03-10 Typological Healing
Healthcare Virtical Studio
11-17 Building from Inside Out
Comprehensive Studio
18-22 Urban Temperality
Critical Computational Design Thesis
23-28 Creative Corridors
USC Architecture Guild Design Competition ‘23
Typological Healing
Academic / Fall 2022 / Victor Regnier
The purpose of this studio is to provide students experience with models of community-based healthcare and housing. Hospitals are moving toward outpatient facilities in the community that integrate “wellness” with fitness programs, knowledge about nutrition and frequent visits to monitor ongoing chronic conditions.
The program consists of four major components: a neighborhood-based outpatient clinic, 80 units of adaptable housing with home care services, shared community services for retail and farmer’s markets, and 2 small group clusters of housing for people with memory loss. Additional shared spaces include a physical therapy facilities, restaurant and dining, and educational spaces for lifelong housing.
The site of 41st street and Compton Avenue presents several thought provoking characteristics and urban typologies that make it unique in the city of Los Angeles. The nearly 200,000 square foot lot is surrounded by various urban elements - recreational facilities, institutions, commercial, retail, and housing for a wide range of demographics.
The design concept is tested against Roger S. Ulrich’s theory by focusing on four main topics: sense of control, social support, movement for exercise, and using nature as a distraction to help improve the quality of life of those that need it most.
Educational, residential, commercial, and recreational programs as a “boundary” to site
Capturing movement of recreational program to suggest pathways and enhance multi-generational integration
Utilizing biophilic strategies to outline architecture
Movement through Object
Splitting Object
Split Object + Potential Access Points
Typology is Formed
Typologies Weaved with Paths
Typology and Paths Generate Geometric Landscapes
[A] PARKING - 140 SLOTS
[B] SOUTHWESTERN ENTRANCE [C] BLOOD LABORATORY [D] EVENT + SHARED SPACE
[E] WAITING + RECEPTION [F] INNER GARDENS + ATRIUM [G] EXECUTIVE + ADMINISTRATION [H] EXAMINATION + PROCEDURE
[I] WAITING + RECEPTION [J] SOUTHERN GARDEN FACING EAST 41ST ST.
PHARMACY
MEETING ROOM
Building from Inside Out
Academic - Spring 2022 - Patrick Tighe
This is a comprehensive studio that asks students to design a high-rise in downtown Los Angeles supporting a program of social justice and community. The lot area equates to 33,264.1 sq. ft. where the building footprint must not exceed 9,000 sq. ft. In addition, the constraints include zoning and coding regulations, must exceed seven stories, and must adhere to material performance as it relates to wood frame construction.
The NAAB student criteria also covers: physical wood joint construction, sustainable site design, ordering and structural systems, circulation and life safety, accessibility, building enclosure systems, and environmental systems.
PROJECT SCOPE
747 N Main Street
+ Los Angeles, CA 90012
+ Zoning: C2-2
+ Draft Zone: [DM2-G1-5] [CX2-FA] [CPIO]
+ Tract # 49 LOT 5
+ APN: 5408013016
+ Lot Size: 33,264.1 SQ FT
+ F.A.R.: Base FAR = 2.0; Bonus FAR = 8.5
+ Primary street min. setback = 0’
+ Primary street max. build-to depth = 10’
+ Primary street min. build-to width = 90%
+ Side street min. setback = 0’
+ Side street max. build-to depth = 15’
+ Side street min. build-to width = 70%
+ Rear street/alley min. setback = 0’
+ Maximum Height: None
WOOD
ITERATION SKETCHES
CONCEPT ITERATION: CHALLENGE GREEN SPACES WITH A DIAGONAL CUT
JOINT DETAILING (SAW + CHISEL)
MASSING GENERATED FROM CIRCULATION PATTERNS
Urban Temporality (work in progress)
Academic / Spring 2023 / Lisa Little
The advent of digital mass-customization means many, many similar but different parts can now be produced for the same amount of money as a single repeated part. As the discipline confronts this “post economy-of-scale”1 scenario, and in conjunction with recent forces and events which are shifting priorities and values, various related topics have exploded into the forefront. These include alternative value systems linking form to economic equality, robotic field assembly (not a true reality yet), and critical computation –computation with an agenda beyond form or other strictly affect-driven design.
SITE: The United Nations defines a megacity as a place which has a population of 10 million or more people. Current data shows that Mexico City (CDMX) is ranked 7th in the world with a population of 21.9 million. This geographic location is also a destination place for the forcibly displaced people (refugees) and according to Bloomberg, Mexico received more than 100,000 asylum claims in 2020 - 173% more compared to 2019. More specifically, Iztapalapa - the densest populated suburb in CDMX - is a site of asylum for the displaced and unfortunately possesses slums and homelessness. Iztapalapa is one of sixteen regions in Mexico City and has a population of 1,835,486.
PROGRAM: With neighborhoods like Iztapalapa, it can be subject to “high levels of concentration of large numbers of people in specific areas; high levels of consumption and production; uncontrolled development and land-use deterioration due to a lack of effective planning policies; high levels of air pollution due to the excessive use of private vehicles; high demand for water, and a dependency on fossil fuels for energy” (Madero, Morris). While these data points prove to be consistent with megacities across the globe, the problem here is that inhabitants in Iztapalapa lack what many of us have access to - which is housing, healthcare facilities, and education. Leveraging the concept of participatory frameworks and redistribution of resources, the Discrete model will identify a framework to generate a program targeted to building spaces for the displaced to live in, have access to healthcare, and occupy spaces to learn.
PROPOSAL: Under the lens of the built environment, how can aggregate-based systems and social recombination structures address these economic issues and how can these solutions be sustainable? The built environment presents populations a duality of solutions by providing enclosed spaces of utility through form, function, and program. In addition, it has potential to provide an economic benefit towards its users by generating employment and skill-building to create a legacy of an exponentially growing population.
Creative Corridors
Competition / Spring 2023
Students: Gerardo Mendoza Jr., Bradley Friedman, Brandon Chin
Mentors: Mathew Kilivris (HLW International), Nuné Nitsiotis (Studio Synergy) , Tarrah Beebe (KFA Architects)
The competition is tailored to both undergraduate and graduate students spanning the school of architecture, landscape architecture, sustainability, and building science. Organized by USC’s Architecture Guild, the task was to design a 300,000 square foot program supporting a Media Incubation Center for creeatives, artists, producers, and collaborators. With 2023 competition asks for strategies across urban development, landscape architecture, sustainability, adaptive re-use, and design to enhance a culturally rich neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The proposal aims to create a culture reflective of the larger community of content creators and the Baldwin Hills Community. It uses existing neighborhood scale as a mechanism for producing creative and inclusive spaces. The design’s segmented built structures serve as the driving design intervention, all while being connected through shared external environments and overlapping programmatic components of open spaces. The building organization articulates indoor and outdoor space for content curation, prioritizing sustainable design strategies, while bringing out the unique character of Baldwin Hills.
