View from Adjacent Building
Sectional Perspective
Level 1 Floor Plan
Level 2 Floor Plan
Post-Pandemic Library
View from Street Level
View from Mission Bay Creek
Level 2 Walkway
Sectional Perspective
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Urban Living Room

Urban Living Room

Exploring personal space within anxious contexts through a speculative public library

Bachelor of Architecture Thesis Project

Faculty
Philip Ra, AIA
Mini Chu
Awards
B.Arch Thesis Design Excellence Award

Naturally, we tend to keep a certain distance when interacting with other people, especially during the post-pandemic era. The Urban Living Room aims to bring neighborhood life into public space while creating blurred boundaries that create conditions of privacy. The design introduces public programs like cafes, shops, galleries, and varied open spaces which blend traditional library and private spaces with adjacent buildings. Formal moves respond to natural light, wind, and views, but also create opportunities to block visual contact with adjacent residences and provide private programmed spaces for users.

The building was divided into two parts connected by a bridge providing flexible circulation. By utilizing different material patterns to guide visitors through the space, the design enriches relationships with neighbors. Originally the site featured the natural environment, so the building is elevated for people to enjoy the natural vegetation on different levels. Visitors are welcome to celebrate their time here and the architecture creates invisible boundaries to protect their personal space as needed. This Urban Living Room is not just a library or another public space for people to hang out; the proposal also provides opportunities for people to safely interact in personally acceptable proximities.

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