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ARCH 505B: Graduate Architecture Design I - Elements, Principles and Phenomena Gallery: The Inside and the Outside

Obscured Hive

The basic generative idea behind the design comes from Venturi’s quotes referring to “paradoxical contrast, “double functioning units” and “residual spaces”. The form is derived by creating a structural lattice that acts as the envelope, a load-bearing structure, and merges into the interior to become furniture. The spaces are classified by the virtue of the use of space, for example, inert spaces are living room & bedroom which are on the first level, and active spaces are a kitchen, dining, and study which are on the second level.

To reduce use of mechanical systems, transitional elements are naturally ventilated. The trees shade the building and a water feature cools the air before hitting the envelope. The dense, structural lattice, diffuses daylight into the spaces as an immaterial boundary, and can be a substrate for vegetative growth. Multi-functional furniture transform and change the character of that space throughout the day.

All the elements combine, to create micro-housing that is an aesthetically experiential space, environmentally sensitive, and functionally flexible. It stands as a contemporary piece of architecture amidst classical & brutalist buildings on the USC campus.