CITYSCAPE DWELLINGS One would expect an unexpected city to be located at an obscure and unconventional location, but that is not always the case. My unexpected city is one that dwells within a city itself. A secondary city that lives and breathes within the fields and forces within its surrounding, Downtown Los Angeles. Cityscape Dwellings seek to serve as a networking point within the hyperactivity of the Los Angeles, its abundance of public gallery spaces on the first floor of the building serve as an exceptionally permeable level of circulation for the general public. Pedestrians walking through the town can easily walk through these spaces and soak in the activities, be it exhibitions or even public events. The project is made out of an aggregation of ten five storied building modules that intersect strategically to create enveloping interesting spaces that creates additional circulation throughout the building. Each module is designed parametrically with a series ellipses that are rotated at alternating floors, creating a fluid shift in dimension as one ascends up the building. Each module also consists of an inner core that runs through the interior of the building and is seamlessly connected to the exterior faรงade of the building. This makes the interior and exterior of the building one. Out of the ten modules, the inner four modules serve as the public cultural spaces for residences as well as for the public. These inner four modules also comprises of the main form of vertical circulation, the elevators and stairs. The other external six modules are the residential dwellings. The dwellings are either double storied housing units, or the single storied ones, both catering to different household needs. Together with its elaborate form, this project strives to redefine the cityscape of Downtown Los Angeles in means unforeseen. Being an attractor of forces, this project, with its very strategic location, will create a gateway for this metropolitan Los Angeles to come together and develop a greater sense of unity.
LOS ANGELES
SINGLE MODULE DEVELOPMENT
MODULE AGGREGATION AND PROGRAM ALLOCATION LARGE DWELLING STACK
SMALL DWELLING STACK
VERTICAL CIRCULATION CORE
CULTURAL AND PUBLIC SPACES
1. Initial series of ellipses.With each alternate one rotated at 45 degrees
2. Ellipses lofted sequentially to create a single surface with isocurves for further development.
MA IN
ST R
EE T
primary circulation
TH
IRD
ST
RE
gallery
ET VIEW OF BUILDING ENTRANCE
gallery recreational space
central courtyard
stairs or elevat
cultural space
stairs r elevato
cultural space
central courtyard
recreational space
gallery
SL OS
AN
GE
LE
SS
T
gallery
SITE PLAN WITH 1ST FLOOR SCALE: 1/32”=1’-0” CULTURAL PUBLIC SPACE
cooking
sleeping area
living space cooking bathroom
living space
living space bathroom
bathroom
wardrobe
living space cooking
sleeping area
sleeping area
living space cooking
bathroom
bathroom
stairs cultural space
sleeping area
stairs elevator
cultural space
stairs elevator
elevator
sleeping area
sleeping area
bathroom
bathroom
stairs
cooking
living space cooking
sleeping area
living space sleeping area
living space bathroom
living space
sleeping area
elevator
cooking
bathroom
wardrobe sleeping area
sleeping area
bathroom
cooking
PLAN- 4th Floor SCALE : 1/16”=1’-0”
PLAN- 5th Floor SCALE : 1/16”=1’-0”
SECTION SCALE : 1/16”=1’-0”
PUBLIC GALLERY SPACES
DOUBLE STOREY DWELLINGS
CULTURAL/PUBLIC SPACES
VERTICAL CIRCULATION
These are the public gallery spaces located at the first floor of the building. These spaces are created for public exhibitions and other social gatherings or events to take place.
This two stacks of the building consists of four levels of double-storey dwellings. These dwellings are used for larger occupancy or larger families seeking for a larger housing unit to stay in. The circulation between levels within the dwelling unit itself are the stairs that spiral through the pillar like structures within each large module
The cultural and public spaces are located from the second to the fifth floor in the inner four stacks. These spaces are the main core of the building which also comprise of the two main vertical circulation networks.
The building has two stacks of main circulation. The circulation runs through the pillar like structure in the middle of each module. Inhabitants of this building can take either the elevator of the stairs which run through the entire vertical circulation of the building.
Being located at the first storey also creates additional possible circulation for the public to access these spaces.
These spaces are intermediate spaces for residents to enter their dwellings hence creating additional opportunities for social interaction and bonding. These spaces are also more exclusive from the public.
SINGLE STOREY DWELLINGS This stack of the building comprises of single storey dwellings on each floor of the building. These units are created to cater to smaller families or couples seeking a housing unit of smaller square footage. The units are mainly loft-style housing with minimal wall partitions, creating a more cozy experience within the unit.
FACADE / TRANSPARENCY The facade of the building is made out of a series of opaque and transparent panels that are selectively removed using an culling pattern algorithm. The stripes of glass are used in order to preserve the geometry of the overall form of the building. This also creates a juxtaposition of solid and transparency throughout the entire building.