Maggie Kerkmans' 202 studio amounted to tasking students with designing an agro-community center in the Borales neighborhood in Albuquerque, NM. This is Plants, Community, Graffiti, & Other Cool Stuff. It was designed & tailored to fit the neighborhood's unique attributes: a history in urban industrialization, economic struggle, and a tight-knit community.
The neighborhood tells their story with graffiti; I was inspired to incorporate graffiti and supergraphics into the project. This makes the Modern-inspired architectural layout feel inviting for the community. Robert Venturi & Denise Scott Brown's theories of the duck vs the decorated shed, Colin Rowe's theory of literal vs phenomenal transparency, and the colorful and captivating works of the contemporary Spanish art collective Boa Mistura were all influential to me as I developed this project.
The center features outdoor ponds as a subtle nod to Albuquerque's acequia culture, and plenty of gathering areas for the community. It also features an aquaponics system with a koi pond in the main indoor gathering area, and a greenhouse on the second floor.
A physical 'fragment model' shows the similarities and differences between interior and exterior space. Spray paint letters and shapes denote the supergraphics.
