“Beyond the Branches” Wellness Center

 

beyond branches presentation-1ywqbud

The complex is located in New York’s Central Park in a large oak tree. The space will be

a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of New York life. Open to all public residents as a

health and wellness center. The presence of the tree trunk and limbs in the interior of the

cylindrical structure brings visitors closer to nature, allowing them to literally embrace life by

bringing it into the comfort of their (tree)home. The complex includes two structures: the

house-shaped art studio and the cylindrical fitness center. It is a mixture of fitness classes

(yoga/pilates/exercise floor), creative workshops (painting, live drawing studio), and garden

therapy (vertical garden terrace railings); addressing the needs of the mind, the body, and the

soul. These floors each address different cognitive behavioral therapy strategies for people with

anxiety. There are telescopes at the fitness center as well, which become available for the public

to rent on Friday and Saturday nights for stargazing, offering the public a relaxing activity to end

their week in opposition to a chaotic night on the town.

Every structure in the wellness center is sustainable. There is a passive solar heating

system on both floors. The art studio is a cube-shaped structure made with a wooden roof, two

wooden paneled walls facing the North and South, and two partially glass walls facing the East

and West. The roof overhang to the East and West protects the floors from the direct rays of the

wide-angled, strong summer sun, keeping the structure cool in the warmer months. In contrast it

allows for the floor’s absorption of a narrow-angled, weak winter rays which help warm the

house in the cooler months. In addition, the insulation that surrounds the structure will keep the

thermal energy contained. On the top floor (the dome-shaped roof of the yoga studio) flexible

silicon solar cells will cover the dome, considering the structure it doesn’t have other objects

obstructing the view. For 1 kilowatt of energy, 4 hrs of direct sunlight are necessary. The 5ft by

3ft panels collect 250 watts/hr, enough energy to help pay for the construction of the building

considering the structure runs independent of electricity. The dome shaped roof was inspired by

the Roman Pantheon’s corbeling techniques , like a series of smaller and smaller washers set

upon each other , to construct its large unsupported dome. The cementing materials properly

gained strength to support the next upper ring. The compression ring, or oculus at the center of

the dome is made from horizontal rings of tile, effectively distributing the compression forces.

Each building has gutters around the roof’s perimeter in order to collect water which is

then passed down through pipes in the walls and stored in a private water collection tank

attached to the wall, ¼ of the way down from the ceiling. This cistern provides all the water

necessary for the operation of the building through gravity. No energy is needed to distribute the

water. Therefore in the case of a fire emergency, the water collected would merely run through

the pipes in a downward incline to the sprinkler system. In addition water is only needed to fuel

the plants of the garden, for sanitary purposes, and in case of fire emergency.

There are opposite ends of egress for both structures. One staircase kills two birds with

one stone by connecting the staircase of the lower structure, with the staircase of the upper

structure. The complex relies solely on stairs as a method of transportation between floors,

supporting a healthy lifestyle, characteristic to the heavily athletic culture of Central Park. The

means of egress are connected to the structures through terraces which surround the cylindrical

building as well as the partially windowed walls of the cubed structure. These terraces are home

to a vertical garden which supports the railings. Being 3 ½ feet high, the vertical garden meets

the rail height requirement of OSHA.

The windowed walls that surround each floor, completely on the cylindrical structure and

partially to the east and west of the cubed building, are constructed in a seriesed pattern of

transparent glass, translucent plexiglass, and white-painted metal. These partially transparent

walls allow only enough controlled light enter the building to warm the floors that contribute to

the passive solar heating system. The 25% transparent wall offers visitors the unique luxury of

viewing the beauty of nature from the depths of nature itself (beneath the leaves) as they embark

on a journey of self-discovery through wellness workshops. Also, the 25% opaque wall made

from white-painted metal cubes conducts heat, absorbing the heat from the interior or exterior of

the building, nonetheless it will help regulate the temperature of the building. Lastly, the

triangular wooden roof of the cubed floor as well as the solar cell covered cylindrical-shaped

floor will be completely opaque so that the summer sun won’t be absorbed by the insulation of

the building, causing uncomfortable thermal heat to be trapped.