Dec 20

th
2013 Sarah Chan 100855438
Recycling Architecture in Canada
ARCH4206A
Professor: Sheryl Boyle
Essay: Contrasting to Connect Space and Program


The intent, attitude and goals of adaptive-reuse are reflected through the method used for
connecting functioning buildings. In the recent projects of Milstein Hall in Cornell University by OMA
Architects and Higgins Hall in Pratt Institute by Stephen Holl Architects, new spaces are physically
bridged between individual heritage buildings. Both projects embody the method of contrast as a
connection of space to unify program. Firstly, a dialogue between the old and new spaces is seen through
the intent and conceptualization of these connections. Secondly, a change of character is established
within the contrasting space through the materials employed. Lastly, the new distinctive forms in the
connection create didactic spaces for architectural education. This method of contrast is used to define a
relationship between the old and new institutional spaces.
Both Milstein Hall and Higgins Hall are cases of architecture schools whose new addition acts as
an extension of program into the new connection of space. In addition to a physical contrast of the new
spaces designed, the intentionality and architectural ideas of the new connection also pose a contrast to
original intentions for the existing buildings.
In the case of Milstein Hall, OMAs winning proposal focused on the effects of the connection to
the larger whole of the site, taking an approach which aims to revitalize beyond the single scope of the
project. The significance of Milstein Hall is that it creates a united space for the institution, rather than
operating as an individual building. Shigematsu, one of OMAs key architects for the project, expresses
the intent to reprogram the entire complex, stating that an urbanistic approach towards the whole of
campus was essential.
1
His goal, along with partner Rem Koolhaas, was to define the connection as an
iconic place, taking into consideration the collective whole of the existing buildings.
2
Milstein Hall

1
Christine Rankin; Erin Truax. "OMA's Milstein Hall; Interview with Shohei Shigematsu." IntAR 2 (2013): 80.
2
Ibid., 80
responds to the whole of the larger campus, redirecting the open space towards the beautiful gorge by
extending northwards and readdressing the need for public space through the creation of plaza facing
west.
3
Along with the physical building connection, indirect connections of space are also made towards
the foundry across the road through building form. This articulated intentionality of Milstein Hall
contrasts greatly against the cluster of individually functioning buildings around a large parking lot that
Cornells University was once comprised of.
The reprogramming of Milstein Hall is also credited to existing theories of connection and
architectural conservation. OMAs urbanistic conception of Milstein Hall as a connecting space was
deeply influenced by Ungers theory. Oswald Mathias Ungers was a German architectural theorist who
stated the importance of recreating spaces for existing buildings for the contemporary city, coining the
term city within a city. His idea focuses on sustainability, creating a framework which supports adaptive
reuse. He states that the new adaptations of space should not just be avant-garde, but that the architecture
provides a dialectical process, meaning a confrontation with the existing.
4
From a morphological
standpoint, this means assessing which elements are missing and which need to be added. Ungers theory,
put into practice by OMA, evolves into using contrasting building spaces to revitalize the school as a
solution for urban voids. It explains OMAs intent to create a city where there was none, through the
dialectic space moving through Milstein, Sibley, and Rand Hall. Milstein Hall as a connection creates this
dialectic space in a number of adaptive measures employed. In keeping with Ungers theory, a
confrontation with the existing is met with minimal intervention of the existing envelope. Connection
details done with steel angles allow Milstein Hall to slip in between the existing buildings of Sibley and
Rand Hall, rather than impose a new structural system.
5
In addition, no true programming is put into place
within Milstein Hall, leaving it as adaptive studio space or as Ungers definition of flexible spaces for
future uses. The conception of Milstein Hall plays a large role in the reason why contrast was used as the

3
Ibid., 84
4
Florian Hertweck; Sbastien Marot. The City in the City: Berlin: a Green Archipelago. New York: Lars Muller Publishers, 2013.

5
Christine Rankin; Erin Truax. "OMA's Milstein Hall; Interview with Shohei Shigematsu." IntAR 2 (2013): 80.
connective nature of Milstein Hall, creating a dialogue between the old and new while serving a larger
purpose of uniting the school.
In the case of Higgins Hall of Pratt Institute, the role of the new connection serves as an essential
link for the entire building. Its conception was based on the idea of unity within a building and is referred
to as an urban insert, linking existing buildings for much needed circulation and studio space.
6
Like
Milstein Hall, a conscious urbanistic effort was made to reconnect the building with the larger design of
the campus. The method of contrast is seen in within the larger fabric of the campus, where the once
intentionally isolated Higgins Hall in the lower southeast end is now reintegrated back with its
surrounding site. The location of Higgins Hall is surrounded by the syntax of 19
th
century artificial mill
construction, an artificial pond surrounded by a park-like interface between the original street grids, a
loosely planned university campus and a picturesque suburban fabric.
7
As a response to the site, Higgins
Hall contains a topographic work opening out onto the pond together with a stand of trees, and turning its
orthogonal back, containing classrooms and offices to an access road from the suburban pattern and
eventually linking across the river into the city.
8
This stands in contrast to the existing buildings that flank
the new insert, whose grounded presence is imposed onto the existing fabric. The two different moods
evoked throughout the building serves a didactic role for the students, demonstrating how the contrasting
new connection can serve as a rejuvenation of the old in dialogue with the new. It is a rare intervention
that has ended up creating the institution as a new beginning.
9


The most obvious contrast of both Milstein Hall and Higgins Hall is the physical change of
character as the spaces shift from old and new. In both cases, this is achieved through the materiality of
structural elements. In the case of Milstein Hall, the new building connects the old spaces of Sibley and
Rand Hall using a hybrid truss system comprised of 1200 tons of steel and glass. Again, Ungers idea of
the confrontation with the existing is seen with the skeletal lightness of steel and glass standing in

6
Sallie Moffat. "Higgins Hall." Architectural Lighting 20, no. 2 (2006): 32
7
Kenneth Frampton. "Prometheus Bound and Unbound." Domus 2, no. 896 (2006): 47
8
Ibid., 47
9
Ibid., 47
complete contrast against the heavy opacity of brick masonry of Sibley and Rand Hall. Milstein Hall
utilizes an enormous truss system which cantilevers 50 feet outwards to the north (see fig. 1). The use of
glass and steel also adheres to Ungers belief that that new architectural elements can be added to a
connection to provoke a certain moment.
10
Though different in character, OMA also uses contrasting in a
way that prevents lack of integration by their use of materiality. The materials chosen are respectful of the
existing building envelopes and site, and it provides an essential programmatic link between Sibley and
Rand Hall. In a symbolic sense, transparency and visibility were important because of both the intensively
landscaped campus and the heritage Beaux-Art style campus buildings. Koolhaas and Shigematsu both
emphasize that a conscious effort was made to create a completely transparent space with a green roof to
emulate the landscape. Not only does the use of glass and steel show respect for the surrounding heritage
buildings, but it will broadcast student work suspended in the landscaped campus. The much needed
connection between Rand and Sibley Hall is realized through Milstein Hall where the use of glass and
steel in a suspended truss system allows a dialogue of the old and new. As two individual components,
the use of contrasting materials preserves both the old building while expressing current culture and
technology through the conscious decision of using glass and steel. A collective whole, it is an efficient
way to demonstrate the schools attitude towards current measures taken toward designing for the future.
Higgins hall is similar in the idea that materials were carefully chosen as a contrast against the
existing. The two heavy brick-masonry structures flanking the sides of the new insert of Higgins Hall give
off a heavy and dark atmosphere in contrast to the light and airy atmosphere given off by the semi-
transparent glass of the new insert. Rising from the damaged brick on either side of the new connection is
a concrete frame supported on six columns spanned with concrete; it is sheathed with insulative U-shaped
channel structural glass with white interior insulation.
11
Similar to Milstein Hall, the materials were
chosen as a response to the existing brick-masonry, with its transparent qualities showcasing the
structures interior and adjoining to the weathered brick.
12
The intent was to respect the existing envelope

10
John Jourden . An Interview with OM Ungers. Log 16, no. 1 Anyone Corporation. (2009): 32
11
Stephen Holl: Higgins Hall Center Section, Pratt Institute School of Architecture. GA Document 5 no.89 (2005): 35
12
Stephen Holl Architects: Pratt Institute, Higgins Hall Center Section. Lotus International, No. 136 (2008): 91
through a semi-transparent material, while introducing a new mood against the existing. The choice of
contrasting materials also has a symbiotic purpose within the larger context of the school. Serving as a
connection, the glass structure offers a dialogue between current technology and the older heritage spaces.
In addition to safety concerns, the glowing skin of Higgins Hall represent a soul within the school, where
student life is broadcasted out towards the community during the night.
13
As individual sections, the
masonry and glass give off contrasting moods. As a whole, the life of the school can be seen through the
academic activities during the day and a broadcast of student life during night through the glowing skin.
The use of contrasting materials is essential in the rejuvenation of Higgins Hall.

Lastly, the forms of the new connecting buildings of Milstein Hall and Pratt Institute unify the
program through the method of contrast. In both cases, frameworks and various hidden interior spaces
break the formal rhythms of the existing buildings. The spaces designed throughout the connections serve
as a pedagogical framework in which architectural education can take place.
In Milstein Hall, the quality of the existing structures is evoked through the dense opaqueness of
the vertical free-standing buildings. Both Sibley Hall and Rand Hall were erected during the city beautiful
movement, reflecting Beaux-Art forms of simplicity and symmetry. As a direct connection of space
between these two buildings, Milstein Hall creates a distinct visual contrast. The exterior of Milstein Hall
introduces a horizontal element to the existing site, taking the form of a simple stealth box that cantilevers
and connects historical buildings.
14
The box connects to the second level of Sibley Hall and is sunken
lower for Milstein Hall where an open plate of 25 000 square feet of space is left open for studio space;
the entrance to the Hall is located on the middle floor.
15
Although the floor plate appears to be a square,
Milstein Hall hides a number of architectural frameworks within the interior. This use of contrasting
forms was created by OMA with the intent of creating frameworks of raw spaces to serve as pedagogical
platforms. The box mediates between three different architectural styles within the interior to unify an

13
Sallie Moffat. "Higgins Hall." Architectural Lighting 20, no. 2 (2006): 33
14
INTAR,
15
Clifford Pearson. "Academic Boxing Match." Architectural Record 200, no. 2 (2012): 45
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/922491414/141E367927E666C44F3/8?accountid=9894 (accessed November
1, 2013).
educational program with a diverse architectural vocabulary. The three vocabularies include the Miesian
box, the organic blob, and the Postmodern aside.
16
Embodied within these forms are modified statements
of architectural history, including Paul Rudolphs bush-hammered concrete of Yales Art and
Architecture building during the 1960s, a large circular opening that recalls Louis Kahns Philips Exeter
Library, classical architecture as delineated in Petra Blaisses curtains, and the provocative elevator
room la Bordeaux, and the auditorium section reminiscent of the Rotterdam Kunsthal.
17
In addition,
the open crit spaces which accommodate a stair to the auditorium reflect the scenario of theatrical living
rooms of the Waldorf Hotel during the 1930s.
18
This variety of architectural framework is hidden behind
a steel and glass structural box, cladded with striped marble which recalls the striped tar-paper-like fascia
at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
19
This collection of distinct visual forms presents a new discourse
for Cornell University as an institute for architectural education.
Through form, Higgins Hall was able to revitalize the existing while its new spatial gestures
provide a didactic school environment. Higgins Hall of Pratt Institute was originally built during the
Romanesque Revival Period in 1868. The existing buildings flanking the new insertion are two rectilinear
forms which extrude up to five floors on the western side, and to six levels on the east side topped by
gable roofs. By introducing the contemporary connection, the verticality is countered by a horizontal
extension. Connecting the two freestanding buildings of Higgins Hall is a lower three story faade of
translucent and semi-translucent glass. It appears as a simple extrusion of a box across the existing
buildings and transforms the buildings footprint into an H-shaped plan. However, similar to Milstein
Hall, the hidden interior form of the building operates as a pedagogical vocabulary for the architectural

16
Clifford Pearson. "Academic Boxing Match." Architectural Record 200, no. 2 (2012): 44-49.
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/922491414/141E367927E666C44F3/8?accountid=9894 (accessed November
1, 2013).

17
Cynthia Davidson. "Building Scenarios: Milstein Hall." Log 26 (2012): 47.
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/1289466900/141E367927E666C44F3/6?accountid=9894 (accessed
November 1, 2013).
18
Ibid., 47
19
Cynthia Davidson. "Building Scenarios: Milstein Hall." Log 26 (2012): 41-47.
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/1289466900/141E367927E666C44F3/6?accountid=9894 (accessed
November 1, 2013).
program. The interior of this horizontal box includes distinctive arrangements of space which respond to
the existing forms. Holl purposely creates a zone of discontinuity, as a response to the non-alignment of
the floors in the adjacent buildings. This moment of dissonance is emphasized on the elevation by the
alternation between a thin translucent white skin and glass which correspond to the internal ramps.
20

Allusions to architectural statements were also integrated within this connection, similar to Milstein Hall.
The new elevation along the north-south axis serves as the main-entry and is marked by red-ochre steel-
framed windows that cascade down towards a three-dimensional plate-glass entry cubicle.
21
The manner
in which this form was done recollects of the contemporary entrances of the Cranbrook Science Center or
the entry of the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki.
22
In addition, its new structural framework also expands
into a curving underground lecture space that is connected with a staircase reminiscent to the Scala Regia.
The new form of the connection is one in a way that is distinctive from the existing; this contrast is
essential in the definition of the relationship of the new space to the old. Holl masterfully solves this
architectural puzzle by creating a pedagogic space with his new contrasting forms.
Both Milstein Hall and Higgins Hall present themselves as case studies in which the articulated
concept of the connection, materials used, and forms used taken advocate for a contrasting architectural
link. The integration of spaces is united by pedagogical intentions in which a dialogue takes place
between the old and the new. Goals of adaptive reuse are not compromised by expressions of current
technology, and statements of the past do not lack significance against the present forms. The use of
contrast serves not only as a statement between past and present architectural goals, but also of the future
goals. Together with ideas of connection from O.M. Ungers and goals of adaptive re-use, these spaces of
connection continue to tell an educational narrative.





20
Kenneth Frampton. "Prometheus Bound and Unbound." Domus 2, no. 896 (2006): 47
21
Ibid., 47
22
Ibid., 48
Works Cited

Davidson, Cynthia. "Building Scenarios: Milstein Hall." Log 26 (2012): 41-47.
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/1289466900/141E367927E666C44F3
/6?accountid=9894 (accessed November 1, 2013).

Frampton, Kenneth . "Prometheus Bound and Unbound." Domus 2, no. 896 (2006): 42-55.

Hertweck, Florian; Marot, Sbastien. The City in the City: Berlin: a Green Archipelago. New York:
Lars Muller Publishers, 2013.

Jourden, John. An Interview with OM Ungers. Log 16, no. 1 Anyone Corporation. (2009): 30-38

Moffat, Sallie. "Higgins Hall." Architectural Lighting 20, no. 2 (2006): 29-35.

Pearson, Clifford . "Academic Boxing Match." Architectural Record 200, no. 2 (2012): 44-49.
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/avery/docview/922491414/141E367927E666C44F3/
8?accountid=9894 (accessed November 1, 2013).

Rankin, Christine, and Erin Truax. "OMA's Milstein Hall; Interview with Shohei Shigematsu." IntAR 2
(2013): 78-87.

"Stephen Holl: Higgins Hall Center Section, Pratt Institute School of Architecture." GA document 5, no.
89 (2005): 32-41.

"Steven Holl Architects: Pratt Institute, Higgins Hall Center Section." Lotus International 1, no. 136
(2008): 90-93.
http://proxy.library.carleton.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/docview/55
420629?accountid=9894 (accessed November 1, 2013).