Renewing 9th St

CHECK IT OUT

A Pavilion that Fits into and Updates its Urban Context

I’m very familiar with the moving process (and its associated woes). Within the last 13 years, I’ve moved seven times thanks to the Recession, empty nest syndrome, and the volatile living situation of college. The first move was the hardest transition: going from a five thousand square foot home to one not even a third of that size, my family had to adapt to constraints. However, how could we with furniture that couldn’t shrink nor change? In the new house, the sunroom became my mom’s bedroom not because she enjoyed the lack of privacy but because that was the only room that would accept her king-sized bed. Furniture took a team to move and, once placed, overshadowed the small rooms. As such when I was tasked with creating a coffee table for studio, I considered its life and how its context might shift and change.

Research

I began this studio project by collecting and discerning data regarding the moving industry and generated household waste. As suspected, moving rates are highest in the younger population and decrease as age increases and renters are transitioning into owners. I interviewed various individuals and in the process, developed three personas that would guide the creation of my coffee table.

Restaurants closed BEFORE & AFTER 10pm

Bus Routes

Parking Lots & Structures

Green Space

Conception

REGROWING 9th ST

A Pavilion that Provides Business and Sanctuary

For this studio project, I was tasked with revitalizing downtown Lynchburg’s 9th street from the Lynchburg Museum to the Langley Fountain. All the buildings (many of which are vacant for an ideally high-density area) make up a concrete jungle that cascades down the hill into the James River. While its horizon features a picturesque landscape, the site itself boasts minimal greenery and only one small mural for a pleasant distraction. To provide intervention for this site, I first gained insight from the experts, Lynchburg residents and business owners, to practically steer the process of conception. By interpreting their thoughts and channeling them into a design, I was able to conceive of a structure that provides not only sanctuary from the tired downtown but a destination to halt and reverse the city’s decay.

Research

We started the semester by visiting and surveying the site for an entire day. By experiencing downtown from morning to night, I could ascertain how the site’s relationship with people and automobiles might shift temporally. Once back in the studio, I then followed up the site visit with research on demographics and resident reviews to form an educated response to regrow Lynchburg’s withering downtown.

Project Site

Site Photos

Resident Reviews

Median Income by Tract

Corner Stores and Major Grocery Stores with a 1 Mile Radius

Restaurants closed BEFORE & AFTER 10pm

Bus Routes

Parking Lots & Structures

Green Space

Crosswalks

One Way Streets

Bus Routes & Stops

Topography

Residential Spaces

Vacant Spaces

Potential Sites

Conception

Thanks to Lynchburg residents and business owners, I was able to mark the absences of an affordable food market, nightlife, and outdoor activity space as reasons for the downtown’s reduced foot traffic. By synthesizing these programs and encapsulating them in a single, structural form, I conceived a sanctuary that pulls people from suburbia and into downtown. This structure needed to fit into and accentuate the strong leading line of 9th street that connects the Lynchburg Museum to the Langley Fountain. To accomplish this, I used the Lawn at the University of Virginia as a precedent and the Japanese Lantern Plant as inspiration.

Interpretation

The Lawn Comparison

Connecting Features

Japanese Lantern Plant

Structural Concept Diagram

Early Concept Drawing

Form Creation

Concept Collage

Creation

The building’s form derives from the Japanese Lantern Plant. A structural exoskeleton separates the building from its concrete context thanks to a healthy covering of ivy. In the warmer months, the ivy shields residents from the sun and, in the cooler months, cuts back to allow for greater sun exposure. The interior structure only pierces the ivy in instances of importance to allow for entrance from the street and to display a perfect view of the Langley Fountain.