Screen as City

 

Taking into consideration the Ivy Station master plan, this project required the development of the plaza below the Metro tracks, a shading device above the plaza, and a building directly across from the art museum (Interstices) that would function as a TEDx West headquarters.

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What started off as a research study in shading techniques transformed into redefining the urban problem and exploiting it at a macro scale.  Instead of TEDx being the focus of this project, the shading device took precedence.  Subsequently, its sheer scale not only provides shade to the plaza and metro tracks below, but also challenges the relationship between public and private urban spaces.  The screen is capable of holding program and establishes a new datum, which masks what would have been the tallest building on the site and creates ambiguity between the delineation of public plaza and private buildings.  The screen functions as an elevated plaza and a mini-city, taking advantage of space that urban development tends to neglect.

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