ARCH 393 - QUEER DESIGN
IN COLLABORATION WITH MATTHEW BEECROFT
Top/Bottom reclaims overlooked urban spaces to create queer-inclusive environments, challenging heteronormative structures and addressing the erasure of queer spaces. Using a modular framework, the project transforms alleys and subterranean areas into “third spaces” that blur public-private boundaries, fostering identity exploration through arts and entertainment.
Two interventions- Jarvis, a public approach celebrating visibility, and Church, a secluded underground club- use thresholds to balance exposure and privacy. By leveraging “artificial nighttime”, the project creates a flexible, replicable language of queer expression. Through modular cubes and layered spatial experiences, Top/Bottom reimagines urban design as a tool for reclaiming and sustaining queer space.
