November 2020
The IRT Powerhouse is a renovation project, one designed to invigorate and inspire creativity
A simple solution which rivals the existing, controlled order of the city. This is my second group project in which our team consisted of myself, 2 architects and 3 civil engineers.
Our design concentrates primarily on providing for two groups of people. First, those on a lunch break, or having finished a stressful day at work: those desiring a meditative, invigorating retreat from the busy New York grid. Second, those in search of a space possessing a creative atmosphere with the relevant making equipment available.
Embracing Democracy and Publicness
A bottom-up, community-first scheme has been a vital design condition from the first sketch: a building which the occupant can manipulate (interchangeable workshop/exhibition spaces) and can freely manoeuvre with ease (the stepped arena, arcade, and open park). The façade’s opening is a bold representation of the building’s change of function from private to public. The arcade reduces tension between the building’s previously uncoordinated interior/ exterior relationship. We concentrated on maximising the interior’s height to emphasise a feeling of openness and meditative serenity in a city renowned for its pace and power.
