Reclaiming Suburbia
This project envisions a sustainable community hub to inspire gathering and resource sharing. Centered on environmental concerns, it explores how intentional design can enhance suburban living by promoting mental and physical well-being alongside financial resilience.
project overview
The shotgun retrofit and Outgrow Community Center are both centered on environmental sustainability, community engagement, and functionality. Each design carefully responds to local challenges and opportunities, such as food insecurity, wetland conservation, and temperature regulation, with an emphasis on creating an inviting and supportive space for both individuals and the environment.
Revit
SketchUp
Environmental Research
Lumion 3D
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Client: Horticulturist, Founder of a Food Insecurity Initiative
Location: The Cottage, Lafayette, Louisiana
methods
Outgrow Community Center is designed to foster engagement and connection within the Cottage community at East Broussard. The building takes inspiration from the natural environment, specifically the cross-section of a cypress tree canopy, reflecting the region's ecosystem and providing a functional yet inspiring space for residents.
Architectural Inspiration - Cypress Tree Canopy:
The structure is designed to evoke the cross-section of a cypress tree, with distinct architectural features representing the various layers of the tree. The solid round areas are a metaphor for the heartwood of the cypress tree, symbolizing a central place for human interaction, gathering, and core activities within the community center. These areas are designed with comfort and temperature regulation in mind, making them conducive to productive, everyday tasks.
outgrow community center
Dynamic Hallways as Sapwood:
The hallways of the community center mirror the function of sapwood in a tree. Their dynamic design creates a path that helps guide people between spaces while allowing for sunlight to filter through, ensuring that the flow of energy and movement is energized. This area enhances visibility within the building, creating a sense of openness and connection between interior spaces.
Site map showcasing interaction
Outgrow’s lichen-inspired green-wall and roof features.
Green Roof & Outdoor Spaces:
The green roof acts as a nod to the epiphytes that often grow on a cypress tree, and it provides patrons with an additional outdoor area to enjoy the environment. The green roof further enhances the community center's eco-conscious design while offering a space for rest and social gathering, benefiting both the local ecology and residents' well-being.
Balancing Warmth and Coolness: The Heartwood and Sapwood Concept
The design of Outgrow Community Center cleverly mirrors the biological function of a cypress tree, with the heartwood representing the cool, solid spaces that anchor the building and provide a calm, stable environment for gathering and focused activities. In contrast, the sapwood, with its more dynamic design, serves as a warmer, vibrant transition area, guiding people through the building while supporting energy flow, sunlight, and movement. This balance of cool and warm elements within the structure fosters both comfort and connection.
Shotgun Retrofit
The Shotgun Retrofit is a sustainable and eco-conscious greenhouse project designed for a horticulturist dedicated to addressing food insecurity. The retrofit enhances the client's ability to supplement her food distribution efforts while staying home to monitor her child’s schooling. With an emphasis on environmental sustainability, the design creates a welcoming, functional space that both serves the community and celebrates the local ecosystem.
Striking Exterior Design:
The front façade of the retrofit features a large glass window to capture southern sunlight, providing abundant natural light and also serving as a visual cue to guide visitors into the greenhouse. The striking design invites people from the surrounding area to gather produce as needed, reinforcing a sense of community support.
These gestural collages inform the design for the retrofit.
Top Left: Initial Materiality Top Right: VOC Output
Bottom Left: Materiality w/ Context Bottom Right: Form
Greenhouse Garden
Wetland Roof for Sustainability:
A unique feature of the retrofit is the wetland roof, which helps regulate the temperature inside the greenhouse by reducing reliance on air conditioning during warmer months. The roof captures rainwater that would otherwise become groundwater, preventing pollution run-off and supporting the client’s background in wetland conservation. Wetland plants, which make up a majority of the greenhouse’s non-edible foliage, further emphasize the importance of preserving the local ecosystem.
Materials for Durability and Environmental Harmony:
The retrofit is constructed with Corten steel and glass, with Corten chosen for its eco-friendly properties and ability to weather naturally in the humid, rainy climate of Lafayette. The material’s evolving appearance through natural corrosion aligns with the building’s theme of resilience in the face of nature, creating a visually striking connection between the built environment and the elements.
The urban mapping project aims to identify and address key sustainability challenges within Lafayette, with a specific focus on reducing pollution, enhancing transportation options, and promoting eco-friendly practices. The maps created were designed to provide valuable insights into the urban environment, highlighting areas that require attention while proposing potential solutions for more sustainable, community-oriented development.
urban mapping
Pollution Hotspots Map:
The pollution hotspots map focuses on areas most affected by pollution, with emphasis on areas near high-density shopping nodes. The map visually highlights paths of motor vehicle traffic, with red representing major traffic routes and blue indicating stop-and-go congestion where pollution is highest. The circles represent areas of high pollution concentration, aiding in identifying where efforts to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and enhance pedestrian spaces can be targeted.
River Map for Eco-Transportation:
The river map explores the use of the river as a transportation hub to reduce stress on the road system in Lafayette, particularly between Acadiana Mall and nearby shopping areas. By introducing river transport, the plan proposes reducing road traffic, which is a primary contributor to pollution, while also offering a sustainable transport option for nearby residents who lack access to personal vehicles.
River Market Map:
Building on the concept of utilizing the river for transportation, the river market map envisions creating a vibrant Riverwalk area that integrates eco-mobility initiatives and serves as a gathering point for residents. This initiative aims to ease road traffic congestion by promoting non-motorized modes of transport, such as walking or cycling, while also supporting local businesses, including farmers' markets and retail shops.
The combined impact of the Shotgun Retrofit, Urban Mapping, and Riverwalk initiatives creates a cohesive approach to sustainability, community empowerment, and environmental stewardship.
Together, these projects contribute to a shared vision of sustainability that benefits residents, the environment, and the economy. By integrating nature into the built environment and reducing reliance on conventional urban systems, they represent a comprehensive approach to creating resilient, adaptable communities for the future.