Miaoyan Ge
A RAMP IS MADE FOR BY PEOPLE
Affordable Housing, Ramps, Signage
Our thesis proposes an architecture that promotes social interaction within a community through a design that combines graphic signage with a typological alteration of housing on inclined surfaces. Modern urban architecture with its massive scale, impersonal design, and functional segregation has often led to the separation of communities. By introducing an array of ramps, this building reorients and encourages social interactions, creating a vibrant and dynamic community. Signage is important as it succinctly conveys the collective voice, demands, and messages of demonstrators, and creates a visual representation of social and political movements. When signage becomes an integral part of architectural design, it transforms spaces into platforms for expression and interaction.
In the early 21st century, forceful development proposals aimed to repurpose the current location of Los Angeles State Historic Park as a site for warehouses. However, due to the protests by surrounding residents, the site finally became a park. The slogans from these events conveying the loud voice of the community are still preserved in the park today. As downtown Los Angeles expands, developers are targeting parcels of land in Los Angeles Chinatown. People are being forced to leave due to rising rents and expiring affordable housing contracts. When these temporary slogans are included in durable buildings, we hope that the sense of togetherness and vibrancy of the community will live on in these buildings.
Building on inclined surfaces challenges traditional notions of architecture as static and permanent. This offers unique spatial experiences through the reorientation of bodily movement relative to the architecture. The continuous ramp invites multi-level interactions by breaking down the barriers between floors. Various levels become visually and physically connected, encouraging occupants to interact across a range of spaces.
Integrating signage and ramps into housing spaces fosters a deeper engagement among humans, architecture, and the city. This integration blurs the line between passive observation and active participation. It turns architecture into a canvas for communication between the built environment and human activities. We hope that this project can inspire people to observe the surrounding environment, rethink the meaning of words and characters, and allow architecture to integrate into the city in new forms.
Model On Site Model
Paper Model on Mirror
The Facade Spanning the Street
Elevations