Radiography
Personal Role: Developed the massing, arrangement scheme, and interior amenities. | Constructed the 3D model for rendering purposes | Generated axonometric diagrams.
Medium: Auto Cad | Sketch Up | Photoshop | Illustrator | VRay
Main Challenges: 1. Conceive an idea for a "Shelter for the homeless" in 24 hours. | 2. Create a sensible solution for a marginalized community that formalizes, and recognizes their existence.
Unraveling: 1. Turns out that the basic iconography of a house (an irregular pentagon) stacks pretty well, and delivers the desired arrangement that creates common areas by pushing and pulling each unit. | 2. Extreme organization, and prioritization the diagrams, and visuals that would explain the project in the competition board. | 3. Pizza for stress mitigation.
Group: José J. Sosa | Alejandro Jahiatt
Institution: University of Puerto Rico | Prof. Francisco Rodríguez, Carlos García
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Located in a busy intersection at the district of Río Piedras in San Juan, SidewayHouse responds to the austerity of the vicinity. Viaduct PR-181 renders residual, unused space underneath it. Consequently, for years this space has been used by homeless people as an informal shelter. SidewayHouse, proposes to formalize this space by filling the gap that was once no-mans-land into dignified sheltering for the ones in need. Conceptually, the shelter's minimal programmatic configuration is based on the typical home: where storage areas are generally located above and the dwelling areas below.
However, to fit dynamically the needs of the site and program, the icon house shaped unit is rotated ninety degrees to contort the emplacement and propose an alternate perspective of what housing really is. Construction-wise, each unit encloses storage, lavatory and sleeping space. They also provide crossed ventilation and natural light, important for the tropical lifestyle, without hindering privacy. Additionally, up to two units may connect internally maximizing the capability to up to four occupants in one contiguous space.
