Revised Schematic Layout

This week I continued my research on housing types and revisited my proposed layout for the residential units. I gathered information about the Kyo-Machiya Housing Type of Japan which often combined housing with shops or workshops. The housing in Japan's cityscapes were dense, which required innovative ways to bring the outside in, allowing natural light to penetrate areas deep within the building footprint. After studying this housing type I thought it best to bring natural light into smaller areas of the building by using the approximate area and location of the existing monitors to create lightwells, or "columns of light" that would penetrate vertically into the building. This does not create a large atrium in the middle of the buildings footprint but allows more usable square footage and opportunities for natural light to be a direct benefit to the residents. The following digram is a simple grid that incorporated to organize private decks around the lightwells.



The housing units are then arranged around the private decks (illustrated in this typical floor plan in gray). The lightwells, which are open down to the second floor, are the yellow areas.



The Ground Floor layout includes amenities for the residents, such as a Fitness Club, and Recreation spaces (i.e. Lounge, Drawing Room, Wine Tasting, Billards, etc.). A restaurant tenant, is located along Broadway Street.



I plan to add a rooftop addition that will be set back from the edges of the existing building by approximately one column bay on all sides. This level will include two Boardrooms and Activity Rooms for business meetings or parties for the residence. The Roof Deck and Roof Garden will be accessible to the public. And the remainder of the roofscape will be for the Boardrooms.



The elevator shafts will be relocated to the center of the building, and each elevator cab could have visual access to the lightwells.



The stairs located at each end of the central corridor could also have visual access to the adjacent lightwells, however this would be more of a challenge because these stair will require a fire separation.



This section of a typical bay at the lightwell illustrates how natural light will penetrate into the building.