The design proposal contends with the ubiquitous nature of parking structures that dot the urban landscape of southern California, and the inherent possibilities of hybrid architectural typologies that could be formed when contemplating future parking/housing hybrids. Conceptually, the proposed design achieves this hybridization by strategically cutting minimal portions of the concrete slab between structural bays; 18” steel columns are inserted and serve as the primary vertical structural members supporting the 40 units of residential student housing above parking structure 5, located on the northwest corner of the Santa Monica College campus.
Existing vehicular circulation patterns are retained from the original parking design, with shared community areas (kitchen, bar, outdoor study areas, etc.) occupying a linear ribbon that stretches across the north facade on the 4th floor of the parking structure. As shown in the structural plan diagram to the right, the highlighted zones depict the 13’x17’ spaces inbetween the structural beams and columns of the parking garage; the six dots within the bounding boxes denote the six steel load-bearing columns that connect to the residential housing above.
Instructors: Kevin Daly, Andrew Kovacs, Mark Mack, Roger Sherman
