PARK(ING)
PARK(ING) bringing the people back to their city
328633
Parking structures are hardly ever designed- people often consider parking structures to be a space that is only functional for vehicle storage. Parking structures, similar alleyways or empty lots, can be considered urban wastelands, or urban voids. However, in cities that are becoming superficially planned, as in the case of Hudson Yards where millions of new square footage of commercial, office, and residential are being introduced into the neighborhood, it is these urban voids that can become the last remaining free spaces of the city, where the generation and creation of a local and authentic culture can combat the generic urban landscapes that cities are slowly becoming. This proposal introduces a series of microenvironments to host the temporal activities of the Hudson Yards neighborhood. These new, flexible spaces invite exploration and temporary inhabitation, serving as a stage for active and improvisational activity. They are not program specific, but rather, they are hybrid settings that invite experimentation, where one day an impromptu dance performance could be occurring, and at another instance a group of friends may practice their parkour stunts, and at even a different moment a local artist can be exhibiting her work. Program is generated through user involvement, the space is tuned to whatever curiosities or interests are enabling that user in that specific point in time.
floors
ramps
parking spaces
flexible spaces
primary structure
secondary structure
stairs
egress
The series of microenvironments injects itself in a defiant gesture across the many floors of the building, physically connected and accessible from the spaces of parking, yet separately defined by its own striking structure. The design is arranged so that both cars and pedestrians can easily access all spaces, via a system of wide ramps and a grand stair that snakes through each space. Parking spots jut up against the flexible injection, allowing drivers to spectate various performances and occurences from the comforts of their car. To arouse and inspire users to be playful and experiment in these microenvironments, a facetted architectural vocabulary shapes itself at various scales and materials within the space and begins hinting at the possibility for activities. The facets may be modular in one space, conducive for hanging objects or for climbing, or may present itself as a grand surface in another space, conducive to skateboarding or even dancing. Essentially, this design aims to host fleeting spaces of ephemeral play, where the creation and production of activities occurs so as to reignite a sense of physical location and unique identity that is often becomes lost over time in urban neighborhoods. Park(ing) shall serve as a new kind of public space, for people who wish to experiment or perform, for people who wish to remind themselves of the culture of their neighborhood, or even for the driver who needs a place to park, but may come across a pleasant surprise in the process. This new Hudson Yards Parking Structure shall satisfy the infrastructural needs of automobile storage, and more importantly, the communal needs of the immediate surroundings.
328633
Parking structures are hardly ever designed- people often consider parking structures to be a space that is only functional for vehicle storage. Parking structures, similar alleyways or empty lots, can be considered urban wastelands, or urban voids. However, in cities that are becoming superficially planned, as in the case of Hudson Yards where millions of new square footage of commercial, office, and residential are being introduced into the neighborhood, it is these urban voids that can become the last remaining free spaces of the city, where the generation and creation of a local and authentic culture can combat the generic urban landscapes that cities are slowly becoming. This proposal introduces a series of microenvironments to host the temporal activities of the Hudson Yards neighborhood. These new, flexible spaces invite exploration and temporary inhabitation, serving as a stage for active and improvisational activity. They are not program specific, but rather, they are hybrid settings that invite experimentation, where one day an impromptu dance performance could be occurring, and at another instance a group of friends may practice their parkour stunts, and at even a different moment a local artist can be exhibiting her work. Program is generated through user involvement, the space is tuned to whatever curiosities or interests are enabling that user in that specific point in time.
floors
ramps
parking spaces
flexible spaces
primary structure
secondary structure
stairs
egress
The series of microenvironments injects itself in a defiant gesture across the many floors of the building, physically connected and accessible from the spaces of parking, yet separately defined by its own striking structure. The design is arranged so that both cars and pedestrians can easily access all spaces, via a system of wide ramps and a grand stair that snakes through each space. Parking spots jut up against the flexible injection, allowing drivers to spectate various performances and occurences from the comforts of their car. To arouse and inspire users to be playful and experiment in these microenvironments, a facetted architectural vocabulary shapes itself at various scales and materials within the space and begins hinting at the possibility for activities. The facets may be modular in one space, conducive for hanging objects or for climbing, or may present itself as a grand surface in another space, conducive to skateboarding or even dancing. Essentially, this design aims to host fleeting spaces of ephemeral play, where the creation and production of activities occurs so as to reignite a sense of physical location and unique identity that is often becomes lost over time in urban neighborhoods. Park(ing) shall serve as a new kind of public space, for people who wish to experiment or perform, for people who wish to remind themselves of the culture of their neighborhood, or even for the driver who needs a place to park, but may come across a pleasant surprise in the process. This new Hudson Yards Parking Structure shall satisfy the infrastructural needs of automobile storage, and more importantly, the communal needs of the immediate surroundings.
