project.place

As an architect and designer I am lucky to work on project of varying scales and scope. It is one of the things I cherish about being a designer. One day I will be working on a small tin for a plant and the next a $10 million parking structure. But generally, the architectural work I do fits into the larger scale category. My most recent assignment is no exception.

I took the train this morning to the new project site. Unfortunately I can't tell you where it is...top secret, you know. But a site visit at the start of a design is critical to understanding the place I will be designing in. Physical characteristics are important, like scale and materiality. But its equally important to find the heart of a place, what makes it tick, it's physical as well as social structures.

So I headed off with my camera and my sketchbook to absorb as much as I could.

My initial observations are always the obvious stuff.

Physical Characteristics

-Industrial city bisected by a river

-Brick "factory" buildings dominate the downtown landscape

-Densely built at river's edge

Social Characteristics

-Urban "main" street shops and cafes foster lots of activity

-Art vibe

-Showing signs of economic downturn or struggle for revival (empty buildings)

It's getting past the obvious, however, that makes for good analysis. I will be designing a structure to live in this context, so understanding this place is a fundamental part of the process.

Enjoy the images.

Visit later to see my findings.