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ARCHITECTURE AS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE

The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Centeras a Model for National Urban Response

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Thesis document submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture

atPortland State UniversityPortland, OregonJune 2011

Architecture as Preventive Medicine

byBrian Ritzinger

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PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURESCHOOL OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

The undersigned hereby certify that the Masters thesis of

Brian Ritzinger

has been approved as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture

Thesis Committee:

Chair : Corey GriffinAssistant Professor of Architecture

Date

Juan Manuel HerediaAssistant Professor of Architecture

Date

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Acknowledgements

I am forever grateful to my parents, sisters, and nieces for their love and encouragement throughout my life. I am also thankful for the many inspirational professors and loyal friends that I met on this journey. Thank you to the entire Department of Architecture at Portland State University for their genuine commitment to student success -- notably professors Corey Griffin and Juan Heredia for their inspiration throughout this process.

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Abstract

This investigation identified key factors that contribute to lowered life expectancy and quality of living in impoverished urban neighborhoods. These factors include the lack of access to primary and preventive health care as well as a self-perpetuating cycle referred to in this investigation as the “Camden Principle.” A strategy for selecting an appropriate site is based on the area’s walkability, transit access, the local availability of fresh foods, poverty rates and site visibility. The center serves the neighborhood scale. The building’s program is informed by a statistical analysis of common diseases and their methods of prevention. In an effort to complement the goal of illness prevention, design responses are informed by investigations of human stress recovery as well as studies measuring physical responses to natural elements. The architecture will actively contribute to the goal of illness prevention alongside the programs it contains. The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center will demonstrate this new typology’s potential for prevention in place of medical treatment.

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Table of Contents

1.0 Project Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Historical Influences 1.2 Contemporary Problems 1.3 Prevention Methods 1.4 Environmental Contributors 1.5 Vested Interests 1.6 Camden Principle 2.0 Site Selection ..................................................................................................................... 8

2.1 Poverty and Heart Disease 2.2 The King Neighborhood 2.3 Portland’s Food Desert 2.4 Site Informing Program 2.5 Further Site Considerations 3.0 Programming Prevention ...............................................................................................12 3.1 Vitals Clinic 3.2 Community Gardens 3.3 Diet Improvement 3.4 Exercise Promotion 3.5 Stress Reduction

4.0 Environmental Considerations ................................................................................ 14

4.1 Built vs. Natural Environment 4.2 The Value of Reintegrating Environments 4.3 Evolutionary Preferences 4.4 Academy Mont-Cenis

5.0 Designing Prevention .................................................................................................... 16

5.1 Spatial Requirements 5.2 Initial Design Moves 5.3 Spatial Relationships 5.4 Materials

6.0 The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center ........................................ 20

6.1 Organization 6.2 Volume Massing 6.3 Building Access 6.4 Environmental Systems

7.0 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................

Works Cited .....................................................................................................................................

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................

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List of Tables and Figures

FIG 1: CARACALLA PUBLIC BATHS ......................................................................................2

FIG 2: ROMAN PUBLIC BATHS .................................................................................................3

FIG 3: BOYLSTON ST. LIBRARY .................................................................................................3

FIG 4: CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS ..................................................................................4

FIG 5: GOING ST. MARKET, NE PORTLAND ...................................................................6

FIG 6: CENTRAL DETROIT CHRISTIAN “PEACHES AND GREENS”...............6

FIG 7: DAN ABRAMS HEALTHY LIVING CENTER .......................................................7

FIG 8: OREGON HEALTH COSTS ..........................................................................................7

FIG 9: SITE LOOKING SW FROM NE SUMNER AND MLK ...................................8

FIG 10: PERCENT LIVING IN POVERTY .................................................................................8

FIG 11: SITE LOOKING NW FROM NE ALBERTA AND MLK .................................9

FIG 12: PORTLAND’S FOOD DESERT ....................................................................................3

FIG 13: YOUR HEALTHY LIVING CENTER .......................................................................11

FIG 14: MEDIAN AGE .......................................................................................................................11

FIG 15: MINNEAPOLIS GLOBAL MARKET ........................................................................12

FIG 16: INSTRUCTED YOGA ......................................................................................................12

FIG 17: COMMUNITY GARDENING ....................................................................................13

FIG 18: ExISTING PORTLAND COMMUNITY GARDENS ....................................13

FIG 19: SOUTH PARK BLOCKS .................................................................................................14

FIG 20: SAVANNA-LIKE ENVIRONMENT ..........................................................................15

FIG 21: ACADMY MONT-CENIS ..............................................................................................15

FIG 22: PROCESS ELEVATION ...................................................................................................16

FIG 23: PROCESS SECTION STUDY - URBAN EDGE CONDITON ...............16

FIG 24: PROGRAM FULFILLMENTS ........................................................................................17

FIG 25: DEVELOPMENT OF SCHEME -

STAGGERED WHITE AND GREEN .......................................................................17

FIG 26: SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS ............................................................................................18

FIG 27: KALWALL INSULATED SKYROOFTM ....................................................................19

FIG 28: GLU-LAM ................................................................................................................................19

FIG 29: BOARD FORM CONCRETE ......................................................................................19

FIG 30: LOOKING SOUTH FROM NE SUMNER AND MLK .................................19

FIG 31: THE KING NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTHY LIVING CENTER ...............20

FIG 32: FLOOR PLANS ...................................................................................................................21

FIG 33: PERSPECTIVE FROM VITALS CLINIC LOOKING SOUTH .....................22

FIG 34: PERSPECTIVE FROM MLK LOOKING NORTHWEST ..............................23

FIG 35: SECTION ................................................................................................................................23

FIG 36: SECTION ................................................................................................................................23

FIG 37: DAYLIGHTING ....................................................................................................................24

FIG 38: PARKING .................................................................................................................................25

FIG 39: HEATING SYSTEMS .........................................................................................................26

FIG 40: COOLING SYSTEMS ......................................................................................................27

FIG 41: GREENHOUSE PERSPECTIVE...................................................................................28

FIG 42: LOOKING NORTH TOWARD THE SITE ..........................................................29

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FIG 1: CARACALLA PUBLIC BATHS ROME, ITALY _ AD 216

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FIG 2: ROMAN BATHS FIG 3: BOYLSTON ST. LIBRARY BOSTON, MA

1.0 Project Introduction

With the end goal of discovering an architecture that can actively address preventable health problems, this investigation began by understanding public health typologies of past societies.

1.1 Historical Influences

While many architectural typologies have directly contributed to the prosperity of their served society, Roman baths emerge as an exemplary case where architecture promotes physical and emotional health for the masses. These buildings often offered free access to and cleansed users in fresh water. An extensive system of aqueducts channeled water from often distant sources and was heated on site. Markets, libraries and other civic activities often coalesced around these important public places. Roman baths helped moderate hygiene related health problems that plagued most major cities around the world at this time.

The public baths of Caracalla operated for nearly 300 years and contained well over 1,500 Romans at maximum capacity. Built during the reign of Emperor Caracalla, the baths contributed to a network of approximately 50 other baths built to serve Rome’s crowded neighborhoods. The expansive project is centered around an outdoor gymnasium with changing rooms and pools of varying temperature. Being the largest baths built since those of Trajan, constructed over one hundred years earlier, Caracalla illustrates the value Roman society placed in the baths.1

Just as Roman baths emerged as a culturally relevant building type, so did the contemporary public library. The first publicly supported library in the United States and one of the first in the world, opened on Boston’s Boylston Street in 1858. The value of an educated and literate population was recognized by the masses in the years following, and public libraries emerged in most cities around the world. The need for public spaces promoting literacy and education, just like the Roman’s necessity for hygiene promoting baths, provoked architecture as a social response.

Latin historian, Florence Dupont’s investigation of ancient Roman texts suggests access to hygiene facilities was often a right afforded to all classes of society. She writes, “Even in very ancient times and even in the depth of the country, Romans, including women and slaves, would often wash every day. At Rome itself, baths were taken daily.” Innovations in plumbing and waste treatment have made programmatic elements of the baths unnecessary in modern society, but their use of public means and will to construct, as well as their integration into the daily life of ancient Roman society, act as a model for this investigation.2

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FIG 4: CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS

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(2) Stress Reduction

Stressful situations produce a surge of hormones that cause blood pressure to dramatically rise. These pressure spikes have damaging effects on the circulatory system and the frequent presence of stress hormones increases the risk for heart disease. Managing stress through Yoga, meditation and other forms of conscious breath exercise has been shown to acutely lower blood pressure.

(3) Physical Exercise

People who report being “physically active” tend to have lower heart rates than those who claim to be “less physically active.” Higher resting heart rates indicate how hard the heart must work with each contraction, resulting in a stronger force on the arteries. A minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity each day is commonly recommended to lower and stabilize blood pressure.6

1.3 Prevention Methods

The degree to which hypertension is preventable, especially in populations under 60, is extremely encouraging. The Healthy Living Center addresses the three prevention methods common to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. These three methods are the center’s principle goals:

(1) Diet Improvement

Reducing sodium and saturated fat consumption is a proven method of lowering the most common type of high blood pressure. Alternately, increasing the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and foods rich in potassium is shown to measurably lower unhealthy blood pressure levels. The Mayo Clinic notes a genetic predisposition for Primary High Blood Pressure among African-Americans and recommends heightened prevention methods, especially in regards to sodium intake. Access to healthy, affordable food is essential.

1.2 Contemporary Problems

The value of illness prevention is made more apparent each day as health care and treatment costs rise out of sync with standard price infl ation. In an effort to target the largest problems facing Americans, the 15 leading causes of death in the United States were examined. 3 Each cause of death and its prevention methods, when available, were compared in an effort to locate the greatest potential for impact.

Heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and hypertension (high blood pressure) all rank among the leading causes of death in the United States and share common causes and prevention methods. Hypertension itself is directly responsible for about one percent of all deaths reported each year across the nation. More importantly, hypertension is typically the necessary catalyst for kidney disease, diabetes and heart disease – which are collectively responsible for more than 30% of all deaths in the United States each year. The total cost of treating these four diseases is estimated at just over 800 billion dollars annually, exceeding the 2010 United States defense budget. 4

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Hypertension is measured by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood fl ow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.” Primary Hypertension accounts for roughly 90% of known cases and usually develops as the circulatory system ages. A spring 2011 study published in the journal, Epidemiology found that nearly one in fi ve young adults have hypertension, a signifi cant rise from similar studies done in the past.5 “There is a sleeping epidemic among young adults,” says study researcher, Dr. Kathleen Mullan Harris. “We tend to think of them as a rather healthy group, but the prevalence of 19% with hypertension is alarming.”

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FIG 6: CENTRAL DETROIT CHRISTIAN “PEACHES AND GREENS”FIG 5: GOING ST. MARKET, NE PORTLAND

1.4 Environmental Contributors

Factors surrounding an individuals living environment can directly contribute to illness development. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “A food desert is any area in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain. It is most prevalent in low-socioeconomic minority communities, and is associated with a variety of diet-related health problems.” Many people living in these areas are left choosing between processed food for sale at small corner stores and inexpensive fast food options.7

This problem has been seen in such U.S. cities as Detroit. Following the city’s economic downfall, all large chain grocers within city limits permanently closed or moved to the city’s suburbs. This created an enormous problem for the city’s 830,000 residents, especially those without reliable access to transportation. A group called Central Detroit Christian began selling inexpensive fruits and vegetables in low-income areas through a program called “Peaches and Greens.” Without this program, residents of the once thriving city would have extremely limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, likely increasing the consumption of processed and fast-food.

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FIG 7: DAN ABRAMS HEALTHY LIVING CENTER FIG 8: OREGON HEALTH COSTS

1.5 Vested Interests

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group. The institution is recognized as a leader in providing high quality health care at prices that are often a fraction of comparable institutions.8 A 2008 study produced by The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice found “If nationwide health care spending had mirrored the modest rate of that in Rochester, Minn. — a city where care is dominated by the renowned Mayo Clinic — Medicare would have reduced its costs by $50 billion from 2001 to 2005.” This institution invests heavily in research and early detection of medical issues. As a child growing up in Rochester and later working for the organization, I admired the integrated approach to research and data driven health care.

Beyond illustrating the financial benefits of early detection and primary care, Mayo Clinic offers an architectural model for preventive health care in the programs provided to it’s 32,000 employees. For example, the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center focuses on both physical fitness and mental health. Programmatic elements of this center will be discussed in chapter 3.0 Programming Prevention.

The Mayo Clinic represents an unbiased viewpoint of the monetary value of prevention by being both the provider of health insurance for its employees as well as the provider of employee health care. With the United States government now assuming a larger stake in public health, a truly integrated health care system would benefit tremendously from the expansion of The Healthy Living Center as an adaptable public typology, similar to Roman baths and public libraries.

1.6 Camden Principle

A recent investigation in Camden, NJ, found people who are most let down by current health care systems are also the most expensive patients – with taxpayers frequently paying the bill.9 Camden physician, Dr. Jeffery Brenner asked his colleagues for their “worst of the worst” patients, in terms of age and the degree to which the patient’s illness was preventable. He mapped the home addresses of these patients, and discovered that hundreds of these patients lived in the same low-income housing tower in one of Camden’s poorest neighborhoods. Part of the data collected by Dr. Brenner showed that many of these patients also lacked health insurance. It was revealed that 1% of the people that made use of Camden’s medical facilities accounted

for 30% of the of the city’s total costs generated. Dr. Jeffery Brenner holds the opinion that “Most emergency-room visits and hospitalizations should be considered failures of the health-care system - failures of prevention and other timely care.”

The problem of a small portion of the population accruing enormous medical expenses is not unique to New Jersey. The 2011 Oregon Health Panel concluded that just 20% of Oregon residents account for 80% of the total medical costs generated in the state. An opportunity exists to address the health problems in low-income neighborhoods and control health care costs at the same time.

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2.2 The King Neighborhood

The highest poverty rates in Portland are at the heart of the northeast King Neighborhood.10 Approximately 36% of households within the two-tract area fall below the national poverty threshold. Information regarding poverty rates is tracked by the US Census Bureau according to “Census Tracts,” which are “groups of city blocks designed to be relatively homogenous units with respect to population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions. Census Tracts average 4,000 inhabitants.”

2.0 Site Selection

This new building type must address environmental contributors as well as preventable health issues. High poverty rates and the existence of a food desert emerge as primary site selection criteria.

2.1 Poverty and Heart Disease

A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that “Those who were financially disadvantaged as children and adults were 82% more likely to develop heart disease than those who were comparatively well off in childhood and adulthood.” Because access to medical records is not an option in most cases, the Camden Principle was applied to select a site within the City of Portland, Oregon. High poverty rates emerged as the primary site selection criteria.

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Alberta St.

MLK Blvd.

Percent L iv ing in Pover ty (2009)8.9

13.4

11.6

37.9

35.0

Portland Average: 16%

FIG 9: LOOKING SOUTHWEST FROM NE SUMNER AND MLK JR.

FIG 10: PERCENT LIVING IN POVERTY

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FIG 11: LOOKING NORTH FROM NE ALBERTA AND MLK JR.

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2.5 Site Informing Program

The average age of the neighborhood served will affect what programs are made available in the Healthy Living Center. The King Neighborhood site lies in the center of a large area of people whose average age is greater than 35 years, Portland’s average age.10 A site with younger than average neighbors might include developmental health programs such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, or Big Brothers, Big Sisters in addition to adult focused programs. Programs addressing developmental health will be substituted with a greater emphasis on the adult at this Healthy Living Center.

2.5 Further Site Considerations

To emphasize the public nature of this new building type, a site should be located adjacent to both high visibility access roads and residential neighborhoods of moderate density. The site for the King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center is located northwest of the intersection at NE Alberta Street and NE Martin Luther King, JR. Blvd.

2.3 Portland’s Food Desert

Fresh foods are nearly impossible to obtain within one half-mile of the site. An investigation of local corner markets produced a few limes and a single bulb of garlic. Processed foods dominate the aisles at the neighborhood’s Going St. Market and 76 Food Mart. The area includes an abundance of fast-food options, including one Kentucky Fried Chicken and two Popeyes Chicken locations within one mile of the site. These restaurants provide quick, no clean-up meals at shockingly low prices. Popeyes advertised summer 2011 special is called the “Wicked Chicken Meal.” For $3.99, the meal includes “Tender white meat cooked in a uniquely crispy coating until twisty and curly, served with fries, a buttermilk biscuit, and your very own mini bottle of Tabasco® Sauce.”

The King Neighborhood is a food desert and it’s inhabitance are thus exposed to one of the primary risk factors linked to several preventable illnesses. A Healthy Living Center could provide currently unavailable nutritional food resources to combat preventable illnesses.

Median Age by B lock (2009)< 35

> 60

35-60

Alberta St.

MLK Blvd.Portland Average: 35

FIG 12: PORTLAND’S FOOD DESERT(LEFT)

FIG 13: YOUR HEALTHY LIVING CENTER (TOP OF PAGE)

FIG 14: MEDIAN AGE(ABOVE)

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3.0 Programming Prevention

3.1 Vitals Clinic

Americans who spend their entire life below the poverty threshold are 82 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Access to primary care is essential in the detection and management of hypertension and prevention of more serious health problems.

The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center will function in support of a central “Vitals Clinic.” Informed by a model already used in many large corporations to keep their employees healthy, “Health Coaches” will track an individual’s blood pressure and offer prevention advice at regular visits. Health coaches are typically Nurse Practitioners or Dieticians who distance themselves from the traditional image of a Health Professional. The Vitals Clinic does not treat existing problems, but functions to keep neighbors informed of their current health status and guide users toward complimentary prevention programs within the Healthy Living Center.

3.2 Community Gardens

The center’s largest programmatic addition includes indoor and outdoor community garden plots, as well as gardening classrooms. Gardening is the only programmatic addition to fulfill all three of the center’s principle goals: Diet Improvement, Exercise Promotion, and Stress Reduction. A Dutch investigation into the overall health of urban residents compared groups who had access to community garden plots, known as allotments, and people who did not. “Allotment gardeners scored significantly or marginally better on all measures of health and well-being than neighbors in the same age category.” The physical activity associated with gardening, the gardener’s connection with the natural environment and the production of healthy food sources greatly benefit the circulatory illnesses targeted in this investigation.

Portland Oregon, currently offers 35 community gardens located throughout the city - all of which are smaller than the available area at the King neighborhood site. These gardens are operated by volunteers and city employees and they generally exist in areas with a higher average income than the King Neighborhood.

3.3 Diet Improvement

The shopping experience and preparation of processed foods are often very different than fresh foods. A produce market, cooking classes, and cafe will work to establish skills associated with a healthy diet.

The market is necessary to supply the immediate need for fresh, affordable foods in the King Neighborhood. Other cities have successfully created indoor spaces for farmers and other vendors to sell produce to the public. Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis’s South Powderhorn Park neighborhood states its mission: “We exist to develop and maintain a public market that builds upon the economic, social and cultural assets within the surrounding community and welcomes the diverse peoples of this community to share healthy foods.” While this project is an adaptive re-use of an historic building, the extent of governmental support and site characteristics make it a model for the Healthy Living Center.

Cooking classes will provide skills that contemporary lifestyles often lack. The Oregon Trail Café, named after Oregon’s SNAP (food stamp) program, will provide low cost healthy meals to neighborhood residents. Receipts will contain ideas for healthy snacks and recipes for at home use.

3.4 Exercise Promotion

Mayo Clinic’s Healthy Living Center serves as the model for programs that promote exercise. The center places an emphasis on water aerobics because of the lowered impact on body joints. The pool in the model center uses salt in place of chlorine. Salt water is thought to be easier on sensitive skin, preventing chorine related complications. The Mayo Clinic advocates the value of practicing yoga and provides many daily classes for employees. The clinic cites measurable improvements in the overall health of regular yoga participants, including reductions in blood pressure. A space equal in size to a yoga studio will be provided for free weights and other methods of fitness training.

3.5 Stress Reduction

Meditation and breathing exercises can help manage stress levels and blood pressure when practiced routinely. These exercises will be taught in a space shared with yoga classes. This studio will take on careful design considerations discussed in section 4.2 The Value of Reintegrating Environments.

FIG 15: MINNEAPOLIS GLOBAL MARKET FIG 16: INSTRUCTED YOGA

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FIG 18: ExISTING PORTLAND COMMUNITY GARDENS

FIG 17: COMMUNITY GARDENING

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4.0 Environmental Considerations

4.1 Built vs. Natural Environment

Twentieth century Russian geologist Vladimir Vernadsky’s idea of the “Noosphere” literally removes humans from the natural elements of life contained within the “Biosphere.” He asserts that human cognition fundamentally separates us from other animals found in nature.11 The 20th century saw the manifestation of this idea with the popularity of sealed building envelopes. Many people now spend much of their lives inside of homes, schools and work places which are often made completely separate from the exterior environment. The 1948 Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon illustrates many of our current living and working conditions with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers crediting it as the first building to be “completely sealed and air conditioned.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “The term sick building syndrome is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.” This problem was identified in a 1984 World Health Organization report and was typically responded to with an increased focus on indoor air quiality.12 While improving indoor air quality is important, it is only one part of the solution.

FIG 19: SOUTH PARK BLOCKS - PORTLAND, OR

4.2 The Value of Reintegrating Environments

Evidence suggests that the natural environment improves mood and mental functioning.13 A Sweedish study published in 1991 revealed that “Stressed Individuals who took a forty-minute walk in an urban nature area dominated by trees reported improved emotional states and performed better at a proofreading task than equivalently stressed individuals that took a walk in an urban setting without trees.” The studies author, Terry Hartig, suggests an architectural application for these ideas when he a says “With a concern for normal, recurring needs for restoration, our scope of application opens to the population and as with other public health interventions, changes the living environment of that population.”

Even very limited exposure to the natural environment has measurable effects on stress recovery in one Pennsylvania study following patients recovering from a consistent type of operation.14 “Patients were assigned randomly to rooms that were identical except one pair overlooked trees; the other views looked onto only a brick wall. Patients with the natural view had shorter hospital stays, fewer negative comments in nurses’ notes, and had lower scores for minor post-surgical complications such as persistent headaches or nausea requiring medication.” These findings suggested the Healthy Living Center reintegrate the built and natural environments.

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FIG 20: SAVANNA-LIKE ENVIRONMENT

FIG 21: ACADEMY MONT-CENIS

4.3 Evolutionary Preferences

The verdant environments that contributed to the survival of our species still appeal to our senses. The productivity benefits of natural and dynamic day lighting are perhaps the most documented advantages of this environment. Other findings can also inform our built spaces, including one study that shows people of varying cultures often point out a photo of a “savanna-like” environment when asked to choose a preference among several options.15 A savanna typically includes groups of large trees and areas of water. These aspects of the natural environment will be be considered in the design of the Healthy Living Center.

4.4 Academy Mont-Cenis

The Academy Mont Cenis in Herne-Sodigen, Germany exemplifies the adaptation of evolutionary preferences in a work of architecture. The distinction between the built and natural environment is blurred by using the main envolpe as a large greenhouse to re-create the weather of Nice, France in northern Germany. The extensive use of natural materials, water and day lighting create indoor spaces with many of the aspects desired from the natural environment. Operable windows and ducts control temperature and fresh air intake. The buildings re-naturalization of a contaminated site and creation of an interior microclimate stood as inspirational goals.

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5.0 Designing Prevention

The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center

5.1 Spatial Requirements

Indoor programs of the Healthy Living Center are grouped into two main categories, White Space and Green Space.

White Space

Vitals Clinic - 2,500 sfResource Library - 6,000 sfLobby/Information - 1,000 sf

Produce Market - 2,100 sfCooking Classes - 750 sfOregon Trail Café - 1,250 sfRestrooms - 600 sf

Natatorium - 7,000 sfYoga/Meditation Studio - 1,200 sfFlexible Training Space - 1,200 sfLocker Rooms - 1,250 sfRestrooms - 400 sfUtility Spaces - 600 sf

Indoor Green Spaces

Classroom Gardens - 5,250 sfIndoor Plots - 10,000 sf

The 1.7 acre (95,000 sq ft) site affords generous room for an outdoor community garden. This outdoor garden will occupy remaining area on the site and be the 36th community garden operated by Portland Parks and Recreation. FIG 23: PROCESS SECTION STUDY -

URBAN EDGE CONDITION

FIG 22: PROCESS ELEVATION

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FIG 25: DEVELOPMENT OF SCHEME - STAGGERED WHITE AND GREEN

FIG 24: PROGRAM FULFILLMENTS

5.2 Initial Design Moves

The Academy Mont-Cenis inspired a singular envelope containing white space programs as well as the indoor green space. Staggering these two types of program allows white spaces additional exposure to the more natural environments created with the indoor green space.

The Vitals Clinic is placed prominently in the buildings center and elevated above the resource library to enhance views of all supporting programs.

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Produce Market

ClassroomKitchen

ClassroomGardensCafe

DIET

IMPROVEMENT

Salt WaterAerobics Pool

Locker Rooms

Circuit Training

Yoga

Community Garden Plots

ResourceLibrary

ResourceResourceLibraryLibrary

STRESS

REDUCTION

EXERCISE

PROMOTION

IMMERSED

ADJACENT

VISUAL

CONNECTION TO NATURAL

ENVIRONMENT

5.3 Spatial Relationships

Individual aspects of program often overlap multiple building goals. These programs have varying connections with the natural environment based on the factors inherent to each activity, such as yoga’s focus on stress management, giving it a more direct adjacency with the natural environment than locker rooms, which exclusively support other programs.

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5.4 Materials

A simple material pallet was selected with the central goal of creating an environment that blurs the distinction between the indoors and outdoors.

A Kalwall Insulated SkyroofTM system is used to cover each greenhouse and provide natural, dynamic day-light to the Healthy Living Center. Because most plants prefer diffused light, approximately 80 percent of each greenhouse will be covered in translucent panels. Fruiting plants, such as tomatoes and cucumbers prefer direct light and will be placed in plots below the transparent panels.

The primary structuring method consists of system of glu-lam beams and columns. Glu-lam wood products are a renewable and locally produced material. They possess a desired natural aesthetic and the ability to span great distances. Natural light will filter through wood beams and purlins in the greenhouses, highlighting this beautiful material and casting a warm light.

Interior walls are created with reinforced board form concrete. Wire-brushing the wood grain before pouring the walls exaggerates intricate patterns in the wood. These complex patterns help bring life to a material that typically lacks visual complexity. Concrete was chose for it’s strength and ability to moderate interior temperature swings by providing thermal mass.

FIG 26: SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS(LEFT)

FIG 27: KALWALL Insulated SkyroofTM

FIG 28: GLU-LAM

FIG 29: BOARD FORM CONCRETE FIG 30: LOOKING SOUTH FROM NE SUMNER AND MLK

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6.0 The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center

6.1 Organization

In an effort to activate the areas commercial corridor, indoor programs of the Healthy Living Center are placed along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The outdoor community garden is located on the western portion of the site, north of bicycle and vehicle parking.

Access to the center is provided at the south end of the site on both the east and west sides of the building. While emergency egress is available at appropriate distances throughout the building, general access is limited in order to influence user navigation.

The accessibility of programs is divided into three categories: quick access, quiet program and exercise promotion. These bays are staggered between two large greenhouses. Quick access program is located near the center’s entrances and includes the produce market, cooking

classroom and cafe. Quiet program includes the Vitals Clinic and a resource library. Program that promotes exercise is located in the northernmost bay, directing users past the Vitals Clinic and through both greenhouses on an elevated walkway.

FIG 31: THE KING NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTHY LIVING CENTER

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FIG 32: FLOOR PLANS

2222

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FIG. 33 PERSPECTIVE FROM VITALS (LEFT) CLINIC LOOKING SOUTH A health coach describes amenities of the King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center to a new user from the central Vitals Clinic.

FIG. 34 PERSPECTIVE LOOKING (RIGHT) NORTHWEST FROM MLK

FIG 35: SECTION

FIG 36: SECTION

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Winter Solstice21 o

MicroshadeTM Windowson Building Elevation

block direct ray light while allowing unobstructed views.

Summer Solstice 68 o

Transparent Roof and Window System allow direct ray light to pass

into greenhouses.

Tanslucent KawallTM roof system difusses light creating ideal growing conditions for

most types of produce.

Opaque fl at roofs protect the center’s white spaces

from direct light and resulting glare problems.

6.2 Massing

Sun angles at the summer and winter solstice inform certain column and beam angles, as well as the width of each greenhouse. At no point during the year will direct light enter the building’s white spaces. Because certain plants require direct light, a small portion of the greenhouse roof is covered with transparent panels and a larger portion is covered with translucent panels. Direct light will pass through trees planted below the peak of

the greenhouses creating a dynamically lit environment and reconnecting users to natural lighting cycles that are often absent in the built environment. The east and west facing elevations consist of wood framed MicroshadeTM windows.

6.3 Access

An alley running north-south through the center of the site is preserved. Three of the four existing homes on the block include detached garages that are accessed from this route. The alley was determined to be the western limit of buildable land on site and will provide vehicle access to both of the greenhouses and outdoor community garden west of the alley. Four accessible parking spaces are provided at the sites southwest corner.

FIG 37: DAYLIGHTING

FIG 38: PARKING + OUTDOOR (RIGHT) COMMUNITY GARDEN

2525

FIG 37: DAYLIGHTING

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Staggered Radiant Heat System

Heat is provided through radiant hydronic slabs in each programmatic bay.

Temperature Moderators

Heat Storage Mediums_ Rain Water Collection Cistern_ Aerobics Pool

Water has a higher heat capacity than most commonly available materials.

The aerobics pool and greenhouse cistern help moderate interior temperature fuclutaions.

Green houses

These sealed structures trap the suns heat energy and assist active heating systems during the winter months.

FIG 39: HEATING SYSTEMS

6.4 Environmental Systems

The singular building envelope enclosing both white and green space made environmental systems particularly important. The greenhouses passively contribute to the buildings heat gain. This effect is desired at most points in the year given Portland’s cool to mild climate. They supplement radiant hydronic slabs in the white spaces.

Staggering white and green space helps keep their environmental conditions similar. Thermal mass is provided in the concrete interior strucure, aerobics pool and rain water collection cistern to help moderate temperature swings. Few spaces within the Healthy Living Center’s main envelope are fully enclosed, promoting climate consistancy.

In the warmer summer months, heat generated by the greenhouses and prevailing winds will passivly drive ventalation. Large awning windows along the southern exposure of each greenhouse will exhaust warm air. Overhead doors in each greenhouse and gound level operable windows will open to provide fresh air intake.

Water running through the hydronic slab can activly remove heat from the buildings interior when neccessary.

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Passive Ventilation

Considerations _ Prevailing Seasonal Winds _ Roof Pitch and Angle

Winds generally come from the north and northwest during the warm summer months.

The pitched roofs of the greenhouses accelerate wind speed.

An area of negative pressure is created to the south of each roof pitch.

Operable vents open to draw warm air from the buildings interior spaces.

Overhead doors in the greenhouses and awning windows throughout the center provide fresh air intake.

FIG 40: COOLING SYSTEMS

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7.0 Conclusion

This investigation identified key factors that contribute to lowered life expectancy and quality of life in impoverished urban neighborhoods. Preventable illnesses that affect the circulatory system exist at an alarming scale in our society and disproportionately affect lower-income populations. Environmental factors magnify this problem for many people living in areas with limited access to fresh foods. Providing residents nutritional food options that are otherwise unavailable is a central concern when addressing this public health problem.

The center’s built environment contributes to health promotion by blurring it’s distinction from the natural environment. The documented benefits of exposure to nature offer a wealth of inspiration to the architects and planners of our modern urban spaces. The measurable effects of natural environments on stress recovery and overall well-being informed many decisions in the design process. The urban areas that stand to benefit from a Healthy Living Center are some of the most removed from the natural environment. Addressing these areas has a great potential for positive impact.

The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center demonstrates the potential to learn from public health typologies of the past and adapt them to address modern health concerns. Measurable improvements in public health can be made by targeting specific urban areas and providing healthy environments to house prevention programs. The King Neighborhood Healthy Living Center illustrates this new typology’s potential for illness prevention in place of medical treatment.

A community survey questioning what types of programs neighborhood residents would prefer was suggested at final review. This further investigation of what community members desire from the center would help ensure its success by attracting more residents.

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FIG 41: GREENHOUSE PERSPECTIVE(LEFT)

FIG 42: LOOKING NORTH TOWARD THE KING NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTHY LIVING CENTER

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