The studio project was to complete the 2017-2018 ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition. We were to enter the Affordable Housing Category where we were to design a mixed-use building in an urban context. Along with completing the given program for the competition we were to promote the use of steel through inventive and unique building methods and showcase its abilities over other types of construction. The following are excerpts from a short essay we wrote to guide our design decisions: 

 

Somewhere amidst the jumble, the site reflects and contributes a sense of tranquility. Somewhere among the noise, serenity becomes the site’s desire. To take a moment, a breath, and look up. 

The ultimate goal of design is to create a place of stillness, that is surrounded by the bustle of the city. Spaces should provide a sense of connection between resident, onlooker, and passerby and evoke quietness, functionality, and a sense of community within all. 

 

Simultaneously the residents require and deserve privacy, a sense of ownership and place. They should feel elevated above their current situation and able to feel a part of the city rather than crushed by it.