How Does Pre-Determined Housing Frameworks Control Diverse Life Styles?
Location : Newark, NJ / Instructor (Coordinator) : Josh Uhl (Mark Wasiuta)
This Project Challenges Mies Van Der Rohe’s Modernist Vision for the Colonnade Apartment, Which Prioritized Aesthetics Over Livability. The Rigid Design Resulted in a Machine-like Living Environment, Which Lacked Flexibility and User-determined Space.
The Project Involves an In-Depth Comparison of the Tower of David and the Colonnade Apartments. The Colonnade Apartments’ Modernist Vision, Adapted From the Seagram Building, Resulted in Social Control, Isolation of Residents, and the Formation of a Gated Community, Unlike the Tower of David, Which Promoted Social Liberation Despite Being Unfinished.
Drawing. Damage of Portrait in the Unfinished Tower of David
The Formation of the 'Third Space' in the Tower of David
The Tower of David, Which Was Intended to Be an Office Building, Has Instead Become a Self-sufficient Community With Strong Social Cohesion. This Represents the Autonomous Privatization of the Squatters and the Formation of a “Third Space”. The Flexibility Implied in the Scalability of the Building Contradicts the Attempts of Modern Architects to Provide Uniform Yet Functional Space, Despite Its Physical Condition. The Meaning of the Building is No Longer Solely Determined by the Architect and the Audience is No Longer Passive.
Drawing. Damage of Social Damage in the Finished Colonnade Apartments
Utopian Portraits of the Dystopian Colonnade Apartments
The Colonnade Apartments, Which Had Been Constructed With the Utopian Vision of the Iconic Modernist Mies Van Der Rohe, Adapted the Similar Curtain Wall System of the Seagram Office Building to a Residential Building. Ending Up as the Urban Fortress of Newark, the Building is Facing Disconnection From Its Surroundings With the Absence of Balconies and Windows in the Name of Security and Protection. The Uniform Design and Arrangement of the Space That Engages Control Perpetuates Diverse Living Habits to the Manual of the Machine, While the Internal Environment is Also Experiencing Numerous Maintenance Issues. The Only Distinction That is Detectable From the Skin is the Deterioration of the Color of the Curtain.
Physical Model Photo. Representation of the Ambivalence of the Two Precedent Studies
Animation. Colonnade Apartments as the Pride and Landmark of Newark, NJ
The Idea That an Architect’s Vision is a Rigid Set of Instructions is No Longer Accurate. Modern Apartments That Had Erroneously Standardized the Function of Collective Housing May Limit the Various Lifestyles of the Residents. However, the Ambiguity of Individual Possession of Architecture May Lead to Organic Transformation.
Drawing. Lack of Commercial / Parking Areas Around the Colonnade Apartments
Master Plan. Re-Distribution of Park and Parking
The counter-proposal aims to revitalize the Colonnade Apartment site by redistributing parking lots and parks, creating pathways, and incorporating commercial spaces to foster a sense of community. The existing curtain-wall structure and grid are repurposed as a parking garage with intimate signboards and irregular placements of communal, commercial places. The park enables users to interact with the repurposed visionaries to produce a dynamic quotidian experience while they participate in its formation.
Drawing. Pragmatic Approach for Program Re-Distribution
Section Perspective. Quotidian Experiences within the Park and Parking
Rendering. Repurposed Visionaries as Parking and Commercial
Rendering. Dynamic Quotidian Experience within the Park
Rendering. Dynamic Quotidian Experience within the Park
Overall, this project seeks to create a more inclusive and community-oriented space that prioritizes livability and user-determined space over aesthetics. The goal is to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike while challenging the rigid and exclusive design principles of modernist architecture.