Bronx II
In this project we - Elaine Suh and I - have tried to design a building that would be recognized as a landmark of a fresh start for the Bronx, New York. A shard that stands out as a beacon of change and amelioration. Having a better understanding of the site and of its social and economic standings, we were able to decide on a design that accepts the situation of which the Bronx currently has, but doesn’t settle for it and strides for a better future.
Embracing this concept, there are two communicating buildings one on each side of the site, positioned in a way as if there is a dialogue between the two. Each leg of the building starts from inside of the ground and lifts off, as it approaches its end symbolizing the brighter days to come. At the ends there are heavy cantilevers cleverly positioned on a glass enclosed bottom and the other fully relying on the support of the rest of its leg. This was achieved by having a patterned diagrid with offset in the grid for structural columns accompanied by a shell structure that holds the building up.
The structure and cladding of the building following the concept, try to bring ingenuity to the norm of the buildings. The cladding seems like the general form of the building minimized into smaller portions, where there are two sides opening and closing based on the light and views needed to enter the spaces within the building. This was designed so that there would be a relationship and connection amongst all portions of the building whether it be small or large in scale.
