TOTAL BUILDING STUDIO
Kids today spend too much time inside in front of a screen. Studies show that children who spend time outside are less anxious, learn better and are more attentive. Additionally, spending time outside is proven to build confidence and creativity while improving cognitive functioning and mood improvements. This is because being outside is able to provide children with a variety of different mental stimuli that they are not able to receive in front of a screen. By providing spaces that are directly dedicated to learning while outside, this project aims to expand the learning environment beyond the classroom to create a knowledgeable and conscientious generation.
By creating a campus style school, it allows for multiple opportunities for outdoor learning, a key tool that should be integrated into education. Whether directly outside the classrooms under the trellises, or further away from the building and at the different amphitheaters on the campus, different grades have the opportunity to go outside and learn about a variety of topics, away from a screen.
URBAN DESIGN STUDIO
To design for an urban scale, a large site was chosen for this project. Sitting in the heart of San Diego, the Imperial Corridor (25th St. to 30th St.; L Street to Commercial Ave) provided a wide range of of use, from light commercial and industrial to full residential.
A play off of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which are often seen around the city, Accessory Retail Units (ARUs) were design to bring forward a new way of using underused spaces within a highly dense part of town. By making small, affordable units from which people can run their businesses, we begin to stimulate the economy of the area, as well as make use of land that may be under-utilized at this time. Each of these units will be able to provide a variety of services and are a useful way to promote the arts and the history of the area.
There are three main types of ARUs, Foldable units, Expandable units, and Detached units. The different units all have shared goal of promoting economic growth within this area. ARUs would allow the homeowners to either build or bring in units that would serve businesses. Each business would pay a rent for either the land their units are on, or in the case where the homeowner builds a set of units, they rent out the space they are using. The community will be able to have a hand at creating spaces for small businesses to grow and to support the businesses with their business.
RESIDENTAL STUDIO
Reality to abstract and then back to reality. Rubix was a project designed to take everyday life and turn it into a creative process to design a single family home. The design of this home was placed on a narrow and long site within the Barrio Logan Neighborhood of San Diego, CA.
Designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA in Bordeaux, France. This house focuses on the circulation of the homeowners and how their everyday lives function. The ground floor is placed into the ground, making the house's heavy third floor appear to be floating above the very clear second floor. The engineering behind this home is very unique in that it has a variety of mechanisms used to support the bulky third floor and help to balance it upon the second floor.
RESIDENTIAL STUDIO
The Moriyama House by Ryue Nishisawa is a small city within a city. Located in Tokyo, Japan, this "house" explores the relationship between multiple buildings to create a home. The "house" is comprised of ten units, all with various purposes. Six of the ten units are rented out, while four are lived in by the owner, Mr. Moriyama.
