Zibaldone 7

There are a number of factors that come in to play when describing or explaining how a building meets the ground. It can depend on such things like where the site is located and what the intentions are for the finished building. On our walk through and around Harvard this past week, we came across a number of structures that met the ground differently. Larsen Hall was intended to house more program than the site would have allowed so the designers were forced to sink the structure below ground level as to not create a towering building in the residential area. Using the dropped site to their advantage, the building was set back from the street to create an accessible outdoor space, accentuating the dropped structure.

            Similar to Larsen Hall, Hauser Hall also faced some issues with the overall footprint of the design. Hauser Hall is another example of the surroundings of a site that defines how a building meets the ground. In relation to the existing structures done by H.H. Richardson, the building seems to “fan out” at the base giving the feeling that its heavy. What intrigued me though, was how the original plan had to be modified in order to prevent the building from obstructing an important view. This drastically changes how the building meets the ground because now its footprint forces a perspective or defines a certain view.