Syracuse University
Fall 2024
Alana Mitchell
Syracuse University School of Architecture
B.Arch Class of 2027
Email: amitch24@syr.edu
Phone: (571)-606-6077
Case Study: Koya-San Guest House
Landform Analysis #3: Land Intervention
Case Study: Previ by James Stirling
Syracuse Museum of Native and Local History
Amid the removal of the divisive I-81 viaduct, Syracuse is currently undergoing a period of urban change. The removal of the highway exists within the historical context of a city which has experienced economic downfall over the last century. Education, safety, public health, and housing are just few among the problems the city struggles with. Within all of this, we were tasked with sites along this I-81 corridor which is to be redeveloped into housing and a pedestrian corridor. The E Water St Family Housing seeks to address struggles that families with children are facing in Syracuse. Namely, attendance issues, low graduation rates, and falling test scores. Through shared kitchens and public library access, my project seeks to bring resources and shared community learning into the home.
MET WEST is the fictional west coast branch of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. Located in LA’s fashion district, the corner site reaches both the active Santee Alley Market and the various retailers perched on the sidewalks. The building uses a framing system developed earlier in the semester. The frames change their density and their height as the program and needs shift. Keeping the ground area vacant was a priority and vital to keep the existing activity of the street level open for the existing vendors and guests.
The Koya San Guest House was a case study of the short stay residence designed by Alphaville Architects in Koya, Japan. The case study analyzes the structure and the programmatic uses of the building.
The guest house is a seemingly simple building. It’s exterior shape is rectangular with a pitched roof that overhangs the sides. It appears relatively small from the street view however, the inside is complete with a number of activities. There is a kitchen, seating area, and a combination of capsule and typical guest rooms. The wood frame of the building divides up these programs by creating a corridor across the entire building. Each area in the guest house makes strategic use of the space allowing the small building to have a sense of openness.
In the third part of the landscape analysis, the objective was to take lessons learned from analysis #1 and #2 to create an intervention in a landform that we were to develop. The area of focus was how the ground and the intervention interact with each other.
In the early stages of landform analysis #3 I began to explore a grid system where the ground height was altered by the position of a core element located underneath the surface. This is seen in the grid on the top left drawing where the curves move through these positioned cores. Progressively the design developed to create a deeper reaction between these cores and their movement through the ground. The ground movement can be seen in the bottom left drawing where the cores cut through the ground and progressively grow and the move upwards. Through the models and title images, I analysed another question of what happens after emergence. Where the intervention upon emerging, creates an outwards bloom from the ground.
As an introduction to our semester long topic of housing, an investigation of existing housing experiments had begun. Previ was a large scale affordable housing project started in the late 1960s. The Peruvian government sought to decrease the amount of squatting and homelessness in the growing capital city of Lima. Thirteen world renowned architects and thirteen local architects were brought in to design a total of 26 proposals for housing. James Stirling’s proposal was analysed by myself as well as two team members, Diane Cai and Casey Kelley. Previ’s Mat scheme was based on an endless growth in which residents could build and stack upon Stirling’s designed base.
The Syracuse Museum of Native and Local History is the final design project of second-year studio design course. The project objectives were to consider a variety of social and environmental factors to design a center for community engagement.
The project began with mapping exercises in which 3 different categories were mapped. The categories chosen here are : Cultural and Community Spaces, Public and Private Green Space, and Racial Demographics. The mapping exercises helped to develop ideas that would lead the building concept. Through analysis, the region where the site was located did not have much community engagement and despite the historic diversity of the city, large amounts of migration from the region have greatly changed the demographics.
Another focus of our design was the Micron Microchip Fabrication Plant that is being built on the site. The plant is expected to bring 9000 jobs to the region and create growth in the local economy. This facet of the project was very interesting and proved many areas of thought to consider when moving into the design stage of the project.
