Layering Pockets

Ambiguity of Spatial Boundaries

This fish dining venue, located in New York’s Lower East Side, is proposed to serve as a local food bank. The design aims to challenge the single-layer facades of modern buildings.

Instructor: Nate Hume

Teammate: Shengnan Gao

The design process commenced with a thorough structural analysis, leading us to propose a cantilever system supplemented by bracing for secondary support. This approach was driven by the intention to align with diagonal grid lines while employing vertical walls to dictate the positioning of the floor slab.

As a concealed pocket design found in a human suit, which functions to extend space, “pockets” in an architectural context could blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors with layered facades along the massing, aligned with structural grid lines.

Process

In tackling structural challenges, our aim was to establish a series of fragmented spaces within a reverse stepping massing, incorporating hanging layers of diverse panels. We opted for a column and beam grid system to uphold the concept of “ Pockets”.