THE PEOPLES GARDEN

Group Project | 2024 | Albany Park, IL

A plant library offering Albany Park citizens everything needed to grow a garden at home. The library encourages community interaction and aims to improve the surrounding environment. A multitude of activities, from gardening classes to farmers markets, takes place around the building.

Skills Exercised: Rhino, Groupwork, Modeling, Photoshop, Illustrator, Site surveying

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

TRANSVERSE SECTION

FLOOR PLANS

PHYSICAL MODEL

PROCESS

Throughout the project, many challenges arose, requiring great amounts of research, iteration, and thought. The end result was built on the accumulation of a series of design decisions that are outlined below.

NEIGHBORHOOD PORTRAITS

Compositions aimed at capturing a select few of the many aspects of Albany Park. In this case, the portraits focus on the relationship between urban and green spaces and how cultural pieces are present in both. Site walks were taken to assess the physical location of the site as well as the demographic and cultural trends and the circulation of the surrounding area. As all the green spaces were near the border of the neighborhood, the lack of central green spaces in Albany Park was a key takeaway and a driver of the project.

Views from an urban block and a local park, both showcasing art pieces representing the local population, separated by the shape of the Chicago River.

Fictional intersection showing the relationship between urban/green spaces in Albany Park.

Concept sketches and pictures taken from site walk.

Rough models were developed in response to different aspects of the site. Group members came together and deliberated on what was successful in each model and formed a concept going forward. Sun studies were performed to create the ideal cantilever.

SKETCH MODELS

Perspectives taken from the concept model showcase key activities that will take place in the final building. The activities chosen were a community garden and a farmers market, both handpicked to engage the people of the neighborhood as well as work in tandem with the building’s form.

KEY POINT PERSPECTIVES

The community garden and seed library are located on the second floor, allowing community members to learn about gardening and get hands-on experience planting.

Farmers market on exterior extending into interior of the building attracting community members walking by to explore and engage.

PROGRAMMING

Given a list of square footage and program requirements, floor plans were created with a focus on designing positive and engaging experiences for visitors, as well as an easily maneuverable space. Activities from key perspectives were tailored to better fit the programming needs. Elevators, an HVAC room, and storage space were just some of the requirements of the building.