REIMAGINING THE NARRATIVE

RUTH KOILPILLAI | BROOKE YOUNG

REIMAGINING

2021 | EXPERIMENTS IN COMMUNAL LIVING | Resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and cooperation in the fallout of COVID

David Franco | Ulrike Heine | Andreea Mihalache | George Schafer

The Bronx is a densely populated, cross-cultural district in New York. It is highly diverse ethnically and culturally and is home to a large population of Latina and African American communities. This project is located on Jerome Avenue - one of the longest thoroughfares in the Bronx. It is characterized by many small-scale auto-based workshops and general stores. There is a housing crisis with the residents being housed in decaying apartment buildings that are extremely hazardous. Once known as the birthplace of hip hop in the ’70s, currently, there is a negative connotation associated with the Bronx due to its rising crime rate,  the dangers of overpopulation, underperforming small businesses, and an overall stagnancy. As these problems become more apparent, so does the demand for a solution. What would it mean to reimagine the narrative that is conventionally associated with the Bronx? This brings us to the need for this project - a vertical city. This vertical city will currently hold the key to sustainability in the Bronx. People will live, work, and go to school in this vertical city. The vertical city holds the key to preserving natural resources. The inhabitable spaces are well connected through a series of open and semi-open spaces. Self-contained farming areas allow crops to be grown and harvested in the same location allowing its residents to existing self-sufficiently. Transportation consists of a complex network of levels that connect the vertical city to the elevated subway and its surrounding context. The possibilities offered by this vertical city are endless. A thorough climatic analysis has shaped our design solutions to enhance residents’ urban landscape and living conditions. The Bronx averages a high of 85 degrees in July and a low of 26 degrees in January; Receives 48” of rainfall and 26” of snowfall per year; The predominant winds prevail W-NW; We considered these factors to employ strategies of passive cooling during the summer and passive heating in the winter. Providing the residents and surrounding community with access to thermal comfort, food, and opportunities for human interaction was a large part of our design.  With over 90,000 square feet, a new

public hub is created, expected to house approximately 700 people and create green spaces around the complex. Our community garden design approach is to have many varied scales – outdoor and indoor balconies, raised beds, open exterior areas. Due to the diverse climate and poor air quality, part of the design, a series of linked modules interspaced at ground level with open, semi-open, and closed spaces. Indoor farming strategies are essential for our location for feasible and reliable crop growth year-round. Wind barriers are designed to prevent solid and cold winds from the vegetation. Fresh produce will feed the compound’s inhabitants and Jerome Ave directly through the onsite cafeteria or the farmers market. Brown and Green Matter will be collected for composting from the garden and onsite waste and transported to an onsite compost structure doubling as a storage space for gardening tools. The design of the floor levels encourages human connections through the shared spaces.  The project footprint takes up just 24% of allowable space at ground level, creating ample green spaces and social areas. Voids were placed throughout each building design from the programming scheme, generating intersecting public and private spaces while facilitating cross and stack ventilation. The building forms are created by considering passive solar strategies, privacy, access to views, and natural ventilation tactics. The materiality of the design allows the residents to reconnect with the urban atmosphere of the Bronx, where the gardens, concrete structure, brick walls, steel mesh, and operable windows reflect and promote the dynamic of the surrounding community. The design creates thermal inertia through the brick and concrete walls, absorbing excess heat and avoiding significant temperature differences. Other low-impact development practices are designed to manage stormwater, provide grey water for building usage and irrigation, and supply the compounds renewable energy supply powered through onsite geothermal energy generation.

TANYARD PARK

KATHERINE PRICE | GREGG USSERY

TANYARD PARK

2021 | EXPERIMENTS IN COMMUNAL LIVING | Resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and cooperation in the fallout of COVID

David Franco | Ulrike Heine | Andreea Mihalache | George Schafer

Tanyard Park is a 215,000 square foot, self-sustaining, live-work community in the historically African American neighborhood of Tanyard, located in downtown Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola’s climate is typically hot and humid, and Tanyard Park is located less than 1000 feet from the shores of Pensacola Bay. This location ensures a constant ocean breeze, but also increases susceptibility to damage from hurricanes. The history of the site of Tanyard Park drives its intended purpose. When Pensacola was still segregated in the 1950s, African Americans lived on the site and frequented the lot across the street, Bruce Beach. In 1975, the Main Street Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion overtook the site, effectively closing Bruce Beach and forcing residents out of their homes. The Main Street Wastewater Treatment Facility remained in operation until 2004, when it was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. Today, the effects of these events are still evident. African Americans only make up 27% of the overall population of Pensacola, but they account for 53% of the impoverished population. Tanyard Park aims to counteract this disproportionate statistic by giving a home to those who were affected by the placement of the waste treatment facility and those who live in poverty. The goal of Tanyard Park is to reclaim the historic African American residential area, restore the post-industrial site in a clean and environmentally responsive way, and revive the impoverished African American community in Pensacola, Florida. Tanyard Park will house 120 residents in the current facility, but it is built to allow for 25% growth of

housing capacity. User-specific programming, including family-oriented housing units, a central haircare space, and a nondenominational outdoor worship space, increases the residents’ sense of place in Tanyard Park. To educate residents on previous real estate injustices and prevent future gentrification, real estate literacy courses are offered onsite. The entire park is also elevated to allow for seasonal hurricane flooding and to create a gathering space on the ground level for the community. Water retention ponds collect excess flood water and are positioned to cool the incoming breeze entering the park. Shaded fields produce cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli for consumption and these are sold weekly at the market on the ground floor. The park itself incorporates active strategies, including both solar and wind energy conversion with a solar roof and cutting edge EWICON wind energy converters. Rainwater collection and reverse osmosis filtration is employed for residential water consumption. The filtered rainwater is distributed to residents via the pressurized water tower in the center of Tanyard Park. To further integrate Tanyard Park into the neighborhood, paved sidewalks create a walkable connection between Corinne Jones Park and the newly reopened Bruce Beach. Tanyard Park not only replaces those who were affected by historical injustices, but it provides an environment where residents can thrive and ensure a bright future for their families to come.

A BEACON OF HOPE

JOHN OWENS | LAUREN PRAEUNER

A BEACON OF HOPE

2020 | VULNERABLE CITIES, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS | Sustainable transitional housing solutions for chronically unsheltered populations in the U.S.

David Franco | Ulrike Heine | George Schafer

The Beacon of Hope transitional housing acts as a catalyst of CHANGE for the vulnerable domestic violence population of Fair-banks and Alaska. 1 in 3 women in Alaska are abused while 84% of the indigenous population experiences domestic violence, which is almost always a generational problem. The Beacon hopes to create an end to generational domestic violence by providing a safe community for the women and children to grow and develop. In order to create a strong sense of COMMUNITY within the female population of the Beacon that includes both domestic violence victims and homeless victims, community programs such as shared kitchens, recreation areas, and classrooms are centrally located to encourage social interactions between inhabitants. Local communities around the site are encouraged to get involved by donating to the Beacon, with display screens showcases the most necessary items at the moment. Because men in Alaska also fall victim to domestic violence and homelessness, a safe space is also provided for this vulnerable group, however, they are located in an architecturally separated portion of the building to preserve the sense of security for the women and children that are housed in the main building. By basing the program after Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the Bea-con has been designed to support the WELLNESS for the program’s users. Physical safety is provided through shelter, personal safety, food services, hygienic products, and bunking.

Health and wellness safety is provided through on-site clinicians, counselling, and social programming. Finally, future safety is provided through education and job support with access to a library, computer lab, and life counselling. The Beacon is INTEGRATED into the surrounding urban context by being placed in a site that is deep with indigenous roots. This leads to the transitional housing program acting as a central node within a greater cultural campus that provides connections to the vulnerable population’s legacy within Fairbanks. The site also allows for easy accessibility for Alaskans in the father edges of Fairbanks, as well as other cities with close proximity to the train station and major bus routes. A sense of DISCOVERY is created through the unique facade of the Beacon, which is inspired by the northern lights, which in a sense are a natural beacon. The outer facades of the building are made up of steel louvers that have been colored with blue and green hues that mimic the colors of the northern lights. The inner carving between the two buildings that make up the beacon, feature glass louvers that are lit with green LEDs which allow the Beacon to create a glow along the city skyline that points vulnerable persons to where safety can be found. The interior carving also features curtain walls that have been textured to display trees as a way to connect inhabitants to the natural forests of Alaska.

REGROWTH

BRITTANY LAPPLE | SARAH MILEY | ZACHARY STUERMER

REGROWTH

2020 | VULNERABLE CITIES, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS | Sustainable transitional housing solutions for chronically unsheltered populations in the U.S.

David Franco | Ulrike Heine | George Schafer

“Homeless” and “veteran” are two words that should never be together, especially in a place such a s Mobile, Alabama. Under the Köppen climate classification, the state of Alabama is classified as a humid subtropical climate. This climate zone is prone to hurricanes and flooding and has consequently made the homeless veterans a vulnerable population in a vulnerable location. “Regrowth” is a reimagination of transitional housing for disabled homeless veterans with a focus on the synergetic rehabilitation of the inhabitant and their environmental surroundings. We have selected a site that is immediately adjacent to the existing Veterans Affairs Clinic in Mobile. This site is severely eroded from years of lumbering and heavy storms. Given the value of the VA Clinic next door, we saw it as an opportunity to rehabilitate the environment while simultaneously rehabilitating the veterans that would be living there. This site is nestled in a suburban a rea that provides a wealth of job opportunities for our transitional residents as they reenter the community. “Regrowth” is designed to be an integration space for users of all walks of life, including the VA nursing staff and local community members. Pathways, rest areas, and accessible roof-top spaces all create architectural moments where user typologies will intermingle. Nature pathways wind throughout the wooded area to provide space for everything from physical and mental therapy sessions to recreational use. The roughly 57 ,000 square foo t campus is comprehensibly made up of 45 fully ADA accessible units for the residents and a

community center, outfitted with leasing offices, a mail room, gym, dining hall, and laundry room. Once the veterans meet with a leasing assistant in the community center, they will move through the program gradually from the heavily dependent units, to semi-dependent units, to semi-independent units, and finally to our highly independent units for those preparing to re-enter the community. These units are elevated with direct correlation to the rehabilitation of the resident. Through the use of operable curtain walls, all units open to the exterior as much as possible while retaining privacy to create an experience where the residents are fully immersed in nature. These curtain walls also act as a way to create cross ventilation in a muggy coastal environment and reduce energy needs. With the current eroded state of the site, rain gardens and water diversion plans will help in mitigating topsoil runoff and allow for native plant and animal species to r e-inhabit the space. For hurricane damage resistance, the structural system is designed to meet Fortified Standards Gold Certification with a shattered column system. These columns collectively provide privacy, structural stability, and protection for the plant life growing below the units, and their variance in size and cadence mimics the variety found in the surrounding forest. As the roof directs views towards the forest canopy, skylights simultaneously intake natural light from above to re duce energy needed for lighting. Collectively, with the site fully rehabilitated, 6 acres of trees will grow an d consequently roughly 33,0 00lbs of carbon will be sequestered annually.

CENTRO DE SALUD

CELIA GANNAWAY | COURTNEY WOLFF

A BEACON OF HOPE

2019 | LOST SPACES | Architectural solutions for leftover space created by America’s elevated urban highways

David Franco | Ulrike Heine | George Schafer

REIMAGINING HEALTHCARE IN ELYRIA SWANSEA, DENVER CO. Along the major Interstate 70, spanning from Utah to Maryland, in Denver, Colorado we see an escalating asthma rate with declining accessibility to simple health-related resources. There is a divide created in the neighborhood of Elyria Swansea. Not only should architecture bring a crippling community together, it should serve as a tool to promote healthy environments to strengthen the identity of a community. Something needs to be done about Denver’s heightened pollution rates, this neighborhood specifically with its booming industry and populous interstate looming overhead. Elyria Swansea, Denver has the highest environmental hazard risk of over 8600 zip codes nationwide. A proposed campus for this site provides an innovative solution to health-care in a weakening community. With an aging community, and a majority Hispanic population, Elyria Swansea needs an alternative to traditional senior adult care. This development must provide a retreat and resource for the aging population without prompting isolation. This will improve the medical and psychological state of its users and encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle through an increased quality of life. Centro de Salud is

located in climate region 4. A semiarid climate with cold, windy winters and warm, dry summers. Annual precipitation is 17” compared to a national average of 38” annually. Buildings are clustered together to minimize the number of exposed walls to keep heat in and cold out in winter. Buildings are also tucked under the existing Interstate to provide shelter without the use of additional raw materials. Windows and trees are minimally placed on the South sides of buildings to let the winter sun in. Trombe walls on the South are effective for passive solar heating in the summer months with green roofs to insulate in the cold winter months. By integrating the architecture with the colloquial style of Elyria Swansea, and by implementing site-specific ecologies and pollution technologies as well as the implementation of a public courtyard and elevated running track, the user’s health and wellness will be improved through the promotion of social interaction in the community. The architectural proposal contains 8 assisted living units, a shared living and dining building, a 24/7 healthcare clinic, and a gym equipped with workout classrooms totaling at nearly 20,000 square feet.

A VERTICAL SOCIAL STREET

JOSH GUERTIN | KELLY UMUTONI

INTERCONNECT

2018 | AGING IN THE CITY | Architectural strategies to create multigenerational urban communities

Dan Harding | Ulrike Heine | David Franco

Most people in the US assume that people ages 50+, after retirement, prefer to move to warmer and more affordable suburban locations. As a result, the urban city is not designed to serve retired and aging populations, posing a serious age diversity gap in the fabric of current and future cities. This is especially true for the city of Minneapolis. It is a relatively young city with an average age of 31.9. However, the number of senior and retiring citizens is growing and will continue to grow in the coming years. As the Baby Boomer and Millennial generations age, they will want to remain in their urban homes. This calls for sustainable long term living solutions along with fitting amenities. To provide an appropriate response to the problem, the following question is asked: How can we sustainably design for multi-generational long-term living, in a city prone to extreme weather conditions, while promoting wellness and integration in a multi-generational community? Located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Minneapolis, A Vertical Social Street (VSS) seeks to promote long-term living by proposing a mixed-use project with an integrated social core that moves vertically through the building starting in the lower public areas up to the residential floors through a series of ramps and stairs. Along the social core are programmed spaces that allow for chance encounters between the building occupants. This creates an indoor vertical social street in the building to promote wellness and connectivity within a multi-

generational community. The building is also punctuated with vegetated terraces that provide access to green space for occupants and aid in slowing down the rate of storm-water runoff, which is predicted to augment as Minneapolis is expected to experiencea drastic increase in precipitation and surface flooding as a result of climate change. With a total building area of 280,000 square-feet, the program includes a much needed public market, and outdoor public spaces like a skating rink and family park. The design also features indoor social spaces including a library room, yoga studio, local artist studios, a gym, a basketball court, and co-working spaces, along with seventy housing units of varying sizes.In December 2018, the City Council passed ‘Minneapolis City 2040’, a comprehensive plan to permit triplexes in all the city’s neighborhoods including residential ones and to encourage the development of high-density buildings along transit corridors. Single-family home zoning was a legal way to keep minorities from moving into white neighborhoods, and it still func-tions as a barrier today. By abolishing restrictive zoning, the city begins to put an end to the damage done by segregated zoning and embrace the rich diversity of Minneapolis. VSS further helps support this initiative by bringing this diversity downtown to the Warehouse District.

INTERCONNECT

MADISON POLK | HARRISON POLK

INTERCONNECT

2017 | REFUGEES WELCOME | Reinventing the Architectural Possibilities of a Refugee Center in the Heart of Madrid

Ufuk Ersoy | David Franco | Ulrike Heine

Interconnect is a refugee integration center located in Plaza de las Descalzas, designed to aid the process of integration for a growing refugee population in the city of Madrid, Spain. The building occupies the site of an abandoned bank building and shares public plaza space with a historic convent, gallery/event space, contemporary shopping center, and a collection of other mixed-use programs. Interconnect is a contemporary project that responds to its immediate urban context to provide connectivity to an existing network of pedestrian paths in the city center, echoing the belief that refugees should feel like they can belong in Madrid. Currently, Plaza de las Descalzas is an under-activated site in the middle of the pedestrian network that connects a total of 8 streets and 5 public plazas. The footprint of the integration center aims to achieve a strong urban fit by extending a pedestrian path through the site and framing additional public space that will encourage healthy physical and social interactions between local and refugee user groups. The 55,360 square foot integration center provides the city with much needed space for program necessary to help acclimate refugees to a new society; these include a refugee service center, a community media center, and a gallery. The refugee service center provides legal, professional, financial, and childcare services to the refugee population. The community media

center brings locals and refugees together in one space by providing access to information and technology; a coffee bar and café provide flexible space where users are invited to spend their time. Dedicated to culture and art exhibitions, the gallery space is designed to provide physical connection for the building programs, as well as social connection for people by educating them about the refugee experience, and providing space where Madrid and refugee cultures can come together. Practicality and cost efficiency characterize the relationships designed between structure, material assemblies, and sustainable strategies for the project. A series of terraces and large window openings are carved out of the building’s monumental form to provide views of the city, further connecting users to the surrounding urban context. While solid, rough textured Berroquena granite distinguishes the building’s exterior; the interior spaces are open and flexible, defined by indirect natural daylight and grand circulation around a central atrium. Locally sourced materials benefit the control of daylight and thermal comfort in Madrid’s hot, arid climate. Even in its smallest details, the integration center is designed to communicate connectivity to the city of Madrid: it is space designed to help refugees connect to their new home.