GRANT

=**Best Fit** = by Grant

=INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
===In my neighborhood there are lots of empty buildings and empty lots that usually have lots of weeds growing in them. Although there are lots of empty lots, garages and stores there are many house and greenery such as numerous trees down Cooper Avenue, but not too many down Metropolitan Avenue. Also across from my vacant lot there is the gigantic St. Johns cemetery. Also around my lot there are some single and double family houses so in a way the area around my house can also be called suburban. The buildings around my vacant lot are stationery in a way and also residential and industrial. There are no short buildings in the area around my vacant lot only low store buildings and lots and lots of traffic.===

Images:






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

===The area around my vacant lot is very busy and has lots of people passing by it since it’s in the middle of two neighborhoods: Middle Village and Rego Park and is a corner lot on a very busy avenue. Directly across the street from the vacant lot is a very large cemetery that stretches for about two blocks. Also down Cooper Avenue which is where the lot is located are other business buildings such as moving storage and also a small furniture store. As you keep going down there will be houses and on the other side is the cemetery. Some of these are townhouses, built together where two families share the building. Others are single family homes and there are also numerous amounts of trees. === ===The vacant lot is on the corner of Metropolitan Avenue which is a main avenue that runs through Queens and Brooklyn. Near my vacant lot on Metropolitan Avenue there are lots of small parking lots for little stores such and some older houses that are not in good condition and could use some repairing. Near my lot is also the busy Woodhaven Blvd. Here there are lots of cars zooming by both a gas station, Wendy’s and a Chase bank. All along Metropolitan Avenue are basically convenient stores connected to houses where on the bottom floor are the stores and on the top are houses. Basically around my vacant lo are many parking lots, small stores, and that big cemetery. There are also some short empty buildings around houses and stores. === ===Mainly the things that my neighborhood needs are things such as maybe recreational centers, a soup kitchen, something dedicated to the community. Another thing that my neighborhood doesn't have is a place of worship such as a church or mosque. Amybe this would be a good idea so that people who live around here, whatever religion they are have a place to go. A library is something that almost all neighborhoods have and I haven't noticed or seen one in the neighborhood around my vacant lot and I think it's important that there is a library in the neighborhhod so that anyone can go to relax or for a place of study. Lastly I think that in my vacant lot the type of building that should be built could be something that everyone in the community or neighborhood can enjoy and know well. I mainly think that in my vacant lot a building that mainly gives back to the community should be built.=== ===Another idea is that the building that I want to build in my vacant lot should have design or something colorful to really make this building stand out and really attract more and more people towards it. The reason why I think this is because this can gather everyone in the community together and maybe even be of some help in a specific way.=== ===I don't think things like apartment buildings or many other homes should be built because the neighborhood my vacant lot is in is generally suburban and residential as well. Other things that I think shouldn't be built in my vacant lot are stores or like places of work because my neighborhood also has that.===
 * 2. An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.**

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**



This is the Guggenheim Museum designed by the famous architect Frank Llyod Wright. It's right here in the heart of New York City and is a building of great modern vision and also inspires strange and unique pieces of art. Not only is the building of great design, but contains great design inside such as paintings and many unusual exhibits that really express personal creativity. The way that this architectural structure inspires me is that it's so unique and different from the square boxy buildings surrounding it. The building has a great meaning of design behind it. It tells me that it's good to be different and always be who you are and I think that was what Frank Llyod Wright wanted to accomplish when he designed this great structure.

This is the famous architect Frank Llyod Wright. He designed many famous buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum, Falling Water, and a beautiful house in Buffalo which I toured last summer. He created many famous buildings and was always known for his genius and design. The reason why he inspires me is that he always designed and built what he thought was amazing and always wanted his designs to make a strong statement, no matter how crazy it seemed at the time.

This is the United Nations building located on 1st avenue in Manhattan, again another famous building in New York City. It was designed by the French architect Le Corbusier who created the building very purely with straight lines and simplicity of form. The sides, front and back of the building had to rise straight to the sky and this was to signify the purity of the soul. There is nothing excessive here, or crumpled or overly decorative. It inspires me because this is a very famous building that really represents our entire country and shows me how when representing yourself you should be pure.

I really like the shape of the Sydney opera House in Sydney, Australia. It's a very unique looking building with a very special design to reflect its beautiful setting. It's amazing with white sails or semi-domes over the opera house and this is what really differs it from other buildings around the world. It's very strange looking, but that's what it was made to be. This building inspires me because it shows me how I can express myself in the most different ways and if I do this I will be noticed and that's what the opera house has done, to attract many different people. This is famous architect Frank Gehry. He has created some well-known buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. He inspires me because although he has designed many buildings he continues to experiment with different forms and shapes and is not afraid to try something new. His designs are a combination of swirling pieces and exploding forms which show how buildings can be fun and truly expressive.

==** 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 this investigation has influenced me to design a building for my lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood is that all the buildings I have researched and looked at are very expressive in a great way and even the architects who built those buildings have expressive minds and can be very passionate as well as complex. What's this influenced me to do is that creating the building that I want to in my vacant lot I want it to resemble something like these buildings which are expression, passion and a very simple design. The research that I also did taught me how the building that I should build in my vacant lot should be something that stands out in the neighborhood. What I really want is for this building to be something that this neighborhood doesn't have and really unite the community. It has to be something that gathers the community together and has to be something like no other ans that's really what this information and research has inspired me to do. It will really help me going into the design stage.

=Works Cited=

Homme, Alexander. "Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | Manhattan Style." //Manhattan News & Events | Manhattan Information - Manhattan City Guide//. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. [].

"Frank Lloyd Wright Ronald Bolender." //Dr. Ronald Bolender Www.bolender.com//. Web. 8 Jan. 2009. <[]>.

"File:UN Building.jpg." //Wikimedia Commons//. Web. 3 Sept. 2010. <>.

"The Sydney Opera House | 101WorldTravel." //101WorldTravel | A Portal For Travel Guides//. Web. 23 June 2010. <[]>.

=DESIGN BRIEF =

**Design Brief: Library**
==**Problem to be solved: The problem to be solved is that the neighborhood my vacant lot is in doesn't have anything such as a recreation center or a building that** gives back to the building or something that helps to gather the community in a specific way.==

**Requirements:**

 * Building must have a modern touch to it.
 * I really want the building to be simple
 * It must use up the entire lot because I want it to be big as possible.
 * It should have working appliances.
 * It should be a building that supports and gives back to the community.

**Constraints:**

 * Footprint of building
 * Setback Minimum
 * Height Limit

Description of Three Possible Designs
 * Design #3 **

media type="custom" key="8133334" This is the third design for my library where the walls are made out of metal and has many different windows of different shapes. Some of the smaller windows on this building are either circles or squares. It has sort of a modern look to it, not like most libraries and is a good enough size that everyone in the community can go in and enjoy. It is simple yet unusual for most libraries. ** Design #2 **

media type="custom" key="8133380" This is the second design for my library that which has it's walls made out of both metal and glass. On the first floor the walls are made of metal and there are windows going the length of the wall on either side of the building. The entire top floor has surrounding windows which provides people who go into the library with a nice view to the outside. it has a domed roof with a dark blue color to it. Again it has a simple design yet it is different from the designs of most libraries and is really something that the community will enjoy.

** Design #1 **

media type="custom" key="8133422" The first design for the library that will go into my neighborhood is made out of brick. All the walls are made out of brick and on each wall there is a pair of windows that run along the length of the wall. It isn't really a modern design for a building, but sort of old fashioned in a way since it is made out of brick and doesn't have modern touch to it.

** Identify the Best Design: **
= **I think that the best design out of the three of them for my library would be design number two. It is a very big and spacious building with many windows and positive traits about it.** =

** Justify Your Choice: **
** The reason why I think design 2 is the best design for my library is because it really has everything that is needed which is lots of space inside for all the people in the community and most of all it has a very simple yet not usual design and is something that sticks out. Also the reason why I think that this is the best choice to design my library with is because it has lots of windows that people can look out of such as the second floor and has a very comfortable feeling to it. **