Studio Works - Robert Mangurian & Mary Ann Ray - Gymnasium and Library - Rose and Alex Pilibos School

Final design stage
Studio Works
Robert Mangurian & Mary Ann Ray
Gymnasium and Library
Rose and Alex Pilibos School
Los Angeles, California

In their Pilibos project book Robert Mangurian & Mary Ann Ray refer to two aspects of education in Classical Athens:
1. gymnastike: 'exercise of the body' from gymnos 'naked'
2. musike: 'education of the mind' from the Muses who 'know all things'

Model photo courtesy Studio Works
The Library Floats.

the books in the ark
This project for the 'Ark Library' is inspired by the biblical story of the Ark of Noah. In this case, the Ark finds its form in a floating Library.
This Ark carries - both symbolically and actually - the knowledge found in books (and electronic media) that attempts to account for everything.
The 'knowledge' Ark is not as inspiring as the 'real' Ark that carries a complete catalog of all living creatures, but in today's world of information overload, placing information on an Ark helps to form for the student a true appreciation for the amazing ability of language and books to carry knowledge, and of the precious and delicate nature of information and its availability and accessibility.

Model photo courtesy Studio Works.
The Library and the 'Topography' of the Gymnasium floor excavation.

The project positions the Library as a kind of floating Ark. It hovers above the Gymnasium roof (at the western end) and projects out and over, connecting directly to a four story classroom building, and through a bridged stair to the two story classroom main building. At the western edge, a stair leads down from the Ark Library onto a roof garden set on top of the Gymnasium structure. We see the Library structure as a wooden construction, supported much like a vessel is supported in a dry dock.
An inspired ceiling/roof structure like a boat (or ark) turned upside down- will cover the reading room and stacks.

Model photo courtesy Studio Works
The Library with Reading Nook and Viewports.

collector + projector:
The library is a large (building-sized) culture carrier. Views of the outside world seen from the Ark Library are captured and collected through a series of 'viewports'. These views are of such things as Griffith Park Observatory (with a reference made to a certain quote from the film maker Wim Wenders regarding a kind of figure/ground reversal: 'Observing the Observatory'), the Hollywood Hills, the City, Barnsdall Park and the Hollyhock House (a reference from the discipline of Architecture), the Armenian and American flags, and the peak of St. Garabed Church across the street. One of these 'viewports' virtually looks toward the city in the east, the city of Yerevan setting in play a relationship between the present condition of Los Angeles (a part of the ephemera of the diaspora) and the more virtual or remote eastern city.
Another of the viewports looks solely at the sky, a port from which to view rainbow, cloud, and storm phenomena.

All of these, in addition to the books held within, are considered as a part of the information collection that the Ark holds.
At night, the Library glows from within and 'projects' the thinking and collecting and reacting taking place in the working minds of the students.
In addition, the library 'projects' back into the city and world through the students who pass from its walls back out into the streets to take action in dialogue with the mechanisms of the world outside based upon the effects gained through the exposure to the collection.

cultural identity + global identity:
The 'patrons' for the school- the principal, teachers, parents, and board, stated from the outset a philosophical grounding for both their institution and for their desire for the new buildings to reflect the following belief: to maintain a strongly stated cultural identity while at the same time fully embracing and becoming players in dialogue with the global world 'outside'.
The last thing that they wanted the architecture to be was a cloister, a sanctuary, or a closed off world.

The architecture of the library, as the collector + projector serves to collect the dual aspects of Armenian and World culture and to allow the dual projection outward of both of these.

Embedded in the architecture of the Library are aspects of Armenian culture- proportions, figures, texts, and color. The recessed columns that allow the Library to 'float' are colored a red referenced to the Armenian film 'The Color of Pomegranates'.

Alexandria + the library:
The site has the strange and fateful fortune of occurring on Alexandria Avenue. The relationship to the great library at Alexandria is made through the profuse planting of Egyptian papyrus along the street as a foreground for the library. Materially is also references the substance of the first paper books.

Model photo courtesy Studio Works.
The 'Box' Shed of the Gymnasium with its Butler Building Structure.

the grounded gymnasium (gymnastike):
the balls in the mountain
The project relies on the connection of the Ark to Mt. Ararat and to Armenia. The large 'mount-like' Gymnasium structure is set into the earth about eight feet in order to 'ground' it. It can be seen, especially in the view from the Library, as a kind of topographic surface, mound, or mount.
The Ark and Mt. Ararat project attempts to reduce the apparent size of the Gymnasium volume which would otherwise suffocate the scale of the present campus.

The bleachers are constructed as an 'earthwork'. The ground surface folds down from the adjacent exterior play yard, extending it into the interior of the gymnasium. As it moves in and down, this ground surface steps for seating and concludes on the court floor where it is sheathed in wood.

The cladding is horizontal (re-detailed from the usual vertical Butler building cladding) to read more as geological strata.

The roof slopes up from the west to meet Alexandria in the east. The eastern end of the Gymnasium (under the sloping and slipping roof) is transparent (or translucent), and this provides for a kind of glowing light at dusk, twilight, and at night for the campus.

Model photo courtesy Studio Works
The large translucent pivot doors of the Gymnasium extend the outdoor play area to the Inside.

storm + sun:
The 'zincalume' (zinc deposited on the steel roof and wall panels) surfaced roof and walls will reflect the changing color of the sky from dawn to twilight. It takes on the content of the flood or the sun after the flood as it reacts and camouflages with the weather of the moment.
For the opening night of the new buildings, the plan is to project the raging waters and storm on the large blank wall of the adjacent four story classroom that backdrops the new library and gymnasium.

The landscaping around the gymnasium is of swamp grasses, perhaps the plants that survived and thrived in the wet climate of the flood.
It is the belief of the 'elders' of the school, and the architects, that the substance and spectacle' of the two new members of the community of facilities will resonate with the students of today and in the near future.

Sketch courtesy Studio Works.
An early sketch of the structure for the 'Floating' Library.

Model photo courtesy Studio Works.
Structural Model of Library.

Project Team:
Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray, Principals and Lead Designers
Stefan Schiede, Project Manager
Sophie Smits, Josh Coggeshal, Project Team

Site Characteristics:
Located on an extremely tight private school campus in a very dense neighborhood of Los Angeles (roughly in East Hollywood) surrounded by existing classroom buildings from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Zoning Constraints:
A Conditional Use Permit with multiple constraints including building height limits (28’ gymnasium and 35’ library) and severe fire separation issues has been granted to allow construction.

Client Private School:
Kindergarten through High School, Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, The Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School

Program:
A 14,000 square foot Gymnasium including regulation High School Basketball and Volleyball facilities, Bleacher seating for 275, Student Store, Exercise Room, Locker Rooms, Restrooms, Coaches Office, Maintenance Shop, Equipment Storage and a 3,000 square foot Library to house 9,000 Armenian and English language books, Reading Room, Children’s Storytelling Nook, Online Research Area, and Librarian’s Office

Construction Systems
Gymnasium:
Prefabricated Metal Building System (Butler Building) with ‘Zincalume’ Panels, Translucent Kalwall Surfaces and Oversized Pivot Doors, Concrete Retaining Wall and Bleacher Foundation, Concrete Block and Spancrete in Locker Room area.
Library: Steel Structure, Wood Frame with Hardipanel shingling, Laminated Glass, Interior Plywood Sheathing

Schedule: Construction beginning April 2001 with completion set for December/January 2001/2002





				Features
		Final design stage Studio Works Robert Mangurian & Mary Ann Ray Gymnasium and Library Rose and Alex Pilibos School Los Angeles, California In their Pilibos project book Robert Mangurian & Mary Ann Ray refer to two aspects of education in Classical Athens: 1. gymnastike: 'exercise of the body' from gymnos 'naked' 2. musike: 'education of the mind' from the Muses who 'know all things' Model photo courtesy Studio Works The Library Floats. the books in the ark This project for the 'Ark Library' is inspired by the biblical story of the Ark of Noah. In this case, the Ark finds its form in a floating Library. This Ark carries - both symbolically and actually - the knowledge found in books (and electronic media) that attempts to account for everything. The 'knowledge' Ark is not as inspiring as the 'real' Ark that carries a complete catalog of all living creatures, but in today's world of information overload, placing information on an Ark helps to form for the student a true appreciation for the amazing ability of language and books to carry knowledge, and of the precious and delicate nature of information and its availability and accessibility. Model photo courtesy Studio Works. The Library and the 'Topography' of the Gymnasium floor excavation. The project positions the Library as a kind of floating Ark. It hovers above the Gymnasium roof (at the western end) and projects out and over, connecting directly to a four story classroom building, and through a bridged stair to the two story classroom main building. At the western edge, a stair leads down from the Ark Library onto a roof garden set on top of the Gymnasium structure. We see the Library structure as a wooden construction, supported much like a vessel is supported in a dry dock. An inspired ceiling/roof structure like a boat (or ark) turned upside down- will cover the reading room and stacks. Model photo courtesy Studio Works The Library with Reading Nook and Viewports. collector + projector: The library is a large (building-sized) culture carrier. Views of the outside world seen from the Ark Library are captured and collected through a series of 'viewports'. These views are of such things as Griffith Park Observatory (with a reference made to a certain quote from the film maker Wim Wenders regarding a kind of figure/ground reversal: 'Observing the Observatory'), the Hollywood Hills, the City, Barnsdall Park and the Hollyhock House (a reference from the discipline of Architecture), the Armenian and American flags, and the peak of St. Garabed Church across the street. One of these 'viewports' virtually looks toward the city in the east, the city of Yerevan setting in play a relationship between the present condition of Los Angeles (a part of the ephemera of the diaspora) and the more virtual or remote eastern city. Another of the viewports looks solely at the sky, a port from which to view rainbow, cloud, and storm phenomena. All of these, in addition to the books held within, are considered as a part of the information collection that the Ark holds. At night, the Library glows from within and 'projects' the thinking and collecting and reacting taking place in the working minds of the students. In addition, the library 'projects' back into the city and world through the students who pass from its walls back out into the streets to take action in dialogue with the mechanisms of the world outside based upon the effects gained through the exposure to the collection. cultural identity + global identity: The 'patrons' for the school- the principal, teachers, parents, and board, stated from the outset a philosophical grounding for both their institution and for their desire for the new buildings to reflect the following belief: to maintain a strongly stated cultural identity while at the same time fully embracing and becoming players in dialogue with the global world 'outside'. The last thing that they wanted the architecture to be was a cloister, a sanctuary, or a closed off world. The architecture of the library, as the collector + projector serves to collect the dual aspects of Armenian and World culture and to allow the dual projection outward of both of these. Embedded in the architecture of the Library are aspects of Armenian culture- proportions, figures, texts, and color. The recessed columns that allow the Library to 'float' are colored a red referenced to the Armenian film 'The Color of Pomegranates'. Alexandria + the library: The site has the strange and fateful fortune of occurring on Alexandria Avenue. The relationship to the great library at Alexandria is made through the profuse planting of Egyptian papyrus along the street as a foreground for the library. Materially is also references the substance of the first paper books. Model photo courtesy Studio Works. The 'Box' Shed of the Gymnasium with its Butler Building Structure. the grounded gymnasium (gymnastike): the balls in the mountain The project relies on the connection of the Ark to Mt. Ararat and to Armenia. The large 'mount-like' Gymnasium structure is set into the earth about eight feet in order to 'ground' it. It can be seen, especially in the view from the Library, as a kind of topographic surface, mound, or mount. The Ark and Mt. Ararat project attempts to reduce the apparent size of the Gymnasium volume which would otherwise suffocate the scale of the present campus. The bleachers are constructed as an 'earthwork'. The ground surface folds down from the adjacent exterior play yard, extending it into the interior of the gymnasium. As it moves in and down, this ground surface steps for seating and concludes on the court floor where it is sheathed in wood. The cladding is horizontal (re-detailed from the usual vertical Butler building cladding) to read more as geological strata. The roof slopes up from the west to meet Alexandria in the east. The eastern end of the Gymnasium (under the sloping and slipping roof) is transparent (or translucent), and this provides for a kind of glowing light at dusk, twilight, and at night for the campus. Model photo courtesy Studio Works The large translucent pivot doors of the Gymnasium extend the outdoor play area to the Inside. storm + sun: The 'zincalume' (zinc deposited on the steel roof and wall panels) surfaced roof and walls will reflect the changing color of the sky from dawn to twilight. It takes on the content of the flood or the sun after the flood as it reacts and camouflages with the weather of the moment. For the opening night of the new buildings, the plan is to project the raging waters and storm on the large blank wall of the adjacent four story classroom that backdrops the new library and gymnasium. The landscaping around the gymnasium is of swamp grasses, perhaps the plants that survived and thrived in the wet climate of the flood. It is the belief of the 'elders' of the school, and the architects, that the substance and spectacle' of the two new members of the community of facilities will resonate with the students of today and in the near future. Sketch courtesy Studio Works. An early sketch of the structure for the 'Floating' Library. Model photo courtesy Studio Works. Structural Model of Library. Project Team: Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray, Principals and Lead Designers Stefan Schiede, Project Manager Sophie Smits, Josh Coggeshal, Project Team Site Characteristics: Located on an extremely tight private school campus in a very dense neighborhood of Los Angeles (roughly in East Hollywood) surrounded by existing classroom buildings from the 1970’s and 1980’s. Zoning Constraints: A Conditional Use Permit with multiple constraints including building height limits (28’ gymnasium and 35’ library) and severe fire separation issues has been granted to allow construction. Client Private School: Kindergarten through High School, Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, The Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School Program: A 14,000 square foot Gymnasium including regulation High School Basketball and Volleyball facilities, Bleacher seating for 275, Student Store, Exercise Room, Locker Rooms, Restrooms, Coaches Office, Maintenance Shop, Equipment Storage and a 3,000 square foot Library to house 9,000 Armenian and English language books, Reading Room, Children’s Storytelling Nook, Online Research Area, and Librarian’s Office Construction Systems Gymnasium: Prefabricated Metal Building System (Butler Building) with ‘Zincalume’ Panels, Translucent Kalwall Surfaces and Oversized Pivot Doors, Concrete Retaining Wall and Bleacher Foundation, Concrete Block and Spancrete in Locker Room area. Library: Steel Structure, Wood Frame with Hardipanel shingling, Laminated Glass, Interior Plywood Sheathing Schedule: Construction beginning April 2001 with completion set for December/January 2001/2002