Kim Coleman
Associate Professor, University of Southern California School of Architecture

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Urban Architecture of Collective Rejuvination
From Roman baths to medieval monasteries, places of rejuvenation of self, while in the company of others, have had a rich architectural history. The modern equivalents: health clubs, retreat centers, spas, hotels, tend not to have the spiritual or architectural identity of their prototypes. Or they rely on the beauty of the surrounding landscape to provide the sense of place. This theme for the fifth year comprehensive studio in 2001 and 2003 explores how architecture may be used as a catalyst for place-making in an urban setting. The program I gave for the project was the Metivta Center, an Urban Jewish Retreat, but students were also encouraged to develop their own programs of collective rejuvenation of approximately 20,000 to 40,000 square feet, and most of them did. Two sites in Culver City were given, but, as the Metivta Center was a project in our office that came without a site and the initial design for the project was done as a way of helping the client determine the type of site to acquire, students began their studies with a program component to help them assess possible sites. The students kept a journal, sketchbook or notebook of considerations relating to their projects or other issues, over the course of the semester. Entries were made daily, in the form of notes, sketches, collections of ideas and images discovered through research or through daily experience.