COOPERATION

Faculty: James Michael Tate

Team: Maggie Martin, Ekaansh Kalra, Jade Radford

Contributions: research, form generation, graphic representation, model photos

CONCEPT: AFFORDABLE HOUSING

In conjunction with The REACH Project, a local non-profit, the mission of the clients was to design clusters of unconventional detached housing for a community of Essential Aggies in Bryan, TX. Preservation of independent units and encouragement of community interaction was important to consider in the design. By tackling a multiplicity of scales, while maintaining use of the modular unit, the group produced an understanding of the relationship between singular buildings and the collective as a whole. This flexibility allowed for us to accommodate single family units, elderly, multi-family units etc. Through precedent and massing studies the group developed various organizational strategies that enhanced the micro-urban environment at an intimate scale.

In addition to the housing units, high impact services such as health clinics, financial literacy courses, and micro gardens were also incorporated to support the sustainable community.

Periodic discussions and meetings held throughout the design process, initiated conversations of resident needs and increased the transparency between the designer and occupant. Careful consideration went into grounding the architectural object to the placement on the site.

Instructor: Dr. Julie Rogers

Team: Zachary Martinez, Zechariah Simpson

Contributions: research, concept, diagrams, form generation, graphic representation

CONCEPT:

An investigative look at the town’s architecture reveals physical patterns that reflect a similar notion of cadence— adjacent buildings’ roofs stair step up and down from one another, while chimneys and telephone poles vertically punctuate their profile. It was these instances of cadence, cultural and physical, which became the driving influence behind Castiglion Fiorentino’s new Cultural Center which finds itself located directly adjacent to the Piazza Garibaldi.

A cafe, jazz bar, visitor center, exhibition space, library, and outdoor gathering space populate the site in question. Their design is derived from a series of roof line studies in the town which were then transposed onto the site, where they were used to inform the layout of building walls, grid lines, and circulation patterns. The resulting building masses both converse with and improve upon the preexisting conditions found in the adjacent piazza. This is accomplished by providing engaging outdoor space fit for occupation by market stalls, which helps to programmatically unite the two spaces. In this way, the site has a direct dialogue with the town’s cadence from which it derives its building form.

CASTIGLION FIORENTINO,

Instructor: Shawn M. Lutz

CONCEPT:

Given the Menil Campus as an urban context, the idea of this proposal is to develop an architectural autonomy that operates as both the working and living areas. Simultaneously, the design is needed to be mass produced in order to satisfy the density requirements per plot of land. By designing this specified typology, the ADU, the architect is allowing the inhabitant to become part of the community and interact with the built environment. The future of communities may be seen with increased density living and affordable housing units. This proposal demonstrates both as such, through the type of materials used and the intended layouts of the units.

Beginning with a variety of circles, the use of tangents influenced the location of the buildings’ interior and exterior walls. The incorporation of the dog-trot acted as an implied divider of workspaces and encouraged circulation through, as well as into the unit. The various sizes of punched windows were generated to align with the exterior wall paneling while simultaneously framing interior spaces. Similarly, the second level was organized around the tangents, aiding in alignment of the kitchen, living room, balcony and bedroom.