Mixed-Use Multifamily Urban Housing

Project idea

The idea of this project was to create an urban living condition that addressed a number of technical, city planning, and ecological concerns. This architecture was an exploration of typology and the larger issue to resolve: how to resolve the street corner condition.

Project description

The parti is derived from ideas of serenity within the noise and dynamic
character of the urban landscape. The model provides a sense of community and tranquility from the hustle of daily urban life outside the home. This concept underscores the value of separation of activities that happen in the public and private realms.

Technical information

A courtyard scheme provides transition from the noisy, somewhat chaotic street condition to a calm environment before entering the building. This is referred to as the decompression zone. The conceptual operation is the pulling apart of two larger volumes to utilize a more intimate, comfortable interstitial space at the heart of the lot, revealing the central core of common space. This concept holds sacred the notions of community engagement while the courtyard serves as the linking element that creates the main chamber of wind shelter. A strong horizontal datum is expressed between the public area below and the residential above. The centralized horizontal circulation promotes visual connections and social interaction and allows the program to situate units along the periphery of the site. This urban housing project is a sanctuary for the people it serves. No longer should housing be stale and rigid in posture but eloquently subjected to its occupants. Instead of simply posing as a space to reside , it becomes a place where residents can find their niches, be connected in community, and call it their own - together. It is a hub of individual character and expression in a realm
that provides order from the chaos of the city.

Documentation

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