A diagram map based upon the pirate captivity and activity in Downtown Savannah and the city's sub tunnels. The main concept idea is the recycling process of 3 main focal points in the downtown area: the river (top portion), the restaurant called the Pirate's House (top/middle right) and the Forsyth Park (bottom). All 3 points continue to be active and have been active in Downtown Savannah for more than 250 years, and have played a major role in the legends and stories about pirate activity in the city. They used to serve a different purpose 250 years ago than of the one that they do now.
It can be noticed that there are elevations in the map. The elevations are associated with not only real life elevation but the importance of each. For example: the Pirate's house is the most important point of the concept, therefore it has the highest elevation.
The wire pieces symbolize imaginary lines that connect these main 3 focal points in relation to how the activities in each connected them along the years. The materials used for this diagram were: Indian ink (green and black), water, watercolor paper, mylar paper, black ink pens, pencil, plexiglass (only for the Pirate's House and Forsyth Park elevations), foam board and wire.
The river area is directly connected to the Pirate's House, through the sub tunnels from the restaurant's basement and through the streets of Downtown Savannah. About 250 years ago, this area was used by the pirates to take their victims and place them on boats usually leading to unknown or far away places. This area was also used as the entry/exit of the city, therefore the pirates would also use it to import and export their goods (treasure, drinks and food). Now a days, it still can be used as entry/exit but not for pirates anymore. And it is also a great place for tourists and locals to enjoy a tranquil day and take various pictures.
It is not a location as important as the Pirate's House and the Forsyth Park, but it does share some complementary importance to these other 2 places.
The most important focal point in the map and in the history of pirate activity and captivity in Downtown Savannah. It is the only point that is connected at the same time to both the river and the Forsyth Park area. Back 250 years ago, people believed it to be the main encounter place of the pirates and where they would fraternize, plan their activities, have their meals, steal from victims and illude their victims. Nowadays, the place is simply a historical structure in the city and is a very well known pirate themed restaurant. It used to have a more dangerous and obscure purpose back then, and now it is much more friendly, secure and entertaining for any person visiting. With that, it is noticeable the recycling process of this structure, who still remains with its original architecture.
Directly connected to the Pirate's House through the sub tunnels and streets of Downtown Savannah, the Forsyth Park is the second most important point of pirate activity and captivity, having the second highest elevation on the map.
About 250 years ago, it used to be an area where the pirates would either illude their victims to or where they would find their victims and take them to the pirate's house, where they would get the victims drunk and steal their belongings. Nowadays, the park has no similar purpose to the one in the past. It is now a place for outside activities (such as running and cycling), entertainment, relaxing and connecting with the nature.
This was the main model for the project, based upon the map diagram's main idea and concept but with more ideas interacting with that concept. It is a Baptistery constructing placed in a real life site, which is an old pier (that no longer exists) right next to the Fort Pulaski construction.
The materials used in this model include: plexiglass (frosted and non-frosted in model areas and the pool area), museum board, basswood and basswood sticks (of different thicknesses).
Exploded axonometric with green watercolor highlights on important connection parts.
The entry/exit portion of the model and the furthest part of the natural water area of the site. This moment begins more compressed and narrow with little light entry and gradually, slightly opens up more towards the end. With that, it causes more light entry from various and different directions. This opening and expansion in the end is infinite. The idea came from the actual site area, where you have to go through a very jungle like compressed zone and then suddenly you reach the infinite opening where the natural body of water is located.
This moment is also connected to the entry/exit zones in Downtown Savannah and into the Pirate's House through the basement sub tunnels. Both used to be seen as places of where mysterious activities used to occur (the compressed, narrow and darker area), and now some stories have been overthrown (reality vs. fiction) and they are also no longer mysterious nor dangerous places (the slight infinite openness). This moment is also directly connected to the beginning of the Reflection/Pool Area moment and the Preparation/Approach moment.
The second moment in the model and it is directly connected to the Solitude/Anticipation Room. It is a very open room due to the mystery aspect of the pirate activity and the stories revolving the Pirate's House about how dangerous they were. Then, on certain extremities, there are blocking items, which symbolize that barrier between legend/fiction and reality/certainty.
The darkest and most isolated room/moment. It is the place where you self-reflect and leave feeling renovated. In order for the self-reflection to occur, the room needs to have some type of seclusion, suspense and obscurity from the outside and the other rooms. This darkness, suspense and obscurity symbolize the Pirate's House isolation from the rest of the city, due to the mysterious activity pertaining to that place. Also, it is additionally related to the unknown and the barriers between reality and fiction aspects of the locals' imaginations in relation to the pirate's activities in their town.
The only moment/room that is connected to and connects all other moments in the model. It indirectly works as the main connector from beginning to end. The pool area reveals a feeling of tranquility and self-reflection when it is connected with another moment, or even when it is by itself during its own private spatial zone. It is the only room that directly connects with the natural body of water of the site.
When this moment appears in the model with another moment/room, it tends to embrace more the personality of the room it is connecting with, causing its own characteristics to remain in a "slight shadow" effect. As seen, it is the largest and biggest moment in the model and is also the moment that most receives light entry and contains open/free spaces. The right portion is the furthest away from the natural body of water of the site, and is also the deepest portion of the pool area.
These process models of each room/moment helped the first brainstorming of ideas and concepts for the final moments. These 3"x 3"x 3" bug models contains materials such as 2 ply chipboard and basswood sticks for linear systems.
Longitudinal Section Drawing and 4 different sections of moments in the model. The grey areas show the deeper spatial zones, while the green areas are not only to indicate smaller spaces but the shading caused by the combination of light entry and the items in that particular zone.
Map floor plan on original and real life site (old pier at Forth Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia) with 2 model pictures: one angled and one aerial with original model colors
This amplified model is a similar yet not equal expanded version of the Area of Solitude moment in the main model. This moment was chosen due to it being the self-reflection room, the only room with very little light entry and the only room that contains a very significant and big connection between the Area of Solitude/Anticipation with the Reflection/Pool Area.
