John Gabriel Castaneda - Architecture Portfolio by John Gabriel Castañeda

John Gabriel C. Castañeda | Architecture Portfolio

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3 4 MIKE is a thirty-three year old man who is currently living on the streets in San Francisco, originally he’s from Southern California, and four years ago owned a home in Orange County with his wife. Unfortunately Mike’s divorce cost him his house and half of his belongings which caused him to fall into a depressed state. Feeling the world fall on top of him he sadly tried taking his life; luckily it was a failed attempted. After realizing life is too precious to take away he packed everything he owned and headed to the Bay Area. When he got to SF he realized, “the city is changing,” and not in a good way, the hippies and free spirited people who made up san Francisco and what made this city so special our now being forced out of their communities for bigger better living for the growing tech population. He began talking about how 20 years ago SF’s communities tied around the hippie movement and young people from far and wide would come visit Haight Street to just see all the kids and the hippies with flowers in their hair and to just experience the over expression of love that flowed through the city. I asked Mike if he ever considered going to any programs or services to help him get back on his feet, I got a surprising response, he said, “I’ve had a home and worked a 9 to 5 job playing the role of the modern day slave. I have no interest in that life style anymore, I choose to be here on the

streets because of the freedom; I can enjoy the little things in life, and I can sleep under the beautiful stars which I know

is free.” Currently he sleeps on a hammock because for him it’s the smartest way to sleep comfortable and to keep the dirt and insects away. He likes his hammock a lot but doesn’t like how exposed he is to the elements and wish he was more shielded by the weather and a had a secure spot for his crystals that he sells, as now he sleeps with his belongings in

his hammock. We approached Gun in the United Nations plaza on a Saturday afternoon. Gun, who came from New York to California “long time ago”, chose San Francisco as his city.“People are amazing in San Francisco,” said Gun, “the weather as well,” he continues. Gun grew up in a rich family, something we realized via him talking about his mom’s mansion, the fireplace where they used to gather and the Steinway piano his dad was playing on. He left home at the age of 18. “It was a chaotic house, and thank god I left early...I have a had a long journey and here I am” He currently lives around the UN plaza sometimes and did not want to give us more information about the shelter or the place where he sleeps. Gun loves music, drawing, writing songs, reading and anything that has to do with creativity. He often goes to the library to read and charge his phone; he plays guitar, sketches (he is passionate about architecture) and designs furniture. If Gun had to design a shelter for himself, he would definitely include a fireplace. Gun likes to hang out with friends, plays guitar and relax in a cozy warm space, where everyone can enjoy their time. I am Fatima; I’m 19 years old and I’ve been living in the streets for about a year now. I am originally from Syria. My dad ,my brother and I are refugees from Syria, my mother died during the war.We were first sent to a refugee camp in Los Angeles, but my father was too old to learn a new language or get a job. My brother had a job but he didn’t earn enough to support all three of us. One year after we moved to Los Angeles, my father had told me that he was thinking about providing me with a better life, that our actual lifestyle was too rough for a female teenager and that I was going to be better off living with one of his friends who had multiple daughters around my age. I accepted innocently as he confirmed that if I did not like it I could come back anytime. The first few days I moved in there I really enjoyed it. The house was really large, I had to share my room with three other girls who were very friendly. We were offered three meals a day, new clothes, and were always taken a good care of. I was happier than ever. After a couple of days I started noticing some men in the house walking in and out. When I finally realized that I would not see the same faces everyday I asked my roomates who those guys were and they had no clue. We then asked other girls on our floor and they said that those men were the reason we were here. I tried calling my family multiple times but nobody would ever answer me. Sooner than I could imagine I found myself trapped in a circle of lies. I

was sold by my own father to a pimp and was living in a house secretly turned into a brothel all run by

illegal immigrants. I turned from an innocent 16 year old teenager into a prostitute. I was mistreated and abused. I tried to escape multiple times in vain. I would always think that if I ever did I would have no family no home and no job. After two years I decided to move on with my life. I moved to San Francisco looking to start a new life. I have been living in the streets for a year now, I am still suffering from a deep emotional trauma. I still choose to work in the sex industry sometimes to survive, it is a really hard industry to quit once you are dragged into it.

Da Chun is a senior citizen originally from China. She is between the age of 50 and 60 years old. Her age is not accurate because of her early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. During her childhood, she came to America with her parents, searching for a better life. After 50 years living in America, her parents passed away. All her adult life, she dedicated her time taking care of her mom, meanwhile her dad worked at a mini market in Chinatown selling food. Her lack of fluent English, crippled her opportunities to find a stable job. She used to live with her parents in a small room provided by her Dad’s employer. But without a stable salary and job, she couldn’t afford to live there anymore. Da Chun spends majority of her day collecting bottles off the street. By the end of the day she gives the bottles that she collected to a guy, who takes it to the SF Dump/Transfer Station located at 501 Tunnel Ave in Oakland across the Bay Bridge. The next day, the guy gives her the money for the bottles she collected. During the afternoon, she tries to go to the tenderloin so she can eat for free at the St Anthony’s Dinning Room. But she usually receives food donations from the people of the Chinatown market. Da Chun prefers the areas that provide more recycling garbage bins which is the reason why so her normal route is through the Financial District. She tries to avoid trash cans due to the sanitation problem and the vulnerability of getting sick. She usually wakes up really early so she can search for recycle bottles before the trash bus comes. She normally carries a small bag with her to fill it with any interesting items she finds along the way, so she can sell it later. But since Da Chun has mostly lived in Chinatown, she goes back every night because it’s a community in which she is familiar with. Tree is a 54 year old Korean woman. When she was a baby,her family moved to Virginia. At age 4, her mother threw her out in the streets. She lived in foster care life until she was old enough to be on her own. In order to survive, she found herself stealing and resorting to prostitution. To cope with all that she was going through, Tree started dealing drugs. Partly as a result of all her trauma and living conditions, Tree developed Schizophrenia (a severe, chronic, and disabling brain and behavior disorder). After 12 long years of being on the waitlist, Tree was able to get into the Navigation Center on 1950 Mission Street, where she receives therapy as well as medication for her condition. Tree enjoys talking and meeting new people so in her free time, she goes to Bart stations as well as to parks all around the city where she paints, writes poetry and shares it with people around her. Furthermore, when she has the time she takes free online classes at City college of San Francisco. When asked what she wanted to changed about her currently living conditions, Tree said “nothing.” She stated that she feels safe and likes where she's staying because it provides her with everything she ever wanted, a home. Tree is a strong believer that God is watching over her and that everything she’s been through has made her who she is today and that things can always be worse so she’s thankful to God for giving her a chance in life and for providing whatever little she has. Rosie

Ameeha

is a United States Army veteran. She is 60 years old. She has three children. Originally from Denver, Colorado, she was stationed in different states across America over the years of her service. In 1991, after retiring from her post, she moved to San Francisco and married her former husband who was in the Air Force. 5 years later, she suffered from health conditions that left her disabled. Rosie grew up in a Christian family , going to church and singing gospels every Sunday. Through church, singing and performing became a part of her life. She loves hearing people’s stories from different walks of life. She also volunteers at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. These are her ways of connecting with the community and giving back to society. Although homelessness is not the best situation, she said San Francisco has a special place in her heart because it was her late father’s hometown. She considers San Francisco her home.

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2312 3rd Ave, Apt. 325 Seattle, WA 98121 408.583.7980 iam_johnc@hotmail.com

/castanedajohn /castanedajohn /johngabrielcastaneda

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Village Promenade ARH 450 | 4th Year | Housing and Comprehensive Design

Collaborated w/ Maurits Anton de Gans Professors: Mark Donahue & Goetz Frank Sustainability Consultants: Amy Leedman & ARUP

Concept Statement Along San Francisco’s waterfront of The Embarcadero, takes the approach of a Village to become a connection to the cityscape. Creating an interactive community for residence and public while being contained in a secured environment by interweaving of elevated and excavated pathways.

DAYCARE

SINGLE ROOM OCCUPANCY

GLACIER