Swept Under the Rug
In Mark Wamble’s 502 studio, we were asked to envision a new mixed-use typology featuring space for retail, office, residential, and small batch manufacturing space.
The studio proposed redevelopments along a five-block stretch of Bissonnet Street in Houston, Texas. Currently, these blocks are dominated by single family houses, though some have been converted for commercial uses.
Concept
The goal of my intervention was to accommodate denser form and a more urban program, while respecting the existing neighborhood fabric. I did this by treating that neighborhood fabric as a rug, which I peeled up, and swept the new urban program underneath.
Precedent
The inspiration for this approach came from Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, which continues the sidewalk through the building as a continuous “urban carpet wall.”
Longitudinal Section Perspective Looking North
Central Outdoor Space
View of ramp system
East elevation from Wilton St.