New York Apartments: Holes for Life

Abstract

This thesis explores the potential of design concepts to generate new building morphologies. The report outlines a retrospective demonstration of how the concept of porosity has been used to illicit the qualities of openness and interpenetration within a high-density, mixed-use building complex.

The Lower East Side, one of the oldest and most densely populated areas in New York, is compromised by a multitude of urban dilemmas; Where space is understood in terms of efficiency, capital and growth, residents are largely confined to compact, hermetic apartments which are disconnected from the outside world and from each other.

The concept of porosity serves as a tool to invoke architectural devices that contribute to the desired effect of social exchange.