ADELA

=**Best Fit** = by Adela

=INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
There is an empty (parking) lot next to the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Roman Catholic School in the neighborhood of Forest Hills. This is a mostly residential neighborhood with lots of small shops and restaurants, lots of schools and families. One of the most attractive features of the neighborhood is the many trees, parks, and greenery that turns bright and green and sunny during the summer, and white and snowy in the winter.

Block and Lot Number:
Block: 3259 Lot: 5

Size of lot:
282' x 285' x 56' x 22' x 84' x 182' x 388'

Images:

 * [[image:8-2_satellite_parking_lot_screen_shot_2.png caption="An enlarged satellite view"]] ||
 * [[image:8-2Goldsmith_tax_map_image.png caption="A tax map image of the lot and the school"]] ||

**Needs assessment** :
**1. A description of what the neighborhood already has.** Types of Housing: · Single family houses · Low-rise apartment buildings · Two-family connected townhouses · Above-shop residences Types of Commercial Businesses: · Grocery Stores/ Food-vending establishments: The Natural, C-Town, Cheeses of the World, Starbucks, Bagels etc. etc., Gotta-Getta-Bagel, Bonelle bakery, Nicks Pizza, Newtown Deli, Sushi Time, Happy Taco, Latin Cabana, Patisserie Amore, Twin Donuts, Subways, Portofino · Clothing Stores/Shoe Stores: Strawberry’s, Bolton’s, Banana Republic, Aldo, New York and Co., Pay-less, various small businesses, wedding dresses and brides maids dresses, Nine West. · Banks (varied) · Hair salons- many plus Sephora Recreation: · Midway Movie Theatre · P.S 101 playground (schoolyard with jungle gym) · Austin Street Park (with park for smaller children, big slides and jungle gym, baseball daimond, basketball courts) · Burns Street Park (big green grassy field) · Forest Park Schools/ Community Centers/ Places of Worship: · P.S.101 · The Community House (Part of Church in the Gardens) · Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic School( and roman catholic church) · Forest Hills High School · Russell Sage JH  Factories: None Doctors, Hospitals, Urgent Care Centers: None (closest is Forest Hills Pediatric Across Queens Blvd.)

Forest Hills has a lot of family houses and appartments because so many families with young children move there for access to the elementary school. There are a lot of chain stores, groceries, salons, and banks to cater to all of the families who live there. There are alos lots of parks, a couple of pizza places, and a movie theatre for all of the kids in the neighborhood.

**2. An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.** The only library close by is all the way across Queens Boulevard, and so many people have to use the same facility that the computers are never open and there are very few books to chose from. The only places that offer a limited range of after school programs are the elementary school (you have to be a student to participate) and the Community House (paying membership required). There are not many places for students to relax after school and to hang our with firends except cafes, public parks, and other people's houses. Cafes require you to pay for an item to sit and socialize while parks get cold and icy in the winter. It is hard to coordinate going over to someone's house after school, especially if their commute schedule is different. Other ways to hang out, like going to the movies and going bowling, are expensive for a student's budet and hard to pull together. The neighborhood needs a place for students to hang out after school, get a bite to eat, have a bit of fun, and socialize. But what the neighborhood also needs is a place for students to go and get decent library books to borrow, as well as after school courses in a range of interesting topics that you can get without paying for a full membership or going to school at the participationg building.

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**
Frank Gehry has been an inspiration to me ever since I visited the building designed by him on the Bard college campus. His designs have so much shape and are so eye-catching! They are always fun to look at and are crafted in interesting shapes. The architecture for the buildings he designs is so futuristic and modern, with gravity-defying twists. ||
 * [[image:http://blog.bumblebeelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/frank_gehry_star_wood_hotel_3.jpg width="588" height="410" caption="A concert hall designed by modern architect Frank Gehry"]]

The Nautilus house is just so fun and fantastical! There is so much to look at that leaves you imagining all of the magical things that could be going on inside. It is shaped like a giant sea shell, the opening filled with a fabulous stained glass window. It is absolutely crazy, and so much fun. When I first saw it, I thought "fairy house!" because there is so much wonder involved with the design. ||
 * [[image:http://www.trendir.com/house-design/nautilus-house-1.jpg width="600" height="408" caption="The Nautalis Hosue in Mexico City designed by Javier Senosian "]]

My dad told me about Meis Van de Rohe, with all of the bright colors and many windows, which are my favorite aspects of any building. It is always interesting to see spin offs of those classic elements of designs, used in a new way. This inspires me because I want to put lots of colors and lots of windows into anything that I design. It is so whimsical and really interesting to look at. When the architect has the choice to make an building interesting, they get so many interesting and twisted designs. ||
 * [[image:http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2007/04/242bm.jpg width="610" height="428" caption="Buildings designs that won the Mies Van de Rohe Award in Barcellona"]]

These cube apartment blocks in Tokyo remind me of little plastic toys with really big windows. They were designed to look fun, and not at all like housing for families. This picture inspired me because when i design a building I want it to be really fun for every person who comes, child and otherwise. The designs need to be silly and fun, and they need to be interesting enough to draw people in. Good designs should make people wonder. ||
 * [[image:http://cdn0.lostateminor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/reverse-destiny-loft.jpg width="600" height="410" caption="A small appartment block in a Tokyo suburb designed by New York artist Shusaku Arakawa"]]

I saw these pictures and I didn't think that it would be possible to have buildings at angles like this, but it is! There are even windows and walls, and that is what is so interesting. These buildings were an inspiration to me because I think that it would be really cool to build buildings that defy gravity and make the onlooker curious about the mechanics and how it was built. Even if you don't want to live here, you would be interested in who built it and who decided to make buildings that hang at odd angles. ||
 * [[image:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B6J6nGs6VwA/SZmEZa1KKeI/AAAAAAAAQTc/RItQrXBuzXE/s400/Cube+House+in+Rotterdam+Netherlands+by+Piet+Blom.jpg width="480" height="384" caption="Cube Houses in the Netherlands"]]

In what way has this investigation influenced you to design a building for your lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood?
These designs and examples of fun, whimsicle, gravity-defying modern architecture have inspired me to design a building that not only fits the needs of the neighborhood where it is being built, but needs to be exciting and fun enough for people to embrace the addition brightens up the neighborhood at the same time. Clever buildings with good designs should always be enticing and colorful, and full of life and magic. The investigation has infulenced me to design a building that will not only benefit the surrounding community but if full of new ideas anbd new colors and new styles, that in turn could be inspirational like the buildings in the pictures from my research. My research showed me that buildings don't have to look conventional or normal in any way for them to be functional and good for the neighborhood and all of the people who come to visit. I chose buildings in my research that are far from a normal or cookie-cutter design, but embrace the opportunity to be different, and with that difference comes the interesting new ideas and the fun of visiting a bright, colorful, and modern building that can also be used by kids and teens and adults alike. The trick is to embrace the "weird" and "different" aspects of the design and the public will be too. Every one of the architects whom I researched thinks out of the box and design beautiful and inspiring designs that are praised as works of art.

=**Works Cited** = "Dezeen » Blog Archive » Mies Van Der Rohe Award 2007." Dezeen Architecture and Design Magazine. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

Fifi & Lola's Fings Wot Are Nice. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

"Nautilus House, Senosiain Arquitectos, World Architecture News, Architecture Jobs." World Architecture News, Official Home Page, Architecture News, Architecture Jobs. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

"Shape Shifter." Couture Carrie. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <[]>.

"Technology « Bumblebee Labs Blog." Bumblebee Labs Blog. Web. 07 Jan. 2011. <[] >. =DESIGN Brief =

**Problem to be solved:**
The problem with Forest Hills is that there is no library on our side of Queens Blvd. for miles, and there are no places for students to go, have a bite to eat, have a place to study, or hang out with friends unless they are students at one of the schools directly in the neighborhood or a paying member at one of the community center. It would make getting together with friends who don't go to your school, having a light bite to eat, and having a place to study and get good books all in one place.

**Requirements:**

 * Must have a slightly modern design, featuring lots of windows, smooth lines, and bright colors, while still paying homage to the traditional architectural style of buildings in Forest Hills.
 * Must include a small cafe of some sorts that provide snacks that are affordable on a student's budget with lots of tables and benches for socializing.
 * Must include an area to study (could be in the library) with desks and lamps and student resources.
 * Can include a small garden and trees and flowers.
 * Design style must be whimsical and slightly fantastical in style.
 * Must be a way to get from one floor to another (stairs, elevator, ramp).

**Constraints:**

 * The footprint of the building must conform to the size and shape of the lot.
 * The height of the building is constrained to any zoning requirements in the neighborhood. Cannot exceed five stories.
 * Some of the areas in Forest Hills have to conform to landmark protected styles.
 * The building must have a slight setback from the sidewalk to allow room for a small garden or walkway.

Description of Three Possible Designs media type="custom" key="8106842" A somewhat square 3-floor building with lots of protruding glass windows and a glass walkway that loops around across all four sides. There are lots of clear glass so the people inside can see out. The rest of the walls are very bright eye-catching colors that stand out even when it isn't sunny. The building is designed to be bright and cheerful and bright, to add lots of energy to a somewhat dull neighborhood. The bright colors were added to add a fantastical side to the design. The suspended glass walkways leave the visitors wondering just how it all works. That element of wonder is exactly what I wanted to create. ** Design #2 ** media type="custom" key="8107060" The foundation of this building started out as a circle, but then I cut away parts of it and pulled it up so that it would have an x-shape with rounded edges. This design also has the suspended glass walkways that circle around the designs and ends on the top of the building. This design has flat circular windows that look out on the surrounding property. They also let people on the outside see all of the interesting things going on inside.The bright colors make the whole design whimsical and imaginative. The glass walkways create an element of wonder and fantasy to the whole design to brighten and liven up the neighborhood. ** Design #3 ** media type="custom" key="8129390" For this building, a long glass entry-way leads to a tall rectangular building with lots of circular windows to let people see in and out. It is in the same bright colors to add the creative and crazy yet appealing and eye-catching design. The foundation of the entryway was all interlocking circles that fused together to make an insect-like shape. It looks sort of magical and modern, and appeals to everyone's sense of fun.
 * Design #1 **

** Identify the Best Design: **
The best design out of the three is design three, the tall rectangular building with the long glass entry-way leading to the door. There are lots of windows and bright colors to make it modern and very interesting to look at. It is different from the other two because it doesn't have the suspended glass walkways, but I like it best because it was different.

** Justify Your Choice: **
I chose design three as the best design because it was whimsical, modern, and fun to look at. I think it is the best design because it is colorful and creative without being totally over the top. I think that the suspended glass walkways were just too crazy and impractical. This design still has the transparent element without being totally insane. I think it is still practical without being boring or ordinary. It also will appeal to the projected visitors, who are kids and teens, all with an eye for out of the ordinary and imaginative architecture. This design was my favorite because it has the most thought out design of all three. To me, it isn't the craziest, but it is still out there enough for my style.