competitions

competitions

McDonalds
When we remember a place that possesses some special quality, we are most likely to remember the things we did and the people we were with.
We call this the Genus McLoci or sense of place.
The new structure is just a simple addition: an octagonal dining room is placed in juxtaposition with the brick-faced kitchen. The two objects create a courtyard whose boundaries are noted only by an overhead tree bosque and bollards. A continuous pavement flows from courtyard to parking lot. In this space, the people of the neighborhood can interact as a community.
McDonald’s restaurants set an architectural standard for the quick service restaurant industry. Although its thousands of restaurants span the nation and the globe, each single restaurant is located in a certain place which has certain traditions, materials and craftsmanship.
We do not advocate the contextual approach - it lacks the iconic strength which connects individual restaurants to the others. Nor do we advocate architectural forms that are complete and unforgiving to change. We believe the only way the McDonald’s Corporation can respond to new contexts is to create places for people - where the details and plans are less architecturally drawn, but rather experienced in the company of others.

San Francisco Waterfront
The city's identity comes from its ability to renew itself - like the phoenix rising from the city's seal, rebirth is the metaphor for the city's soul. Its identity also stems from its history. Few cities can list so many seminal events started within its borders. The United Nations, the Gold rush, the Flower Generation to Gay Liberation - layers of San Francisco's cultural past create a foundation on which to build its present. Yet, pride in the past must be synthesized with the promise a city poised on the brink of a Pacific Rim era holds.
In a place so symbolically located on the edge, new uses must be considered both with a vision of the past and future. By creating a place for the investigation of ideas, a new economic currency is created - one that builds on the old order of storage and manufacturing and transforms it into a place of learning and education. A city that owes its existence to the water must not be denied access to it, rather it should be nourished and inspired by the water, both physically and mentally.
As the 21st century approaches, the challenge of adapting to fast moving social and cultural change while not losing sight of traditions is a goal worth achieving. Those communities willing to foster the communication of new ideas will lead. it is the process of education that enables a person to make informed decisions about his or her own future. A place where education can be nurtured and inspired by a visionary community can have effects reaching far beyond a single city, a nation, or a world.

KOMA
The Site. Language is a means of communication and interaction. It defines community and self-awareness. Three different languages are spoken at the site.
The Theater. Unlike the Western tradition of rhetoric, the spoken language is regarded as emotional and the cause of conflicts. The spoken word must be chosen with great care.
The Library. The written language was developed anew during the reign of King Sejong. Han’gul was a means of codifying the rising awareness of the Korean nation. It was the first means of communication that was uniquely Korean.
The Galleries. The essence of language is to give structure to meaning, while allowing for infinite variety. Languages may sound different, but they all express the need to interact with others. Whether spoken, written, painted, sculpted or drawn, it is this need to reach out that forms a community. . . one that finds highest purpose in understanding.

AIDS Memorial
For an individual the loss of a loved one is difficult. For a community, the loss of many loved ones demands a substantive connection between individuals. This place preserves the memory of hope and love in this particular community. This memory is contained within panels of cloth, holding passions at arms length. As these panels rest here, each panel tells a story. Each story, a life.
The site is a threshold to the Castro community. Situated between the diagonal thrust of Market Street and the topography of Twin Peaks, the building reflects the duality in its facades. Sheltered within the building mass, the sanctuary is the heart - a translucent memory of the church that once stood on this site. The sanctuary is an introspective space, connected to the sky. Rising like a phoenix, its winged roof stands like a beacon - a symbol to the community which it serves.
The quilt memorial is a skylit space set deep into the site. The panels are raised from a below ground vault, then displayed among quotes chiseled into a high wall. Viewing the quilt becomes an active process. A mechanism of stairs and balconies allow visitors to choose their own path and vantage point.
The meditation room, in contrast, allows contact on an intimate level. Liberated from the building mass, the privacy of the room is juxtaposed against the exposure of the street - physically linking the individual, and the memory, to the community.
comments to fanfon@interport.net
back to fountain
december 1999

	McDonalds When we remember a place that possesses some special quality, we are most likely to remember the things we did and the people we were with. We call this the Genus McLoci or sense of place. The new structure is just a simple addition: an octagonal dining room is placed in juxtaposition with the brick-faced kitchen. The two objects create a courtyard whose boundaries are noted only by an overhead tree bosque and bollards. A continuous pavement flows from courtyard to parking lot. In this space, the people of the neighborhood can interact as a community. McDonald’s restaurants set an architectural standard for the quick service restaurant industry. Although its thousands of restaurants span the nation and the globe, each single restaurant is located in a certain place which has certain traditions, materials and craftsmanship. We do not advocate the contextual approach - it lacks the iconic strength which connects individual restaurants to the others. Nor do we advocate architectural forms that are complete and unforgiving to change. We believe the only way the McDonald’s Corporation can respond to new contexts is to create places for people - where the details and plans are less architecturally drawn, but rather experienced in the company of others.
	San Francisco Waterfront The city's identity comes from its ability to renew itself - like the phoenix rising from the city's seal, rebirth is the metaphor for the city's soul. Its identity also stems from its history. Few cities can list so many seminal events started within its borders. The United Nations, the Gold rush, the Flower Generation to Gay Liberation - layers of San Francisco's cultural past create a foundation on which to build its present. Yet, pride in the past must be synthesized with the promise a city poised on the brink of a Pacific Rim era holds. In a place so symbolically located on the edge, new uses must be considered both with a vision of the past and future. By creating a place for the investigation of ideas, a new economic currency is created - one that builds on the old order of storage and manufacturing and transforms it into a place of learning and education. A city that owes its existence to the water must not be denied access to it, rather it should be nourished and inspired by the water, both physically and mentally. As the 21st century approaches, the challenge of adapting to fast moving social and cultural change while not losing sight of traditions is a goal worth achieving. Those communities willing to foster the communication of new ideas will lead. it is the process of education that enables a person to make informed decisions about his or her own future. A place where education can be nurtured and inspired by a visionary community can have effects reaching far beyond a single city, a nation, or a world.
	KOMA The Site. Language is a means of communication and interaction. It defines community and self-awareness. Three different languages are spoken at the site. The Theater. Unlike the Western tradition of rhetoric, the spoken language is regarded as emotional and the cause of conflicts. The spoken word must be chosen with great care. The Library. The written language was developed anew during the reign of King Sejong. Han’gul was a means of codifying the rising awareness of the Korean nation. It was the first means of communication that was uniquely Korean. The Galleries. The essence of language is to give structure to meaning, while allowing for infinite variety. Languages may sound different, but they all express the need to interact with others. Whether spoken, written, painted, sculpted or drawn, it is this need to reach out that forms a community. . . one that finds highest purpose in understanding.
	AIDS Memorial For an individual the loss of a loved one is difficult. For a community, the loss of many loved ones demands a substantive connection between individuals. This place preserves the memory of hope and love in this particular community. This memory is contained within panels of cloth, holding passions at arms length. As these panels rest here, each panel tells a story. Each story, a life. The site is a threshold to the Castro community. Situated between the diagonal thrust of Market Street and the topography of Twin Peaks, the building reflects the duality in its facades. Sheltered within the building mass, the sanctuary is the heart - a translucent memory of the church that once stood on this site. The sanctuary is an introspective space, connected to the sky. Rising like a phoenix, its winged roof stands like a beacon - a symbol to the community which it serves. The quilt memorial is a skylit space set deep into the site. The panels are raised from a below ground vault, then displayed among quotes chiseled into a high wall. Viewing the quilt becomes an active process. A mechanism of stairs and balconies allow visitors to choose their own path and vantage point. The meditation room, in contrast, allows contact on an intimate level. Liberated from the building mass, the privacy of the room is juxtaposed against the exposure of the street - physically linking the individual, and the memory, to the community.