Bridging Preston

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Housing that Pacifies the Pedestrian-Automobile Conflict

This studio project focused on providing hybrid housing for the Charlottesville community within a site along Preston Avenue. Going above and beyond the parameter, I also aimed to create a building that would change local infrastructure and serve as a paradigm to city living. Despite being a relatively small city, Charlottesville maintains a high degree of traffic—especially during the weekend when students are free to travel. When entering or leaving the city, Preston Avenue serves as one of Charlottesville’s main artery. As a pedestrian, walking along the avenue is easy; however, when it comes to crossing, it becomes a barrier with low porosity. In designing for the semester, I questioned how I might fashion a structure that separates the circulation for automobiles and pedestrians in a natural and thoughtful way.

Observation

I started this project by collecting data and taking a walk to understand the site and its context while considering what I could add (or subtract) to improve it. I explored one side of the area but had to walk a while before I found a suitable place to cross Preston Avenue. At this moment I realized what pivotal question I would weave throughout my project: how can we create an instance in space where neither the pedestrian nor the automobile have to bend for one another?

Project Site

Site Photos

Roads

Speed Limits

Median Incomes

Parking Lots

Intersections

Bus Routs & Stops

Connections

Public vs. Private

Crosswalks

Proposed Site

$46,129

$18,580

Resident Reviews

Plans

Site Plan

Green Roofs

Housing

Common Spaces

Road Tunnel

Market

Stores

Parking

Program Axon

Conception

To make the pedestrian and automobile equal in priority, I needed to shift them on different circulation planes. I began to work and mold the topography into a structure that would provide different elevations and become a bridge for one or the other. This structure needed to be long and low to the ground to integrate with its surroundings. I chose the ideal site and began brainstorming forms. To provide the greatest degree of functionality, I conceived a two-prong structure with a large courtyard sinking below ground level and a road tunnel piercing through it. The programs I included after served to provide community and a place to congregate.

Separating Intervention

Using Structures to Connect

Concept Collages

Form Conception

Creation

The courtyard provides a sense of seclusion to the housing lining its perimeter. The road’s footprint creates a space below for a central market and a slightly more private outdoor area for the residents of this complex.