MICHELLE

= **Best Fit** = by Michelle

= INVESTIGATION STAGE =

**General characteristics of the neighborhood** :
The neighborhood I'm developing is in Forrest Hills in Queens, NY. It is an urban area with a wide range of businesses, with a few chain stores but mostly local small businesses. There are several restaurants, salons, doctor's offices, a hospital and Y as well as a few Jewish Centers. There are two nearby schools and several Daycares/ Nursery Schools in the area. There are mostly high rise apartment buildings but also some single family homes within a few blocks of my lot.

Block and Lot Number:
Block #2179 and Lot #1.

Size of lot:
100' x 78'

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

 108-05 68th Road Forest Hills, NY 11375  Within a 5-6 block radius, there are mostly small businesses as well as a few chain stores, but no big box stores like Costco or Walmart. There are a few banks, some family restaurants and real estate offices. There are a few fast food chain stores. There are many Daycare centers like All my Children Daycare, Jewish Childcare Association and Forest Hills Child Care. There are schools such as Russell Sage and Forest Hills High School. There is one hospital and many doctor’s offices and dentists. There are two synagogues and a few other Jewish centers. There are two movie theaters and a park nearby, as well as a Y with a swimming pool. There are also several spas and salons. Overall, there is a wide range of services in the area. This area of Forest Hills is pretty urban. There are two types of surrounding houses. immediately across the street there are several low rise (apx six stories) apartment buildings, and those are the only types of homes continuing north from the lot. There are also some large, single family homes that seem as though they belong in a more suburban area. **2. An analysis of what the neighborhood needs.** What this neighborhood needs is a good gallery for local artists to showcase their work. This gallery can function as a multipurpose space. It will contain a small cafe and a screen/projection system for screening films. It can work as a small, local hangout space. felt that this would be a good addition to the neighborhood since there aren't galleries within a walking distance from my lot. Although there is a preschool next door to my lot, the music wouldn't be an issue if performances are dedicated to nighttime hours. There could also be days dedicated to children's films so that it would be useful to the community's families with small children. It could also serve as a space for teenagers to relax after school, since there are two schools (a middle school and a high school) nearby which several residents of the area attend. There aren't many restaurants within a few blocks of the lot either, so it would definitely be a welcome addition.

**Buildings and architects that provide inspiration**
This building is the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. It inspires me because of the large stain-ed glass windows and interesting tower structures. The shapes they make turn it into more than just a building, but a work of art and a classic example of French Gothic architecture.

This building is known as the Flatiron building and interests me because from certain perspectives it loks like a regular high rise building but it actually has a very unusual shape, like a wedge. This building is the new Cooper Union building. It inspires me because of its unusual shape and modernism. I like it because it is very futuristic and unconventional.

This townhouse inspires me because of its large windows and simple shapes. This building inspires me because of its interesting shapes and how colorful and bright it is. It makes me think of a carnival or surface and provides me with some ideas for the interior and exterior designs for my building.

In what ways has this investigation influenced you to design a building for your lot that makes the best fit for the neighborhood?
I know that although there are some high rise apartments nearby, The surrounding neighborhood mainly consists of single family homes and low rise apartment buildings. The apartments are all red-brick. The houses vary in style and size, some are two story, and some aren't. The building that I create should look urban, but not modern. Although it wouldn't fit in well if I made it very irregularly shaped, colorful and outlandish, I can make suble references by adding a few curves or apply it to the shape of the door, etc.

==

==

**WORKS CITED**

 * Notre Dame Cathedral-**

"Notre Dame, Notre Dame Cathedral, Tour in Paris." // Online Travel Guides of Travel Destinations - Las Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii and Machu Picchu //. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .

"Budget Russia Vacations & Russia Guided Travel - CosmosÂ®." // Affordable Escorted Vacations & Budget Vacations - CosmosÂ® //. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .
 * St Basil's Cathedral**

"Green and Gleaming Towers | BusinessWeek." // BusinessWeek Slide Shows and Multimedia //. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .
 * Flatiron Building**

"6 New Fascinating Architectures around the World." // Travel Guides, Luxury Travel Destinations & Hotels //. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .
 * New Cooper Union**
 * ﻿ ﻿Brownstone **

"Brownstoner: Townhouses." // Brownstoner: Brooklyn Real Estate and Renovation //. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. .

= DESIGN BRIEF =

**Problem to be solved:**
The neighborhood needs a place where its residents can relax, listen to music and view artwork and films.

**Requirements:**

 * There must be some sort of sound proofing in order not to bother the next door pre-school and residents.
 * The lighting must be dim (with the exception of spotlights on the artwork)
 * There must be several couches/lounge chairs
 * There must be a juice/coffee bar
 * There must be a projection system/screen for movies
 * There must be a large screen that displays the album cover, artist, and song playing
 * There must be a small stage/ space for local bands to perform
 * There must be a few tables and stools

**Constraints:**

 * There are noise restrictions
 * The building must fit into a 78' by 100' lot.
 * The building's style must fit that of the neighborhood

Description of Three Possible Designs media type="custom" key="8117676" This design has exterior walls made of brick, red material and glass, allowing to look somewhat modern while still fitting in on account of the bricks. There is a large amount of space for fitting a gallery on the ground floor and a cafe/ movie screening area on the top floor. ** Design #2 ** media type="custom" key="8118186" This design has an arched doorway and slightly resembles a movie theater entrance on the art where movies are listed. The building is one story tall and its exterior is green and purple with large glass windows in the front of it. On the interior, there is a ticket desk and a long glass partation between the cafe and the gallery areas of the building. ** Design #3 ** media type="custom" key="8144556" This design is shapes lightly like a rectangular pyramid. It has several yellow glass windows in the front. Each side of the building is "striped' with glass and each a different shade of blue. The design is very modern.
 * Design #1 **

** Identify the Best Design: **
My best design is design #1, my first design. This design is a two story building made of brick, glass, and red material with several large windows. Over the large window on the first floor, there is a design of multicolored rectangles popping out (decorative).

** Justify Your Choice: **
I think that Design #1 is the best fit for several reasons. It is partially made of brick, so it will fit in the neighborhood in that sense. Although much of it is colorful and bright red, it won't stick out like a sore thumb in this area. Although there are many brick buildings, they aren't old or historical, so a more modern building won't be an issue. The building's height isn't taller than the majority of the buildings nearby (up to six stories) so that won't be a problem either. As a gallery/cafe this design has the st space for all of the things it needs to function. There is plenty of space for art exhibits on the ground floor, as well as more than enough space for a cafe/ film screening area on the top floor. There is a single opaque wall on the top floor for screening the films, and the rest can be used for the cafe. This design fits in the best with the neighborhood and would be able to accomodate more people and function better as a galley/ cafe than any of the other designs, which makes this one the best fit.