Space has become redundant again. Popular culture is uninterested in the goings-on in space. For most it is a junkyard filled with obsolete satellites and other clutter. The ambitions are muddy. Once achieved, mans absurd relation with space becomes yesterdays news. To become relevant to the public, CASIS must be an amenity and not a mission.
Instead of promoting the center as a space headquarters, market it as a public interface: hockey rinks, dog parks, terraces, nighttime activities etc. Allow the public to move through the building unimpeded and they will already be there to support the space missions when necessary. A layered sequence of interior spaces and 24/7 publicly accessible parks split the program up and force interaction between the casual person and the secretive space employees. The public doesn't care about space but maybe a casual encounter could change their opinions on the subject.
The desired program is small in comparison to the allowable buildout of the site. The building is stacked and pushed to the edge as a strategy for converting the small program into presence in the city. The remaining open space at ground level becomes a needed hockey rink and dog park. Interior and exterior uses may be used completely independently of program—the parks at the bottom, middle, and top of the building are completely accessible to the public with dedicated lifts at all times of the day.
PROGRAM: Space Research Headquarters
CONTEXT: New York City, New York, USA
CRITIC: Peter de Bretteville
CLIENT: CASIS
Once achieved, mans absurd relation with space becomes yesterdays news. The process forgotten. What culture is interested in are things that can add to its own amusement and especially local activities. To become relevant to the public, CASIS must be an amenity and not a mission.