DESA1002 'Nine Quarter City' - <Tina Zheng>

Abstract

Delta was originally inspired by site plan G6 of the New York City block. I selected the triangular site as it as the most conventional shape. I was inspired by a proposed high rise in Singapore by Rem Koolhaas, in which he had elevated sections of his building to decrease the footprint of the building. I too have adapted this idea so that the area under the raised buildings could be used by vendors and street performances and saves sidewalk space from become crammed as they usually do in NYC. I decided that a steel structure with a glass façade would be most appropriate for my building as it is situated in New York and has a more modern look. I choose to use vertical steel trusses for the structure of my building, as it enhanced idea of the triangular shapes. I thought that using flat glass would not compliment my building as much as a more textured glass, thus I have clad my building with glass in an irregular zigzag form. In doing this, I have allowed issues of privacy to be solved, as residents no longer have to worry about being seen through the glass. I designed a bridge across the canal to connect the two parts of my site together. It also allows the use of the garden by people not only from my site, but from neighboring sites as well. I designed the bridge with a curve, rather then a flat bridge to allow ferries to be able to fit through the bottom. The garden was designed to be a sanctuary. An oasis in the busy city of NYC, especially because it is in the center of the city, and it is fairly accessible from other sites with the use of the footbridge. Business people can relax here during there lunch breaks and take a walk through the tree walk, or play a game of chess.