Historic Downtown Arcadia, Louisiana @ Highway 80 and Mid-South Railroad Line
(Aerial Photograph from 1998)
Click on image to link to raw aerial site photograph with scale
(Project site is indicated by transparent red field)
Architecture 310/410 & Interior Design
352/452/454
Vertical Architecture and Interior Design Studio
Louisiana Tech University...................................................................................Summer
2004
School of Architecture
Overview of Building Design Project
for Architecture 310
An Outdoor Amphitheater for Arcadia, Louisiana
Project Scenario
West of Ruston, Louisiana along Highway 80 and the Vicksburg, Shreveport and
Pacific Railroad (now called the Mid-South Railroad Line), exists the Town of
Arcadia. During the great railroad era from 1880 to 1940, the Town of Arcadia
flourished because of the railroad. Not only was the railroad the major commercial
artery for North Louisiana but the town, like Ruston, relocated from two miles
away in 1884 to be near the railroad. Being a railroad town enabled "New
Arcadia" to prosper as a ginning and shipping center for cotton in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The era of railroading is a definite epoch in Louisiana history. In 1910, when the railroads reached their peak in Louisiana, nobody imagined that in four decades they would decline due to competition from highway transportation. Yet the main five block area of downtown Arcadia (now populated by antique shops) evolved along Highway 80 during the early automobile era of the 1920's and 1930's to become a bustling and prosperous center for Arcadia's commercial and social live. Within this historic downtown is Arcadia's Post Office. Built in 1937, this architecturally significant building contains a narrative mural from the WPA era of the 1930'sand 1940's entitled "Cotton Time" depicting cotton harvesting at nearby King's Gin.
We can observe the importance of varying transportation systems and their influence on town growth just by observing the physical change and historical patterns of building in the Town of Arcadia - the transition from railroad, to state highway, and then to contemporary growth along Interstate I-20.
Yet as we also can observe, older parts of a town are seldom abandoned completely . . . places in a town long forgotten can become the sources of new growth; and will on occasion be rejuvenated and resuscitated with new life and vitality. Take for example the Historic Bienville Depot, once an important passenger and freight station it has now become a museum and community center (a direct result of the efforts of the Downtown Historic District Historic Commission). Similarly, your design charge is to take a set of abandoned stadium-style seating and fashion from them an outdoor amphitheater that is to become a local and regional attraction for the Town of Arcadia.
The Arcadia is known in the region for the phenomenal changes and entrepreneurial spirit that has taken root there in the last seven years, fueled mostly by its active Office of Economic & Community Development. The monthly flea market called "Bonnie and Clyde Trade Days", the Factory Stores of America along I-20, and the burgeoning growth of a well-organized set of antique shops in the historic downtown all point to commercial growth in Arcadia. In an attempt to create a synergy between recreational, entertainment, tourist, and shopping activities . . . the Town of Arcadia sees that cultural events such as outdoor symphonic music, concerts, religious revival meetings, dance, and stage performances would act as a major attraction for visitors from beyond the borders of Bienville parish who will come into the area to also shop, eat, and recreate.
Your charge is to take the existing dilapidated stadium seating and to turn the surrounding area into an exciting outdoor amphitheater space for cultural events such as music, dance, theater, religious revivals, community events, and school meetings, etc. Your result should be architecturally significant in its design, so as to become a destination for visitors from beyond the local region.
The project will occur in phases, beginning with improvement of the existing stadium seating (for unobstructed sighting, safety, and accessibility) and the construction of a main amphitheater platform. Part of your design problem is to plan for subsequent phases of growth and transformation, by generating an overall master plan for the site that will include parking, concessions, a small festival area, a playground, and walking trail. In the end, you will generate a master plan for the growth of the site, and you will develop a schematic building design that will take the facility through the first and second phases of its development. Your design should use masonry (concrete masonry units and/or clay masonry) and timber as construction materials for its basic structural and tectonic components.
Site Master Planning
Amphitheater and seating for up to 1500 with all support functions
and spaces, adequate parking, adequate restroom facilities, ticket
booths, concession area, festival area, playground, walking trail,
manicured landscaping, and site lighting
Phase One
Main amphitheater platform/stage, adequate parking, and area for temporary toilets,
and improvements of the existing stadium seating (for unobstructed sighting,
safety, and accessibility -- seating for 500), general site lighting, manicured
landscaping (including trees for shading the seating the the south and above
the stadium seating)
Phase Two
Main amphitheater canopy/acoustic shell (considerations for lighting and sound),
support services for the stage (electrical room, green room, small dressing
room with restrooms and shower (star dressing), and backstage area and access
for semi trucks and sets), addtional strategies for sun-shading of seating and
stage during performances, permanent restroom facilities (designed to accommodate
an initial audience of 500), non-alcohol concession stand, ticket booth and
main gate.
Arcadia Amphitheater Program Components
(Begin small with accommodations for an audience of 500 seats
with expansion plan for up to 1500 seats)
Main amphitheater platform/stage
(min.1200 s.f. performing area - not including adjacent support area/stage wings;
lighting and sound)
Main amphitheater canopy/acoustic shell
Ticket book and main gate
Restrooms w/drinking fountains
(ADA accessible; possibly split between top & bottom; two doors in and out
for easy and quick use at intermissions)
Maintenance and janitorial spaces
Concessions area
Commercial stands/Festival area (souvenirs, T-shirts, etc.)
Electrical room
Green room
Small dressing room with restrooms and shower (star dressing)
Backstage area and access for semi trucks and sets
Refinement of existing stadium seating (for unobstructed sighting, safety,
accessibility, and strategies for shading)
Playground area
Walking trail
Manicured Landscaping (including trees for shading the seating (south
of the stadium seating)
Site lighting
Parking (south and east; automobile and tour bus parking)
Site Information
Historic Downtown Arcadia, Louisiana
@ Highway 80 and Mid-South Railroad Line
(Aerial Photograph from 1998)
Click on image to link to raw aerial site photograph with scale
(Project site is indicated by transparent
red field)
Final Exhibition of your Design - Proposed
Minimum Presentation Expectations:
(given in advance at course beginning)
Final Due: Tuesday July 6,
2004 @ 4:30 pm
Conceptualization and Realization
Be able to verbally present your conceptual intent
for the program in a brief way. You can choose to write a brief
concept statement to be considered a part of your presentation
(8-1/2"x11" sheet of paper done on a word processor),
you can either hang this with your drawings or make copies to
be passed out. If hung, letter style and font size should be able
to be read with ease from 10' away. Also, you are required to
exhibit select preliminary design studies. Format all schematic
design sketches completed on tracing paper (as scrolled or subdivided
into individual sheets) in a way that facilitates their exhibition.
Parti Drawing and Organizational Module
(both at 1/20"=1'-0", or a smaller scale of your choice)
Your parti should be a synthetic approximation
and simplification of formal intent for the entire site and/or
your design, your organizational module should delineate the geometric
order and the relationship between the elements of your design.
These should be a visible part of your presentation, either highlighted
as part of your preliminary work, or as part of another drawing.
Site Master Plan (full facility of 1500 seats) and
Longitudinal Site Section
(1/20"=1'-0")
Drawing and site design should include all significant
features of the existing site context: The Site Master Plan should
include all program elements outlined "Site Master Planning"
section above in this document. Include a general roof plan for
all buildings masses. All parking areas should be designed with
consideration given to general site planning principles, dimensional
minimums associated with vehicular movement, and conventional
parking arrangements.
Floor plan, Longitudinal Section, Transverse Section and
Elevation of Amphitheater and immediate buildings (Phases
One and Two)
(1/8"=1'-0")
Presented and laid-out in a pristine and composed
fashion, draw your developed building design. Use the basic conventions
of orthographic projections to generate your drawings. Your sheets
should be composed consistently in either horizontal or vertical
format with a plan, two sections and one elevation -- in plan,
indicate glazed openings, egress requirements, wall thickness/material,
structure, door openings, doors and door swings, fixtures in restrooms
(include toilet partitions and partition door swings), show major
furniture/fixtures; if applicable, show stair risers and treads,
guardrails and handrails -- in section, lightly show wall construction
and show all pertinent interior elevations. If you know your building
well, you should be able to draw it well. (Section should be taken
at locations important to the design, delineate: tectonic system,
solid/void admission of light, profile visible interior elevations
to delineate space, show important furniture and fixtures, surface
texture, profile shapes to recede in space, represent void openings
with frames if applicable). Draw the Elevation of your building
- delineate walls, doors, openings, and surface texture/detail.
Also cast shade and shadow at a 45° angle to give the elevation
depth.
Refined Study Model of your Design (Phases One and Two)
(1/8"=1'-0")
Acceptable materials: Chipboard, Basswood, Foam-core,
Museum board, Corrugated cardboard, thin aluminum, brass or copper
sheet or tube material --your model should be more than just a
massing model -- show site and proposed building openings -- all
Phase Two elements of your design should be able to be removed
so as to expose the remainding items associated with Phase One.
