Architecture of the Fifth Ecology
Project entry awarded honorable mention in Buildner's Los Angeles Affordable Housing Challenge Competition
In the city of angels, there lies one of the largest populations of homelessness in the country. Temporary and makeshift housing lines up along the streets of Skid Row creating a perilous environment that places the local community in ever increasing risk. Existing buildings, and parking lots remain dilapidated due to a sharp decrease in desirability of the area. As the neighborhood becomes more abandoned, the volume of vagrancy increases, thus compounding the situation further. Without substantial relief, the perpetual cycle of hopelessness becomes synonymous with the identity of its inhabitants…
The project proposes an infrastructural system as a means to alleviate the pressures of the area’s rising destitution. Utilizing the neglected lots, a tabletop structure creates the foundation for which modular housing units are stacked upon. These units are prefabricated off-site, and trucked in as the quantities are needed. Their organization is determined by the profile of the lot perimeters. In the base frame, parking and bike storage fill the second floor, while social programs occupy the ground to provide a haven of rehabilitation and reconstitution for the occupants above. The goal is not only to implement shelter for the vulnerable, but it is also to advocate for a sustainable means to vitalize the district. If the design can assist the populace to achieve a sense of self-reliance, the implications will have a positive impact on the rest of the city as well.
