adverse possession law



pin-up

Revised community project map; drawing connections between new models of amenities

Base map showing possible pathways through the site (plastic lead on mylar overlay)

Study showing a corridor cutting through the site in plan and section; diagram of how a street crossing might play out in plan.

A rough "phasing diagram" for the project

Sketch of the community center and a neighboring plot; simple, economical interventions like planters and tables/chairs complement more dramatic actions like creating a large opening in the western side of the building. 

What if's...

What if a corridor could cut through the site, creating a pathway between the Gateway School and the proposed community center?  What if fields for growing food or sports pitches were placed there?

What if the building could be gutted or cut into?  What if programs were allowed to spill out onto the street or into neighboring lots?  What if the roof spaces of existing buildings suddenly became inhabitable?

trace-paper tuesday

Rough dimensions of 2417 Cass



Section: pathways through the site

Perspective: community center

"maps on maps on maps"

Today I tried to address the project at a larger scale. 

As always, the questions come streaming in from all sides: how could the community center promote land "reclamation"?  Could churches in the area begin to add property to their holdings?  How could this happen?  What if the churches could be linked?  How does the Pruitt-Igoe site fit into this?   

Churches in the vicinity of the Pruitt-Igoe site; drawing connections.

Drawing pathways through the site that could link the churches; the sketch begins to show how vacant land might be appropriated by the congregations

Phases of land "reclamations" made by the churches

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.   

first steps

Graphic to accompany "Pruitt-Igoe: Past, Present, Future"

24" x 36"

Community Project mapping

24" x 36" : mixed media