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William O'Brien Jr. Lok, WaiKai Leslie Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture a-cc--- 2011-08-30T14:56:58Z 2011-08-30T14:56:58Z 2011 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65436 746934500 Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis. Page 118 blank. Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-117). In Hangzhou, building height restriction is employed to preserve views and historical values, this renders a comparatively low density in the city center. Unable to accommodate the pressure of rapid urbanization, much of the existing social and urban construct are continuously challenged and removed in order to embrace new profit-driven developments resulting in functional separation. This leads to a homogenized and highly commercialized yet low density fabric. The ambition is to revive the social construct by providing a new architectural language to intervene the many historic city centers where vertical expansion is not an option. The thesis proposes a hyper-density approach to reconstruct the social program and integrate with the commercial fabric. Standard circulation of the street blocks and open space are strategically eliminated providing opportunity for insertion of civic programs. Oblique floor plates are introduced as an architectural terrain to operate and negotiate between two systems, the social and the commercial. With each system inherits its own set of distinct floor heights and programmatic parameters, discrepancies between 5 meters (commercial) and 3 meters (social fix) floor heights are identified as moments to privilege circulation, public space, daylight requirements or flexible social program (social flex). By privileging the social flex, the relationship between the social and commercial can be intensify in the form of boundary or diminish into an ambiguous topographic floor plate. In this sense, hyper-density is fulfilled quantitatively by sets of floor plates delivering FAR counts and program units, as well as qualitatively by the construct of mixed-use and intensification of public access or ambiguous adjacencies. The thesis addresses the multiple implications of urbanization by re-conceptualizing the social programs and compacting the city center. by WaiKai Leslie Lok. M.Arch. 118 p. eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology CD-ROM contains PDF copy of thesis. M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 Architecture. Hyperdensity : revival of social fabric Hyperdensity : social fabric revival in Hangzhou Social fabric revival in Hangzhou Thesis application/pdf false Publication unknown unknown <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="8a5d658a-659b-4614-af06-8ddb0882bb73"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>eng</Language> <Title>Hyperdensity : revival of social fabric</Title> <Subtitle>Hyperdensity : social fabric revival in Hangzhou</Subtitle> <Subtitle>Social fabric revival in Hangzhou</Subtitle> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2011</PublicationDate> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Lok, WaiKai Leslie</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License> <Keyword>Architecture.</Keyword> <Abstract>In Hangzhou, building height restriction is employed to preserve views and historical values, this renders a comparatively low density in the city center. Unable to accommodate the pressure of rapid urbanization, much of the existing social and urban construct are continuously challenged and removed in order to embrace new profit-driven developments resulting in functional separation. This leads to a homogenized and highly commercialized yet low density fabric. The ambition is to revive the social construct by providing a new architectural language to intervene the many historic city centers where vertical expansion is not an option. The thesis proposes a hyper-density approach to reconstruct the social program and integrate with the commercial fabric. Standard circulation of the street blocks and open space are strategically eliminated providing opportunity for insertion of civic programs. Oblique floor plates are introduced as an architectural terrain to operate and negotiate between two systems, the social and the commercial. With each system inherits its own set of distinct floor heights and programmatic parameters, discrepancies between 5 meters (commercial) and 3 meters (social fix) floor heights are identified as moments to privilege circulation, public space, daylight requirements or flexible social program (social flex). By privileging the social flex, the relationship between the social and commercial can be intensify in the form of boundary or diminish into an ambiguous topographic floor plate. In this sense, hyper-density is fulfilled quantitatively by sets of floor plates delivering FAR counts and program units, as well as qualitatively by the construct of mixed-use and intensification of public access or ambiguous adjacencies. The thesis addresses the multiple implications of urbanization by re-conceptualizing the social programs and compacting the city center.</Abstract> <Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right" > </Access> </Publication>