LYDIA

= **Best Fit** = by Lydia

= INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
The neighborhood of the empty lot I chose is in Forest Hills near Metropolitan Avenue. There are many houses with their own little driveways and schools around this area which makes it feel like a suburb when it's right in the Queens. On Metropolitan Avenue there are many little family stores that have been going on for many years which gives the area an old town charm.

Block and Lot Number:
The block number is 3325 and the lot number is 39.

Size of lot:
The empty lot is in the shape of a rectangle, the frontage is 60 feet and the depth is 100 feet.

Images:






**Needs assessment** :
**1. A description of what the neighborhood already has.**

The neighborhood for my lot is in Forest Hills, NY which is a small part of Queens where many people come to start families because of the comfortable atmosphere and the many good public schools. Forest Hills has a large selection of low-rise building homes from single family homes, 2 family homes, mansions and apartments. In the area near my lot one side has big beautiful houses and the other side has smaller quite houses with a driveway. My empty lot is mostly in an area with only houses but a few blocks down you hit a busy street, Metropolitan Avenue.

Types of Houses: Types of Commercial Business: Types of Recreation: Schools/Community Centers/Places of Worship:
 * single family houses
 * large 3 floors houses
 * small family business shops that have been running for many years (Eddie's Sweet Shop, Roxanne, Royal Collectibles Store, Metro Deli)
 * small local restaurants (Danny Brown's Winery & Kitchen, My Kitchen, Argentine Steak House)
 * Chain restaurants (Sizzler, Dunkin' Donuts)
 * Banks (TD Bank)
 * Cinema Cinemart Movie Theaters
 * Our Lady Mercy Catholic School (Grades K-8)
 * Our Lady Mercy Catholic Church

**2. An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.** The neighborhood of Forest Hills has many elementary schools in its area which means that there are many children around. But the main playground of Forest Hills is on Austin Street which is very far away for people who live farther in the Forest Hills Gardens. And the Community Center in Forest Hills requires paying for a membership which may not be available for some people. So how do children amuse themselves in the colder days? So I believe that Forest Hills needs an indoor playground that is open for the public, or a childrens' library with a place to play.

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**

|| The West Side Tennis Club is a monumental place in Forest Hills where many people communicate. I was inspired by this because I want my own building that I am designing to be a big hang out place like this one. Also, this Tudor style of the West Side Tennis Club building is very similar to the style of houses in Forest Hills, so I would like to use this style so that my design can work well with the neighborhood. ||
 * [[image:http://ecomagnificent.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/amsterdam-green-roof-appartment-building.jpg caption="Architecture Building Apartment Blok K"]] || I'm inspired by this building design because of it's curvy roof. It almost makes the building look like an soft ocean wave. The sky lights on the roof of the building is also inspiring because it brings a lot of organic and fresh light to the building which makes it brighter ||
 * [[image:http://all-pictures.biz/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Modern-Architecture-4.jpg width="600" height="481" caption="Other Side of Modern Architecture of Jonah House"]] || This building really inspires me because of its color of the bright yellow and the cool blue. It shows me that not all buildings have to be just plain wood or brick. Also, I really like how this building has so many shapes in it. There are rectangles, squares, circles, ovals, I didn't know that so many shapes could be incorporated into one building. I really like the circle/oval balconies. ||
 * [[image:http://www.trendir.com/green/enovo-modular-homes-1.jpg width="550" height="383" caption="enovo-modular-homes-" link="http://www.trendir.com/green/enovo-modular-homes-at-one-wit-1.html"]] || This design inspires me because although you can't see it too clearly in this photo, the roof is carpeted with growing vegetation, for it is an eco-friendly home. Eco-friendly buildings with solar panels and such inspire me because they are usually very modern looking and also helps our environment! The glass walls also inspires me because it brings in lots of light. ||
 * [[image:http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/1/9/9/1/ar120839763719913.JPG caption="Kittery Point Maine Conods"]] || Although my architecture inspirations are mostly from modern designs, this country house really caught me. I love the left side of the house with its round circular part with a circular porch underneath. The shape is just so unique and different. I guess I have a thing for circle shapes in buildings. ||
 * [[image:file:///C:/Users/lydia/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.png]]

Bibliography:
Architecture Building Apartment Blok K//. Digital image.// Alinya.com//. Web. .//

"Enovo Modular Homes with Bio Recognition | Green." //Trendir - Home Decorating Trends Magazine//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

//Kittery Point Maine Condos//. Digital image. //Activerain.com//. Web. .

"Kiwanis Club of Forest Hills Helps Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Preservation Campaign & Supports Neighborhood Preservation." //Rego-Forest Preservation Council//. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. .

//Other Side of Modern Architecture Design of Jonah House//. Digital image. //Http://all-pictures.biz//. Web. .

** Explanation of how investigation, has influence the design of a building for your neighborhood that makes the best fit. ** This investigation has influenced me on what kind of building I would like to design to meet the needs of Forest Hills and work well with the other buildings in this neighborhood. I now know that I want my building design to blend in well in the typical Forest Hills style, but I want to add my own little modern inspiration and color to it using small but important details. I got inspired by these buildings' circular and curvy shapes that I would like to incorporate in the structure of my buildings. The Forest Hill's style of having pointy roofs I would also like to use.

= DESIGN BRIEF =

**Problem to be solved:**
The problem with Forest Hills is that there are so many elementary schools with lots of little kids but the places for children to play are either far away or are too cold to go to in the Winter time such as parks. Forest Hills needs a place for children to play year round like a children's library.

**Requirements:**

 * The design includes lots of windows to bring in lots of light
 * Design of the building is playful, attractive and inviting for children
 * Design blends with the Forest Hills style of houses
 * Includes a little bit of color
 * At least 2 floors
 * Must have circular shapes in the design

**Constraints:**

 * The building must be smaller than 100 by 60 feet.
 * The building must be located in the lot in the address of 96-1 71st Avenue, Forest Hills.
 * The frontage of the building on 71st Avenue

Description of Three Possible Designs
 * Design #1 **

media type="custom" key="8114100" I was inspired to create this design from looking at the regular libraries across Queens. I wanted to get a strong idea of what most libraries look like and what to expect. It is very simple, has a flat roof and lots of large windows on all sides of the building so that lots of light can come in. A library should be a place of finding information you need, but for readers looking for something to take them away, windows are always good for dreaming about the faraway lands you read in your books.

** Design #2 **

media type="custom" key="8114332" I wanted to make one of my designs for the building very crazy and funky and modern. I wanted to do this because since it was a childrens' library that I was creating in my head, the building needed to be fun looking and attracting for children and make them want to come inside and read and play. I had been researching so many new high-tech buildings with curvy roofs and circular shapes, some made from glass and steel, some made with grass on the roofs, I got inspired with the circle shapes so I made a circle/curvy roof which is different and made the entire thing from glass. My only worry is that the children will hurt themselves or break the glass while playing inside. Maybe not the most kid-friendly. ** Design #3 ** media type="custom" key="8148538"

Design #3 has the typical Forest Hills style which I had studied when looking at the local churches or the West Side Tennis Club which is all show this beautiful and timeless style. I chose to use pointed tall roofs almost like a princess castle because I see that a lot in Forest Hills homes and buildings. I added a little bit of my own inspiration with the circle windows that I see in modern buildings.

** Identify the Best Design: **
The best design that I chose out of the three was Design #3, the design with the white building and the large pointed triangle for the roof. There are lots of interesting triangle shaped roofs for it and it has the traditional style of the Forest Hills design of homes which was something I liked and wanted to keep. I got inspired to design this specific design from churches that have tall beautifully designed roofs. It is different from the other designs because of it's tall pointy roof. It includes all the requirements from the Design Brief such as circular shapes (windows) and color (yellow colorful windows) and keeping the Forest Hills style (pointy roof) and having 2 floors and is playful and inviting for children (fun windows).

** Justify Your Choice: **
I chose design #3 as the best design because I think it was the most thought out and professional looking out of the designs. Design 1 was way too simple for my liking and looked too ordinary and seemed to be the spitting image of our regular Forest Hills Public Library near Queens Boulevard. Design 2 was too modern and strange for the town of Forest Hills. The building of Design #2 would of stuck out like a sore thumb (in a bad way) next to the regular driveway and doorstep houses. I wanted to keep the feel of this neighborhood as a family place, a tight community, not a modern city look with crazy sights everywhere you look.