Tutors: Joanna Theodore.
Upon studying Uptown, plagued with a lack of open communal, walkable, and dwellable spaces, we identified 3 core values to improve the conditions of this quirky area: boosting vibrancy, preservation of ‘hidden gems’, and suitability as a place in which children can grow up.
The first step was to intervene at the Urban scale to achieve these core values. Learning from examples like Copenhagen, I proposed a ‘Pedestrian Priority’ model for the main streets to create a safer and more vibrant space, utilising the strengths of the Victorian era character to create engaging, vibrant promenades, ultimately boosting business for the ‘hidden gems’.
Then, focusing on the Architectural scale, I delivered the 3 core values by designing a free-entry Jazz Bar, located right in the heart of the new precinct, functioning as a Lighthouse of vibrancy both day & night, generating circulation. For this, I borrowed devices of ‘Tension’ in music, perpetually moving visitors to a space of relative resolution and back, as this relative resolution will then itself become a form of relative tension.
These architectural & urban solutions of porosity, encouraging engagement & dwelling, will be the first step to shaping the desired Uptown for the Uptown community.
Cover Image
Brief
Site Analysis
Concept Statement
Concept Exploration
Porosity
Dwellability
Nighttime Conditions
Adaptability
