What are the overall goals for this thesis project? I have been asking myself this question over the last few months, but I think they need to be stated in order to progress in the design process.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE: To create an attractive, lively downtown center in the Lloyd District to bring in a diversity of people to live, work and play, keeping the site full of activity during all hours of the day.

Goals:

• Create a strong urban street front (high density massing and grounded corners of the site)

• Provide nodes of outdoor space for families, locals, and visitors (plazas, courtyards, community gardens, outdoor seating, tree canopy, paving, coverings)

• Designate permanent indoor and outdoor space to Farmers Market that can be expanded during certain days of the week

• Provide adequate parking space for residents, employees, and visitors of the site (surface parking and underground parking)

• Develop Holladay Green Street Typology (pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, bioswales, tree coverage, permeable paving, bike lanes, MAX line, vehicular traffic)

• Combine efforts for energy efficiency with the city’s energy plan starting at the Rose Quarter

• Demonstrate a close-looped system for food that focuses on a local market and composting

• Provide residents access to necessary amenities to live a healthy, active lifestyle: local food, water, energy, natural daylight, thermal comfort, privacy, outdoor connection, good air quality, transportation options, daycare service, exercise facility, and close-proximity to cultural events and job opportunities.

• Provide visitors and employees access to ample open public space: water, energy, natural daylight, thermal comfort, private vs. community space, outdoor connection, good air quality, transportation options, and close-proximity to cultural events and job opportunities.

• Interesting architectural spaces to evoke creativity, liveliness, and culture within the district (material choice, urban design, patterns, structure, open vs. closed space – light vs. dark, connections to nature, etc.)

Challenges/Obstacles:

• Surrounding empty parking lots, primarily office buildings, hotels – doesn’t make for a prime living location for families

• Noisy, busy Lloyd Center Mall could be disruptive for residents

• Run-down buildings of harsh materials (concrete, steel, glass, brick)

• Large scale of the chosen site could be overwhelming and presents issues of accessibility and wasted space

• Lloyd Office Tower on the chosen site could take away from the residential feeling of the project

• Lloyd District lacks cultural identity to latch onto

This project focuses on revitalizing a part of the city that is currently lacking in activity, commerce, and connectedness. What does it mean to live, work, and play in one location? The overlapping layers of different uses will be what makes the site a fully functioning, lively environment that can sustain itself over time. Each layer represents a person and their primary activity. If all of these layers coexist, there will be opportunities to share ideas and work together, allowing for the ultimate place for exchange, networking, and commerce. The building’s architecture can also reflect these layers of a local food and art exchange, through materials, structure, separation of spaces, and the blending of indoor and outdoor environments.