Tree canopies
tree|house rooftop space hosts a book (as a nod
to the unceremoniously demolished A Different
Light bookstore) and coffee store concept
Skylight bordered by seating surface
Rooftop park and sculpture gallery takes advantage
of northern and westerly mountain and sunset views
Upper level gallery
Director’s office
Storage
Upper level floor
Ramps from lobby to upper and lower gallery
Lower level gallery
Conference room
Restrooms
Entry, lobby and signage
Lobby roof height 14’ above street level
Terraced courtyard
Sidewalk
Lower level floor
Property boundary
Site
Roof of top level is
26’ above street level
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Rooftop gallery is
17’ above street level
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Lower level gallery, with sliding glass doors open to courtyard, is designed to be transformed into
an amphitheatre-style performance space interlinked with the
terraced courtyard
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Lower level is
7’ below street level
Design a 4850sf community art space on a 5330sf urban site at 4010 Santa Monica Blvd. in Silver Lake CA
Program to include:
- Two main exhibition spaces of 1500 sq. ft. each with filtered natural light
- Reception area and director’s office
- Restrooms, storage space, conference room, cafe/public space
- Lot coverage not to exceed 50%
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My concept was informed by the site’s history, political dynamics, and the opportunity to creatively respond to the threat of overdevelopment. The site is at one of the most visible and iconic intersections in Los Angeles, Sunset Junction. For 50+ years on our site stood A Different Light bookstore which served as a gathering space and landmark for the gay community. That community and its history plays
a large role in having shaped Silver Lake into the liberal, tolerant, creative hub it continues to be. Ten years ago the current owners, upon rejection of their propsed 90-unit condominum tower, unceremoniously demolished the historically significant existing structures. Since then the site has sat, boarded up to
the sidewalk, cut off from the neighborhood.
My design is in response to that history and current threat of oversized, non-community-serving development and as such is an attempt to make as open, both physically and figuratively, and welcoming a space as could be created with this site.
Project Description
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Silver Lake Community Art Space
East Los Angeles College - Architectural Design 201: Design Studio I
Professor Orhan Ayyuce - Fall 2021 | Year 2, Semester 1
EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC
Design Objective