University of Florida
School of Architecture
Graduate Design Studio 1 Sighting and Mapping :
seeing the site / territorial assemblage
In Orlando, Florida, we consider context and territory as we construct an extended site through which we will develop ideas of working in the contemporary American city. The project is to consider architect Vittorio Gregotti's idea of territory which he developed in the 80's to counteract booming urban development that either ignored existing conditions or exploited them beyond measure ("Territory and Architecture", 1985). Thinking territorially is to imagine projects whose influences extend beyond the limits of individual buildings. It acknowledges the influence of history, cultural and ecology of a place while avoiding nostalgia, sentimentalism and inflexibility of action.
The site is outlined as three large territories in downtown Orlando. When combined, they define almost 50 acres. These territories consist of fragmented, scattered urban fabric; they lack a cohesive, determined character, but offer a wide range of functions : public buildings, parking lots, small commercial spaces, vacant land, urban infrastructure and large buildings. They constitute what lgnasi sola Morales calls "terrain vague"*.
* Terrain Vague - The "terrain vague" as material - some observations, Luc Lévesque 2002.