Factor’s Walk:
Savannah, GA Protrusion in a Historical Context YEAR 2. Design 3 CRITIC. Everald Colas The Factor’s Walk intervention was inserted into an existing building situated between the low lying river front and the elevated urban grid of Savannah. Focusing on the historical memory of the factors who counted goods from balconies of the river front buildings, artists are able to overlook the urban life taking place below and draw inspiration while art lovers and visitors are able to appreciate the process and documentation of art i within the intervention.
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Site Analysis Model
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Lilong Tower: Shanghai, China University Scholars Program
New Connection - Linking Old & New
Architectural Symbol - Shikumen Housing
It is through cultural submergence, that I began my research for the University Scholars Program. Travelling to China for a six week stay, I was able to research and experience the rapid urbanization that has overtaken Beijing and Shanghai and comparing it to Hong Kong which has been fully developed and urbanized for many years. My research yielded three main case studies in which I was able to observe the advantages and disadvantages of high-density living in an urban setting. When experiencing Shanghai and more specifically Xintiandi, there was an abundance of tourists and businessmen. The developments built in Downtown Shanghai cater specifically to the high income families with luxury apartment towers. This effectively pushes the low income families to the outskirts of the city decreasing their quality of life. The original Lilong fabric allowed families of all income to share the same community space within the neighborhood. A Wealthy family would live in the lower two levels of a house while renting out the upper level as a studio apartment or in other cases all three levels were re rented and used by three separate families. The integration of the social classes no longer occurs as a social hierarchy is occurring with the urban fabric of Shanghai. It is with this in mind, that the lilong tower is designed to break the social hierarchy allowing families of all incomes to live in vertical lilong fabric. The Lilong tower is a palimpsest of the horizontal fabric of the historic lilong block. It aims to provide a better quality of life through cultural and community connections. Similar to the podium towers of Hong Kong, the Lilong tower has a trasitional base that occurs at the shift from horizontal to vertical. This transitional moment consists of seven blocks generated by the existing circulation from Xintiandi. As in traditional lilong fabric, commercial surrounds the exterior spaces of the blocks and is divided by main lanes and side lanes. Lilong be definition means community lanes. With the design of Xintiandi, all community and residential spaces were removed. It is within this transitional base that community spaces such as schools, centers, and recreational activities
Horizontal Fabric - Vertical Living
Historic Fabric - Preserving the Lilong
Urban Renewal - Modern Influences
YEAR 4. Undergraduate Research
LINKED HYBRID: Beijing, China Although a wall now surrounds the vertical neighborhood, Holl’s intentions for the Linked Hybrid were of great reference in the design of the Lilong Tower. Focusing on its connections between residential living and community life, the success of its public spaces and sustainable roof gardens play a key component in the my design. The urban complex defines stronger cultural connections allowing cultural, political, and social aspects in a controlled scale that leads to a healthier future of the high density residential tower.
XINTIANDI: Shanghai, China The “New World” in English, Xintiandi focused on the historic lilong housing and transformed the exististing structures into a development of dining, retail and entertainment spaces. In this adaptive re-use project, there is a direct link to the historic memory of old Shanghai and is said to be a place in which “yesterday meets tomorrow in Shanghai today.”
FACTORY 798: Beijing, China Part of a series of factories, Factory 798 is a perfect example of adaptive re-use. Abandoned by the government, the once weapons factory was re-inhabited by local artists and now is comprised of mixed use and industrial spaces. The open space and vaulted ceilings provide a large space for cultural and community activities. Factory 798 is a structure that pr preserves the culture and artistic expression of the Chinese people and is a space that links the past, present, and future for a better quality of life.
The resulting tower consist of many commercial, community, residential, and green spaces. It also includes a parking garage, as parking is a problematic issue across China as a whole. The transitional podium provides both interior and exterior viewing decks in which tourists and locals alike can enjoy the urban setting of Xintiandi. The tower also houses moments of viewing but these occur on both sides so one may view a wide spread of historic Shanghai and these spaces also act as large community gathering spaces just as the lanes of the traditional lilong fabric were neighborhood gathering spaces.
*The Lilong Tower and related research is an ongoing research thesis from May 2009 to May 2010
Shared Courtyard
Shared Courtyard
Private Spaces
(2nd Floor) 2 Bedroom Apartment
Gathering Space
2 Bedroom Apartment
Living Space
Studio Apartment
Gathering Space
1 Bedroom Apartment
Private Space
Shared Courtyard
After analyzing the lilong fabric, there were specific design requirements in order for the tower to successfully respesct the historical memory of the traditional horizontal lilong fabric. The main requirement was the notion of a courtyard and more specifically one which is shared to promote community gathering. With trying to break the social hiearchy, the stacked apartments of varying sizes forces the residents of different classes to share common and transitional spaces.