An identified strip of land in Chicago’s South Side has left an unmistakably large void within the grid of the city. Current city plans call... Show moreAn identified strip of land in Chicago’s South Side has left an unmistakably large void within the grid of the city. Current city plans call for single-use and low density spaces to eventually fill the enormous void bounded by State Street to the East, and Federal Street to the West. Resisting the current pattern of architectural and urban segregation, this alternative proposes an ambitious plan to fill an entire block with a select and diverse range of program to invigorate a depleted urban area while simultaneously creating an identifiable architectural landmark. The sudden interruption of single-use occupation reclaims the architectural potential of a site burdened by its troubled past and serves as the catalyst to stimulate ambitious and diverse urban growth. Necessarily occupying the entire site for the urban development of the city, the building is faced with the challenge of expanding to fill the tremendous void imposed by the grid with as few program members as possible, all the while preserving the richness of urban overlaps otherwise afforded in tighter urban settings. The result is a single building that is both mindful of the independent needs of its occupants while simultaneously creating and maximizing shared spaces within the overlaps, generating program opportunities and interactions not otherwise afforded in a system of architectural fragmentation. M.S. in Architecture, May 2012 Show less
