Master’s Final Project: Density of Urban Life

Typology

The goal is to break the preconception about density as something suffocating, undesirable, and unlivable. Density is often a necessity, such as it is in Chinese Urban Villages that are unregulated, swallowed by the city, and forced to grow inward in search of their identity. Density is ugly, beautiful, tasteless, romantic, noir, cyberpunk, artistic, historic, lawless, and peaceful. It is luxury even, such as in NY. It is always dramatic and rich. Never boring.

Historic Density

Artistic Density

Luxury Density

Unapologetic Density

 

The Site

Stevens Square is a neighborhood with 100 years of history. The street facades are protected. The spacious weathered units are rented to the low-income populations with a deep sense of belonging to the place. The renovation of the units without changing the layout would skyrocket the rent, gentrify the community and displace all the occupants. Without renovation, the buildings will die by fire, water damage, or by falling apart, like many other similar neighboring buildings.

Existing Conditions

Interiors

Existing fire escape

Sample of existing floor plans

Existing protected historic facades

Back Alley

Existing protected historic facades

 

In Search of Solution

High density, narrow alleys, windows looking into windows, lack of sunlight and views. All the blinds are up, no reason to look outside. People are isolated from one another. The density belongs to no one, is forbidden to touch, and is separated from the occupants who can and want to give it an identity.

Could reduction of the density help? Should we make buildings give up some of their body to the outsides? Make the outside bigger, brighter, more spacious? Is bigger outside more desirable outside? How much mass is too much? How much void is too little?

Access to light/views analysis

Leverage voids #1

Leverage Voids #2

Porous Concept

Lighting tests

Porous Concept Development

Porous concept development

Connection

 

Solution

Narrowest Resident Alley

Community Room

Hotel Entry

Back Alley

 

Floor Plans

Basement

Mall, utility areas, community rooms, stores, all tied together by rings of circulation connected to the outside. No dead areas or unitized corners.

Level 1

Carve community areas in the mass of the building. Give the alleys to the tenant and to the community in kind, so they could enrich the areas with activities, greenery, identity.

 

Level 2, 3

The inward views go toe to toe with outward views. All units are made smaller, but newer, richer, smarter. The number of affordable units is the same as before. Mid-range and luxury units are added in the mix. The problem was not the excess of density, but the lack of it. More units, more rentable space for businesses - perhaps the best shot at avoiding gentrification.

Roof.

Density can be tiring. Occupants have a chance to escape it any time they want and enjoy the downtown views on the roof.