domdimadome

Reading Response 5: Hope on Alvarado

The images above showcase a project called Hope on Alvarado by KTGY Architecture and Planning. This project is based in Los Angeles, and is addressing the staggering homeless population of Los Angeles. The building utilizes preconstructed steel modules resembling shipment crates in order to create a modern and affordable transitional housing community for the homeless population of Los Angeles. The building offers both studio spaces as well as one bedroom apartments. It also is constructed around a central courtyard, which offers tenants a sense of both privacy, and community. The purpose behind the modular nature of the design is to allow construction to occur over a much shorter time span. The modules were being constructed while the foundation for the building was being poured, and continue to be constructed while the ready modules are added to the building. This process continues until the building is finished. With the building being five stories tall, this design process delivers housing as a speed and scale that Los Angeles needs. Another benefit of this modular design is that is meant to be easily replicable. Rather than being a one-off project, it is the first in a series of housing solutions for the homeless of Los Angeles, as well as any place in need of large scale, quickly built housing. This project will help the 44,000+ homeless of Los Angeles, 75% of which remain unsheltered during their search for a home. The project is expected to be completed in 2020.

Pictures and information sourced from: http://ktgy.com/work/hope-on-alvarado/, https://beverlypress.com/2019/11/hope-for-homeless-rising-one-unit-at-a-time/

Reading Response 4: De-tale

There are thousands of living spaces in Ann Arbor. Some are big, some are small. Some prioritize luxury, while others are just a roof. No matter the space, Ann Arbor landlords have had no problem finding suitable residents for their property, that is until 1006 Woodlawn Ave surfaced on the market.

After its most recent resident was convicted and the crime scene at the house had been closed, the house began to circulate the market and struggled to find any occupants. The house was constructed by the owner himself, who had built many ledges and lips to display the products and of his horrific anatomical experiments.

Then along came Steven, a full time musician who has spent the majority of his twenties couch surfing between gigs. Seeing its forgiving price tag, Steven came to tour the space. Finding all of the rigid and obtrusive ledges as practical for all of his musical equipment, he jumped at the opportunity to sign the lease. Upon moving in, he filled the spaces with as many cables, drums, guitars, microphone stands, and amplifiers as possible. The space allowed him to prioritize his passion for music at little to no cost.

His only complaint was a strange noise reaching up the stairs from the basement in the dead of the night. One night, he struggled so much to fall asleep that his curiosity got the better of him, and he explored the unnerving basement for the first time. He had a gig booked for the next day, and upon his absence and lack of contact, his bandmates arrived at 1006 only to discover the front door wide open, without a trace of their dear friend.

PROJECT 1: anALPHABET

My theme for my alphabet was points of entry in architecture, which we often do not take time to appreciate.

Project 1 Check In

I have been able to organize my alphabet photos in this format which I created in adobe illustrator. I also found a solution for my letters not being as visible as I had hoped. In photoshop I am able to make the photos greyscale, and then make only the letter in the photo in color to make sure it pops. I have to collect a few more letters before the project is complete, but am feeling very good about how it is going.

Reading Response #2: Falling Water

– Depicts Falling Water’s interaction with the surrounding green space
– Makes the different textured domains within the house apparent through roof textures
– Shows the structure’s relationship with the featured element: water

– Gives the viewer an understanding of what each space will be used for
– Uses black lines on either side of the walls shows how the space feels less enclosed than it would with solid black poché
– Illustrates the several levels of the house more clearly than the first photo

Project 1 Alphabet Set #1

Below are my first set of alphabet in architecture pictures along the theme of entrances to buildings. Some of these photos need to be cropped again to better illustrate the letter I was envisioning.

Project 1: First 3 Letters

The first three letters I found in my daily routine were W, M, and H. After seeing that two of my letters were present in an entryway of a building or outdoor domain, I have decided that I will try to keep this as my theme for all 26 letters.

Reading Response 1: Lionhearted Domain

My chosen domain is the University of Michigan track and field facility, where the team competes and practices. There are several visible domains within the image, and they are arranged similarly to how domains began in the first place: specialization. As stated in the Lavine reading, people began to be tied to land as a result of a local resource being essential for their special occupation or needs (Lavine 25). In my chosen domain, there are several areas in which the occupation or purpose of people during a track meet determines how people are organized.

For example, only the racers and race officials are allowed on the track, as indicated by their special clothing (race uniforms and red race official jackets. On the inside of the track, competitors, officials, and meet volunteers are present, and are wearing their matching clothing to indicate they also belong. In the stands visible closest to the vantage point, the people are much less uniform, and shows that these are the spectators have no purpose besides supporting the competitors and watching the meet. There are subdomains within the stands, that can be indicated by the stairs that separate the sections, and the change in color of the spectators clothing (supporting different teams). Along the right side of the image, you can see people sitting in the stands along the balcony for the athletes and staff to support their team from. The elevated surface and exclusiveness of this section implies that its inhabitants may have a more important role in the track meet. This domain is also split into subdomains by the beams that lie between the bleachers, separating athletes, staff, and meet officials. I would name this the “lionhearted domain”.