Breanna Sheeler

Green Block is a pilot project of urban regeneration, within the framework of the MED Program included at Objective 3 of European Union Territorial Cooperation and driven by OMAU European Programs Service, aiming to combine the best characteristics of the classic Mediterranean city: a city with compact buildings, complex uses and functions, and pedestrian proximity to basic services and equipment.

 

An overall vision is maintained of the organization of the project, making a contribution to new ways of living - moving forward with open design systems, incorporating the ability of a flexible design that allows change and transformation of housing to different family compositions, life changes over time, or space requirements based on family or professional situations.

 

The suggested approach is more than just a submission to the Green Block Competition, it is a proposal for a new strategy in collective housing. An analysis of the changing demographics of families and evolving expectations for life and work within Málaga and cities around the world led to the determination that a new paradigm in urban housing is desperately needed.

 

Residents are provided with their own BOX - Basic Opportunities for eXpression - which can be catered to their specific living standards and aesthetic style. Various iterations of the BOX serve the individual, group, and community levels within the building, arranged into domestic clusters around communal spaces for all tenants.

 

The building acts as a buffer from the grand urban scale of Málaga, sheltering the village plaza which nestles among the terraced balconies. This plaza facilitates a myriad of community programs supported by the ground floor exhibition and fabrication spaces. The exterior facade pays homage to the cultural heritage of Málaga, while providing passive environmental control.

 

The modularity of the building enclosure, structure, MEP systems, and BOX units provides the proposal with ease of adaptability. The Green Block system may be altered to suit many climates, cultures, vernaculars, and demographics throughout the course of its lifecycle. This proposal revitalizes the urban landscape while restoring a long-abandoned typology, resulting in the new Urban Village.

 

Design Studio 5 - fall 2017

 

IE University, Segovia, Spain