Uncategorized | 2008 Thesis Collection

Single Scheme massing diagram.

Well Its that time again. Although – the whole show is getting much less stressful than it used to be. I don’t know it that means I’m actually getting better at this (fingers crossed) or if it just seems a little less important than it used to. Either way – boards are printed, models are made, essays are written. And its only midterm after all, its a constructive session – and so long as you have enough on the wall to have a discussion about then your good. Most of my stuff is already laid out – the site analysis, builsing study and masssing versions – I spent the weekend synthesising some of the aspects I liked from my versions and developing them in detail in 3D Max. I got some good renderings .Not quite as cool as I pictured them in my mind – but not bad. I think they give you a sense of the spaces and forms at least. We’ll see what everybody says when they are on the wall.

The first rendering here is a section cut through the elevated plaza on the Third Street side. The existing facade (on the right side) is retained and supported on a steel space frame with new full-height columns taking the load. The glass is removed and new floor plates are inserted at random heights forming outdoor courtyards screened in by the old facade. A huge stair leads up from Third ave making the new courtyards into an extension of the street and providing space for pause and rest while still staying connected to the energy of Third Ave.

This next shot is of the housing on the Melrose Ave (west) side. Again, the existing facade is retained – but here so are the existing floor plates. The current structural system works just fine for uses like housing which have similkar loads and environmental exposure. So keep it. But again the facade becomes a screen – a new glass curtain wall is inserted behind the facade – creating a balcony for each unit inside of the facade. Lots of green stuff, the best spaces and light given over to common space and all that good stuff.

This section is cut accross the building north to south – here you can see the new lightwell on the right, housing units in the center, and the hallway on the left. Wrapping it all like a blanket is the Urban fram greenhouse – the greenhouse bleeds in and out of the common spaces of the housing zone and mix with large balconys on the south side. High-Intensity hydroponic growing takes place in the thin greenhouses with more traditional vegetable / fruit growing on the large plates of the roof. Yeah – I know, theres a light problem with the housing. I’m workin’ on it. Promise.