Consolidating Contradiction

In creating a micro dwelling on the USC campus, it became evident that the matter of privacy would be a major determinant in the design intent. This factor plus the analysis of Venturi’s concept that “sometimes the contradiction is not between the inside and the outside but between the top and the bottom of the building”, are the driving aspects of this proposal. The stairs signify not only a consolidation of the top and the bottom but a contradiction between the top and the bottom. The consolidation as seen with the stairs that connect the top and the bottom whilst creating the overall form and structure of the building. The contradiction illustrated by the distinction of the open and public space on top, and the closed and private space on the bottom. Additionally, there is an inevitable contrast between the impact of natural light on the top – where the sunlight extrudes through a permeable surface reaching the entire level, and the bottom – where natural light extrudes through a glazed surface and reaches select parts of that level.
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Physical model images and oblique. Threshold, Passage, Room. Alteration and Addition to USC Fisher Museum of Art (Project 01)