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Rama Khalaf
Diploma 8
The main intention of the project is to inverse the ratios between private and public spaces. The project also studies the evolution of facade walls in New York City, as per Rem Koolhaas' Delirious in New York.My site is located south of the United Nations Building in New York, and it anchors three municipal districts: 1. Murray Hill - a highly residential area. 2. Gramercy - a very up-and-coming area in New York, known for its parks and open areas. 3. Midtown Manhattan - the corporate and commercial district.Designed as a 'city within a city', the proposal is a collection of buildings connected through the internal infrastructure. The building consists of eight units which are wrapped with an overall shell creating a U-shaped footprint at ground level.The units are defined through four pre-set frames that look at: 1. the separation of space 2. structural and services cores 3. corporate enclosures 4. large publicly accessible spaces The building is comprised of eight units that are made up of the following frames. Three main axes are outlines in the building, relating closely to the site context. The building is made of eight units which differ through the facade surfaces for each space. The facades have a degree of transparency which highlight certain views or axes in the building, reinforcing the idea of accessibility.The section of the building highlights the tunnel under First Avenue that acts as a feeder into the building, leading to an open atrium plaza in the centre.A plan at the corporate level highlights the public areas in comparison to the corporate spaces and the internal infrastructure of the building. Images of the model show the difference in facade conditions that show the transparency strategies.