ARCH 4210: Design Studio
Professors: Scot MacPherson
Software: Revit, AutoCAD, Lumion, Photoshop, InDesign
Date: Fall 2022
Project: Balanced Density: Toledo, Ohio Master Plan Re-design
Achieving the unification of Toledo through juxtaposed duality. A redefined heart, with a sense of community and element of pride. The East and the West challenge one another to be greater and give meaning to each other but do not overcome each other. They are opposite in the nature of the elements rather than opposite in the elements of composition. The duality pertains to a view of life which accepts the tension in the opposites. The forces are opposed to each other but need one another for completeness. A larger unity is achieved through the compatibility.
At eye view, the two sides reflect in cityscape and density. Further mirrored in the water. The difference lies in function and outward expression. The West, composed of urban greenery, pedestrianized cells. Function, efficiency, sustainability, and walkability prioritize. A city of the future. The East, chaos from unorganized voids, replaced with the dynamic organization of mass and space. Form over function. A glass utopian. Both sides physically and visually within order. The expression of one quality is emphasized through the expression of the opposite quality. A filtered reflection.
Further into the grid of the West, a new system creates spaces designed for foot travel. Automobile opportunity and therefore use is decreased. Buildings within a cell are connected on the ground with plazas and pathways. Spaces in between filled with green beauty. Life all around. In the sky, the buildings are also connected, creating layers of functionality and directionality. Both horizontal and vertical connectivity.
The grid of the East dynamically composed with elements more organic. Art interrupting masses and adding depth to rectilinear forms. Elements of glass experienced in scale.
Duality of opposites is not the cause of disunity within a composition when attention to the overall order and structure of the concept is thorough. The danger of providing too much unity and exactness produces a result which is bland and lifeless. The solution may lie not in a one-sided view but in the tension of two opposing.
Model Photos:
Balanced Density
West
