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ARCH 605A: Graduate Architecture Design II Gallery: USC Village International House

USC OASIA

This project seeks to find a balance between the environment and the housing problems common in urban cities. I deeply believe that the more urban we become, the more we need tree gardens and places to play outdoors. The project returns a large amount of the public space it borrows, while also preserving the current public circulation.
The sky gardens on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 10th floor have different hierarchies with different activities to meet all the student needs. It also creates multiple layers of passages, connections, and landscape belts, allowing residents to choose either a quick and convenient way to return home or a slow and scenic route for their entertainment.
When sky gardens form a network of parks in the sky, they become an extension of the unit. This creates a semi-public private space that promotes greater social interaction among residents. Each sky garden allows every resident to enjoy beautiful views of the downtown skyline and the USC campus.
I believe the project demonstrates a sustainable and livable urban mid-rise student housing living and allows people to metaphorically reclaim the public communal spaces from the air.