ADELQUI

=**﻿ Best Fit** = by Adelqui

=INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
The neighborhood lot that I am developing is in Jamaica, Queens. The general characteristics of the neighborhood around the empty lot that I choose are that they have several short apartment buildings no taller than 7 stories. It is on a one way street. Next to the lot are houses with older design models and the buildings are a little more modern. The neighborhood is mixed, there are Hispanics, black Americans, and Chinese people. It is a very busy neighborhood since there are different things that you can do throughout the day but at the same time its seems pretty safe.

Block and Lot Number: 09681-0085
Size of lot: **53' x 145'**

**Satellite View:**
**Needs assessment** :

**1. A description of what the neighborhood already has.** The neighborhood already has a large park, a hospital, doctor offices, a shopping area with different stores like hair salons, beauty stores, laundromats, supermarkets, clothing stores, deli, and different car service shops, also they have different gas stations like Mobil and Hess. There is an elementary school which is P.S 182. They have the bus and train station, and also have the Long Island Railroad, so the people without cars have easy access to go to work. They also have self storage places where you put your stuff for safekeeping, a brand new hotel, a church, and a court. It pretty much has everything you would need in a neighborhood.

**2. An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.** What the neighborhood needs is a junior high and high school in the neighborhood so the parents wouldn't have to find a school that is out of their district. The neighborhood would also need a post office closer to them to receive their packages and sent out mail, without much walking. I would say a parking lot, there is one but since it gets pretty busy throughout the day they would be better off with another one just in case. When I went around the neighborhood I didn't see an elderly home, and in most neighborhoods there are so people's family members could go and visit them, the elders family would be able to see them more often than if they were in another neighborhood. And lastly something that the neighborhood would need is different branches of banks, they have banks but most of them are chase so what about the people with different ones? They also need to deposit money and take out money.

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**

 * [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXlHJROLt_69zpNnqWlJlHXQfy7pBElyx5ScfUAOKS3NcLESsY width="259" height="194"]] ||
 * This building inspires me by how the building is very old fashioned, it has beautiful designs embroded in the building its from the medieval time period. It is something that people would enjoy to see and take photos of and their are not many of these building anymore, and is different from the rest of he buildings we have now. ||
 * [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ-CrhpzlluFbUzP9BNKn8SkDTpMx0KH4C32dvjRJRodjjeUdwmQ width="179" height="281"]] ||
 * This building inspires me by how the building is shaped in like a slant, the material that they used provided that. I find it very rare and in order for the building to be in that form it must have took a lot of hard labor. It is the future and more buildings like this will be made with newer technology, it looks rare and I just wonder how they made the buiding like that, because their are a lot of risks. ||
 * [[image:http://www.tropolism.com/16rem_CA1.650.jpg width="280" height="347"]] ||
 * This building inspires me because it the way it is shaped is very different and unique and so is the building next to it. It attracts peoples eyes you want to know more about the building, it is something the future would bring and its modern and chic. ||
 * [[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7FzgfTyiELdltvVUaMNZ6MItYKTDrr3xiUNhMHcwAEUcdMJvkPA width="171" height="295"]] ||
 * This building inspires me because it been around a long time and looks brand new everyday. It has history to it and whenever people come to New York City this is the first place they would want to look at. That's how I would want a building something that is popular because of its history and you want something to stand out. ||
 * [[image:http://www.essential-architecture.com/ARCHITECT/arch-eiffel.jpg width="197" height="362"]] ||
 * This building inspires me because you automatically see the exotic beauty this building has, the location is wonderful too in France is one marvelous sight. I would place a building were you know they would come and see and have fun at the same time. ||

**Citations:**
//Travel Reviews,travel Article, Video Blogs and Experiences | Discount Travel,Cheap Hotels, Flights at Travels Tips'n'Pics//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. . //Pixel Image - 3D Visualisation, Animations and Websites - a UK Based Award-winning Producer of Computer-generated Content. Tel: 08452309100//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

//Tropolism//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

//Empire State Building - New York City, USA//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. [].

//Essential-architecture.com | Good Architecture//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

In what ways has this investigation influenced you to design a building for your lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood?
The ways that the investigation influenced me to design a building for my lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood is the different structures that are good for the lot in the neighborhood, what type of fashion the building could be either old or modern. What attracts the people's eye and what doesn't. The different lights and things you could put on the buildings, it has influenced me to think further ahead to actually picture how the final outcome would look like in the particular lot that it is being built in. This investigation had helped me to find different ideas and images in my head that when I start the building I could use and keep in my mind. The investigation was like a little example to the endless possibilities you could have for a buildings and inspired me to create a building.

=DESIGN BRIEF =

**Requirements:**

 * A building with about 3 stories.
 * The building contains windows and doors.
 * Has the most modern technology.
 * Contains a waiting area that is comfy on each floor.
 * Lots of desks and chairs.
 * Has a place where all your questions and problems will be solved with lots of workers.
 * It is modern, welcoming, and stands out.

**Constraints:**

 * No higher than 2 stories high.
 * It cannot go out of the dimensions of the lot.

Description of Three Possible Designs
 * Design #1 **

media type="custom" key="8123390" This design of the post office is two floors, one rectangular door which is 8' 9 1/6" by 7'3 7/16", two hexagon windows that provide a nice inviting and modern look to the building. It has a big window a few inches from the door so the building has a lot of sunlight inside,which is 12' 23/16' by 7' 8 3/4". The buildings is a type of brick, on the roof at the back has a little oval design, which makes the building modern.

** Design #2 ** media type="custom" key="8123312" This design of the post office has two floors, it is made out of a type of tile. The door has a little arch and an entry way, which is the modern look right now. The circluar window in the front brings some uniqueness from the other post offices in different neighborhoods. The rectangular windows on the side of the building also brings attention, and shows how the buildings is modern, it also looks more modern because the windows are different sizes. The roof is very edgy it hs the middle part of the roof and the rest was sliced off to create a sleek and modern look to it.

** Design #3 **

media type="custom" key="8123378" This design of the post office has two floors, it is very simple and laidback kind of building, it is made from a type of wood. It has two doors which is easier for the people to get in and out of the building when it is busy, which is 10' 10 by 18' 1 11/16". It has one large window which is 21'4 3/8 by 11'2 3/8", and like I said before just a plain look for a post office.

** Identify the Best Design: **
The best design is design #2.

=** Justify Your Choice: **= The best design is design #2 because it best follows the design brief that solves the problem. It is no higher than two stories high, it has a second floor where all your questions will be answered, and the first floor has a nice waiting area. It doesn’t go out of the dimensions of the lot. It has the modern door, and lots of windows. It has modern technology and has an edgy and modern vibe to it. Its welcoming and catches people’s attention and stands out from the rest of the old apartments and buildings in the neighborhood. This design matched perfectly my requirements and constraints and that’s why I chose this particular post office design.