FUELING STATION
PROJECT DESCRIPTION & BRIEF
On the corner lot of SE Holgate and SE 26th Ave, in the Greater Brooklyn neighborhood a small gas station and adjacent defunct pump station blend into the industrial SE landscape. The gas station structures were built in 1955, a peak period for automobiles growth. At first glance, the defunct pump station is fairly banal and unassuming. However, with a closer inspection this pump station is simple and humble, utilitarian but elegant in proportion and construction. The “un-architected design” speaks of the 1950’s aesthetics and functionality of a single use structure. The structure holds space for vehicles by a simple extended gabled roof form. Even with limited understanding of the pump station uses, the directional stairs navigate toward its primary intention, to pump fuel.
The automobile's place within the American landscape and society has a long history and is firmly rooted in the nostalgia of Americana. Although the vehicle itself is often at the forefront of attention, the existing infrastructure is typically overlooked, a banal oversight of necessity. The proverbial gas station might be one of the most universally common and familiar “architectural typologies” in modern America. These spaces function as interstitial areas, literally between “point A and point B”. Only through our necessity of fuel, whether that be for our cars or ourselves, via a snack, must we acknowledge its presence.
Over the decades the available modes of transportation have become increasingly more abundant. Portland is a great example; electric cars, scooters, bicycles, street cars, Trimet, buses, and with these, street accessibility. It is not inconceivable to imagine Portland with increasingly less single-occupant automobiles. As electric cars and charging stations gain prevalence the idea of the “gas-station” has changed to the house or electric charging spaces at said arrival point. However seemingly banal the gas station may be, what will happen to these corner streetfront stations in the years to come as our dependence on fossil fuels declines?
The proposed structure pays homage to American dependence on fossil fuels and car culture by renovating the defunct but intact pump station, maintaining its 'un-architected' 1950s design reminiscent of the dynamism and speed of the automobile art movement. As fuel dependency declines, this structure loses its original purpose but gains new life as a place of reprieve.This new space offers the same intention of fueling up, but rather than fossil fuels it offers a place to relax and meditate. The imagined structure provides an opportunity to regain energy between what might be a longer journey or a beacon to like minded travelers. Maintaining its simple structural intentions the once open carports become an extended deck offering a place to sit off of the road beneath. The roof opens up to a skylit framed center attempting to regain balance with nature.
The intention with this design proposal is that not all urban design approaches need to be technologically advanced. Not all inane banal structures need to be demolished. And sometimes we need to remember how far we have come before we move onto our next destination.
The automobile's place within the American landscape and society has a long history and is firmly rooted in the nostalgia of Americana. Although the vehicle itself is often at the forefront of attention, the existing infrastructure is typically overlooked, a banal oversight of necessity. The proverbial gas station might be one of the most universally common and familiar “architectural typologies” in modern America. These spaces function as interstitial areas, literally between “point A and point B”. Only through our necessity of fuel, whether that be for our cars or ourselves, via a snack, must we acknowledge its presence.
Over the decades the available modes of transportation have become increasingly more abundant. Portland is a great example; electric cars, scooters, bicycles, street cars, Trimet, buses, and with these, street accessibility. It is not inconceivable to imagine Portland with increasingly less single-occupant automobiles. As electric cars and charging stations gain prevalence the idea of the “gas-station” has changed to the house or electric charging spaces at said arrival point. However seemingly banal the gas station may be, what will happen to these corner streetfront stations in the years to come as our dependence on fossil fuels declines?
The proposed structure pays homage to American dependence on fossil fuels and car culture by renovating the defunct but intact pump station, maintaining its 'un-architected' 1950s design reminiscent of the dynamism and speed of the automobile art movement. As fuel dependency declines, this structure loses its original purpose but gains new life as a place of reprieve.This new space offers the same intention of fueling up, but rather than fossil fuels it offers a place to relax and meditate. The imagined structure provides an opportunity to regain energy between what might be a longer journey or a beacon to like minded travelers. Maintaining its simple structural intentions the once open carports become an extended deck offering a place to sit off of the road beneath. The roof opens up to a skylit framed center attempting to regain balance with nature.
The intention with this design proposal is that not all urban design approaches need to be technologically advanced. Not all inane banal structures need to be demolished. And sometimes we need to remember how far we have come before we move onto our next destination.