first steps, pt. 2

[a first pass at a direction for the project] :

Concept

The mapping began as an inquiry into urban renewal-era public housing projects in St. Louis; the high-rise versus low-rise debate became a central focus.  The map is a testament to the pervasive attitude against high-rise public housing, an attitude that arguably began with Pruitt-Igoe and was amplified by policies like Hope VI. 

The drawing provokes an architectural discussion of high-rise versus low-rise, but it also hints at a much broader issue: large-scale plans versus small-scale interventions.  This project asserts that large-scale projects—Pruitt-Igoe, the Northside Regeneration plan, and others—are ineffective and inhumane; that, quite simply, small is better than big.

Client

The project will serve the congregation of Grace Baptist Church, housed in what was, at the time of Pruitt-Igoe’s construction, a local grocery store.  After interviewing three church members (all former residents of Pruitt-Igoe), it has become apparent that there is a strong desire to restore basic amenities to the area.  At the same time, it is clear that these amenities must come in the form of a “community project” : a model entirely different from the large-scale strategies employed in the past and threatening to dictate the future.

Design Problem

Grace Baptist Church is currently raising funds for a community center on a neighboring property.  The congregation plans to retrofit an existing brick row-house on the site. 

The problem is twofold:  what does undertaking a “community project” entail, and what can the proposed community center be?  Likewise, the approach comes in two forms: a rigorous engagement with community members in an attempt to define a program and a focus on the potential of the center to reclaim those amenities—spatial, functional, emotional—that have been lost.