Winning Designs for Fallout Shelters in Shopping Centers

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This booklet is an abstract of OCD Technical Report TR-28, "National Community Design Competition Awards," brochure which is available only to shopping center developers and civil defense officials. Persons in these categories who have not received copies may request them directly from Architectural and Engineering Services Division, Office of Civil Defense, Department of the Army, Washington, D. C. 20310. Fallout Shelter

architects, engineers, planners,

WINNING DESIGNS FOR FALLOUT SHELTERS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE |

IN

SHOPPING CENTERS H-13 OCT. 1965

A major aim of the nationwide civil defense program for

all

tified

is

STORY

The Department

of Defense defined the and scope of the competition

objectives

and specified shelter design

substantial public fallout shelter

accordance with

resources,

OF THE COMPETITION

to develop fallout protection

Americans. The program has iden-

many of these in urban centers.

Now, special attention must be given suburban areas which tend to have few

to of

pancy.

fallout

many city dwellers. The suburban shopping center— familiar

ters with

most residents

provide fallout shelter for

To

many

—could people.

explore this potential for protection,

the Department of Defense selected, as the problem for Fallout Shelter

its

National

Community

Design Competition, the

in

and shelter occupromote economy and ad-

offered to

ingenuity, originality,

vancement

structures that offer fallout shielding for

to

criteria

minimum standards

Awards were

the large public buildings and high-rise

and accessible

its

for radiation protection

in

the design of dual-purpose

shelter space in shopping

cen-

both aesthetic and functional

advantages.

Competitors were required to design a

shopping center with a gross leasable area of 200,000 to 300,000 square feet

in-

cluding major merchandising units and a full

ing.

range of service-type shops and park-

The

fallout shelter area

was

to be

development of new techniques and de-

designed as dual-purpose space serving

signs for incorporating dual-purpose

normal peacetime functions and providing

out shelter centers. tects

in

fall-

conventional shopping

The American

Institute of Archi-

conducted the competition

in

1964

as a public service under a nonprofit contract with the U. S.

Government.

emergency shelter space

for at least 4,000

persons with a minimum protection factor (PF) of 100.

The program recognized the advantages location for

of the

built-in

shopping center as a

community

shelter.

Many cen-

ters provide public auditoriums or meet-

ing

rooms serving the civic needs and suburban neighborhoods in

activities of

much the same way as town

hall.

the traditional

Food and health supplies, plenin component stores and facilities, offer a community

stocked

tifully

ready storage

resource that would

require

minimum

Representatives of the American

and the Urban Land and assisted in writing

jury for the competition

was

care-

selected to include outstanding

in

construction of shopping centers.

The

primary decisions of the jury were inten-

application to proposed shopping center

tionally

National

ever,

teams

team had

to

include a qualified fallout shelter analyst, not only for his important contribution to the protective value of the project but stimulate

greater

use of

this

of

protection criteria, a skilled shelter analysts

examined

all

designs considered for awards. Thus, the jury

made

knowledge

its

judgments with full adequacy of shelter pro-

final

of the

how-

total

of

in this

jury

met

booklet. at

AIA

C.,

Headquarters

in

April 27, 1964, and

completed the judging April

29.

The De-

partment of Defense publicly announced the awards

May

15, 1964.

Defense, congratulated the winners on

booklet present solutions that clearly de-

"their imaginative solutions" to the prob-

lineate essential lessons in the design of

lem.

economical and effective dual-purpose

dual-purpose shelter space can be incor-

The

The best designs combine effectechniques, good merchanand architectural quality. They

increasingly important source of design

shelter.

knowledge.

tive shielding

dising

prove that shelter space need

not be

additional cost."

AIA President Arthur Gould O'Dell, Jr., FAIA, said the competition proved that the shopping center, a well-established building type, "is

still

capable of fresh and

imaginative development. Requirements for traffic, parking,

shopping circulation,

harmony were solved without financial sacrifice to the added shelter function."

The

Washington, D.

and capacity offered by the designs. award-winning designs in this

tection

little

22 award winners, are

included

minimum team

regional prizes,

for lack of top-quality

ance and at

merchandising space and architectural

from a

1962

in

Some

were withheld

since the competition program specified

in

its

submissions. Eight of the best designs,

tectural quality of submissions. However,

required. Further, each

to

prize winners.

the case

As

chitects and engineers working as

also

of the archi-

School Fallout Shelter

conducted by the American Institute of Architects for the Department of Defense) collaborative participation by ar(also

was

focused on evaluation

American

adversely affecting function and appear-

Prize for the best of the regional first-

The

of

increasingly important to the

community—the shopping center— without

the organization, design and

enhancement

techniques having the widest possible

Design Competition completed

of

a psychological

representatives of the several disciplines involved

of the

Some

of delight to the is

emergency protection. The competition program provided for first, second and third prizes in each of eight civil defense regions, with a Grand

fully

design across the country.

ugly or confining.

shopping center that

encourage submission of a variety of regional solutions which would suggest to

expensive,

them add an element

Institute advised

the competition program.

conversion to meet emergency needs. A primary purpose of the competition

was

Insti-

tute of Architects

William

He

porated

Durkee,

P.

said they

"in

a

Director of Civil

showed

vividly

building type

how

becoming

common knowledge

is

It

that a nuclear

detonation produces deadly ation.

When

it

tive debris.

gamma

Less

BASIC OF

PROTECTION

it

fallout of radioac-

common

is

Thus, an unprotected person would ceive 40 times

more

The

re-

radiation than a per-

son inside a shelter with a PF of

40.

Shelters with high protection factors are

Some

many

DESIGN

COMMENTS

places people out of the direct path of

an understanding

design approach to fallout control.

Gamma in

radiation reaches an individual

an enclosure from several sources:

The roof

contribution refers to radiation

from fallout that may accumulate on an

overhead source plane; the ground contribution

refers

to

originating from the

The ground

all

similar

radiation

ground source plane.

contribution

is

further sub-

divided into ground direct, wall scatter, ceiling shine

Protection relation

that

and skyshine. Factor

(PF)

expresses the

between the amounts of radiation

would be received by an unprotected

person and a person inside the shelter.

radiation

or at

some

Barrier shielding places

distance from

mass between

com-

of the best entries revealed imagi-

jury

was pleased with the wide

was so

when the designs stood

antly surprised

design problem. The technical advisers

the tests of analysis.

cation of shelter ideas

gratified to find

almost no dupli-

among

the jury’s

Every architect and

should

engineer

have shielding "know-how" at his disposal

so as to serve his clients and his country

selections for the principal awards.

The award-winning

in

.

variety of architectural solutions to the

were also

done

requirements and was pleas-

it.

source.

integration

and without

masterfully

entries that the jury questioned

shielding

the

shelter occupant and the radioactive

its

adversely affecting function or appear-

whether the shelter areas met minimum

nation as well as ingenuity.

The

in

building can assure

ance. This

sheltered enclosure. Geometric shielding

of the

as dual-use space,

petence that marked the competition.

tween the radioactive source and the

programming a

into the design unobtrusively

geometric and barrier relationships be-

fallout particles

that follow are basic to

evident that consideration of shel-

new

gamma

and how

from

It is

ter,

hundred serious and gifted people contributed to the generally high level of

The concepts

radiation

concepts, illustrated

study by architects and engineers. Several

achieved by the planning and control of

persons can be protected against them by judicious building design.

fallout shelter

by the competition designs, merit detailed

an under-

standing of the harmful effects of

CONCEPTS

radi-

occurs on the ground,

produces widespread

entries illustrate the

better by producing buildings with maxi-

value of taking advantage of the inherent

mum

shielding capabilities of conventional

tion

structures and materials. Careful selec-

through careful arrangement of normal-

tion of materials of construction, strategic

use elements.

placing of building

attractive

Optimum

at the least

protec-

expense

components and

thoughtful consideration of both

and appearance can

shelter capability.

can be achieved

result in

an

utility

efficient,

shopping center with the added

bonus of protection from

radiation

in

the

event of a nuclear disaster.

5

ingeniously isolated and

separated for

minimum complication between customer and service

The

GRAND

crowded

PRIZE

Telesca, AIA Greenleaf/Telesca, Engineers Miami, Florida Francis

traffic.

center's

many

interior

interesting

spaces would

and unoffer a

pleasant variety to shoppers moving from

E.

A

Architects

store to store.

ments are

Team Members William Cox, Architect Robert Lee Dykes Richard I. Clay Emilio B. Castellanos Charles W. Pemble, Jr., Fallout Shelter Analyst Dignum Associates, Engineers

well

The merchandising conceived and

ele-

broken

down into logical groups. The disposition of ground-level parking spaces around the building was well studied and create an interesting pattern while avoiding the ugly sea of asphalt so often found about the conventional shop-

The jury unanimously selected this design for the Grand Prize. The practical shopping center plan shows an inspired use of

widely applicable design for a shopping

land and provides interior spaces forgood

center with the necessary shelter provi-

merchandising elements that are easily

sions.

adaptable to emergency shelter use. The

ties

compact shopping center complex, placed relatively large site, is actually only

on a

one

building,

The center

almost on a single is

served by groupings of

presented

6

and economical of any the competition. They are

practical in

The

jury felt this entry offered the

It

most

also admired the aesthetic quali-

and the potential as a visual delight compared with more typical and less imaginative shopping centers.

The shelter space has a pfeasant quality

level.

truck and service courts which are the

most

ing center.

in

addition to maintaining protection from

radiation. Its effective shielding

most sensitive handling principles.

shows a

of geometric

REGION

SECOND

1

PRIZE

Neil Astle, Architect

Assistant Professor of Architecture Island School of Design Providence, Rhode Island

thorough and complete. The plan

Team Members

conceived although somewhat austere.

Rhode

H.

F.

J. L.

Di Zoglio, Fallout Shelter Analyst Baldwin, Fallout Shelter Analyst

Although no Region

good

1,

first

this

was awarded in was credited with

prize

entry

architectural expression

basic geometric forms.

It

founded on

presents well-

integrated architecture with tion, particularly at

The

good

circula-

the shopping mall, and

a rather well-organized parking scheme. In exterior

expression, the center gives

the impression of a dignified civic

center

in

New England

which shopping and public

functions could be readily combined.

The

buildings are well proportioned and the materials sensitively selected.

The

court-

yards are attractively designed and not too large.

The presentation

is

striking,

is

well

jury liked the variety of the shelter

provisions on three levels.

These spaces

—one below grade and two above grade related by vertical circulation— offer potential for organization

and

much

flexibility of

shelter activities. Grading the earth up

around the periphery helps to protect the main-level

ground

shelter

radiation.

spaces from

direct

REGION

2

FIRST PRIZE

Joseph Baker, AIA Joseph Baker and Associates, Architects Newark, Ohio

Team Members Donald Gunnerson, Architect E. Francis Biggert, Engineer, Fallout Shelter Analyst Stanley Martin John Reid J.

Brooke Baker, Architect

This entry was one of the three

finally

considered for the Grand Prize. The jury offered a very acceptable solution

felt

it

for

its

eral.

region and for the country

The scheme

for converting

dising elements to shelter

is

in

gen-

merchan-

well handled,

and the general economy of the design

is

tion

of

there

is

a logical, economical way. excellent con-

showing the use of shelter, a decontamination area and areas for cooking, sleeping, reading and exercising, the designer

mechanical

gives evidence of having placed consider-

a clear-cut disposi-

This solution provides fallout shelter

spaces which are

an area depressed below grade on two

arranged outside the shelter area hut immediately adjacent to

it.

They can serve

the entire shopping center interior from 10

in

The design also shows

sideration for shelter entrance detail. By

able throught on shelter occupancy.

excellent. In addition,

four points

sides and flanked with service drives.

dual-purpose space

is

in

The

a pleasant area

facing on an enclosed central mall.

REGION

4

FIRST PRIZE

a welcome change from the unattractive sea of parking surrounding the buildings is

Crumlish, Sporleder and Hanley South Bend and Minneapolis

in

Team Members Brian Crumlish, Architect Donald E. Sporleder, AIA John T. Hanley, Fallout Shelter Analyst, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering

The

with shelter uses

scheme

in this

design pro-

one of the most and imaginative architectur-

for a fallout shelter.

jury rated this entry

stimulating ally

so many shopping centers. The coordination of normal service facil-

ities

vides an interesting and very workable

oriented solutions

in

raps and ramparts conceal parking and direct traffic rip

Site Plan

the competition

and seriously considered it for the Grand Prize. It has an imaginative plan and the architecture well

is

original, sophisticated,

proportioned

and organized. One all ages to enjoy

would expect people of

shopping

in this

center because of

its

atmosphere and interestingly arranged shopping areas. Parking space is provided beneath the building without involving excavation, and attractive

the revetment around

it

gives ground-level

radiation protection. This parking

scheme

parking under courtyard provides shelter space

shops provide privacy

for administration, etc.

REGION H.

F. P.

5

FIRST PRIZE

Goeters,

AIA

Perspective

Architect, Fallout Shelter Analyst

Houston, Texas

Team Members Charles

E.

Sawyer

Keitt C. Barkley

III

This entry was rated outstanding for highly interesting, original

shopping center concept. chitecture, the

problem

its

and amusing modern ar-

In

of expression is

often inadequately considered. Here,

how-

shapes and forms are well studied and have excellent livability. The plan is fanciful, and its whimsical spirit gives the center the drawing power tectural

of a Disneyland. Yet,

it

has the compact-

ever, the designer has caught the spirit of

ness of a top shopping center and obvious

the program very well and has conceived

shopping attractions. The design,

an atmosphere of carnival gaiety and de-

though regional anywhere.

which most people would love shop and spend time and money. light in

to

in plan, is

al-

quite workable

The solution includes some everyday human elements executed in an interesting and amusing way. The central mall, though not

large,

a cultural center

has fine possibilities

14

for

and an outdoor restau-

rant or children's activity area.

The

archi15

Perspective— Looking Went

REGION

SECOND PRIZE

6

Thomas

C. Porter, AIA Porter/Brierly Associates, Architects

&

Engineers

Des Moines, Iowa

Team Members Robert S. Brierly, James A. Paxton Alan C. Balhorn

AIA

This entry, considered the best submitted in

was superior among a number of circular plans.

region,

this

rather

large

Although the circular plan was considered

somewhat

arbitrary,

rather unique

in

its

it

is

workable and

two-level parking.

It

provides a relatively small truck terminal,

which

The

is

large central mall could

and used very profitably as dising area.

It

East Elevation

South Elevation

be covered a

merchan-

would also serve well as a

and would appeal to businessmen as a relatively inexpensive but good solution.

shelter area

16

Plot Plan

very well handled.

The

fallout

shelter

encompasses the

ground-floor mall and surrounding shops, the basement level and the core areas of

the high-rise building. 17

REGION

7

FIRST PRIZE

Jack Horowitz, AIA, Architect Los Angeles, California

Team Members John

R. Pointer, Architect

Richard Shelley, Architect, Fallout Shelter Analyst Allan M. Rubenstein, Engineer J.

View from the East

This

is

a fine, crisp, clean

and generally

interior

space within the covered malls

is

acceptable design for a shopping center.

particularly well handled.

The

The whole concept is highly functional. The store grouping is excellent and there appears to be optimum use of common

based on a kind of split-level arrangement that wastes little space, is plan,

logical, allowing entry to the

from a parking

lot

lower

level

on grade and to the

space

in

the mall

in relation to

the rentable

spaces, so that ready convertibility of nor-

The center would have good drawpower throughout its shopping areas, backing. It would also encourage the incorporation of shelter in one structure. The parking is good and the cost should

mal-use space to shelter is quite apparent.

be reasonable.

upper

level

from an upper parking

The design handles ments very for

shelter

well, in providing

occupants between

lot.

require-

ample space

interior malls of

the shopping center rather than in storage

The merchandising

Court View

ing

inviting financial

layout and location

of units are also good.

18

area.

The

rather noble

19

REGION Roger

SECOND PRIZE

8

Rue, Architect

L.

Thomas

J. Butler, Architect

Tacoma, Washington

Team Member Kjell

The its

O. Jartun, Engineer, Fallout Shelter Analyst jury

chose

this

design as the best

in

region, exhibiting architecture that is

attractive

A

and

basement

original in character.

shelter links three separate

shelter areas at the main floor level.

A

raised plaza and a planter, forming a barrier shield, control direct tion

OCO

ground

radia-

from the open-air plaza.

Regions, Staff College, Warning Centers

• State

and Local

CD

• CD Depots • OCD Executive Reservists • Selected * Defense Coordinators of Federal Agencies • Qualified Fallout Shelter Analysts • Architects and Engineers

Directors

Military Organizations

Attending a Fallout Shelter Analysis Course Interested in

20

•CE-BuDoeks Offices

and Public Works Offices) • Technical Universities Nuclear Protective Construction

(District Engrs.