Back on Our Feet

2022 ACADEMIC Prof. Bing Bu

Mixed use project sited in Westlake, Los Angeles, California. An exploration into hybrid mat-housing paired with and inspired by Parisian block housing guided the project. Site contains a large homeless population but a work-stay program can address this by empowering and providing the opportunity to help revive Westlake while also providing a place to call home for those who need it the most. Infrastructure for community gardening initiatives can make it possible for the people to have access to good clean food while also playing an important part in producing it. Intended to grow and adapt over time, the main structure of Back On Our Feet is two large concrete slab floors that sandwich concrete bearing walls within the individual apartment units. Featuring a unique emphasis on two-story living spaces, the living arrangement encourages a “mixed” mixed-use program distribution, with live and work apartments in shared space as well as varying unit sizes from 400 to 1300 sq foot.