dwelling in the city

2020 / Academic Project

Architectural Design Studio IIIA with Professor Jacob Gines

To dwell evokes a sense of place, a sense of belonging. More specifically, it is an emotional response to the spaces we cultivate through our daily routines. I refrain from using possessive language to start, as it too narrowly defines what this manifesto articulates as dwelling. You may own your home, but you do not dwell in it alone. It is instead a manifestation of shared experiences. It activates your senses and builds memories that anchor you to a familiar state of mind. This is the very reason a place does not feel like home until valuable time has been spent there. This is not to say that a dwelling should be full of socialization at all junctures, but rather to infer a sense of engagement with our surroundings as we go about our days in these places. With this narrative in place, it is appropriate to introduce here the idea that a dwelling should provide a space for gathering as much as it does a place for self. The dwelling should be flexible enough in its design to accomodate this. As people, we all strive for a sense of calm and tranquility, often used interchangeably with the idea of security. We want to feel safe in our place of residence, and we should aim to satisfy that criteria in the places we dwell. So, how do we realize these ideas through our design? The best we can do is to set out with strategies in place to help better inform design decisions as they come to fruition.

The concept of a module allows a designer to create more freely through the use of a predetermined structure. By manipulating and organizing a series of the same units within that inherent structure, the designer can begin to create a form that is easily discernable. There is something to the idea that a space can come to life through the placement of a series ofsimple cubes. The simplicity of it allows a logic to flow naturally to all that inhabit the space.