideal in offices, in grocery stores, in apartment buildings. These need to function in a variety of ways and provide a number of services. But when we wish to dream, we go to the stage. Amusement parks are a low in culture, yet they captivate people the world over. They evoke a world loosing its time. Nostalgia has a way of fending off that ticking clock, and offering up a landscape where reality is just rosy enough to accept.

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THE HOUSE ON MAPLE STREET It was a perfect lift-off.3

Issue
Conjuring Reality

Picture books are marvelous. Many succinctly capture

deep human emotion and imagination. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick does just that through a series of illustrations. As the story goes, they were given to a publisher as a sample of Harris Burdicks work. He would return soon with the manuscripts if the publisher were to buy any. Yet, Burdick never returned, has never told those stories, and thus, the fragments remain. The drawings are captivating. They form an odd collection of moments, each one asking to belong to a story. The imagination of any reader runs wild as glimpses of

films, novels, and fables race to fill in the gaps. The senses are stripped, and the audience speculates in the interim. Skeptics protest while believers swoon in the face of grand illusion. The issue at hand is developing a setting familiar enough to coax the visitor along while undercutting comfort with oddity. The surreal must mesh seamlessly with the real. Senses must be hindered just as they are when experiencing one of Burdicks illustrations.

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Afterall, when the lights go out, even your own house

has a life of its own. Faint sounds emerge, subtle shadows are cast, and the environment takes on a new dimension. One that we dont operate in, and usually experience only from the refuge of our beds. What happens when we must venture out? We struggle to believe that the fear is only in our minds. The synapses sort though illusions and tricks theyve fallen for over the years. But when the inexplicable materializes, the heart conjures its own reality.

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the GOSPEL of STORYTELLING

Make-Believe
the Truth of Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales are more than true;

not because they tell us that dragons exist,

but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

- G. K. Chesterton

The beauty of the make-believe realm lies in its uncanny ability to inspire reality. Through allegory, myths, fairy tales, and fables, the fallibility central to life is explicit. They can easily be shunned when looking through the lens to fanciful worlds and hyperbolic figures. However, once assimilated into the mind, they contend with reality. Silly little stories reflect true consequence. Everymans truth is formulated from his own psyche, never absolute and intrinsically biased. From the inception of a thought, all facets created exist without question. Only by jury can something be disproved. There is no absolute. It is this undeniable power that allows us to let the past and the imaginary pulse through out veins. Ergo, the volatile concoction of fantasy and reality is the lifeblood of humanity.
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VELLUM

The Magic Carpet

Vellum Furniture Exhibition

MAGIC CARPET | majik krpit [noun] 1. A heavy fabric floor covering which serves as a form of transportation first recorded in One Thousand and One Nights1 2. More recently, a carpet possessing personality and loyalty to its owner (see Aladdin. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, 1992.)

Fly your very own MAGIC CARPET!

Experiment with different rugs to shape the desired piece of furniture. I chose to make a bed side table out of a runner, 2x7. With the overall shape in mind, I found the rug was able to ripple and roll much better than early models. So, let the form flow as your shaping it up.

Supply List
Rug of your choice Fiberglass Resin Liquid Hardener Fiberglass Mat Body Filler Power Sander Sanding Block Palette Knife Spray Adhesive Plastic Cup Burlap Furniture Feet Felt Pads Drill Gloves Goggles Respirator Clamps

Instructions
1. Check all labels, read and test fiberglass. Always wear gloves and respirator when working. Pull mat apart in 2-6 inch sections and saturate all threads. The resin will coat the back of the rug, but not seep through to the pile. 2. Layout and shape one section of the rug with the wrong side up. Mix resin and hardener. Apply thin layer to one area of the rug with palette knife. Build up by layering mat and resin. Let it set and repeat on next section until wrong side is fully coated in fiberglass. 3. Use body filler to do a rough fill of any uneven areas. Always over fill, any extra will be removed. Allow to harden. 4. Use power sander to smooth out resin and filler. Sanding block can be used on any area inaccessible to the sander. Wear goggles, gloves, respirator and long sleeves. Fiberglass particles are irritating to the skin. 5. Pre-drill holes in resin form, countersink screws, and attach furniture feet. 6. Spray fiberglass surface with adhesive one section at a time and apply burlap. Finish by folding the burlap edge under itself, spray adhesive, and clamp. 7. Remove clamps, check all edges. Enjoy.

the magic carpet built rome this morning. the magic carpet publicly endorsed the cock and the bull, though not at the same time. the magic carpet doubts anyone named Thomas. the magic carpet peeled the silver lining off. the magic carpet has no brass tacks. the magic carpet.

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 The magic carpet embodies the etherial quality of animation. Though it is a static object, the form appears to flutter and flow as if alive. Sculpturally, it provokes the mind. Unconsciously, a sense of movement is attached, and instantly, the object has another life. It lives, flying through the recesses of the viewers mind.
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CASE STUDY | 1
Teatro Olimpico Vicenza, Province of Vicenza, Italy built 1580-1585

Teatro Olimpico was proposed by Andrea Palladio in 1579. The small theatre would serve the Vicenza Accademia Olimpica. From the exterior, it is a modest brick building, yet once inside, a theatre springs up out of wood and plaster. Palladio drew upon ancient Roman examples to create the amphitheater and elaborate frons scaenae, or stage backdrop.2 The seating, semi-elliptical benches, butt up to the stage, which is a grand display of the orders. Originally unfinished, the ceiling is now painted blue3 harking back to great outdoor amphitheaters of ancient Rome and Greece. The elaborate doorways would be completed after Palladios death by Vicenzo Scamozzi with foreshortened streetscapes modelled after Thebes.4 The seven streets were placed so that every audience member could see at least one of them during the performance. The main street positioned behind the main archway is 12m long, yet it appears diminish somewhere on a distant horizon. It was ultimately said to be an ideal city, in wood and stucco, which would fall and destroy itself at the mistaken entrance of an actor.5

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 The harmony expressed through proportions of space and facade were heavily studied by Palladio. The sophistication of ancient Rome had finally been recaptured by the Renaissance.6 Founded by the ancients, yet realized by the humanists, this theatre remains as a cultural landmark.

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CASE STUDY | 2
The Shoppes at the Palazzo Las Vegas, Nevada, USA opened 1999, expanded 2007

Las Vegas is a sea of facades. Each casino and hotel creates its own escape experience by controlling the sights and sounds of entertainment. One prime example are the Shoppes at The Palazzo, formerly the Grand Canal Shoppes of The Venetian. This interior stage is modeled after Venice, Italy. Small streets lined with boutiques offer up a unique shopping experience. The core of the Shoppes lies at St. Marks Square under a high ceiling imitating a sky. Adjacent to the square are the gondolas waiting to whisk you down the canal and under foot bridges in this Venetian fantasy. This stage of sorts moves the visitors out of the desert and places them into a Venice that never has and never will exist. It is cleaner, it isnt sinking, and it is across the street from a jungle known as The Mirage. These Las Vegas facades create identity, escape, and entertainment at every turn through scenograpy.
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the GOOD OLD DAYS

Under the Influence

Scotch and Nostalgia

How is Scotch made?

It starts with three simple ingredients: barley, yeast and water. They are malted, mashed and fermented according to time-honored methods. Then, the real transformation begins. The distillation takes place which increases the alcohol level from 6-8% before aging it in casks. Many Scotch whiskeys are matured upwards of 10 or 20 years as they take on character, flavor and color1 from the cask. Typically, whiskeys are diluted to 40% alcohol in order to market, yet cask strength, for the connoisseur, is about 60%. The crude alcohol found just after distillation is a world apart from the elixir poured 25 years later. The making of a fine Scotch is not unlike that of a memory and, subsequently, nostalgia. Events are filed in realtime by the brain. The young memory is fresh and filtered only by your senses. Yet, over time, the skull has a tendency to act as a cask. It brings out specific notes in each memory resulting in nostalgia. This convoluted recollection, whether it be good or bad, tends to hold more weight heavily than long forgotten facts. Our psyche is at the mercy of nostalgia. Svetlana Boym wrote about the duality of nostalgia in her book The Future of Nostalgia. On one hand, there is a reflective nostalgia which can be a tool for understanding,
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forgiveness and comfort in times of loneliness. It is protective in nature remind us of loved ones and happier times. On the other hand, restorative nostalgia stems from an invented tradition.2 It builds upon a collective myth out of respect for an era lost to the passage of time. This counteractive version of nostalgia can appeal to mirages of a nation recalling far outside any one persons memories. It is here, in restorative nostalgia, that a creeping malaise can overwhelm the present. In America, people curse the politics of today dreaming back to Reagan or JFK. The lightning fast web supposedly corrodes human interaction. Any number of modern depravities can be cited for disturbing the integrity of traditional America. But, the undying worship of a distorted vision is more detrimental than any of these superficial arguments. It can be likened to neurosis; enabling the mind to function in dissonance. Emotions driving restorative nostalgia can overrun history and retrospection creating a longing for a place and a time that never existed. The feelings of loss and alienation often halt people. Small frustrations roll into large resentments against what is perceived as a heartless, changing world. Yet, reflective nostalgia can give value to the present and help inform the future. It can guide us into a world that may not have existed in the past, but may exist in the future. This breed of nostalgia turns the pessimist into an optimist. In this way, nostalgia emerges as a fundamental human strength.3 We must not forget that, ultimately, nostalgia is a drug.

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CASE STUDY | 3
Forestiere Underground Gardens Fresno, CA, USA built 1906-1946 In 1906 Baldasare Forestiere, a young Sicilian, broke ground in Fresno, CA. Originally immigrating to New York in 1901, Forestiere was hired digging tunnels for the subway system.4 After some time though, he wished to own land and become a farmer. So, he bought acreage in Fresno only to find it was hardpan.5 The soils were not only difficult to cultivate, but would shed water before absorbing it. His land was agriculturally worthless. Consequently, he decided to dig. Over the last 40 years of his life, Forestiere carved 10 acres of his land into a winding complex of rooms, halls, and grottoes ranging in depths of 10 to 35 feet.6 Never having drawn plans of the spaces, his imagination took full reign in excavating each space. The vaults and arches he constructed stemmed from his memories of Ancient Roman ruins in Italy,7not to mention his digging days in New York. The work was no doubt strenuous. He used picks, shovels, a wheelbarrow, and a Fresno scraper pulled by a couple mules.8 By the end, he worked solely on his architectural vision, having left conventional farming behind. Instead he planted subterranean gardens; a number of trees were planted and graphed in the grottoes. By shooting the trunks up through the skylights, dappled sunlight now illuminates the caves. Some of the skylights were even formed to funnel water into the planters, and because the foliage forms so high on the tree, the fruit is actually harvested at ground level.9
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 Fresnos climate often ranges from summer highs around 110F all the way down to 28F on winter mornings. In Forestieres underground gardens, the soils regulate the temperature keeping both the plants and the people protected. The rooms and cellars can be 10 to 20 degrees more temperate than the surface.10 Forestiere also worked through the technical functions of the space. Specific openings were placed in order to create drafts and ventilation throughout the complex.11 Not to mention, having created three levels helped him control rain water and drainage. This way, his living spaces were never flooded. All in all, Forestieres innate understanding of the land, agriculture and engineering make his underground home a fascinating expression of art. He identified the true challenge himself, To make it crooked and make it look nice - thats the real work.12 With the operations of the complex satisfied, the truest obstacle is that of spirit. He would hand shape every last clod of dirt. Some of his finest trees were grafted to sustain various citrus on one trunk.13 The attention to detail is both inspiring and captivating. His other worldly oasis is no longer inhabited, but a museum of his life and technique.

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CASE STUDY | 4
Winchester Mystery House San Jose, CA, USA built 1884-Sept. 5, 1922

The poet is in command of his fantasy,

while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy.

- Lionel Trilling The Winchester Mystery House was commissioned by Sarah Winchester who allegedly believed that if building on the house ceased, so would she. As a result, the house was under continuous construction for 38 years. Mrs. Winchester never had a master plan, but did sketch out individual rooms on paper and tablecloths. According to legend, Mrs. Winchester enacted a nightly seance to help with her building plans.14 She had a number of dead ends and oddities built. One of which being a closet with no floor; a gaping hole opens to the kitchen below. It was her impression that these traps would baffle any malicious spirits that were after her.15 Imprisoned by her own mind, Ms. Winchester would die in the house. The construction stopped immediately. By the Numbers:16, 17
160 rooms 2 ballrooms 2 basements 6 kitchens 2 000 doors 13 bathrooms 40 staircases 10 000 window panes 47 fireplaces 17 chimneys 3 elevators 20 000 gal. of paint 4.5 acres, today 161 acres, originally

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SITE the old chimney

Yosemite San Francisco

The Chimney

Fresno Kings Canyon

San Luis Obispo

Los Angeles 31

Fresno
pop.

501,362

Clovis
pop.

96,929

Kings River

Hwy 180

Sanger
pop.

24,599

Reedley
2mi 5km
pop.

24,520

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Jesse Morrow Mountain

elev.

2083

Hwy 180

Campbell Mountain
elev.

1752

1mi 1km

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Perceptions
The Site at Every Speed

Fly Over It stands alone. Between towns, between hills, between time.

From above, the site looks of an archaeological ruin. The plan of an extinct home is quite apparent; the roof and walls have been removed leaving the front steps, perimeter rock foundation, chimney, root cellar, and cistern.

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Drive By The ruins serve as a roadside marker to drivers. Route 180, the Sierra Gateway Scenic Highway, dissects the San Joaquin Valley running from Mendota to Kings Canyon National Park by way of Fresno. From either direction, the chimney is essentially all that drivers can see. It leans, drifting in the air. A true artifact from another era.
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Walk Through Finally, the minutia is discovered as the forensics begin. Walking along a lightly treaded trail, the stairs emerge. Upon closer inspection, a deep crack splits them. The jagged black cut points to the decapitated fireplace. Rocks of the chimney are strewn out before it like a hundred headstones. Even the walls of the root cellar have succumb to the soils. They have been no match for the land as it tries to refill its rightful trench. A low rock foundation rises out of the earth giving form to this some time home.

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Unseen Findings The soils are of the San Joaquin Valley profile which are characteristically fertile and good for agriculture. However, because of the terrain, the land is not ideal for cultivation. The site is situated close to the road and at the bottom of Jesse Morrow Mountain. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors declines a request from Cemex to mine Jesse Morrow Mountain in August of 2012.5 The proposal for an expansive mine was first scaled back and then halted altogether as the board was dissatisfied with the environmental impact report provided by Cemex. However, it is expected that the proposal is not lost, this has been a decade long conversation.
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Rose v. Jade
Altered Perceptions through the Seasons Spring Grasses, thistles, and wildflowers envelope the hillside as the Kings River brims. Between the melting snow pack and the rains, everything sprouts up fertile. Choleric storms break leaving crystal views of the Sierras still capped with snow. Although in the valley, even the most turbulent of days are often temperate forging benign blizzards out of blossoms near the orchards. And finally, the sleep. Freezing nights hum with fans above the orange crops as dense tule fog cloaks the naked countryside. Quarantined in the grey, the earth dozes off in the dark days of the year.

Water supplies are often stressed by drought. The ice pack in the Sierra Nevada Range is critical for valley agriculture. Low overnight temperatures threaten citrus crops every year. In 2007, more than 100 cars and 18 big rigs were involved in the collision on HWY 99 as patches of dense fog obscured visibility.6

Winter

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Summer High suns and golden hills blast the senses with heat. High temperatures average at 95F, but regularly rise above 100F making shade a valuable commodity. Green pastures and crops quilt the valley floor lapping up the water that flows high in the canals. Before the oven is turned off, the best stone fruits will be harvested and the grapes will be laid out to dry. Now all turns flaxen. Corn stalks are slain, hay bales pepper once full fields. As the sun begins to fall, those temperate afternoons return. Dust kicked up by the final harvest hazes the sun casting particularly golden sunsets on tired land. Fall

In August 2012, Fresno had a record breaking monthly average: 102.2F.7 On September 14, 2012 a heat wave brought temperatures to 106F.8 Dry hills give Smoky Bear job security. Excessive paritculates and smog in the air enhance sunsets.

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24 HOUR
Mirages Initial Understandings
Reality This site is abandoned. No overwhelming use, no human inhabitants, and only a few non-human. Finding out about the ruins has been like pulling teeth. It appears as though the land was first bought by Dunnegan in 1889, and is now referred to as Dunnegans Gap. The house is speculated to have been built not long after, but has since moved to and remodeled in the nearby town of Sanger.9 When it was moved is also unclear, perhaps 50 years ago; there are only a couple archived articles that mention the house. It was described it as a country house surrounded by olive orchards, which are now completely erased. Today, the memory of a rural life wafts from the abandoned chimney, not mobile enough to have made the move.

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Experience
Creating a Narrative With all of these mirages adrift, I was compelled to study what was left and reconstruct a memoir. After trekking around for a bit, I sat and let the house filter in and out of memory. I began to draw.
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New Understandings
Surreality The site is vivid enough to tell a tale without a concrete story pinned to it. The thing about history is that there is no absolute truth. The most fascinating parts of our existence are emotion and intellect, not the list of dates on the timeline. History is a cerebral smoothie filled with relative truths; it shifts from fact to fiction as time passes just as these wavering mirages of a house do.

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Trick or Truth
Stages and Museums

Stages inherently provide a greater perspective of life than museums do. Museums tell stories and teach information. In contrast, stages invite stories to be lived and relearned. Once true houses like the Winchester Mystery House and the Forestiere Underground Gardens have now become trick. This conversion came when they ceased to house action. Today, both of these resemble dioramas of life rather than life itself. Tours of people file in and out while the museums continue to loose their homely qualities. The narrative from the docent overpowers the space with aged tales of a bygone era. And while architecturally rich, both of these spaces lack emotional resonance. They are relics of another life, not our own. Disneyland, Teatro Olimpico, and The Venetian are architectural stages. The average user has a healthy disbelief of the situation and yet they suspend it. For the time being, the community of users commit to experiencing this alternate reality. Technically speaking, these stages are all trick. The new faux environment is well-delineated. For example, Disneyland clearly defines this boundary by referring to on stage and backstage. The facade is maintained, but never denied.

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 Yet, in the aforementioned community, a sense of shared experience becomes the truth. Even in this escape from the outside world, real life drama plays out before us. We cannot escape humanity and emotion as we can any particular environment.

...the purpose of playing, whose end,

both at the first and now, was and is,

to hold, as twere,the mirror up to nature.

- Hamlet1 by William Shakespeare

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telling the history of DIRT

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TITLE

Learning on the Go
Museum & Pit Stop
Nostalgia embellishes the home of yesteryear. Six Words [No. 1]

The lonesome sites assets lie in its richness in land and adjacency to the highway. Not only is this set of ruins able to tell a story, but it is on a well traveled route to the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. As a result of these factors, a museum program is well suited to the site. Inital excercises expressed the movement of the landscape as it transitions from valley floor to foothills. Some also interacted heavily with the road. The idea of the road side attraction defined the expressive forms. They were ultimately removed considering their intrusive nature. It took away from the landscape and moved the focus of the experience from the chimney to the flair of the architecture. The frame for the history became grandiose.
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The Symbol of Home

American Iconography
Form embellishes the home of yesteryear. Six Words [No. 2]

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one;

stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

- Charles Dickens

The home that any given kindergartener scibbles down in crayon is a powerful symbol in American culture. While it often fails to resemble a specific house, it takes on an ethereal quality lying somewhere between the myth of the American dream and the reality of modern day suburban and rural architecture, the single most recognizable gesture of which is the gable.
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ACTUALIZATION

Sketchbook
Early Developments

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Drafting Table
Late Developments

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Site Plan
Decomposed Granite Paths with Solar Cell Parking at Fence
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N 1/64=1

Self-Sufficiency
Surviving in Isolation

The site exists as a low tech parcel of land. The lack of utilities and overall size of the project inspired me to make it self-sufficient. Major concerns were water usage and developing a diversity in temperatures. With respect to the limiting of water use, I designed space on the 1st floor for composting facilities. This saves so much water right off the bat, that I elected to have a water tower and pump on top of my elevation as opposed to a large collection of rainwater. By not collecting the rainwater, natural cycles are not impacted as heavily seeing as the water still percolates down into the aquifers. Permeability is critical on this site, so site materials are kept to gravel, decomposed granite and gabion walls. As it stands today, the site has a low grade that descends to meet the road. It lacks flexibility. By creating a number of different spaces both inside and out, users are able to find the most comfortable environment and rest there. The major spaces would be the wind sheltered outdoor courtyard, the interior space with shades reflecting solar patterns and the fully subterranean museum level. This variety of spaces draws upon the resourcefulness of the earth as seen before in Forestieres Underground Gardens on the other side of Fresno. These two considerations make the site more comfortable and facilitate the exploration of my initial inspiration, the old, lonely chimney.
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3rd Floor Plan

Circulation at Grade including Grass View N [1/16=1]

2nd Floor Plan

Main Entrance, Restrooms and Protected Courtyard N [1/16=1]

1st Floor Plan

Museum, Composting Access with Service Elevator N [1/16=1]

Longitudinal Section
Fabric Shades over Courtyard and Path on Green Roof [1/16=1]

Latitudinal Section
Vertical Circulation including Main Elevator and Stairwells [1/16=1]

We will now take a brief

INTERMISSION.

ZIP
Executed by Studio Outbreak

Collaboration
Under Pressure

This amorphous form grew out of a simple, yet tedious textile of zip ties. With over 200,000 ties and only 5 days, loose conceptual sketches were fleshed out into a full fledged book show. The resourcefulness and creativity in our last waking hours made the exhibit space come together.
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BUILT Presentation Method

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Last Thoughts
Complete Concets and Final Staging

Historical Shadow In the late 19th cenutry, many agricultureal settlements were founded in the San Joaquin Valley. Livestock, raisins, cotton, citrus; many crops took to the climate well, thus starting what would become a vital part of the economy. In 2011, valley crops accounted for over 60% of agricultural earnings in California.
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Iconography of the American Home The phrase sleight of home describes the transformation these ruins undergo in the scope of this project. This site of a remnants look only to have been framed from the south. A gable and tower now complete the composition of this lone chimney.
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Archaeological Excavations Upon approaching the museum, the northern facade reveals that the land has been greatly manipulated. The excavation reveals two things. One being the clear house reference and the other being that the ruins are now hovering above visitors, having been separated from the land.

Of the Earth Functionally, this museum is on a well travelled road leading to vacation destinations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Travelers need spaces to be comfortable year-round in this roadside stop. Without the use of conventional HVAC, this museum offers gathering spaces both indoors and out with sun or shade. This diversity makes up for the inflexible, monumental concrete form.
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Isolation As fertile as the valley may be, it is still a severe landscape. Long streches of highway connect distant, poverty-stricken towns. To live here requires a certain amount of stubbornness and resourcefullness. The museum lives closer to the elements using a wind pump, solar cells, thermal gain, composting toilets and manual labor, in the form of a hand crank elevator. The insular mentaility is built into the design as much as it has been built into the culture.
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Production Value In telling the story of the Central Valley, I was committed to presenting in a notably different aesthetic. It had to set itself apart from the sleek glamor shots of bustling city centers. Raw materials and mechanical connections reinforce the design and express the nature of the valleys land use. Not only are viewers asked to get closer and look deeper, but they are required to do so in an effort to get the most out of the work. The set of sliding floor plans [shown left] show more depth and help others discaover relations in the geometry. This exhibit is a template of what I imagine the exploratorium would embrace.
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MODEL CITIZENS

Treasure Box
Site Model at 50 feet to 1 inch

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Detail Show
Hand-Crank Elevator and Water Pump Detail Model at 1 foot to 1/2 inch

While the chimney is a the thread of history ducking in and out of view, the visual constant of the building is the tower. He is understood at every elevation and from every side. Specifically on the main floor, he is the foremost architectural element. Structurally, he supports much of the staircase and houses the hand-operated elevator. He stands tall enough to rip the wind right out of the sky. Without the wind, we wouldnt have a lick of water. Even though the chimney gets a great deal of the attention, the tower is the one doing most of the work.
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Wheel Barrow
Exploratorium Model at 1 foot to 3/8 inch

I didnt believe it could be done. It was just as he had told me. I planted my abstract in the ground, watered it, weeded it. Before I knew, Id propogated myself a genuine morsel of architecture. Now, it would have been better at full scale, but given the climate in Los Osos, the growth was a bit stunted. As I write this, its been out of the ground a couple weeks. The grasses are looking a bit crisp. Nevertheless, I expect it to come right back. Ill plant it back home. Id bet in a few harvests itll be full size and ready for a grand opening.
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APPENDIX

Notes
by Section

1. Prologue
1. 2. 3. sleight of hand. Oxford American Dictionaries, 2012. 15 Nov 2012. home. Oxford American Dictionaries, 2012. 15 Nov 2012. VanAllsburg, Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Print.

2. The Gospel of Storytelling

1. 2. Magic Carpet. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_carpet>. Vincenzo Scamozzi (Italian Architect). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www. britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526453/Vincenzo-Scamozzi>. Young, Jenny. Teatro Olimpico - Andrea Palladio. Teatro Olimpico. Great Buildings. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.greatbuildings. com/buildings/Teatro_Olimpico.html>. The Teatro Olimpico. The Teatro Olimpico. Consorzio Vicenza. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.teatrolimpicovicenza.it/en/thetheatre/introduction.html>. Ibid.

3.

4.

5.

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6.

PALLADIO E IL VENETO. Palladio. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http:// www.cisapalladio.org/veneto/scheda.php?sezione=4>.

3. The Good Old Days

1. How Scotch Whisky Is Made. How Scotch Whisky Is Made. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://thewhiskydvd.co.uk/how_scotch_ whisky_is.php>. Boym, Svetlana. Restorative Nostalgia & Reflective Nostalgia. The Future of Nostalgia. New York: Basic, 2001. 41-52. Print. Barbara Isanski. The Psychology Of Nostalgia. Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 15 Dec. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/132971.php> Forestiere Underground Gardens: Facts, http://undergroundgardens. com/amazingfacts.html J. Torchia, The Underground World of Baldasare Forestiere. The CoEvolution Quarterly Spring (1977), p. 94 Ibid., pg. 95 Ibid. 1 Ibid. 1 HGTV, Underground Garden-HGTV, http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MFqhpgyvxXw (03 May 2010)

2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. Mediterranean Gardens. Forestiere Historical Center Presents Forestiere Underground Gardens, http://forestiere-historicalcenter. com/Undergroundwonders.html, (2006) 11. Ibid. 1 12. Ibid. 2, pg. 97 13. Historical Description. Forestiere Underground Gardens., http:// undergroundgardens.com/summary.html 14. Sarah Winchester. Learn Winchester. Winchester Mystery House. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/ sarahwinchester.cfm>. 15. The House. Learn: The House. Winchester Mystery House. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/thehouse. cfm>.

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16. Idib., 14. 17. Edmonds, Molly. Why Does the Winchester Mystery House Have Stairs Leading Nowhere? HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/ afterlife/winchester-mystery-house2.htm>.

4. Site: The Old Chimney

1. Clovis (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Clovis (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0614218.html>. Fresno (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Fresno (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0627000.html>. Reedley (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Reedley (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0660242.html>. Sanger (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Sanger (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0667056. html>. Jesse Morrow Mountain Mine Fails to Win Approval. ABC 30.Web. 4 Nov. 2012. <http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/ local&id= 8789896>. 2 Killed in Huge Pileup in Tule Fog on California 99. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 04 Nov. 2007. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http:// articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/04/local/me-pileup4>. September Heat Hits Fresno Record. Fresno Bee. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/28/3010419/ september-heat-hits-fresno-record.html>. Ibid. Dunnegans Gap. E-mail interview. 12 Nov. 2012

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8. 9.

5. Epilogue
1. Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. Act 3,

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Scene 2, Lines 20-22. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012. Print.

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Image Credits
by page

xxii.

Van Allsburg, Chris. The House on Maple Street. 1984. Illustration from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. SIL483_PERSIAN_GONBAD_TABRIZ_RUG_2.4X3.3 CC Image by www.urbanrugs.com on Flickr drama | reality CC Image by Marco Bellucci on Flickr

6.

16.

18. a. The Venetian, Las Vegas CC Image by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar on Flickr b. Venetian Hotel Las Vegas CC Image by Serge Melki on Flickr 22. 07-mar-08 CC Image by sashafatcat on Flickr

27. a. 2007082627.jpg CC Image by mrphancy on Flickr b. 2007082623.jpg CC Image by mrphancy on Flickr 28. 30. Winchester House CC Image by TilTul on Wikipedia Commons Pacific Ocean Map. Google Maps. Google, 28 Nov 2012. Web.

32. a. McKay, Scott. Official map of the county of Fresno, California. 1:278,000. 1914. David Rumsey Map Collection. 23 Oct 2012. Web. http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/3944gz.

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b. Central California Map. Google Maps. Google, 28 Nov 2012. Web. 33. a. Central California Map. Google Maps. Google, 28 Nov 2012. Web. b. Thompson, Thos. H. Township 14 South, Range 23 East. 1:31,680. 1891. David Rumsey Map Collection. 23 Oct 2012. Web. http://www. davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/i2u388. c. Thompson,Thos. H. Range 24 East, Range 25 East,Township 14 South, Township 13 South. 1:63,360. 1891. David Rumsey Map Collection. 23 Oct 2012. Web. http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/8tq6fi. 34. Central California Map. Google Maps. Google, 28 Nov 2012. Web.

42. a. almond blossoms CC Image by dwolfgra on Flickr b. Plums in the Fog CC Image by puliarf on Flickr 43. a. Corn as far as the eye can see... CC Image by benketaro on Flickr b. Autumn Glow CC Image by kelsey_lovefusionphoto on Flickr 56. 68. Chalk drawing 001 CC Image by Konrad Frstner on Flickr Collage by E. Morillo including CA-180 W/E Kings Canyon Rd Map. Google Maps. Google, 18 Mar 2013. Web.

**

All other images attributed to E. Morillo

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