Design the Malama Learning Center in Kapolei, Hawai’i.
Design the Malama Learning Center in Kapolei, Hawai’i.. Wide open architectural competition welcomes all entries.
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Reader comments
Vladislav PeterkaNov 03, 2003 at 9:43AM
Dear Kottke,
I feel obligation to inform You about great mistakes that have been made in Malama Learning Center Competition, regarding winning entry. It is important to read this, because:
· the project that could be built from this project, won’t look as the project drawn,
· it is unhealthy building, because it haven’t followed basic rules Sponsor gave,
· it is probably going to cost more the budget allows because of great excavation
Here are the facts:
PROCEDURAL MISTAKES
The Sponsor, made THE PROGRAM (parts 1 and 2), that all of the competitors had to follow, or to be Disqualified.
The Program has been VIOLATED in the winning entry numerous times:
1 SPACE ALLOCATIONS
(Actual floor areas may vary 10% of those given by the Sponsors)- Program, part I
I will give You all of the floor areas and Difference:
number on drawing
NAME OF THE SPACE
allowed
(sq. ft.)
actual
(sq. ft.)
DIFFERENCE
1,3
lobby/reception/exhibit/gift
1200
3400
+183% (2200sq.ft)
2,7
performance hall
5000
5000
OK
4,5
storages
1600
2500
+57% (900sq.ft)
6
dance studio
900
1400
+55% (500sq.ft)
8
outdoor amphitheatre
9000
9000
OK
9
loading dock
200
600
+200%(200sq.ft)
10
director’s office
120
220
+83%(100 sq.ft)
11,13,16,17
open office, open work,
office supply, office eq.
1100
1100
OK
12
office manager
100
110
OK
14
MLC office
200
170
OK
19
small conference room
200
220
OK
18
classroom
3x900
3x930
OK
20
large conference room
600
970
+62%(230 sq.ft)
21
visiting staff studio
2x1000
1600+1100
+35%(700 sq.ft)
22
resource room
700
1000
+43%(300 sq.ft)
23
outdoor teaching area
nothing in the project is under that number
24
clean lab
500
600
+20%(100 sq.ft)
25
nursery, shadehouse
2400
2500
OK
26
plant maturation area
DOES NOT EXIST in project
27
covered repotting
300
470
+56%(170 sq.ft)
28
outdoor teaching area
700
2600
+371%(1900 sq.ft)
29
native garden
600
4500
+750%(3900 sq.ft)
30
field work
500
500
OK
31,34
tool storage, flammable
700
400
-43%(300 sq.ft)
32
mud room
DOES NOT EXIST in project
33
bulk storage
900
1000
OK
35
kitchen
300
300
OK
36
staff restrooms
2x100
3x100
+50%(100 sq.ft)
37
public restrooms
2x450
2x260
-43%(380 sq.ft)
38,39
custodial, supply
200
360
+80%(160 sq.ft)
40,41
electrical, mechanical
600
360
-40%(240 sq.ft)
Greatest mistakes:
· Needed spaces for Public restrooms, Electrical room, Mechanical room, Tool storage, haven’t been provided !!!
· Mud room and Plant maturation area, Don’t even exist in project!
· Around 11.000 sq.ft of EXTRA space is freely added to program!!!
* Scaled drawings have no graphic scale as required in methods of presentation (part II)
* Scale on board 2 is wrong, Instead of ratio of 3.00 between site plan drawing (1"=60') and floor plans (1"=20'), the ratio drawn is 5.88. One of drawings is not at right scale at all !!!
This project has no way of passing Space allocation requirements.
2 SPACE PROGRAM
In Program, part I, space program was made, in order to make object useable. This has been VIOLATED several times:
Here, I will present You points where winning project’s space program FAILED, not being even near as REQUIRED:
LOBBY
· it is not directly connected to manager’s office! – as required
· It doesn’t have ticket sale desk, - as required
· it does not have ADJACENT public restrooms, - as required
PERFORMANCE HALL
· There is no stage height to make viewing possible. When built, it will change whole backstage traffic!
· The door, as shown on board 2, in upper level plan in performance hall in upper left corner IS USELESS, because it connects spaces with different floor heights !!! (All of the pedestrian traffic is going to be changed at very important point!!)
DANCE HALL
· designed are two instead of one glass window
MLC OFFICE MANAGER
· It is not ADJACENT to ticket control desk, as specifically REQUIRED!
VISITING STAFF STUDIOS
· Doesn’t have separate rooms for relaxation – as required
CUSTODIAL ROOM
· Doesn’t have restroom as required
FIELD WORK
· It DOES NOT connect to the Tool storage room!! -as required
· There is no vehicle access !!- as required
TOOL STORAGE ROOM
· It HAS NO VEHICLE ACCESS AT ALL – access required , a must
KITCHEN
· Is NOT NEAR Conference rooms as required, nor Performance Hall.
BULK STORAGE
· It is NOT an open area as required. If it was, the whole project would be uglier, viewed from street!!!
Program should be rule for everyone. Great effort have to be made to achieve required. This team just RAN AWAY from problems.
IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILT
One of this building’s main features is it’s lower level, free of columns or any other support, as is shown on board1. But if You calculate supporter needed height in it is minimum height = l/10 span, and that is best by far. We can se a span of 100 feet (30.4 meters) here, which gives us beam height of at least 10 feet (3.04meters). It is a must, considering any normal material, concrete, steel frames or wood. Here we have presentation of beams as high as 1-2 feet (0.30-0.60 meters), wich is just not enough.
VERY IMPORTANT:
1
Look at relationship between NURSERY and CLASSROOMS. They are very close, with no barrier between, Pesticides will run freely into classrooms, and that was one of the main things SPONSORS ordered not to happen !!!!!
2
Vehicle access may seem appropriate (although not shown on site perspective at all), but study shows that there is NO WAY TRUCK COULD TURN in given space to operate, even smaller trucks, so vehicle access will be useless!!
3
Building as whole will be unhealthy, because of very poor natural ventilation of lower , main communication parts. They are going to be very stuffy, although they seem to be open areas, they form air pockets.
4
Flammables are unsafely put together with tool storage, in hearth of building
5
Fire brigade access for the most of the building is NOT provided!
CONCLUSION
Although this building seems very nice, it is completely useless, because it needs major changes in order to work properly (given above are 40 major failures).
This jury did very poor job. Those were large amounts of money and effort involved to be spent carelessly. (second award project would suffer sever greenhouse effect, and is not structurally correct at all, third award project has no natural ventilation, doesn’t pass allocation program, has major difficulties in natural lighting and greatest problems in evacuation, etc.…poor jury)
Anybody could build fancy building by not following needs of function,
Not considering genius loci,
Not following given rules.
Sincerely,
Vladislav Peterka
competitor #0086
Kalina Shari Dec 10, 2003 at 4:37PM
The world is a beautiful book for those who can read it.
Barton Julia Dec 20, 2003 at 9:01PM
After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.