AMAR

=**Best Fit** = by Amar

=INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
The neighborhood around the lot is quiet and pleasant except for the bus that passes by daily (the Q59). The neighborhood is called Maspeth. It is a mix of one and two story homes. There are also many food stores/restaurants like Pizzerias and Chinese Food Places. There are also a huge amount of delis/groceries in the neighborhood of Maspeth. It isn't that big of a neighborhood, but there is still a fair amount of schools, public and private, in it. Maspeth is considered a safe neighborhood because of the lack of crimes done inside it.

Block and Lot Number:
Block 2680, and Lots 56 and 54

Size of lot:
The size of both lots combined is: 101.59' x 50' x 107.5' x 19.7'

Images:
Tax Map

Street View

Satellite View

**Needs assessment** :
**1. A description of what the neighborhood already has.** Maspeth is a mix of one and two story homes. It is a neighborhood that doesn't have many things due to its small size. There are three parks, Frontera park, Reiff park and Maurice park. Maurice park is huge and made up of four baseball fields (all made of grass and dirt), 2 playground areas, a handball court, 4 basketball courts, and 3 tennis courts. Reiff park is small compared compared to Maurice as there is one baseball field (made of Astroturf), a basketball court, a handball court, and a playground area. Frontera park is similar to Reiff park except that Frontera doesn't have a baseball field. There is also a mall named Maspeth center mall (in Maspeth) but it is small compared to Queens Center Mall because it doesn't have big stores (like Macy's), but it does have Stop & Shop.There is a library and two well known pharmacies in Maspeth (CVS Pharmacy and Duane Reade). There is also a well known soccer field named the Metropolitan Oval. It is the oldest soccer field in continuous use in the United States. Many of the country’s greatest players played there at some time (as I have seen on their website). Maspeth is made up of small stores but also of many fast food places. There are also many restaurants in Maspeth and also, quite a few bars. There is one nursing home in Maspeth that is very helpful for the senior citizens of Maspeth so they have a place to stay and get taken care of. Also, there are many banks including a Chase bank. Also, there are 4 schools in Maspeth. For high school the residence (of Maspeth) could go to Martin Luther High School, which is a private school. For junior high school (middle school), the residence (of Maspeth) could go to either I.S. 73, a public school, or a private school named St. S tanislaus Kostka, which is also an elementary school students could go to. For elementary school the residence (of Maspeth) could go to P.S. 153, a public school, or to St. Stanislaus Kostka.

**2.** **An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.** Maspeth is a neighborhood that might need a couple of more things to make it a better neighborhood for its residents. One thing that Maspeth needs is a recreational center because there isn't one in it. This would be accessible to most of the Maspeth residents due its lack of size (its small). This would help the residence stay in shape and also have a lot of fun while enjoying their favorite sports while playing on teams with their peers. Maspeth could also use a movie theater because the closest one is more than half an hour away (from the lot). This would make Maspeth better and people would also have fun watching movies. This would also make the economy of Maspeth even better because you would have to pay for movie tickets, food and/or drinks. Maspeth would also need a library so the residence of Maspeth could read more.

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**
The TD Garden is a building that inspires me as it is the home of my favorite basketball team, which is the Boston Celtics. I am a die hard Celtics fan. This is why this building means a lot to, and inspires me all the time as it reminds of all the glory the Celtics have gained in that building, and the championships they've won. It also reminds me of how great the Celtics were and are so far in their history.

Madison Square Garden is a building that inspires me because it is the home of the New York Knicks which I love (second to the Lakers). Madison Square Garden is considered the Mecca of basketball, and the fact that it is in New York inspires me and makes me proud that I am a resident of New York.

This is a picture of the mosque in Mecca which includes the Kabah which is very sacred to Muslims. A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims around the world including me, but the mosque in Mecca is special as it is where about 2 million and more Muslims come to perform a pilgrimage once a year. It inspires me as I am a Muslim and it reminds me of the sacredness of the mosque and Mecca.



The Eiffel tower in Paris is a huge tourist attraction and I think that I looks really good. This inspires and shows me that anything is possible because this is a unique building and many people would've said that this would be impossible to make, but as you see, it wasn't.



This is the Empire State Building (located in New York). It is just a true great structure and huge, in size. The Empire States Building inspires me because of the fact that it is located in New York, the city that I was born and raised in (so far).

** In what ways has this investigation influenced you to design a building for your lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood? **
The investigation of buildings that inspire me has influenced my ideas on building a lot that has the best fit for Maspeth. The famous buildings I chose influenced me to make what I am building look good and complex, but it must fit the needs of the lot's neighborhood, Maspeth. I want the thing being built to draw many people in and out of the neighborhood to go there so people can be doing something good instead of or bad, or nothing at all. I want this building to be good for all types of people like senior citizens, adults, and kids. All of the photos are tourist attractions because of their unique styles and how nice they look. They give me inspiration because they show that there are no limits for designs because before these buildings were built, many people didn't believe that these buildings would be built, but they were, showing that there are no limits.

**Works Cited**
Photograph. // TD Garden //. Chris Reidy, 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

Photograph. // Mecca //. SHEIKYERMAMI, 21 Apr. 2008. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

Photograph. Madison Square Garden. The Associated Press, 4 June 2009. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

Photograph. // Eiffel Tower //. Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

Photograph. // Empire State Building //. Apurborain, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. <[] >.

=DESIGN STAGE =

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Design Brief:**
<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">The problem with Maspeth is that there isn't a library conveniently located for the residence of Maspeth.
 * Problem to be solved: **

The function that my building will serve is education.
 * Function: **

<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Requirements:**

 * Must be wheelchair accessible.
 * All windows must be large enough for emergency egress.
 * Must be made of bricks.
 * The building should be modernistic.
 * Must include a library, with desks and lamps and student resources.
 * Must include a pool so kids can cool off after reading (as a reward).

<span style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Constraints:**

 * Footprint of the building can not exceed 101.59' x 50' x 107.5' by 19.7'.
 * Building can not exceed 3 stories.

Description of Three Possible Designs media type="custom" key="8117668"
 * Design #1 **

My first design is a Library that I want to build in Maspeth. It fits in well with the neighborhood because it is a normal building. It fits the requirements well but there isn't a pool for the kids in Maspeth so they can read and get a reward, which would be to go in the pool. It looks very nice except that the building is kid of plain in the community like many of the houses in Maspeth. It is a a three story building with many windows but the building doesn't look unique, it just looks regular, which I really don't like much.

** Design #2 ** media type="custom" key="8170132"

My second design is also a Library﻿ that I want to build in Maspeth. It also fits well with the neighborhood because it is built out of bricks and looks nice. The Library fits all of the requirements including that there is a pool for the kids in Maspeth. It looks a little unique but not too unique to look weird in the community. The building has a nice pool and translucent wall to cover it from rain, snow, etc, to make it a unique indoor pool. What makes this pool good for the community of Maspeth is that there are no community pools in Maspeth so there would now be one. Also, many people could be in the pool at once because of its large size.I really like the translucent walls though because they look good. I really like the design in general though.

** Design #3 ** media type="custom" key="8170124"

My third design is also a Library that i want to build in Maspeth. It doesn't really fit in with the neighborhood because it is extremely unique and not even one building, home, etc, looks like it. The building is made unique due to the extraordinary windows that were put onto the Library. This makes the Library in my opinion, really bad for Maspeth due to its uniqueness.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">** Identify the Best Design: **
The best design out of the three is design 2, which is a brick building whose style isn't all that crazy and ordinary and would fit in with the modernistic style of Maspeth. There is a swimming pool on the top of this building. This building also has a place for people to stand if its raining as there is sort of like a short passage that leads to the door.

<span style="font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">** Justify Your Choice: **
The reason I chose Design 2 as the best design is because it fits the requirements fully, unlike the other 2 designs. The building has a nice pool and translucent wall to cover it from rain, snow, etc, to make it a unique indoor pool. What makes this pool good for the community of Maspeth is that there are no community pools in Maspeth so there would now be one. Also, many people could be in the pool at once because of its large size. A pool is needed in Maspeth because it gets really hot in the summer and it helps keep kids out of their homes and doing physical activities like swimming instead of locking themselves up in their homes playing video games.