Introduction
Boyle Heights is a vibrant and creative community west of downtown Los Angeles. This proposed arts center aims to serve the local community as a place for gathering, working, and art exhibitions. It has a prominent location on 1st Street, a major cultural thoroughfare for Boyle Heights, which connects to a canopy structure that draws the activity of 1st Street into the arts center.
Research
This is the most critical step in my process to begin a design project. In this stage, my goal is to become an expert in all aspects of the region, people, and building typology.
From a place's history of culture, development, and geology, to systems of infrastructure, policy, and weather, the more I know about a site, the better designer I am on the project.
Initial Ideas
The central idea of this project is to create a building that offers both public spaces for community gathering and interaction with the arts and a private space for the artists to be introspective and focus on their work. I found a solution to this design problem by making the ground floor transparent and open, while the second floor is opaque and utilizes a sawtooth roof to let in the ideal light for making art. The resulting form is a duality of solid and void, light and heavy, open and closed.
Drawings and Details
Site Plan 1/16" = 1"
Second Floor Plan 1/16" = 1"
Below Ground Plan 1/16" = 1"
Site Axon
Construction Axon
Building Details 1" = 1'
Physical Model
Takeaway
In this project, I learned that it pays off to have sound research because it facilitates better intuition during the design process, and to put my design energy into the core ideas of the project, because those initial ideas must be clear in the final product.