RETAKING AGENCY
16 weeks | under Ivonne Santoyo-Orzoco
An investigation into the urban housing condition in New York, and the economic realities which surround and support its current state. More specifically, investigating the forms and conditions of ownership within the city, as a way to provide political agency, and a space for political action. More broadly, analyzing the spectrum of public and private spaces that comprise New York.
The existing structure, 450 West 33rd Street - soon to be known as 5 Manhattan West - is a 16 story, 1,800,000 sq ft brutalist warehouse in the Chelsea neighborhood, directly opposite of the Hudson Yards mega-development. Research was conducted on ghost apartments, housing purely as capital, around The High Line, a major urban space near the site.
The building is divided into two distinct worlds.
The world of the residents occupies the top 6 floors for housing, as well as the ground floor and carved voids for unprogrammed space. The residents live in co-habitation cooperative based on tenancy, instead of owner occupation. Tenancy supports both short term and longterm populations, allowing flexibility for unsure situations, while co-living fosters an environment of mutual responsibility, having residents actively participate in the formation of their community.
This system allows the residents to gain political agency through real-estate, and the voids carved through the building provide spaces for political actions.
The world of the corporations serve the residents, renting out the middle 9 floors as prime Manhattan office real estate. This revenue allows for rent subsidies to be provided to residents, and for general maintenance and amenities of the space.
Below: The dichotomy of the two plans show the divide between worlds perfectly. Though aware of each other, the two worlds never interact.
The public forum serves as the main space within the building. A space for political action. Pathways wind through the building leading up to the residences through different smaller void spaces
Different sizes, different needs, one system.
Each unit is designed around a modular column-wall system, highlighted in blue. The space around a column is divided into four quadrants. A single unit occupies a single quadrant, a couple’s unit occupies two, and a family unit occupies four.
Single, couple, and two story family units are clustered in neighborhood blocks, arranged around garden voids that provide light and air. One story family units are arranged separately on the ends of the building.
Unit blocks share large areas of communal space, supplementing the small unit sizes and hosting additional amenities.
