For this
project, I called upon precident studies of previous compositions I completed from the earlier half of the semester. The most important one was my precident research project on Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat affected many design decisions, having me to call back how the builders at Angkor Wat approached the similar issues I faced when designing for North Canton. The Towers at Angkor made an appearance as well. The symbolic decorations were stripped from it, breaking it down to be the most basic of forms and then it was redecorated using greek and roman monuments. When the towers were placed, they brought a new energy to the city. The form felt monumental and important, it carried the importance to that of a gothic church and a capitol building, like the one seen in Washington D.C.
The new Town Hall was designed from an investigation of masks and architectural masking. I read a book, entitled Meduca’s Mask by John Hedjuk. This book questioned the mask that I was attempting to analize, because it asked the question of whether the mask was that of an M.A.S.K (which is something that hides the features of ones face) and that of M.A.S.Q.U.E (which is what is used in a theatrical proformance). I decided that the town hall would behave in both of these fashions depending on the scope on which the project was viewed.
From a larger scope, the project plays a roll that interacts with the highway that runs along side of North Canton. The way the towers align themselves, they frame the large “central tower” towards the highway, giving away meaning to where it’s true impression lies. This is different than many buildings, including what Venturi orignianlly proposed for the Town Hall, because most buildings consider the street the most impressionable and the iimportant orientation, the newly proposed town hall actually says that the important orientation isn’t facing North Canton, but rather the main circulation path that runs along side its site.
From a closer scope, the project shares a dialog with that of the surrounding with its surrounding “actors” if follow the M.A.S.Q.U.E paradigm. The other actors of importance were the “city center” (the corner plaza catty corner to the Town Hall site) and the Hoover Factory. These are the only things that the building yields itself to, demonstrating the value and importance of these other actors to itself.
To sum up the paradigm of the masking, highway outside of North Canton is the audience, North Canton is the stage, the Hoover Factory and the “city center” are the supporting actors and the Town Hall features as the leading roll to play.
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