Abstract:
My goal is to address a problem which is endemic in urban spaces: voids in the urban experience. I've defined these places as "tears in the urban fabric." These are spaces where the rhythm of the surrounding area misses a beat. Places where roads have later been added and disrupt the continuity of the area, where buildings have been remodeled in a way which destroys the aesthetic, where buildings have been removed creating a defined void; these are all examples of tears in the urban fabric.I've chosen to take on the latter of these examples, since it inherently has the most interesting solutions. however, simply inserting a building into a void in the city is hardly an original idea. Instead I've chosen to address those problematic spaces which aren't traditional in terms of site and require more innovation in resolving a conflict between the need for a "patch" in the urban fabric and the constraints of the siteThe site I've chosen is in downtown Indianapolis, on Meridian Street half a mile south of the circle, directly next to the Old Spaghetti Factory. This is a beautiful area at the very heart of Indianapolis. It is within waking distance of many of its key landmarks, and plays a prominent role as part of the southern gateway into the city. Therefore, it seems exceptionally awkward that the building which was formerly on this site was removed; leaving the five story blank brick wall of the Old Spaghetti Factory to face what is now a raised parking lot.This space is problematic because it clearly represents a void in the city, but the current parking lot is very crucial to the success of the many businesses surrounding it. I propose to create a small group of single residences attached directly to the blank wall of the Old Spaghetti Factory, and a small art gallery along the existing urban edge, simultaneously preserving the parking lot by sliding it under a new urban plaza. This project will relieve the tension in the space:, caused by the rhythm of the area coming to an abrupt halt, by creating a metaphorical "cap" to the row of buildings leading to it, thus offering a viable solution to a void in the urban experience.
