-thesis-summer 2008

The design of my thesis is in full swing! I chose the site of my design to be in the new urbanist community of Ivy Hall, located in Chicago, Illinois. Ivy Hall is located adjacent to the University of Illinois, and consists of 152 condominiums, 31 town-homes, 36 single-family homes, commercial/retail/restaurant facilities, and part of the student housing for the university. The location and design of Ivy Hall has an efficient impact within and outside of the community, as transportation is cut down, and community gathering is emphasized. For my thesis, I am focusing on the student housing buildings, which are located in Ivy Hall, but are owned by the university. The buildings are located on the historic Halsted Street, home to the start of the Blues Brothers! When Ivy Hall was designed and constructed, many challenges were taken to preserve the structures and materials that the local community had grown to love throughout the years. The facades of each building were restored to resemble the originals, and the unused bricks of each facade were laid among the streets of the community. Currently, each student building consist of four levels, with retail on the first level and student apartments on the second, third, and fourth levels. I am converting the third and fourth levels of the building into a series of live/work lofts that will facilitate entrepreneurs who have businesses that directly relate to the specific majors offered at University of Illinois. Therefore, each loft owner must offer a mentoring program to accommodate specific field-related students at UIC.

My thesis will focus on the following studies:

Conceptual Elements: stemming from a core

Mobility [macro to micro] in the following parts:

New Urbanism/Mixed-Use Design
Qualities and Successes of live/work lofts
Learning Theory [learning from mentors and education]

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

moving along

As my design is taking shape, I am finally beginning to see what will and will not work in my space. I presented to my group [Hearts of Hospitality] yesterday. They helped tremendously, and gave me several new ideas of how to make my design more functional in a way that would relate to my concept [stemming from a core]-yes, it changed again!


This image shows a room on level 2 of the live/work loft. Mobility is seen in the retracting bed. When not in use, the underside of the bed can be used as a display, and the space around it becomes open for different functions. A skylight directly above the bed, and floor to ceiling windows allow ample natural light into the environment.


A second view of the room shows a translucent wall that slides from the right side. This provides another option for a public/private space.


A view of the kitchen shows how the open floorplan is full of natural light. Steel columns stem from the central core, connecting the surrounding spaces to it.

From the beginning, I wanted the core of the space to act as a space for collaboration on the first level, and an open living space for the second level. The idea of a retractable floor came into play. The floor would be open during business hours, and a skylight would allow light to pour through the core, providing an experience for collaboration that would take place. When the second level is in use by the owner, the floor could be closed and the space would be used for living. After presenting to my group, this idea did not seem very functional after all. With their input, I was told that this would be a wonderful opportunity to add a stairway to the
core, which would not only emphasize the connection between the live/work spaces, but would be the main source of egress.

Although this image is messy, I wanted to show how the first and second levels connect. The placement of a stairway in the center does make sense. In the core, they would act as the central connection to various spaces within the loft. In this perspective, they seem to be pushed to the side. Rather than adding to it, they take away from necessary square footage and what could be functional space.

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