Urban Relay : circulation morphology [accelerator city]

Abstract

Generally, in the contemporary cities vertical buildings are conceived and implemented as subdivided volumes that set up highly regularized modes of inhabitation. This condition limits the possibility for more complex and adaptive spatial relationships between program and use. This limitation exists at a time when the relationship between individuals and their patterns of living is becoming increasingly more complex. This thesis will explore the design of the mixed-use building through a study of program, circulation, skin, and form. Sited in Boston at a point of intersection between programs, people, and of conflicting physical parameters, this project will develop a system to (re)organize space within a given volume and the flows through it. This system of programmatic organization will be mediated through a responsive network of circulation and the articulation of surfaces that frame the minimal spaces between uses.