ECHO is a Master of Architecture thesis project. The inspiration comes from a personal perspective and community interviews. As a designer I was raised in a country in development and experienced personal social changes through the constant exposure to education and opportunities for social interactions. One of these opportunities was to move to a developed country and pursue my professional goals.
As an immigrant I needed to adapt. I see communities as ecosystems and an ecosystem needs to adapt to survive. I believe the quality of life in a neighborhood increases when their educational level and cultural awareness increase, and my goal as architect is improve people’s life through well thought and connected spaces.
How can we use design as a tool to foster growth and development in Chelsea?
Echo aims to answer this question by first interviewing the local communities and hearing the voices of those that reside there. The locals helped to guide a vision composed of lush terraces, a versatile community driven program, educational provisions, and opportunities conducive to success. These opportunities empower residents and permeate into the surrounding neighborhoods to ensure sustainable growth, This project aims to nurture the growth of Chelsea, amplify and strengthen the voice of those less heard including its minorities, immigrants, and people of color.
This project uses a pre-manufactured modular design approach. It also incorporates biophilic aspects such as vibrant terraces and courtyards that enable communities to build and grow sustainable gardens. Modules were rotated to allow for natural lighting into the spaces and for providing unique views all while being constructed with sustainable materials.
People travel to Central and South American countries to try their food, listen to their music, experience their culture and observe natural attractions. What if they could do this in Chelsea?
The research and the community interviews show that immigrants living in Chelsea came to the US looking for a better quality of life and due to the low education rates resulting from limited resources, they ended up in low paying jobs or opening small businesses.
These small businesses have a lot of potential: Good food, unique architecture, and friendly service!
They offer a range of ethnic music, goods, and entertainment from other countries.
A little Cuba, Republica Dominica, Mexico, Honduras….experiences that they already offer in the city could be integrated and displayed for all.
By empowering the locals to capitalize on their experiences and culture they are able to alter the affects of gentrification and manage what could have resulted in displacement. Supporting the locals to offer better service and marketing will make them the most valuable assets in Chelsea. Higher education = Higher income
SECTION A – A – FARMERS MARKET AND FOOD BUSINESS
The challenge was to break the standard modular box scale down, providing a variety of experiences and connecting different parts of the city, people, and cultures.
Playing with the box’s steps and rotation makes this path exciting. It invites the community and visitors to see the city from a different angle, to exercise, relax, meditate, gather, learn, and other numerous opportunities. As a result of the rotation, there are some apartment templates. The variation supplies the demand for different values and sizes. The last block hosts a ground-floor public space for table games and exercise equipment, maintaining the resourcefulness of the complex year-round.
SECTION B – B – OFFICES, SHARED WORK SPACES, AND COMMUNITY CENTER
There is no better location for offices than by the water, with great views and a large selection of restaurants. Better yet, your staff can acquire or update their professional skills in the community center right in front of the office. The community center has a diverse offering of professional training, from languages to culinary arts, financial planning, family planning, marketing, and so on. In addition, it has space to host events and lectures for the community.
Bridge point where the user can decide to keep their path through the bridge or go upstairs and enjoy the Boston harbor and Chelsea view. Each step is a different view. The intention is that the walk becomes an attraction, similar to the success of the High Line in New York, attracting visitors to the echo multi-use business complex and improving the day of each user that steps into the echo system.
The thesis process was an intense learning exercise that made me realize how in depth the study of the roots of a problem are in order to comprehend potential proposals and possible solutions. There isn’t a unique solution to a social problems and each challenge architects get involved has different historical roots.
-Nathalia
