Site Plan

The Site...

located in Boyle heights is wrapped around E 1st St, Anderson Street and the Saint Bernardino Freeway. The LA river and railway system running parralel to the site isolating Boyle heights from L.A. City. Boyle heights was previously predominantly inhabited by Japanese descendants, however in 1942 following the events of World Word II they were forced to relocate by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Some of the issues that are specific to Boyle Heights include having coal as it’s primary fuel source, which is not only bad for the environment, but finite in source. The droughts in Boyle Heights are even more impactful, because the water reserve is smaller due to higher expenses. There is also a history of gang violence , which worries parents of young children and in general isolates people instead of buidling a sense of community. This housing project addresses these issues through their designs.

A Safe Space...

is produced by: enclosing a central garden, filling an octagonal shape with mass, flipping a portion out to provide access for circulation, and finally mirroring the mass to close off the garden. The units are stacked ontop of another to form high protective walls that provide privacy and safety for the residence. The roof is angled to maximized surface area from the south , where solar panel shingling is used on the south and east face of the roof and skirting of the building, where the solar energy is strongest in order to produce clean energy. A staircase spills onto the corner of Anderson and East street to allow access to the second floor as well as provide public seating.

A Complex...

that facilitates building a community and solving the specific problems of the residents. Ideals of safety, clean energy , water filtration and a sense of community are all implemented throughout the design. Located on a corner lot a playful staircase that gives back to the public as a sitting area spills out to the corner of E1st Street and Anderson Street located in Boyle Heights, CA. A memorial for the Japanese people that were relocated in 1942 is placed right in the center of the staircase as a reminder of the difficult past

1. Entrance to lvl 2

Main Entrance to Lvl 2

2. Public drinking fountain

Public Drinking Fountain

3 Bedroom Unit

3 Bedroom Unit

4. 1 Bedroom Unit

1 Bedroom Unit

5. Central Garden

Central Garden

6. Reading Area

Reading Area

Electric Generating Gym

7. Electrical Generation gym

2 Bedroom Unit

8. 2 Bedroom Unit

Floating Lounge

9/ Floating Lounge

Entrance/ Exit to Lvl 2

10. Entrance to Lvl 2

Entrance/Exit to Lvl 1

11. Entrance/Exit to Lvl 1

A Resident...

of this complex can experience activies that are private, with the other residence and with the neighborhood. The design takes in to account all of these aspects and implements them into the design.There is opportunities for mingling with people from the neighborhood at the public drinking fountain or with just the residents in the various social terraces and platforms throughout the complex to facilitate social behavior and building a sense of community. There are also designs uch as the private garden lot or sitting area that isolate the resident if they need an opportunity to get away from their apartment but still want privacy or intimacy.

6:00 pm

Afternoon

5:00pm

3:30pm

Chatting with friends in residence on the floating lounge

2:00 pm

7:00pm

10:00 pm

Private Activity Resident Activity Community Activity

10: 00 am

7:00 am

8:30 am

7:30 am

Line of Sight

Children of Complex

In Addition...

to clean energy implementations to the design , the complex also considers a water filtration system beneath the central garden , where rain water is filtered and seperated into unfiltered water for irrigation of the garden and clean filtered water to the public drinking fountain to provide both the residents and neighborhood cleaning water. The octagonal form of the building also allows for sighlines from anywhere in the complex to keep an eye on traffic and each other to build a sense of community and a sense of security.

Circulation...

flows around the center garden to provide a path that allows people to engage with other residents on their journey and increase the chances to build relationships and a sense of community amongst the complex. The curves and wood deck along the center of the middle of the complex emphasize the natural elements of the central garden, where nature is allowed to grow up into the complex tin an integrated fusion between garden and home.

A Shared...

Waishitsu room (multipurpose guest room) connects both pairs of studios as a japanese-inspired solution to the small confined nature small square footage units can sometimes have. Each unit can function as it’s own independent unit, but when the screen is removed they can be used to their full potential. There is an opportunity to encourage negotiation between neighbors, where if the residents are on good terms perhaps they keep the room as a shared space or perhaps they take turns, or if they want to they can simply allow the units to function independently.