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THREE VIEWS

from Portfolio_Mengrui Zhang

by zhang mengrui

from Portfolio_Mengrui Zhang, page 1

FOLIO

LOCATION:

739 N Main St, Los Angeles

SITE AREA:

34,770SF

BUILDING AREA:

31,500SF

PROJECT DATE: March 2022

PROGRAM: Office

Social justice refers to a political and philosophical theory that focuses on the concept of fairness in relations between individuals in society and equal access to wealth, opportunities, and social privileges.

The project is based on the definition of social justice, and aims to give each group the same and equal spatial experience. There are many social justice related elements around the site, such as the social justice museum in the south; the snowy mountain in the north, which represents the natural resources, and the project itself carries the community resources. The project extracts these elements and defines three axes with these three points, two of which are outward, facing history and nature, and the other is inward, connecting the neighborhood and the public activity space of the building. The spaces corresponding to these three axes are accessible to all groups. Therefore, the concept of equitable access to social resources is thus embodied.

Through the study of the functional zoning of the surrounding area, three sites were sought that corresponded to the concept, corresponding to natural, cultural and community activities. The location representing nature is MT Wilsom which is in the north, the one representing culture is the museum of social justice which is in the south, and the one representing community activities is the project itself. So the three sites generate two outward facing axes, and one inward facing axis. The outward-facing axis is additive, allowing people to look outward. The inward axis is subtractive, acting as an entrance to attract people towards the interior of the building.