The Oasis
Studio 601 Fall 2019
Instructor: Scott Erdy
University of Pennsylvania
Type: Residential Co-op, Urban Farming, Individual Project
Site: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
With the entire city Philadelphia being urbanized and industrialized, the new constructions are pushing nature further and further away from the city and its residents. The lens of food production is a way of exploring the interdependence between nature and man. The proposal seeks to utilize this interdependence rather than romanticize nature, bringing nature back into the city in a more subtle way, without taking a protective preservative position for the nature, but to rebuild nature in a way that may coexist with residents.
Hidden behind the industrial red brick wall, the proposal opens up as an oasis in the city. Its curvy glass façade, narrow at both ends while opens at the center to mimic the shape of antelope, reminds people of the experience of walking in nature outside city. The receeding position of the green roof, resembling the shape of terraces, was designed to maximize the sunlight received. The bridge on the top, serves no only as bridges between the two “canyons”, but another layer of nature where growing is the priority.
![long_0105 [Converted] [Recovered].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/609b3117969bfe3b5f4d80c4/1623013353977-FVBDEB8QXPTF3WE0WEC9/long_0105+%5BConverted%5D+%5BRecovered%5D.jpg)
