Margot Roybier

FABRIC A framework for the Nolita community to rebuild a neighborhood life

Margot Roybier / Design Studio 6 / Spring 2018 / Nancy Hou

Table of contents

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DESIGN STATEMENT Essence of successful interior design

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RESEARCH Nolita, social and urban inequalities

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STRATEGY AND DESIGN Fabric: A public place for the Nolita community to create social bonds and regain a sense of community

REFLECTION POST COMPLETION How to push the Fabric project further

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DESIGN STATEMENT Essence of successful interior design

Successful interior design is about happiness and satisfaction. If a place is successfully designed it will make sense to the people who live in it. This means creating an environment where humans go for a specific purpose, and where they are able to accomplish what they were aiming to do when they entered that place. It means designing a place in which architectural elements are orchestrated in such a way, that it can be used at its full potential and satisfy the needs and goals of the user. A well designed interior provides a feeling of happiness

and fulfillment to its user through its functionalities and aesthetic.

Interior design addresses the relationship between humans and the built environment. In the context of public spaces the social aspect of interior design is essential. As major centers of human gatherings, public places have the power to bring people together, strengthen bonds among them, and foster a sense of belonging and place-attachment. The people-centric approach in designing public places also acts as a means of solving social, economic and

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environmental challenges within our communities.

Therefore, creating and revitalizing public places in a community affected by issues of inequality has the potential to re-establish a balance around the specific needs and desires of the community.

Rosa, Marcos L. Handmade Urbanism Mumbai, SĂŁo Paulo, Istanbul, Mexico City, Cape Town: From Community Initiatives to Participatory Models. Berlin: Jovis, 2014.

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Site

Nolita

Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012

Located in the heart of Nolita the project takes root in the 0.46 acre Elizabeth street garden, a picturesque garden cutting through midblock to Mott Street.

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Program

Designing 3 stories within the proposed “Haven Green� building, an affordable senior housing project, initiated by Pennrose Properties, LLC, Habitat NYC, and RiseBoro Community Partnerships. The project invites to develop 2 different programs and create a space that would address issues of inequality related to the neighborhood.

SECTION A

Mott Street

Garden

Elizabeth Street

SECTION B

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Research

RESEARCH Nolita, social and urban inequalities

Research conducted on Nolita has been mainly focused on the evolution of the social and urban identity of the neighborhood, and how intimately these two notions are linked together. Several past articles on the history of Nolita have highlighted the neighborhood’s activism as an important part of the community, and the community “did a lot to have people live better lives and be closer together.”1 But as Steve Stollman, a former active member of the Nolita community, now says “ the energy that was there is gone.”2 Indeed, for the past several years the neighborhood of Nolita has gone through a significant social and economic makeover, turning the tight-knit and family neighborhood into a centre of attraction for tourism, eating and shopping.

Over the years, Nolita has become more and more diverse, and the boom of small businesses, such as coffee shops, art galleries, and design stores, has attracted a younger trendy demographic to the neighborhood. Nolita is now characterized by a “mix of longtime residents and a newer fashionable trendsetting crowd.”3 One of the main consequences of this demographic shift is that it has started to create social gaps within the community, which are becoming even greater with the phenomenon of gentrification.

1 Gonzalez, David. “In NoLIta, a Tribute to Forgotten History.” The New York Times. April 30, 2017. Accessed May 07, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/nyregion/in-nolita-a-tribute-to-forgotten-history.html.

2 Ibid.

3 “Nolita.” Compass. Accessed May 07, 2018. https://www.compass.com/neighborhood-guides/nyc/nolita/.

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Nolita D.I.Y urbanism

In addition to the social inequalities resulting from the economic-based change, several field trips in Nolita have revealed the notable absence of public places. Here, the lack of access to open public places can be seen as another factor impacting the existing social gaps and heightening difference among the residents of Nolita, preventing connections and the development of a sense of community.

However, these field trips have also

revealed a “Do It Yourself” urbanism, or, in other words, informal urban interventions. The emergence of builtin benches around planters or in front of restaurants and shops, and the socalled “chair bombing” around trees, illustrate a desire for access to more open public places. These bottom-up interventions also show how locals have taken their own initiatives to solve this urban situation and how they have

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been able to create new opportunities and amenities for the public.

Further research on DIY urbanism have shown that this participatory urbanism practice has the potential to allow individuals to “actively produce and experience urban as a shared project that can accommodate a wide range of uses and inhabitants.”1 “ THE RIGHT TO THE CITY IS FAR MORE THAN THE INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY TO ACCESS URBAN RESOURCES: IT IS A RIGHT TO CHANGE OURSELVES BY CHANGING THE CITY.” - Henry Lefebvre

1 Nicole. “Vital Publics: DIY Urbanism and the Right to the City.” Department of Political Science.

August 01, 2016. Accessed May 07, 2018. https://utair.tdl.org/uta-ir/handle/10106/26141.

Strategy and design

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Concept

The Fabric project arose from the acknowledgement of a faded sense of community, which has been fed by the phenomenon of “gentrification” and the lack of access to open public spaces. In response to this situation, the Fabric project introduces itself as a public space where the Nolita community will be able to come freely, interact, and experience the different spaces and programming as an extension of their homes. THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF “FABRIC” IS TO CREATE A PUBLIC PLACE THAT WILL FOSTER COMMUNITY FORMATION BY BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND RE-CREATE A LOCAL IDENTITY. FOR THIS PURPOSE, THE PROJECT AND ITS SOCIAL APPROACH WILL FOCUS ON THE IDEA OF PLACE-MAKING AND PLACE-ATTACHMENT VIA THE INTEGRATION OF FOOD AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. This aim to revitalize the social fabric of the neighborhood and encourage community networks is supported in the space by a scaffold-like structure that stimulates connections between various food and recreational activities, and fostering curiosity as well as interactions among people. This new public place establishes itself as a framework offering its structure to the inhabitants of Nolita, to take ownership of their local environment, build meaningful connections, and develop a genuine neighborhood life.

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Intersect / Stack Phase 1: Material tectonics and organizational strategies

Researching and testing the intrinsic qualities of two materials through abstract composite models.

Here, the different materials have been used to explore the physical conditions of intersecting and stacking. The combination of a scaffold-like structure and stones or geometric volumes have introduce a dynamic dialogue between the different entities and their relation to the notions of void, solid/shell, and interconnectedness.

Cube #1

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Cube #2

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DESIGN Phase 2: Research diagrams

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Inspired by the abstract cube models, the architecture of the space is characterized by a system of perforated floor plates that both encompass programming through their openings, and promote transparency and visual/acoustic access between the 3 levels.

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Architectural system

The architecture of the space results from the consideration and close analysis of the original column and beam structure of the building, from which the frame or scaffolding was then elaborated. The volumes embeded within the frame are sometimes extending from one level to another.

Frame

Volumes

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The floor plates and circulation were subsequently added within the remaining voids of the frame. However, some voids have been retained to allow transparency and stimulate connections between the 3 floors. Finally, the facade following the structure of the frame, enables its readability from the street.

Floor / Circulation

Facade

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Materials and colors

The aesthetic and materiality of Fabric is very much inspired by the abstract cube models that were created earlier in the semester. The wooden scaffold-like structure of the cubes have been translated into the column and beam structure of the space, while the stones and geometric volumes embedded within the cube frame have transitioned into asymmetrical concrete cubic shapes.

As a public place committed to providing a more interactive and inclusive environment for the community of Nolita to develop social bonds, the material and element selection has been made accordingly. Indeed, by their physical properties, materials and elements of the space are promoting transparency and stimulating interactions between the different levels. For instance, the integration of concrete floor plates with cylindric glass bricks, nets, and metal mesh has the potential to give more visibility to the different activities happening throughout the space, therefore encouraging people to engage with it.

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OLIVE

ANTHRACITE

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LAPIS

Basement floor plan Music / Dance / Visual art

The basement has been utilized as a large multipurpose area offering to the community a place where they can experience dance, music, and visual art performances, but also be a part of it. Indeed, the basement has been thought as a large open space where visitors can practice music and dance freely, on a daily basis.

This floor also includes a small movie theater, a bar, seating areas, and an auditorium connecting the basement to the first floor, where visitors can experience on-going video performances projected onto the grand wall of the vertical circulation block.

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First floor plan Growing / Cooking / Eating

As a public place offering its space and services to the Nolita community, and wishing to foster social interactions among neighbors, the central floor of Fabric has strategically been placed on the ground level, to encourage as much people as possible to come in and participate in the reconstruction of the neighborhood life, around food and recreational activities.

The main attraction on the first floor is the food. This floor encompasses four units: the greenhouse where herbs, tomato plants, berries, and other small fruit and vegetables are being grown; the micro farm shop where this produce is sold; and the cafe’s kitchen and the cooking workshop where it is being cooked by chefs and the community.

Furthermore, in order to provide light to the basement level, large apertures have been created, and the first level’s floor plate has been pushed back from the facade, thus letting in more natural light into the basement.

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Second floor plan Working / Reading / Meditating

As opposed to the basement and first floors, which are animated by artistic and food activities, the second floor is characterized by a more studious, reflective and relaxing atmosphere. This floor, essentially dedicated to work and relaxation, includes an office space for the Fabric team, a small co-working platform, a bookstore, a meditation room and yoga area. The rest of the floor offers various seating areas, located on the periphery of the different floor openings, and a large net embedded within the wooden beam structure, which acts almost like an extension of the floor and provides visual interaction between the second and first floors.

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SECTION PERSPECTIVE A

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A

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SECTION PERSPECTIVE B B

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ENTRANCE

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AUDITORIUM

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RESTAURANT

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Reflection

The intent of Fabric is to address the social and urban inequalities resulting from the phenomenon of gentrification, in the neighborhood of Nolita. Indeed, this economic-based attitude raising significant social gaps among members of the community, and threatening the existence of open public places, has consequently impacted the sense of community and belonging, and placeattachment within the neighborhood. The integration of a public place absorbing different types of food and recreational activities seemed to be a good strategy to help connect and bring different visions together in one place. Envisioned as a place for encouraging community formation, its programming could, however, be further developed. For instance, the incorporation of D.I.Y practices (already present in the neighborhood) could be an effective way to help the community develop its sense of place-making, collective ownership, and place-attachment.

By adding these types of practices, Fabric would have the potential to foster more interactions among neighbors and make the neighborhood more inclusive.

As for the architecture of the space, it has successfully transitioned from the initial structure of the cube model to an actual spatial concept. The scaffold-like system of the cube, supporting different shapes and volumes has translated into a network of perforated floor plates constituting a framework for the different programming. It would nevertheless be interesting to expand on the relationship between the different floors and their program, and how it can influence the experience of the user. For example, reflecting on the internal and external treatment of the various pockets of space, and how each of their sides could be utilized, would certainly better support their relationship within the architecture, and the way we experience them.

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Margot Roybier Studio 6 / Nancy Hou Spring 2018