Author : Kara R. McHone
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (841 download)
Book Synopsis Designing for Heterogeneity in an Increasingly Homogeneous World by : Kara R. McHone
Download or read book Designing for Heterogeneity in an Increasingly Homogeneous World written by Kara R. McHone and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a world that is growing as quickly as ours, suburban sprawl and harmful new development is a seemingly unstoppable force; a force that's repercussions include not only the decimation of the earth's natural resources, but an increase in homogeneity - both in terms of built form, and social practices. Because a majority of new construction is done through developers, buildings not only look more alike, but they house similar functions for a like group of people. Communities thus become segregated within their cities, and are less interesting and educating because of the lack of variation in human contact, and lack of interaction between the natural and built environment. Asheville, North Carolina is an area that has been undergoing a drastic suburban sprawl for the last several years. Enormous residential developments in once forested areas and on mountainsides have begun to wipe out many of the natural elements that attract people to the area in the first place, and as usual, this development is in the hands of developers who construct large buildings made of cheap, synthetic material, that all look the same, and are then inhabited by a similar type of people. This homogenous development is a problem for the city of Asheville in particularly because it is known for it's eclectic, bohemian, art loving and nature-friendly atmosphere, and yet new development only continues to eradicate all the qualities that make this town as unique as it is. However, some people in Asheville have taken it upon themselves to revamp and reuse old, historical buildings in the area as an alternative to new development, and in effect, have introduced an exciting level of heterogeneity to various parts of the city. One of the best examples of the reuse of historical buildings without homogenous and harmful development is in the River Arts District. Located along the French Broad River, old factories and warehouses that were devastated by natural disaster or fire have been reclaimed by Asheville's large artisan population, and now make up what is known as The River Arts District. Artists live and work in these once industrial buildings, bringing new meaning to an old environment with no or minimal new land development. This idea about the reduction of homogeneous and harmful new development via site rehabilitation is one that I hope to engage in my professional career, and thus led me to this thesis proposal. As my investigations into this thesis progressed, a program evolved, not from any single desire for new development, but from the social and physical qualities of the site, into a community co-op. The program mediates three existing, but contradicting, agendas into a single building whose footprint and construction is as least intrusive as possible, and in fact contributes to the overall well being of the River Arts District. The building does this through a heterogeneous plethora of methods including a mixed-use program, sustainability and site-sensitive design tactics, and the reuses and reconstruction of two old, industrial building shells that would have otherwise been leveled to make way for new development.
